Blackhawk
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Posts posted by Blackhawk
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They do sell the lenses, so you could replace the visible part and perform any repairs to the bucket itself.
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If you like your ride height then I would stick with it, not everybody needs to be lowered. If you could, measure to the frame just behind the front fender and in front of the rear quarter. Your car may be at a height where stiffer 1" lowering springs would improve the handling but wouldn't affect the ride height.
If you don't want the adjustability, Bilstein shocks would probably work great. Keep in mind that all performance shocks will leave the ride a little stiffer than some people like. Think more along the lines of a newer BMW than the floating couch that these cars were originally.
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Coilovers replace the factory coil spring and shock, they're similar to Macpherson struts on newer cars. Unless you are constantly changing your ride height or trying to fine tune your suspension for performance there isn't much of an advantage to coilovers over springs and adjustable monotube shocks. You can fine tune the height of coil springs with spacers.
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Those are factory specs, they're almost the opposite of what you want for new tires.
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Do you have the thin chrome bead or wider molding? I bought OPGI/Restopart felts through Summit Racing.
https://www.opgi.com/monte-carlo/1971/gaskets-seals?facet=|CAT2ND%3aWS215
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The drip rail, window, and vinyl moldings are stainless, so they'll clean up with any metal polish. I've heard that they're flash chromed, so if you get too aggressive you may see a color difference where you break through. Unless the trim has huge scratches I would just use a wadding polish like Nevr-Dull, small scratches become hard to see when it's shiny. I believe the rocker trim on the very bottom is stainless as well.
The quarter and wheel moldings are bright anodized aluminum, so they're harder to clean up. You could remove the anodizing and polish them, but you'll need to keep up on it. Some places say that they can clear powder coat polished aluminum, or you can try chrome powder coat with a clear on it. That's my eventual plan.
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The upper control arms need to add caster; not all of the no-name control arms do this. Having around 5* of positive caster is the difference between the stock handling and performance handling. I'm running Summit Racing 'premium' control arms, which look to be a whiteboxed version of the old Ridetech design. If you're running coilovers I would recommend lower control arms made specifically for coilovers instead of springs as they allow a coilover with greater travel. QA1, UMI, and Ridetech all make arms designed for their coilover systems and they're all around the same cost.
I also have tall balljoints in the upper and lower. The tall upper balljoints fix the camber curve caused by the stock spindles being short. The tall lower helps with bump steer and lowers the car.
For the rear I would recommend a kit that either reinforces the stock shock mount or doesn't use it at all, like the Global West system. If you use the upper shock mounts I would get a stiffener bar to tie them together. The cars weren't really made to support the ride weight on the upper mounts.
You want a good performance alignment, avoid any shop that wants to align the car to stock specs, as those are for bias ply tires. You want as much positive caster as possible, 1/8" toe in, and -.25 to -1.5 degrees camber per Ridetech.
https://www.ridetech.com/tech/suspension-tuning-guide-high-performance-vehicles/
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Single adjustable allows you to adjust the shock's rebound while double adjustable lets you adjust compression and rebound.
The upper control arms need to add caster; not all of the no-name control arms do this. I'm running Summit Racing 'premium' control arms, which look to be whiteboxed Ridetech arms. If you're running coilovers I would recommend lower control arms made specifically for coilovers instead of springs as they allow a coilover with greater travel. QA1, UMI, and Ridetech all make arms designed for their coilover systems and they're all around the same cost.
For the rear I would recommend a kit that either reinforces the stock shock mount or doesn't use it at all, like the Global West system. If you use the upper shock mounts I would get a stiffener bar to tie them together. The cars weren't really made to support the ride weight on the upper mounts.
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I would personally go for an 11" booster for better braking.
Back to your original question, that spindle will fit any control arm that fits a stock spindle.
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I don't have any of the jute on hand, but I was thinking that I would put some sound deadener on the steel package tray and maybe put a few strips of the foam on the underside of the Masonite.
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I should also note that I didn't use spray glue, I used Weldwood Landau Top & Trim Cement; this is the heavy duty stuff that sticks right away. I ruined a set of sail panels from the adhesive spraying too stringy and bubbling the next day, so no more spray for me.
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I used Masonite, 1/16" closed cell foam, and black Madrid grain vinyl for my package tray. Madrid is the pattern used for the door panels and seats. You don't need to use foam but it gives things a little body. I haven't finished the flap in the front of the board, but my plan was to double up the foam, wrap a piece of vinyl around it, staple it down to the Masonite, then bring it down to the seat divider.
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I didn't use the plates that come with the poly mounts. They squish things together on a small block, but the adapter plate does the same thing so it would do nothing but add a minor amount of height.
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Your alignment guy can get the settings from a mid-70's Pontiac for something specific to power steering and radial tires. Otherwise:
Caster should be as high as possible in the positive direction. You'll probably end up somewhere around +1-3* without a stack of shims on the rear bolt.
Toe should be 1/16" to 1/8" in.
Camber should be .5* negative.
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Belden Speed/Rust Replace uses Dow Betaseal, #9 on their site: https://www.rustreplace.com/home/1964-1972-chevelle/1968-72
OE used adhesive that is closer to urethane than butyl tape, the Fisher Body Service Manual says:
QuoteThe windshield and back window on all styles are
bonded to body opening with a synthetic, self-curing,
rubber adhesive caulking compound.Make sure that the moldings are on hand and ready to install when the glass is to be installed, so that it can be adjusted if needed. The glass should use rubber setting blocks during installation and a dry fit should be done to make sure that the moldings don't have a gap. Aftermarket glass doesn't necessarily have the same thickness or contour as OE glass.
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I have 17x8 with 4.5" backspacing in the rear with 255/50-17 tires. I have 1/2" or less before I hit the quarter lip, so a 275 would be rubbing or very close.
I don't believe they make Radial T/A for 17" wheels.
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https://www.ridetech.com/tech/suspension-tuning-guide-high-performance-vehicles/
Get as much positive caster as you can without having the shims too unequal from front to rear.
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It looks like it's down in the front more based on the rocker.
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What's your budget for the total package? Does it need to look like a carb? Are you going to do the wiring and plumbing?
This is probably the easiest way to convert your stock tank to EFI:
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A good starting point would be tubular upper control arms, but make sure that they're made to increase positive camber. Most if not all of the $200 control arms will not do this and have no benefits over stock. From there you could go with tall spindles or upper and lower tall ball joints. The tall upper will help with the camber curve and the lower will drop the car as well as reducing bump steer by raising the tie rod boss on the spindle in relation to the frame.
Replace the bushings in the front lower control arms, you can use rubber or polyurethane and either should work just fine. Most tubular lower control arms do not have geometry upgrades, but some do add caster and help center the wheel (adding caster in the upper may pull the wheel back in the wheel well). The biggest upgrade with some lowers is that they add a mount and allow added travel for coilovers.
Sway bars can be tough, as too much isn't a great thing. I would keep whatever you're currently running and see how that feels. If you feel understeer, upgrade the rear sway bar. If you feel oversteer, upgrade the front sway bar. The front sway bar bolts are making about two threads into the frame and frequently pull out, so if you change it I would recommend riv-nuts or a threaded plate placed into the frame. For the rear you can go with a sway bar that attached to the control arms or you can get one that attaches to the frame instead.
For the rears, you can run aftermarket lowers or it looks like you already have boxed lowers. Replace any bushings if necessary, and use spherical joints on the rear end for the upper arms. You can use poly or rubber for the rest, and you probably won't feel a difference either way. Adjustable upper control arms are nice for adjusting your pinion angle, but keep in mind that the stock pinion isn't necessarily parallel and equal with the transmission; From the cars that I've looked at the pinion is about 1* down (or 1* up if looking at the angle from front to back). Introduce too much of a change and your rear springs will start arching from the mounts rotating.
If you're looking at coilovers in the rear, I recommend tying the shock mounts together. They weren't made to hold the car up, and it's easy to see when somebody raised the rear from pumping up air shocks. UMI has a rear shock tower brace, as does Global West but I think they only sell it in a coilover kit.
Upgrade your steering box using either an aftermarket unit or from a Jeep Grand Cherokee. You will need to use adapters to fit the JGC box to your stock lines and the aftermarket units may be the same. I'm not sure if the power steering pumps are interchangeable with later models, but the pump and can for my 2004 LS engine looks similar.
When getting an alignment, don't get the stock alignment. A good starting point is as much positive caster as possible, -.25 to -1.25 degrees camber, and 0" to .125" toe.
With everything together and tested, this guide should help you really dial the car in for performing. https://www.ridetech.com/tech/suspension-tuning-guide-high-performance-vehicles/
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I'm using the Iwiss ratcheting crimper with the open barrel crimping die ground like shown for the ears.
The dies aren't amazing, but they work. The good news is that the frames accept better dies from many other companies. It tends to bend the terminal if above 18 gauge because there isn't a support.
Control Arms
in Brakes and Suspension Tech
Posted
https://www.bmrsuspension.com/?page=products&productid=1169&superpro=0
If I were starting from scratch that's the kit that I would buy. I would also recommend replacing at least the upper ball joint with a taller model to increase the effective spindle height, I used Proforged. Adding a tall lower ball joint would lower the car and give additional spindle height.