Steve, thanks for the pointers... you pretty much covered my plan... I
mentioned in my post about converting the front to disc
and putting a booster on it. I'd looked at the horn relay and figured
there was more going on there than just the horn.
I'm planning at some point to rewire the entire car.
My dad taught me to be a perfectionist, so when I rebuild things, I tend
to go overboard...when I redo the brakes, I'll replace
all the parts, rear end seals, clean, media blast and either paint of
powder coat the backing plates, same with the drums.
I'm planning on putting boxed lower bars on the rear suspension and a
Posi of some sort... not sure which one yet.
Tires will all be replaced.
I'm stoked... I've waited 15 years to own another muscle car, and am
laying plans pretty much every minute
of every day... I'm an addict... ;)
Ron
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Yep, drum brakes suck. While rebuilding the suspension, consider going for
a disc brake upgrade in front. Also, check the back brake shoes for oil.
The seals may have deteriorated and let oil from the rear end out to the
shoes. It's likely you'll need to replace leaking wheel cylinders, but they
are cheap. One things most guys neglect is new springs for the brakes. They
are about $3 for a complete set. It's likely yours are original for that
reason. New springs would be a great idea. If you have to replace anything
in there, new shoes are a given. Of course check drums for uneven wear. New
ones are still available.
The horn relay is a major distribution point to carry electricity to
several places. I'd replace the horn relay, but be aware that most guys are
afraid of wiring and you may have a whole lot of other issues. Personally
I'd look for an excuse to re-wire the car. Cheap insurance against fire. If
the wiring harness is in great condition with few hack jobs, then you may
be ok..but check wiring insulation closely.
Rebuilding the carb should be in your plans in the near future. Gaskets
rot after a few years and you may have varnish issues from old gas.
Replacing all filters is also a good idea.
Check tires for cracks and tread wear.
All of these things, and probably a few others I am not thinking of at
this time are just good maintenance. I'd go this route rather than try a
frame-off right away. Enjoy the car and slowly upgrade things after safety
and reliability issues are taken car of first.
S
teve
[Original Message]
From: Ron Zeppin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: The Chevelle Mailing List <Chevelle-list@chevelles.net>
Date: 2/16/2006 10:51:46 PM
Subject: [Chevelle-list] Got her home... Whew...
Well, I got my '68 home this afternoon... She seemed to run ok... I
dumped 3 gallons of super unleaded
in with whatever was left in the tank, and it seemed to smooth her out
quite a bit. Drive about 8 miles...
4-wheel manual drum brakes SUCK... 60-0 distance... 400ft... so it
seemed...
Before I even try to go through emissions with it, I'm going to pull
the
motor, check it out, clean it,
and throw in a fresh set of gaskets. While I've got the motor out, I'll
rebuild the suspension...
front first, then the rear suspension. Also plan on putting discs on
the
front and a booster!
Once I've got the driveablity taken care of, I'll start to work on the
body and interior.
Motor seems to run strong... it's a 400, .060 over, Dart Iron Eagle
heads...
not sure of the cam...that's the main reason for pulling the engine
besides detailing.
It was about 80F here in Phoenix today...she never got over 190F... I
was pretty happy with that.
Tranny seems to shift very firm.
One issue I need to tackle quick...When I hook up the auxillary wire to
the battery, the
horn relay clicks, and gets very hot after awhile... It's obviously
bad...what I'd like to know
is: Can I simply remove it from the harness, or does anything else run
through it??
The horns are missing from the car, so that's not an issue... Maybe
I'll
just replace is and not have to
worry about it....opinions??
Thanks!!
Ron
