John Burns
-
Posts
202 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Articles
Forums
Gallery
Events
Posts posted by John Burns
-
-
I didn't realize you could just bolt the bar to the non-boxed arms! I installed today- love it! I really need to replace all of the arms... not today!
-
Thanks guys! Another question- I just realized I have a polyurethane bushing kit for the control arms. (Sitting in a crate in my crawl space for years.) The arms already have stock rubber bushings in them- do i dare swap in the polyurethanes while I have it all apart?
-
Hi- I have some questions about a rear sway bar. I just scored a new(ish) factory style set up: boxed lower arms, upper arms (which I need because some doofus cut them to fit an exhaust before I got the car). The biggest reason is because I love the look.
Has anyone added a rear sway bar to their car? Is there anything I should be aware of? I'm not into going around corners fast, but will this improve the overall ride? The car hooks hard now with drag radials and a bone stock suspension... any chance this will mess that up?
-
Oil pans are good a teaching lessons- I dropped an alternator stud into the engine compartment and couldn't find it anywhere. I had another stud and put it all back together. Took it out for a ride and the lost stud managed to drop and poke a hole through the pan... Exxon Valdez (7 quarts!) in my parent's driveway. I look much harder for lost bolts now!
-
-
Thanks for all the input. Are you pleased with the improved driving characteristics?? Dale
I am very pleased! I suggest you have good gas shocks and when you do your alignment, get as much caster as you can. (Guys on the Team Chevelle site told me about that.) I had this done on my very heavy 68 Camaro. On the highway at 70+ it takes bumps easily- just keeps tracking straight and it is nice and stable on curves. I find myself driving much faster now and not realizing it (think a cop would go for that story?
) -
I'm using Energy Suspension bushings.
-
...if steering straight does not have your full attention and you happen to move it a few degrees say while changing a radio channel it is easy to drift into another lane with no feedback from the wheel.
That is a perfect example of they way my Monte was. It has definitely taken "the edge off" of that twitchy feeling. It is much more comfortable to drive- totally worth the $20 and 1/2 hour I spent. It is easy to get at the valve on the Monte.
-
I just put them in my Camaro. No squeaks- they came with some sort of grease that needs to be applied liberally! Made the front end much tighter. I love it!
-
Hey folks- question for those of you with factory power steering. Is your steering "twitchy"? I mean do the front tires respond too easily to even small turns of the steering wheel? Mine does but I just lived with it but I found the cure.
I recently did the front end on my Camaro and while researching it I found out that the stock p/s pumps are really over-boosted. The best cure is to have it aligned with as much caster as possible. And another thing that helps is this little kit that reduces the pressure of the p/s pump. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/BRG-899001/
It is really easy to install- I dropped my pressure from 1200 to 700psi and it made a nice difference! I'll get it realigned too with more caster.
-
I just ordered a 3hp gear reduction style starter and it spins the engine much faster and sounds better. I hope it doesn't have heat soak issues like mentioned earlier in this thread.
You might be ok in the Monte- the heat-soak issue was in my Camaro. The Tilton solenoid definitely was the answer. I had a good used one luckily- they aren't cheap, but they work.
-
My Tilton starter died recently after about 20 years. I looked around at some different options and went cheap with a DB Electric starter. For $100 for a 3hp starter, I took the chance. http://www.dbelectrical.com/p-1304-chevy...3-hp-mt200.aspx
I quickly found out that when it was heat-soaked, the solenoid would only click and it wouldn't turn over. They told me to put a relay... blah, blah, blah. I didn't need a relay with the Tilton, why with this? Then I realized I could put a Tilton solenoid on the DB starter- it works perfectly now.
-
Dennis- nice job for tackling this! Do you have pix of the installed power window regulators?
Do you like how the windows work? I would definitely look into installing relays for the window power!
-
I used a greenlee hydraulic knockout when I did mine years ago, it did a much smoother job than a holesaw, also alot smoother edge.
Do you remember- did you have to remove the doors?
-
For punching those holes... would a Greenlee Punch work?
-
Something like this is what I need.
Hey Aaron- did you use those flat belt pulleys? I was looking everywhere for those for my 70- kept tossing the alternator belt. I like the flat belt on the alternator and the vbelt for the ps pump. I ended up with March- all flat belts. Looks nice and works well, but not the "factory" look I really want.
-
I REALLY modified my stock horseshoe shifter- the only thing left is the handle. I grafted it on to a B&M Quicksilver. This is in my Camaro. Works perfectly- I love it! And it was a lot of work...
-
Dave Breeze recomended this one to me on my 71 and have yet to starve the 496 or the NOS system. I just piggy backed -10 pushlock to the stock line. Best $150 you will ever spend.
For $150 that thing is the sh*t! http://www.robbmcperformance.com/products/1069_gmsend.html
We made a 1/2" sending unit for the Camaro- no issues there with fuel. But I'd buy that one instead of making one. I love making power with a stock tank... sumps are way too "race car" for me.
-
I put electric life power windows in my Camaro 10-15 years ago. It was definitely worth it... I can't remember how hard it was to do, but you gotta have a short memory with this hobby!
I'll offer you advice / suggestion- a tweak I made on the system was to wire it so the windows would roll down or up even if the key isn't on. This is certainly not how any factory power window is set up, but I don't know how many times over the years I have been thankful to be able to operate the windows with the ignition off.
-
Dave- Congrats- that thing is awesome! Great motivation too!
I see you have a reverse valve body. Is that new? I have never understood the reason for the reverse pattern. What does it help?
John
-
Are you sure your stock line is 5/16"? I thought the stock line on these is 3/8". There is also a return line- that one is pretty small.
I'm using the stock line and pickup in my 454 Monte nipping into the 11s. I've used a 3/8" line in low 11-second cars.
-
Get some MT Drag Radials.
-
I thought I would need to do that based on a bunch of posts I saw doing a quick search. But it just didn't make sense because I am just trying to keep a little fuel flowing. What I found was that the big return line is needed if you are running a big electric pump and a bypass regulator. I'm running a 170gph mechanical pump- I asked Holley and this is what they told me:
Install tee in fuel line from pump to carb. You will need a small restriction. may have to play with the restriction size to get proper fuel and pressure. Install restriction and run a line back to the tank for a return. It does not have to be large 1/4, -3 an. Does not have to flow a lot. If the restriction is too large, you will not have fuel volume or pressure.
Soooo... I think I will still run a bypass regulator because I want max flow to the carb at WOT. There is a vacuum signal on the regulator that will close the bypass at WOT. I put it all together except for the line to the tank. Just to try it, I ran a 6 foot hose to a bucket. The problem is the pressure was jumping wildly at idle. Then I stumble upon Robb Mc- they have a "vapor return adapter". This is what he told me:
Bypass regulators will cause the pressure to bounce at low engine speeds when using a mechanical pump due to the pulses coming out of the pump. The vapor return adapter fitting is a small brass fitting with a very small restrictor (about .030") inside. This allows a small amount of fuel to circulate back to the tank to reduce vapor lock and hot start problems. This is not the same as using a bypass regulator. It is simply a "bleed".
So my plan is to use the small 1/4" vapor line back to the tank in the Monte. (That is what it is there for in the first place?!) And I'm going to use the factory fuel line in the Camaro as the return. Now I just need the time to do it all...
-
Has anyone ever put a return on their fuel system? Winter gas combined with warm weather (50°+) is a recipe for vapor lock in my area. I'm in the middle of installing everything now.
rear sway bar!
in Brakes and Suspension Tech
Posted
Tony- you're right- I wasn't really expecting to get much improvement in the ride, but it is definitely noticeable. I would have bolted a bar in a long time ago if I knew I could do it without boxed arms. A bar is cheap!
I have the boxed arms and new uppers, but not the time to change them right now. Actually, I'm getting ready to go to Cecil County next Saturday- hope the weather holds. I'll take pic of the uppers- amazing someone cut them so the tailpipes would clear.