my 57 revitalized

[Coupeguy2001]

What I noticed today was that while revving the engine, it was smooth as silk. I think this is due to the serpentine belt system. My old V belt pulleys seemed to have a slight wobble, and the truck had a harmonic resonance at certain RPM's.
not any more.

I drove it to the auto parts store today. i noticed that the coolant temp is somewhere around where it usually runs with an engine driven fan. I never had to turn on the fan, it ran around 170, and the fan never even came on. It will be different in summer, but today it was around 65 degrees.

I noticed engine oil on the floor, so I will have to investigate. My suspicion is the fuel pump blank off plate. I ran this engine on the run stand, and there were no leaks at that time.

The truck seems to have more acceleration, and it may be in part to the smaller tires, and going from a 3.38:1 to a 3.42:1. and the high torque cam.
Remember, the cam is the 350 Ram Jet cam, also used on the high torque Chevy 383 crate motor.
this cam is also called the "marine" cam.
When I had this cam in my L98 corvette, the engine ran superb with the stock tune.

The thing that bothers me the most is I can hear the power steering pump. It has a whine. Although it sounds like a supercharger a little bit, I know it is just a power steering pump.
Well, I guess you get what you pay for, the serpentine was part of a horse trade deal. Who knows, the previous owner of the setup may have driven the car with a power steering fluid leak, and run it dry a few times. It is off of a 92 firebird.

[Coupeguy2001]

bleeding the brakes.......



BTW, MEK takes the oil spots out of carpet and floor mats. Just don't saturate the mats if there's plastic underneath the carpet part. MEK will eat plastic and styrofoam in the blink of an eye.

[Kim57]

Sounds like you're getting real close to having it finished.
That's cool.
Kim

[Coupeguy2001]

I have driven it home, and a few other places. It still seems "bouncy". I got the other shocks, and installed them, and then took it for a spin. The truck wouldn't make left turns and the steering seemed like it was hitting on something and there was a lot of noise under neath. When I made a left turn, it was like the wheels were scraping on the tie rod ends. so I just stopped it in mid turn, (empty street) and got out to see what was happening. The left tire waas into the fender!
I see-sawed back and forward till I could get it turned around to get back home, and jacked it up, and the whole time I was thinking "the other me put this together, and this me is breaking it!" I couldn't find anything wrong, so I dropped it down and started measuring things. with the new shocks, the front end came down another inch and a half. That means it is sitting on the shocks. so much for the "bouncy" feeling. And backing it into the garage, the pipes hit on the driveway apron.....
So, for the ride back to work, I put the original set of shocks back in. But since it was already sitting on the shocks, i doubled the shock cushions on the shocks and installed them. It brought up the front the inch and a half plus a half inch for the cushions.
I then drove it around, and the ride didn't change, it just doesn't hit anything.
What a wasted hour and a half......
Well, maybe not a total waste, I am learning about front end geometry ... I got on line and ebay lists Moog springs and spring rates and loads for springs. I was into writing all the information down to make an informed spring choice. Something I did not do originally.
Oh well, I don't really have anybody here to help with that, so I was off figuring it out by myself again.......

[Kim57]

Coupeguy
My brother had a bouncy ride problem on his 62 f**d truck.
We ended up putting coil overs in it. the first set of springs he got had a rate of 500#s and didn't correct the problem. He had his truck weighed and found out the front was 1900#s so we went to a 750# spring and that seemed to cure the problem. We're in the middle of notching the rear and installing a 4 link because he had the same problem there.
Kim

[Coupeguy2001]

Thanks for the input Kim, maybe I should weigh the front of the truck?

Anyway, here's what I got so far.

Moog spring P.N. 5602
wire dia. .671"
spring rate 347
Load at 11" high, 1680 lbs.

Moog spring P.N. 5604
Wire dia. .671
spring rate 347
load at 11" high, 1760 lbs

Moog spring 5606
wire dia. .687
spring rate 421
load at 11"high, 1530 lbs

Moog P.N. 5610
wire dia. .687
spring rate 424
load at 11" high, 1750 lbs

Moog P.N. 6486
wire dia. .671
spring rate 343
load at 11" high, 1935 lbs

Moog P.N. 6450
wire dia. .703
spring rate 406
load at 11" high, 1881 lbs

All of them have a free height of about 16". The gotcha here is that not all of them are the same I.D. and O.D. you have to measure your spring pockets.

I'm guessing the last two are big block springs, the one with 1935 load is with air condioning, and the one with 1881 is big block, no A/C.

When I return to work, I will look on the box and see which ones I installed. I'm running small block, almost A/C......LOL
As my father used to say "I'll bet a dollar to donuts" that I have installed 5606 springs.

[Coupeguy2001]

Ok, I installed 5602 springs.
I contacted Eaton springs manufacturer, and am awaiting their reply.
On Saturday, it ate an alternator. I stuck in a new voltage regulator in the alternator, and then Sunday afternoon, it died as well.
Turns out, I went to the MAD enterprises website, and they state that the alternator can be wired with or without the "alternator charge" light.
Not sure as to how they wired it,
So i installed the alternator, and wired it up without the light.
So Sunday afternoon, I had one voltage regulator left, so I tore the alternator apart again, and put it in. Then I installed an alternator light and drove it to and from the airport, and around where I live. a total of about 60 miles. The alternator was working when I shut it off Sunday night. It rained today, so it sat in the garage and pouted all day.
So, just a couple pics...........Happy holidays!



from moldy oldie to golden oldie

[Coupeguy2001]

compare with a year ago:

[oldman3]

Big difference, and I like the new look.....Jim

[Kim57]

Looks real nice.
Kim

[ChuckDriver]

Nicely done!

[Coupeguy2001]

Ok, I have been having fun learning to drive my "new" truck all over again. It's like I bought a different vehicle.
I have 200 miles on it.
Time to look around and tighten all the bolts, add shims to the fenders and change some springs.
My wife says it's Christmas, and I have to focus on that for a while. I will get back on here with pics of how I modified the steering wheel to cancel the turn signals......I know borrriiinnnggg........But it's like buying a new truck in a kit form.
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!!!

[Kim57]

Merry Christmas.
Kim

[Coupeguy2001]

Well, after getting about 300 miles on it, i noticed some things. The brakes seemed to go away. There is more pedal than when I started out. I crawled under it and checked out the hydroboost and master cylinder, and the plate between the hydroboost and the master cyl. was seriously deformed. This made the pin in the hydroboost really short, and I was afraid that the metal would shear and give me no brakes at all. So I made a new plate.



I went back and looked at what I wrote, and I stated that the plate was 1/4".
NOW the plate is 1/4" thick.
I put it all back togeher, and it has really fixed the brakes. I also readjusted the rear brakes after the fuzz has worn off, and that helped as well. Now, when you stand on them, it throws you forward hard and the truck just stops. no drama.
I also had a lot of oversteer on the freeway, so I bought a wheel alignment tool from Summit Racing. I aligned the wheels instead of eyeballed them with 3 feet of square tubing and an inclinometer. Much better now.
Here's the tool:

It does caster, camber and toe.
I made some new rear shackles that are an inch and a half longer than factory. the tires sit closer to the wheel well, and it's not enough. I will make some more that are 2 1/2" longet than factory, and cut the inside fender lip. They will be too long to use like that, so I will probaly get a panhard rod and keep the rear from moving when I go around corners. Otherwise, they will allow the tires to be sliced up when the rear moves from side to side.


Here's the new springs I took out. They are nice n low, but too low for me. good thing I saved the box. But not good is I have had them too long to send back.



Then I decided that the tires I bought were just not quite right for the wheels I bought. They are nice tires, but my wheels are too wide.
Here are the ones that I need to sell.

[IMG]http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/coupeguy2001/CIMG0363.jpg[/IMG



So, out came the credit card. Luckily, I'm almost done with the subframe mod, and now all I have to do is refine everything.
The truck has no bumpsteer, goes over bumps smoothly, and has a firm feel to it.

The steering box has no road feel. You have to watch it when you drive because you tend to over correct because it has way too much power steering power.
After some research, it looks like there is an orifice inside the steering box that controls this. It's either a valved orifice, or a restrictor. I will go to the guy that rebuilds these and get a price and a recommendation when I fix the rear height.
I'm narrowing down the problems to a manageable few, so it is getting more fun to drive as the days wear on.
In the middle of all this, I have to work to keep everything status quo. I work for a great guy who is more patient than most, so I'm luckier than anyone I can think of.
I gotta get to a muffler shop soon and get the left pipe fixed and move the left tail pipe.
When those things are done, I have to start the air conditioning install and move the gas tank.

[oldman3]

Nice update, seems like you have a handle on everything that needs adjustment. Keep us posted on the changes....Jim

[Wheelie]

Theres nothing more I like then when I get to that stage of a project. Awesome!

[Coupeguy2001]

Thanks guys, I'm trying.
By the way, I went with the moog 6450 springs.
the bottom of the wheel well in the front is right at 1/2" above the top of the tire.
The truck has a firmer ride than with the leaf springs.


It is Barrett-Jackson time here in Phoenix. There are hundreds of cars for sale that are not in the auction that are popping up all over.
Every Sat. there is a car show in Scottsdale. There were a lot of B-J cars at the local digs.
I went up to every chevy truck with my style of fenders, and ran my hand up between the rear fender and the tire.
The truck that I got the most out of had the center of the inside lip ground away about 1/2 inch between each fender support, (about 14 inches) and I will do that. It is a good solution that does not take too much strength away from the fender. I wouldn't do it, but the owner said it had about 50,000 miles on it and there were no cracks in the paint or metal.
Most of the trucks had a gentler rake than mine, and looked good. That means I have more work to do.

[Coupeguy2001]

Quick update:
My clutch was slipping. My trans has no reverse. Driveshaft is too long.

Friday night, I removed the trans and clutch, and replaced them.

1. The clutch was brand new, but the clutch is apparently for a stepped flywheel like the original 57 flywheel. I guess I picked up the wrong clutch when I replaced it 3 months ago. Now I have a flat flywheel clutch. You can see the difference when side by side. Hope all is right with it.
2. The driveshaft is too long. Apparently, I went over a pothole, and the driveshaft popped the reverse gear snap ring out of it's detent, and no reverse after the pothole. Remember, I moved the engine back 2 inches........

luckily, I have a spare trans.

3. I took the driveshaft to the driveshaft shop, and they are taking 1 7/16" out of it. I should get it back Tues. at lunchtime. I shoulda got it done a lot sooner, but I have been enjoying the truck , and didn't want to take it apart again. Oh well.

More when I get it back on the road.

[Coupeguy2001]

UPDATE:

The truck is too low.

The springs settled, and now it is an inch and 3/4 lower than it was.

1. I changed the alignment settings, and the way it was, the upper A arms hit the inner fender panels.

2. I swapped over to fabricated upper A arms, and the truck was terrible on the freeway.
The truck just turned too easy.
3. I had an old power steering pump out of a 68 chevelle. I swapped the regulating valve out of it into the camaro pump, and it dropped the pressure, and now things are manageable.

I still hadn't figured out some problems, but the truck is too low for the frame.

4. I bought spring spacers from Speedway, and when I tried to install them, it turns out that the frame manufacturer welded in some spring alignment bosses in the top of the spring pockets, and the spring spacers were the same diameter as the bosses, so that didn't work.

5. I just bought new springs that were for a 62 galaxie 500 with a 390, and put them in, thinking that the front end would come up since i had a small block.
NOPE.
now it sits the same only rides firmer.

Then It was recommended to me to do the tall ball joint mod. That is where the stem of the upper ball joint is longer, and acts like tall spindles. The reason for this is to get the upper A arms to just increase the arc that they move in to keep the top of the tires from tipping out in a turn, keeping the tires from rubbing on the fenders.
Well,
6. I installed the taller ball joints, and I was back to the inner fenders hitting the upper control arms again.
The geometry was changed, but it looked like I didn't need the taller mod.

7. back to the shorter ball joints, and readjust the camber again.

8. I discovered by going through my paperwork, that the upper control arms I bought have a built in extra 6 degrees of caster. So I readjusted the shims to take out 3 of those degrees.

9. My steering box was out of a 72 chevelle with about 100,000 miles, and it had a dead spot in the middle while the truck is going straight. I went to Auto Zone, and purchased a rebuilt unit for $150. I installed it, and the jury is out still on the rebuilt.
I will give it a little bit before I condemn it. the box has resistance when the steering wheel turns and then goes back. It may just be a tight adjustment, or a burr in the housing. It doesn't leak, and doesn't have the dead spot in the middle.

It is running superb on the driveline side, and it runs great.
I broke the left engine mount trying to break the tires loose. Now I am going to have to change the engine mounts to polyurethane.

10. I bought a cheapie chrome tilt steering column on Ebay for $189. THe lower bearing is loose!!!! I think the column is one for an auto trans linkage, and they just take the collar out of it for the shifter, and the end result is the lower shaft is loose. I will have to install some sort of bushing for it.

The fan keeps the engine cool in the summer temps here, at around 109 degrees, but If I finish the air conditioning, it probaby won't keep up without some sort of shroud.

11. The used hydroboost gave up, and started leaking. So I bought the rebuild kit from Pirate Jack's. I had the rebuilt one, and the rod on the used one fit so much better, so I took the two apart and tried to determine which one was a better unit.
The used one looked new inside, and the rebuilt looked like it was pieced together with old rusted, wire-wheeled parts. So I put the kit in the used one, and now no more leaks.
I still haven't crimped the wires back on the horn relay connectors, so that doesn't work yet, but I have about 3,000 miles on the truck, and it is s-l-o-w-l-y coming together whle I drive it whenever I can.

That's it for now, and my frustration continues.

[Coupeguy2001]

I also installed 3 inch dropped springs in the back. it looks better, and the ride is the same. It was more money than I wanted to spend, but the alternative was to put in longer spring shackles and a panhard rod to control rear shackle sway.
Initially, I had made 1 1/2 inch longer shackles and put them in, and with the front so low, they were not long enough.
I could have made another set and dropped it another 3/4 inch, but then, I would be running out of room between the bed wood and the shackles. Plus the sway.
My rear tires cannot move side to side because I have 3/8 inch clearance on the tires to fenderwells, so any movement would begin to wipe out the rear tires.
So, I am back to the original shackles, and lowered stance. I got the springs at the truck shop in Anaheim near Disneyland, and the people were great to work with.
Springs arrived in a big heavy box, and on time.
It took around 4 hours to install them with removing the steps.

[Kim57]

Hope you get all the bugs worked out. Those little things can be a real pain.
Kim

[Russell Ashley]

Man, you have been busy, and spent a lot of $$$$ too. Hope you get it to your satisfaction soon.

[oldman3]

Hope everything works out for you...Jim

[papastrk]

Keep wrenching. You are getting there. Can you recommend a spring after all your spring thrashing?

[Coupeguy2001]

Not done with springs yet, but the 6450 ride the best and settled the least.
THe problem is that the truck sits too low for the suspension.
Now the problem is that the truck needs to be up 2 inches, and the A arms need to be longer to be able to align the front wheels with enough camber.
I may have to cut the shock bushing pocket to allow the upper A arms to go out more to recover some positive camber.
BUT i will retry the longer ball joint if needed to get the control arms more parallel with the ground if the spring thing gets resolved.. This will allow the A arms to become longer in actuality.
The results of my research only apply to G body front ends, but may apply in theory to camaro front ends.