The Plan:
10 inch drums
.870 torsion bars *
moog problem-solver UCA bushings
improved strut rod bushings
upper and lower ball joints
other bushings...?
4 new shocks
Y the twin pipes together into a single tailpipe because the right tailpipe always dents the right rear shock.
So far I only have the .870 bars...*
I just want improved handling for a daily driver. I'm going to lower the front 1 1/2" or so, hence the bigger bars. I got Tom Condran's book, but unfortunately he focuses on the disc swap.
I want to upgrade to big front drums instead of discs because I have to do this project over at least two weekends.
I need to be able to drive it after the first weekend.
The tricks I used to pull the big torsion bars out of the donor car didn't work on my 41-year-old stock bars. Using a clamp made from blocks of wood, it took 2+ hours to pull them at Ecology, but spent a whole weekend trying to remove the originals without success.
The bars are stuck in the LCA, not in the rear socket.
I plan to spend one weekend doing the front end rebuild and then doing the dual master swap the next weekend.
I constructed a massive clamp from a short piece of 1/2 x 4 x 8" mild steel angle, three U-bolts from 1 1/2" muffler clamps (heavier than generic U-bolts from hdwr store) and a 7" long 1/4 x 1 x 1 angle iron (freebie!) which is worn like a hat or roof on the torsion bar.
The idea was gotten from here:
http://www.4secondsflat.com/torsionbarremoval.html
but when I saw that 4 x 8 piece of scrap at Phillips Steel, I made it longer, added a third U-bolt and used the 1 x 1 hat which gives me a lot more clamping area and spreads out the force applied by the U-bolts when I clamp it.
I call it Jed.
FINALLY GOT THE PHOTOS TO SHOW!!
These photos were taken just after it successfully pulled a torsion bar.
I'll let you know how it works on the reluctant 1963 bars in a few weeks.
Unfortunately, I am only using wood blocks and jackstands to support the car.
If I could stand while wielding my hammer, I could make better use of the 4 x 3" target.
Oh yeah, wheels.
As I understand it, my 13" wheels won't clear the 10" drums.
I'm just going to get plain 14" wheels with 70 series tires from pickapart.
I looked at a 74 Valiant with huge 10" with cooling fins today. They are 4x5 bolt pattern, so I guess I can stick with my rearend.
I need to resist mission creep - and I edited out some other things, but sooner or later I'll have to do this upgrade too:
http://www.earlycuda.org/tech/ujoint.htm
I'm not sure about the wheels and tires.
I'd like to find some stock steel wheels and hubcaps and put cheap Dunlop 195 70R14 tires on it.
* I posted earlier they were .890s because they say 892L and 893R,
but according to Condron's book, those are p/ns for .870s.
