69gmachine

Adam, this company can make molded Lexan for our cars: http://proglasswindows.com/FormedWindows.html For a street going car the front windshield is 1/4", all other glass is 3/16. For clear he quoted me a price of $1275 and for tinted it was $1400. He needs a '70 door glass (either side) as a sample to make the mold for both sides and it will be able to roll up and down.

I agree that it was very deceptive to use ARP on top and then use CAT on the rotating assembly. Had they been upfront and honest about it then you would have at least had the opportunity to say "No thanks" or "I'll pay the extra for ARP" or even "OK, no problem", but it appears they were intentionally hiding the cheaper parts inside. Having said that, I still believe that just because it's made in China doesn't mean it's crap. No, it's not usually as good as most typical made in USA parts, but if it gets the job done for 1/2 the price is that really so bad? Was the overall price less than their typical competitor?

After you enter their site, there is a drop down menu on the LH side under "Domestic Parts Quick Search".

Even if it's not a perfect fit, it wouldn't take much to have a shop modify the header pipe to make them fit.

No, it's not Caterpilar or ARP. They are from this company: www.catpep.com/ Their prices are lower than most and I've seen both good and bad quality stuff from them. The geometry of the shaft rocker arms was horrible. I couldn't even install them. However, that was just as likely due to the enginering drawings they were provided. The 4 bolt main caps fit very nicely. I don't know how they could screw up a bolt. I'm sure everything from CAT is made in China, but that doesn't mean it's no good. Chineese parts are only as good as the American importers quality control forces them to be.

If I was starting with nothing I would get the True trac also. However, I found a used nodular 3rd member with traction loc under an F150 in a U-pull-it wrecking yard that I got for $20 back in the late 80s. I paid $100 to have it rebuilt in '96 and it's still going strong.

You may want to consider a hydraulic clutch instead of the manual linkage as the Z bar bushings are prone to wear. You can buy an already sorted out kit like Modern Driveline offers or put the pieces together yourself and save a few $$. I used a Ram hyd throwout bearing with a 3/4" bore master and I'm currently in the process of making my own version of the MD lever arm to reduce the pedal effort a little more. The diaphram style clutches require less pedal effort and when used with a dual friction disc can hold a lot of torque without slipping. Just a few things to think about.

Every piece that goes in there is available new from multiple vendors and can usually be found used on ebay as well. Summit sells a traction loc unit that's stronger than the original at a very reasonable price. The other option was a Detroit locker, they're incredibly strong but I personally don't like them. There are also torque sensing differentials that don't use clutches so they will last almost forever and they work great on the street as well as the track.

I modified the top cover of the trans rather than modify the tunnel. Mine was an early 3550 that I converted to a TKO 600 by swapping the tailshaft as well as all the gears. In order to instal the trans I have to install the shifter base first and then assemble the guts once it's in place. I do have trouble hitting the 2-3 upshift, and because I have an early TKO tailshaft housing I'm very limited in shifter availablity as it has a different mount pattern than the later TKO 600s. When it was new I had a hard time getting in reverse, but eventually it started going in without a problem. If I had the money to go with a T56 6 speed, I think I would do that.

Very nice! Welcome to the forum. What part of Maryland do you live in?

Dang! Sorry, my mailbox fills up really fast...I'm deleting stuff now.

I started the bends at 9 and 3 o'clock, and it goes from nothing to 90 by 10 (or 2 from the other side). The first v notches are around 10 and 2 o'clock and they are fairly narrow, maybe a 1/4 at the outer edge. You could probablly just make slits as opposed to notches, and yes every 3 inches or so from 10 to 2. It's not really critical the exact number, placement or spacing, just so it's a little easier to get the lip rolled.

You could just drill new offset holes in the bottom of the spring perches.

Well, you could take it back to the body shop and try to get them to correct it, but you would need to convince them they made a mistake, which may be difficult. Correcting one or both frame rails would mean considerable re-work for them, so you would need to be either extremely diplomatic or be ready for a fight. Did you verify that the problem did not exist before they replaced the frame rails? They will probably claim they put them right back where they were, which may in fact be true. The tolerances these old cars were built to were horrible by modern standards and could easily stack up. The offset of my axles in the housing from left to right is a 1/4". If the frame rails were also off by another 1/4" in the same direction, I would have the same problem you have. Another option would be to have a custom rear-end made with a 1/2" offset. I know that sounds extreme, but it's probably cheaper than moving one or both frame rails over a 1/2 inch. Good luck on however you proceed.

Unfortunately, yes. That's why a lot of us ditch the factory steering.

I don't know that everyone would think that was the best way to break it down, but I think most gear heads would at least understand the reasoning behind it. You could look at the magazine titles and see how they cater to specific audiences and make your groupings based on that. In the end it's your site, and you can decide however you think is best.

I wouldn't try to cut out all the welds, just notch in between them in a few places. If you already have the tires mounted you can mock them up to see how much you need to bend the lip. If bending 90 degrees is adequate, I'd call it good. You can always come back later if you decide you want to change to a larger tire and need more clearance.

well just a comment, but why create your own categories when the hobby already has well established categories such as: pre-war hot rods, post war hot rods (thru 53 with flat heads) 50s classics (Y block fords and tri 5 chevys), muscle cars (which originally were intermediates with big block engines '64 to '73), pony cars (you could divide up into generations like 65-73, 74-85 (unleaded, smog but still carbureted), 86 up efi. Just a thought to make the categories more cohesive since technology and style didn't have well defined breaks at the end of a nicely defined decade.

I think it would be easier to roll if they are not welded together so they can move independently,then spot weld after you finish rolling. I notched mine about every 3 inches, and about 2/3 from the inside edge to the bend. No, I didn't weld in the notches as I had plenty of spot welds.

Rolling the front is very easy if you remove the fender first. I didn't trim mine back at all, just used a rubber mallet and a bean bag for support as I slowly went around the perimeter. I started further down simply because it was easier to get started. As for the back, the two layers make it a royal pita. I made v notches in the lip in several places before I started trying to roll it and it was still much harder than the front. If they made a continuous bead of weld to the outer wheelhouse, I would recommend cutting it off first. I wouldn't try to re-weld until after I rolled the lip. Even though it's not needed lower down, I found it much easier to start the bend there rather than somewhere in the middle. Just another .02 to consider.

It sounds like the connector for the turn signal switch is not pinned correctly. Check it closely against the old one to verify all the wires are in the correct socket.

I use an old set of '69 races to install new '70 up races as they are slightly thicker on the ID so they won't slip and get cocked while driving in the new races. If you're installing '69 races, they'll still work just fine. The freezing idea is also great, as it doesn't cost anything and makes it that much easier to install.

Flex a form will build a custom set to order, and I would bet that Hyperco would as well. Unless you go off-roading, you shouldn't have a problem with them. Racers using the Hyperco springs report that they last 4 to 5 times longer than steel springs. In order to get the spring to move up without going back, you will need a shorter spring as Buening pointed out. I started with Mustang II springs and re-drilled the axle locating pin at the correct distance, then added a leaf to support the heavier weight of my Mach 1. That lowered the car about 1.5 inches without needing to resort to lowering blocks. For me personally I would avoid blocks at all costs. I'm currently working on a truck arm suspension that will use coil over shocks. From all reports it's a much more comfortable ride, and it handles the turns just about as well as a live axle can be made to perform.

Some thoughts: If you're goal is simply to enjoy a curvy road and not trying to compete with anyone, there are several inexpensive upgrades you can make to the leaf spring set up. 1) lower the CG by lowering the car. It's much better to raise the back of the spring than to raise the axle above the spring as that creates a lever arm. 2) Use composite leaf springs instead of steel so they react faster. They proabably will never be as quick as a good coil over, but noticeable improvement over steel multi leafs. 3) A panhard bar is a simple yet effective way to not only positively locate the axle laterally, but it will also lower the roll center. A properly designed panhard bar will not result in binding in the normal range of motion. The Maier bar will also clear over the axle exhaust. 4) Tires will make a huge difference, so get the biggest tire that still has room to move. Although a 315 can be made to fit, there isn't enough clearance around it for hard cornering IMO, so I would limit the size to a 295. There is one other reason to ditch the leaf springs and that is ride harshness. They will beat you to death on a long trip. If you can afford to step up to a design that uses coil overs, you will have a much more enjoyable ride IMO.

I have a plastic trapp door with speakers in it, but it's not the one with the speaker pods. It fits great. Love the idea chillininh, eventually I think I'll do the same. I have too many projects going on to do it any time soon.