72-CLASSIC_RIDE

Hey Vaughn, Rotten luck! Keep us posted on your ETA. I was getting out of car yesturday and inside door handle came off. It's always something isn't it! Will put it back on tomorrow. (I hope) it doesn't turn into a bigger issue but won't prevent me from making the trip regardless. See you in Boise Doug

Thanks Royce. Hope to see you on Saturday. You have a safe trip as well. Doug

Yeah, the shorter profile tires give the appearance of going faster/further than actual. Had that problem with mine before I timed the speedo & driven gear to actual conditions of car. Now I am so very very close to actual. If for nothing else than to not give the appearance of having been driven further than actual. When I first got her, had 60 series tires that were 215/60R15s front & 225/60R15s rear. When driving, seemed everybody except me were driving well above speed limit so made me suspicious. After using the mile markers to check, found I was showing 6.1 miles for every 5 miles actually driven. Look, if your going to a tire dealership, just explain your problem and have them show you what you will gain in ground clearance at different tire sizes while retaining adequate tire/wheel well clearances. I'm not so sure you could'nt just peruse craigslist and find a set of used with wheels just short term until you get a better handle on the direction you want to go. If you like the tires you have, maybe looking for a set of Headers that may give you that needed clearance makes more sense to you. Like I said earlier, there are a few options and a compressed period of time to resolve this issue before the WM. As the drive will be mostly Interstate to and from Meet, maybe it isn't all that important to solve it now. Regardeless, does'nt hurt to look around at some options/ideas. Once you have decided on tire diameters and are satisfied, you can find out what speedo gear is in your tranny and do the calculation through TCI using tire diameters, rear axle ratio to determine what the driven gear tooth count should be to acurately calculate MPH and actual miles driven. Always easier for the guy making the suggestions than the guy with the dilemma. Just stay focused on clearances and the best fit for your problem and go from there. I have learned that moving to quickly ofter creates head aches for me down the road. Anymore, if I'm not certain, I like to chew on it for awhile. Doug

Hey Matt, If it were me, I would 1st satisfy the ground clearance issues by selecting the tire that will get me the best front ground clearance without interference of tire rub on wheel wells & stance being the secondary concern. You are going to want as close to 4" clearance as you can reasonably get. The taller rear tires than front certainly will help the rake but it is going to be the fronts that will provide the bulk of needed clearance. Considering your running 8" rims on rear, not likely your going to swap from rear to front so, my take is to go as tall as practicle on front and then compensate on the rear with a tire size/tread width that gives the clearances & best stance. If you don't like the stance, you can always add stools under the rear coils to gain body lift for desired look. It is a fairly easy and inexpensive chore to do. Of course, this will probably stiffen the rear to some degree but if only 1/2 or 1" stools are needed, probably won't affect the ride that noticeably. The other consideration is the effect the new tire diameters will have on your speedo accuracy in both speed & miles driven. Using a calculation that combines rear axle ratio to Tranny type to tire size will determine what driven gear you should be using and again is a relatively inexpensive fix. First would need to qualify speed-o-meter reading to see how accurate it is once you have selected and mounted new tires. This is one of those things where one thing is changed, another is affected. I would also say that your chassis to ground clearance does not look much different from mine, yet your clearance is certainly less. I'm no expert on Headers but, is it possible simply selecting a different set/style of Headers will resolve the problem? If so, there would not be any trade off as far as cost of tires vs. Headers. If you are in a crunch as the WM is so close then certainly the tires are going to be the quickest fix. I've suffered through these same decisions with sometimes several different ways to go. Can be daunting at times when you don't know if you will get the desired effect/result. With me, I went with solving the problem 1st and then if warranted, tweaking it later. Frankly, I'm not satisfied yet and guess that is part of what makes it such a fun hobby, YOUR NEVER DONE! just sayin, p.s. What are the tire diameters now? Are those 60 series on rear and 50 series on front or is there a typo? Would'nt go less than 60 series with 70 series the optimum with 225/70R15 Front & 235/70R15 Rear. With your back spacing on rear, it would not affect your inside clearance but just maybe push the envelope for outside wheel well clearance with 8" rims. Doug

What a absolutely TERRIFIC place the FGMCC is! It seems daily people are flocking to become a member here. And who can blame them! The friendliest most unselfish group of people on the WWW. John & Lisa . You made a excellent choice Doug

I'm with ya there Aaron, Figured if I could make the 104 degree 2010 Meet and survive the heat, this time should be a breeze! (No pun intended) Okay, that settles it, I am up for the Friday Cruise and will confirm intent. Doug

Probably needs some discussion Vaughn, Not sure what if anything else is planned as far as our Group goes during that time. I would be interested if it does'nt impact any other events. I skimmed the news letter RPM sent but will have to revisit it and see what that schedule was. Doug

Thanks for the weather update. Sounds like a real good test for my new radiator Aaron. I'm crossing my fingers it performs up to my expectation. So far, the only downer is I have not gotten the A/C serviced yet! Am definately getting this done before Summer is over. It is the last thing left on my MUST HAVE DONE list. See ya in 5 more days. Doug

Ouch! I am running Doug Thorley Headers and have had zero problems with them to date. I had replaced my 350 CI with a 402 BB and retained the 350 front coils which brought the front end down some. Was concerned Headers would bottom out but have'nt as yet. This was done 1 1/2 years ago. I also replaced shocks with Edlebrock IAS Classics before the conversion and this may have aided in stabilizing the ride. As a stop gap for replacing front coils I recently added 2 rubber coil spring spacers between each front coil spring to add a little more body lift. My front tire size is 225/70-R15. Have'nt checked the header to ground clearance since this was done but if I remember correctly, prior to the rubber spacers installed I had around 4" ground clearance. I may have gained as much as another 1" since spacers installed. Always hard to gage distance via pic's but here is a before & after of the spacers installed. A relative inexpensive way to gain additional ground clearance and should note, changing front will effect the rear in stance. BEFORE: AFTER: As I said earlier, after install of BB Motor, I felt the front end was lower than I liked. Even so, the Headers have never been a issue as far as ground clearance. It is possible the right type of shocks could help to some degree. Not sure of your tire size, but even this can determine your ground clearance. Based on your description of the problem, you definately need to gain some clearance. Doug

I installed Dougs ceramic headers but only after the break in on the rebuilt motor. I also had to reconfigure my original exhaust for alignment. I used the old original exhaust down tubes (modified) and a couple cheapo mufflers to do the breakin. A real pain but was the least amount of work & cost to break in engine. A couple hundred miles later I installed the Doug Thorley Headers then went to the muffler shop & redid entire exhaust system. Doug.

Hey, thanks for the props guys. Now your making me blush ! Can't wait for the WM so I can test her out going up Cabbage Hill on I-84 East. If she can make that grade and stay reasonably cool then I'm Gold. Any problems and Aaron will have to tow me over the top! Only thing left mechanically is to get the A/C serviced so that it will hold a charge longer than a few days. That will have to wait until after the Meet. Drove her in 100 degree weather last year and am still here, so should be able to make it again if it gets that warm. Appreciate all your kind words. Makes it worth the time, effort and oh yeah the cash to get her in this condition. All have a GREAT day...... P.S. Hope to see some if not all at the WM Doug

Just finished installing a new Aluminum radiator today. The original was not doing the job on very hot days. Choose a 2 Core Aluminum that should deliver on cooling performance. Kept the factory fan and shroud. Like a lot of other things that say "direct fit", it was close but (no cigar)! The water tank on driver side of radiator was somewhat wider than the radiator support or radiator cover would accomodate. Ended up having to cut a notch from both in order for radiator cushions to do their job. Also had to remove about 1/2" material from fan shroud so shroud would sit properly and not interfer with radiator. Other than that, everything went according to Hoyle! Ran her up to temp and using infared measured engine/water temp at various point. Water going into engine block running approx. 50 degrees cooler than water coming out. I think I hit the sweet spot on the temp problems with this conversion! WM coming up fast and think I am prepared for the extended drive now. It will be a good test to see how efficient this radiator is! Any way, heres a couple pics of the finished project! HERE SHE IS RESTING AFTER THE ORDEAL. With the improving weather, have had some opportunity to getting closer to the finish line on my wish list items. Still have the A/C needing serviced, my Delco AM/FM Stereo install, electric Trunk Release to install and finish putting in the Deluxe seat belts. Remaining is cleaning, polishing, frame paint and incidentals not yet thought of. It (NEVER) ends! Until next time, all have a GREAT day...... Doug

Really appreciate you looking Dan. I'm sure I will be able to find a useable fastner. With your guys advise is going to narrow down my search greatly. Not a critical need as I can rig it to work until I come across the best replacement. You have a GREAT day Dan....... Doug

Hey Dan, That would be awesome if you can spare it. And thats the one that is needed. Currently using tape to hold it onto the body until something more appropriate comes along. Just let me know what ya find and we can work from there. Thanx much..... Doug

Yep, that sounds like the one missing Sam. Did'nt realize they were different sizes so good to know. Appreciate your insight Sam & thanks for the help. Doug

Hey Sam, I think this one I am looking for is sort of unique from the other clips on the rockers. It is the only one that will accept a screw to secure it onto the body. Not sure but the screw may also act to expand clip to help secure molding in place. Looking at the one on the passenger side, it is clearly different from the others. The driver side clip is missing. I'm sure I can find a suitable replacement that will work. Just need to look around and see what may do the trick. Doug

I am getting ready to install a Aluminum radiator into my 72 402 CI next week. I almost pulled the trigger on a Champion 2 core radiator but at the last minute opted for a Alumatec 2 core instead. While the cost difference was like double the Champion, it closely replicates what I am removing and is a direct replacement (so they say)! Guess I will find out next week and hope it does the job in reducing my engine temp. Also it is made in the USA. Anyway, hope yours does the trick and here is a shot of mine when I received it. All have a GREAT day....... Doug

Okay thanks guys. Not pressing right now but appreciate the info on places to look. Next time I am at the hardware store I'll do some browsing. Doug

Looked at the auveco page Aaron & did not recognize the clip I am needing. This is for the lower driver side rocker molding (the long piece) & is the last clip on the rocker by the rear wheel well.. This clip is different from the rest on this molding. It is actually fastened to the body with a screw. It has a recessed 3/16" diameter hole thru it that the screw would fit thru and secure into the body. I'm guessing it was broken at some time ago from previous owner and the fix was a double sided tape that held it up to the body. All other clips are there and functional. This one may not even be made anymore and I can go another route to secure it but just thought there may be a replacement available. It is a platic clip, just has the recessed hole thru the center for a screw that secures clip to body. It is kind of hard to explain but thought my description might help. Doug

Using Mobile 1 (V1) non-synthetic racing oil 10-40 weight mainly because it is easiest to get. 20-50 weight would be superior. Both loaded with ZDDP!

Hey all, Putting outside trim back on the Monte & came across a question I have no answer for and thought you all might have it. The driver side rocker molding is missing a clip (the furthest one back) by the wheel well. It is different than the rest as it has about a 3/16" dia recessed hole thru the center of the clip that a screw goes thru to secure to the body. The drivers side is missing! Any ideas on where one might be located? The original was likely broken at some point and they used a double back type tape as the fix. Any help greatly appreciated on where to locate a correct replacement. All have a GRREATY day.......... Doug

If it is oil, I would inspect around the rear main bearing / rear of oil pan for wetness and determine if it had originated from this area. If so, most likely rear main seal is leaking. Otherwise, could be valve cover gasket leakage, dip stick tube not sealing. Follow the oils trail to the source. How many miles has engine got on it? Has engine been rebuilt? Can't see how removing tranny would have caused motor oil leak. More likely coincidental. Just my 2 cents.... Doug

Drove up to my body/paint guys shop today to look at progress on repainting of inner doors & door jams. Looking real good! Doug

I just recently upgraded my wires. Used 8mm wires with wire looms. Plug boots are straight on my 402 CI with Doug Thorley Headers. Here is how it now looks. Doug

Aaron, I expect I will be in Boise Thursday the 7th mid to late afternoon baring any unforseen circumstances. As I have Chris's (montecruisers) phone number, I will keep you informed of my progress & guesstimate of ETA to Boise during the drive. Cort, your welcome to stay the night and looking forward to meeting you. Happy to be of service. All have a GREAT day....... Doug