Discussion Forum - Northstar Chevelle Club

Tim H · Mega Poster

RE: Into the CAC-Dash/Gauge refurb, carpet/soundproofing, AC, who knows what else...

John D · 2K+ Club

Awww - it was nothin'... It's not like I hate working on cars. (and there were donuts & GS cookies!)

Lemme tell ya, I'm still amazed at how EASY it was to install a fully loaded 12-bolt (minus drums) using the motorcycle jack. The dang thing was under the car and hanging by the uppers in literally 10 minutes. Tack on another 10-15 and it's totally in, driveshaft too! It is very nice that your car is soooo clean underneath.

The brakeline fracas should have been anticipated... 40 y.o. fitting/line that'd been bugger'd up a few times. I'm glad it made itself evident NOW, instead of deciding to fail on the road.

One more thing you may want to do under the car - a little mod/addition to the front tank strap mounts...

Yeah, it lasted 40 years, but it just seems "cheesy" to me how the straps just hang on the bolts. Now that it's in place and tight, take a measurement between the strap & frame. Cut a piece of tubing (like 1/2" EMT) and make a sleeve. Undo one side at a time and put the sleeve in. Now the tank straps will have something solid to bear against & tighten.

SShink · 3K+ Club

The Chevelle is supporting it's own weight again!

Thanks to the dynamic duo (John D and Pushrod), and a day long thrash session, the new tank, rear suspension, and axle are under the car. Thanks again guys, I wouldn't have been able to deal with the cracked brake line without you (along with all your other help too)!

I painted the yellow part of the Bilstein shocks gray to blend in as that yellow just draws the eye there... Here's the suspension and tank:

The Hotchkiss springs lowered the rear 2", and I think it might settle a little more. I think it really fills out the wheel well better with it lowered, and I"m sure it will handle better with the poly bushings and other suspension changes!

Here's before:

And after:

I still need to detail and clean up the parts just installed, but otherwise, no more laying under the rear of the car!

SShink · 3K+ Club

John D wrote:
It is very nice that your car is soooo clean underneath.
One more thing you may want to do under the car - a little mod/addition to the front tank strap mounts...
Yeah, it lasted 40 years, but it just seems "cheesy" to me how the straps just hang on the bolts. Now that it's in place and tight, take a measurement between the strap & frame. Cut a piece of tubing (like 1/2" EMT) and make a sleeve. Undo one side at a time and put the sleeve in. Now the tank straps will have something solid to bear against & tighten.

John, I can say everything behind the axle is now clean underneath. The rest is still 40 years of road grit and oily film from over the car's life...

I looked at the front bolts too and thought that all the load is on the bolt heads. Your suggestion sounds good. I'll add the spacers. I was thinking maybe some alum. bushings from the hardware store would work too.

Clutch · Member

What springs did you originally have out back? I have been struggling trying to find a set that sits an inch or so higher than the 5409's I have now.

SShink · 3K+ Club

Clutch wrote:
What springs did you originally have out back? I have been struggling trying to find a set that sits an inch or so higher than the 5409's I have now.

Sorry Clutch, I wish I knew... I don't know what they were since I didn't put them in originally. I think they were a stock spring, but don't know the pn.

SShink · 3K+ Club

Took a half day off work today to work on the Chevelle. Got more done than I had planned!

Put down the sound deadener and got the rear part of the interior back in. Found the 2" hole where the clutch pushrod goes through the firewall was wide open, so that explains the hot air that was blowing in when on the highway!

Hope to get the gauges and dash back together tomorrow so I can check out the gauges and start it up!

Here's the before:

After:

SShink · 3K+ Club

OUT OF THE CAC!!! Well.... mostly. But I did drive the Chevelle tonight!!!

Worked on it late last night and got the rest of the interior in other than the fuel gauge which one of the studs broke off having it in and out so many times fixing some issues. Man it's nice having all the dash lights and the tach working!

The test drives went without a hitch, and I REALLY like the way it drives with the new gears! Thanks Steve S. for all your help with that!!! And hat's off to Craig and John D. for helping to get that rear back under the car with the new suspension!

The 402 really pulls through the gears now instead of shifting so soon and being out of the power band so quick. It upshifts out of overdrive around town very smoothly. I ran it up close to 70 when I thought I was only doing 60, so it powers up nicely. I was running about 1800 at 60 mph on the flat stretches. I think I'm really going to like this setup!

The biggest changes left are to swap in the Hotchkis front lowering springs, shocks, and new brake pads and lines. It rides a little high in the front now, but should even it out with the new springs. Probably won't get to that for a couple of weeks, but who knows...

Here's some interior pics from last night:

And proof that it was on ship's power tonight!

-- Edited by SShink on Wednesday 14th of March 2012 10:08:29 PM

Tim H · Mega Poster

Congrats Stan. You're way ahead of the clock.

Driving in mid March is always a bonus. Did you get and mosquitoes on your windshield? I killed enough of them last night.

dashboard · 2K+ Club

Stan stopped by last night with the blue velle and had this huge grin on his face. Then he said (like a little kid about to take his bike down the steepest hill) want to go for a ride.

Wow, it’s a different car, I think much more streetable, and it stops, plus you can carry on a conversation in the car. Gives me some motivation to get back to work on mine.

Nice job Stan, your winter efforts have paid off.

67ss · 1K+ Club

Stan, did that oil pressure gauge work out or did you just leave the amp gauge in it?

Everything looks great though

SShink · 3K+ Club

67ss wrote:
Stan, did that oil pressure gauge work out or did you just leave the amp gauge in it?
Everything looks great though

Thanks Chris.

I put everything back the same, so the amp gauge is back in and oil pressure gauge is still under the dash. I did buy 2 Corvette oil pressure gauges to play with, so may still do something later.

Tim H · Mega Poster

Stan
I'm envious it sure is nice weather and your car sounds like is running great.

SShink · 3K+ Club

Well, tore into the front end tonight to swap out the springs and shocks. Got into it and had a problem right away... In all the spring swaps I've done, I've never had a problem getting the castle nut off the bottom of the ball joint stud. This time there must have been a piece of old rusty cotter pin left in the ball joint stud opening, because when I started threading it off, the whole stud turned with it! I finally got a pair of vice grips on the smooth part of the stud and got the nut off. Gotta say that was frustrating. I had visions of JD lying on Chad's garage floor fighting the ball joint press, and didn't want to go down that path!

Got the drivers side spring in, then realized the shocks I got from Scott P. were rears instead of fronts! I hadn't even taken them out of the bag since he gave them to me, and suddenly realized it (Scott I'll bring them to the meeting Sat. if you will be there). So... ANOTHER order to Summit and the Bilstein's are on the way to get here Thursday. The spending insanity MUST stop! Argh!

I'm amazed the car rode as well as it did as I pushed in on the old shock shaft, and it never came back out! They weren't doing anything for dampening at all.

Otherwise, I'm busy tomorrow night with an overseas business call, so I'll have to wait until Wed. night to swap out the passenger side spring, and put it all together Thursday night.

Here's the old small block springs with 2 spacers in them that the previous owner installed:

And the comparison to the Hotchkis 1" lowering spring. Do you think it will sit a little lower?

Lost in the 60s · President

If the new spring is a higher rate for the BB, it may sit the same.

I've never used a press to install a lower ball joint. Get it started square, install the spring and castle nut and let the spring pull it up in place. Might need to tap on it to get it to seat completely, but the spring is pulling up and will git-r-done.

Chris R · 2K+ Club

When the shaft just spins. I tighten back down the ball joint to re-seat the ball joint as if you were putting it back together. Meaning torqued back down. Then unthread the nut all the way off. It should spin the shaft when the shafted is torqued in place.

Then I put the nut back on far enough to be able to catch everything when you loosen up the ball joint again.

SShink · 3K+ Club

Chris R wrote:
When the shaft just spins. I tighten back down the ball joint to re-seat the ball joint as if you were putting it back together. Meaning torqued back down. Then unthread the nut all the way off. It should spin the shaft when the shafted is torqued in place.
Then I put the nut back on far enough to be able to catch everything when you loosen up the ball joint again.

The problem was the threads were not clean cut and so the nut would bind and turn the shaft with it. By stopping the shaft from turning with the vice grips, I got the nut off, then ran it up and down the threads a few times while holding the ball joint shaft in place. That took care of it. Just fought it for awhile getting the nut all the way off the first time.

Tim H · Mega Poster

That's sounds a bit nutty, good thing you didn't get the shaft on this one.

SShink · 3K+ Club

Tim H wrote:
That's sounds a bit nutty, good thing you didn't get the shaft on this one.

Hook, line, and sinker!

Tim H · Mega Poster

Now that is a bit greasey, sounds like your having a ball at your joint

Chris R · 2K+ Club

SShink wrote:
Chris R wrote:
When the shaft just spins. I tighten back down the ball joint to re-seat the ball joint as if you were putting it back together. Meaning torqued back down. Then unthread the nut all the way off. It should spin the shaft when the shafted is torqued in place.
Then I put the nut back on far enough to be able to catch everything when you loosen up the ball joint again.
The problem was the threads were not clean cut and so the nut would bind and turn the shaft with it. By stopping the shaft from turning with the vice grips, I got the nut off, then ran it up and down the threads a few times while holding the ball joint shaft in place. That took care of it. Just fought it for awhile getting the nut all the way off the first time.

I have a solution that will help it get back on too. When its spinning and spins both ways. Take a floor jack with a block of wood on it, so you dont gouge up your ball joint or control arm (especially if its nicely painted) and raise the jack up to compress and put all the weight on the control arm. Now the ball joint shaft has to spin against the vehicles weight and can spin either way you want it. Ill sometimes even take a soft mallet and pound up on the bottom of the arm just to help the joint re-seat itself as well. Sometimes, even the weight isnt enough.

Scott Parkhurst · Super Poster

Oh crap..Sorry about the shocks!

I think the fronts must have gone to Loren. Sorry Stan! I really thought those were the fronts. They're good shocks, though. I hope someone in the club can use them.

SShink · 3K+ Club

Scott Parkhurst wrote:
Oh crap..Sorry about the shocks!

I think the fronts must have gone to Loren. Sorry Stan! I really thought those were the fronts. They're good shocks, though. I hope someone in the club can use them.

I'll bring the rear shocks to the meeting Sat. if anyone wants them.

Chris R · 2K+ Club

You have my intrest peaked. What kind of shocks are they?

SteveS · Super Poster

If no one else takes them I may be interested too since I'm still running sensa-trac's in the rear.

SShink · 3K+ Club

Chris R wrote:
You have my intrest peaked. What kind of shocks are they?

Here's the description Scott gave in another thread:

I've got some decent front shocks I can let you try out- Keep 'em if you like 'em and give 'em back if you don't.

They're from Doetsch Tech- designed for lowered vehicles and are adjustable...but require removal to adjust.

I had them on my wagon before the coil-overs.

SShink · 3K+ Club

All the suspension work is done!

Got the 1.5" rear spacers installed for the rear coils, and it brought it up to right where I wanted it to. That rear suspension is stiff though as I had to use a bottle jack between the axle and the frame to get the springs out, and yes I had the shocks and rear anti-sway bar unbolted.

Installed the passenger side front spring and it went out and in like butta' compared to the drivers side. I even found a front coil spring spacer that was uglier than sin. They used it to level out the sides. Again... I can't believe how good it rode with basically the front springs and shocks doing very little.

Installed the front Bilstein's tonight, and had to use the bottle jack again to get it compressed enough to bolt up. I bought some threaded U nuts and modified them a little bit to replace the common hardware store nuts and bolts that were installed before.

So, now it's driveable and I still need to install the new gas gauge (went on backorder...) and finish trimming out the dash in silver and install the dummy AM radio.

Then it's on to detailing the engine bay, touching up the paint on the exhaust manifolds, etc., etc. etc...

I really like how the stance came out, and can't wait to drive it again!

Here's the crusty spacer:

And 'the stance':

Chris R · 2K+ Club

SShink wrote:
Chris R wrote:
You have my intrest peaked. What kind of shocks are they?
Here's the description Scott gave in another thread:
I've got some decent front shocks I can let you try out- Keep 'em if you like 'em and give 'em back if you don't.

They're from Doetsch Tech- designed for lowered vehicles and are adjustable...but require removal to adjust.

I had them on my wagon before the coil-overs.

I remember reading that now. I think Steve can put them to better use then I can so put him in line ahead of me if there is a line.