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| Trick front suspension? https://mail.slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13430 |
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| Author: | gearhead [ Sun Aug 27, 2006 12:26 am ] |
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My car already had a small bolt pattern 8 3/4 sure grip in it...so when I was offered a just rebuilt set of KH sbp disks for free...I jumped. They also go well with my 15x7 sbp wheels. I just got back from the drags watching my buddies have fun...oh well, maybe wed. night for me... Gearhead |
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| Author: | gearhead [ Mon Aug 28, 2006 12:01 pm ] |
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Well, if you use a later LCA with large ball joint on an early spindle by re-tapering...the control arm hits the wheel! And I have 15x7 already. I am busy grinding for clearance but running out of material to cut safely. The clearance is worst at normal ride height. Oh well...I keep plugging away. Gearhead |
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| Author: | Johnny Z [ Mon Aug 28, 2006 8:39 pm ] |
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What type of 15" small bolt rims do you have? JZ |
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| Author: | Joshie225 [ Mon Aug 28, 2006 9:56 pm ] |
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Quote: Well, if you use a later LCA with large ball joint on an early spindle by re-tapering...the control arm hits the wheel! And I have 15x7 already. I am busy grinding for clearance but running out of material to cut safely. The clearance is worst at normal ride height.
Could that be because those wheel centers are actually from 14" wheels?
Oh well...I keep plugging away. Gearhead |
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| Author: | gearhead [ Tue Aug 29, 2006 12:13 am ] |
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They are Wheel Vintiques. I am not very happy with them. I thought they were powder coated when I ordered them but I must've been confused...cause they are not powder coated, and they are not painted or prepped well. They are the 14 inch centers, but that has no affect on my problem since the clearance issue is on the very outer diameter where you install clip on balance weights. I have ground plenty of clearance for the wheel, but the driver side seems tighter than the pass side, and I will have to have stick on balance weights moved inboard. Then it will all clear. I finally got it on all fours, set the tires on two pieces of hardboard each, then did a preliminary alignment. Tried to go for a test drive, but two things put a stop after just a few hundred feet...one, my drvr side balance weight was still hitting once the full suspension load was applied...two, the oil line to my secondary oil gauge blew up and sprayed oil all over the driveway. I use copper usually with strain relief built in...and that is how my primary gauge on the oil pump side of the filter is connected. But the main oil galley rail had a previously installed pressure gauge that I never removed, and it had plastic line, which fnally ruptured. I did finish boring my shifter handle and installing a line-lock switch in it. So tomorrow a little bit more grinding, then pull the balance weight to have fixed in the afternoon with another type, then off to the frame shop for a full once over on the squareness and alignment of everything. I had to grind quite alot for clearance...and although I'm not to worried about the arm failing, there is enough room to weld a reinforcement without causing a loss of clearance. In fact you would gain because you could then grind off more in the tight areas. I'll post pics when I finally have a few moments... Gearhead |
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| Author: | gearhead [ Tue Aug 29, 2006 12:14 am ] |
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They are Wheel Vintiques. I am not very happy with them. I thought they were powder coated when I ordered them but I must've been confused...cause they are not powder coated, and they are not painted or prepped well. They are the 14 inch centers, but that has no affect on my problem since the clearance issue is on the very outer diameter where you install clip on balance weights. I have ground plenty of clearance for the wheel, but the driver side seems tighter than the pass side, and I will have to have stick on balance weights moved inboard. Then it will all clear. I finally got it on all fours, set the tires on two pieces of hardboard each, then did a preliminary alignment. Tried to go for a test drive, but two things put a stop after just a few hundred feet...one, my drvr side balance weight was still hitting once the full suspension load was applied...two, the oil line to my secondary oil gauge blew up and sprayed oil all over the driveway. I use copper usually with strain relief built in...and that is how my primary gauge on the oil pump side of the filter is connected. But the main oil galley rail had a previously installed pressure gauge that I never removed, and it had plastic line, which fnally ruptured. I did finish boring my shifter handle and installing a line-lock switch in it. So tomorrow a little bit more grinding, then pull the balance weight to have fixed in the afternoon with another type, then off to the frame shop for a full once over on the squareness and alignment of everything. I had to grind quite alot for clearance...and although I'm not to worried about the arm failing, there is enough room to weld a reinforcement without causing a loss of clearance. In fact you would gain because you could then grind off more in the tight areas. I'll post pics when I finally have a few moments... Gearhead |
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| Author: | argentina-slantsixer [ Tue Aug 29, 2006 4:21 am ] |
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Going off topic for a second: where I can get 14" centers on 15" rim? I need 2 15"x 8" rims (just the plain steel rims, I have my centers and I intend to keep those) and MAYBE, 2 15" x 7" but I can't find 15 rims for 14" centers down here. I'll appreciate the heads up. |
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| Author: | gearhead [ Tue Aug 29, 2006 11:35 am ] |
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Howdy: I thought I remembered them telling me they were 15" centers in the wheels, but I could be wrong. I just measured across the center and it is 12". So that is what I have, I don't know what the actual dimension of a 14" center would be. I did my own preliminary alignment last night. I fixed the oil line, I ground on the control arms this morning, and I had the wheels rebalanced using stickem weights to get it away from the rim edge. I took it to the line-up shop for a once over computer alignment...but I didn't like the technician at all and decided to pull the car from that shop. I told him what I wanted for alignment -.5 camber, 0-1/16" toe-out, and as much caster up to 6 degrees that could be adjusted into it. He looked at me like I was an idiot and told me I didn't want that much caster...I said yes I do. I told him what I did to the suspension and he seemed completely disinterested. Now I didn't expect him to high-five me, or fall to his knees in worship...but with all the work I just did, you would think a good technician(he was 55 or so yrs old) would want to at least know as much of the details so he would know what hes getting into, or any special things he might need to know. Then I told him I want 0-.062 toe out, and he told me that was all wrong, that if that works, something is wrong with the suspension...he said he used to work on race car suspensions and would know... Anyway, he spoke to me with a condescending tone and finally told me to take a seat in the office, I said I like to at least observe if he didn't mind, he said he did...so they didn't get the work... So, I found a guy willing to work with me...and in a half hour we will start. All that said, it felt wonderful to drive it again, the .990" bars feel fine, the ride is excellent, it handles pretty well given the rough alignment. I missed my Valiant...I now have a big smile!!! I started editing pictures. I'll report back soon. Karl |
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| Author: | dakight [ Tue Aug 29, 2006 12:06 pm ] |
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I've been following this thread with a great deal of interest. It will be neat to get the final report on how it works out. |
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| Author: | gearhead [ Tue Aug 29, 2006 6:08 pm ] |
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I don't have much time right now...but I really liked the guy I ended up having do the alignment. He really liked the way the mods I did turned out...especially for making proper adjustments. I'll go over the specifics as soon as I can. I took it for an extended, gear banging drive thru the West Hills of Portland, which is extremely curcy. It handles awesome. I now need much more horse power!!! I can tell it needs a sway bar. But the handling is just great and exactly what I had hoped for... Base alignment specs...I'll give more detail and reasoning later... 6 degrees caster, -.5 camber, 1/16" toe-out. Steering effort with the high caster is fine and less than my GTO. But it still has the 24:1 steering box. Karl |
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| Author: | dakight [ Wed Aug 30, 2006 5:03 am ] |
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Quote: I took it for an extended, gear banging drive thru the West Hills of Portland, which is extremely curcy. It handles awesome. I now need much more horse power!!!
God I miss Oregon! I used to love driving Cornell road from Portland to Beaverton. Highway 26 to the coast would be a lot of fun too if the traffic weren't so heavy and the Lost Lake road up on Mt Hood is a blast. I'm going to be up there for a few days next week.
I can tell it needs a sway bar. But the handling is just great and exactly what I had hoped for... |
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| Author: | VDART [ Wed Aug 30, 2006 6:24 pm ] |
| Post subject: | wheel center |
fyi ------ wheel diameter on a stock mopar small bolt 14 x 4.5" wheel is 12 3/8" according to my stanley tape -- do not have a more precise way of measuring-- should have the centers swapped soon!!!! |
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| Author: | gearhead [ Thu Aug 31, 2006 12:51 am ] |
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Hey Dakight: Give a call if you have time while you're here and you can stop by my home for a ride... 503-669-2135 VDart...I just sold my 14x6 wheels and didn't measure them, so I still don't know what centers I have. I showed up just late enough to miss out on racing tonight. But!!! I was there early enough to have my overweight buddy with an 11 sec Duster want to see what his car would run with my semi-skinny ass inside it... rt's .011 and .002 60 ft 1.627 and 1.642..experimented a little on the line 1/8th 7.47 and 7.48 1/4 11.800 @113.2 and 11.791@113.79 Who ever said paying 5 bucks to watch wasn't worth it !!!!!!!!! His car is barely streetable from my (and my GTO's) perspective, but none-the-less a blast to run down the 1/4...360" small block with much convertor and all the usual go-fast mopar goodies... I will run the Valiant this Friday for $20 all night in the 1/4. I took every corner there and back as fast as I could...I need more HP...I am so happy with the suspension mods...I could care less if it created an "also ran" at the track, it is so much fun to drive...!!! The fact that someone else might corner better...who gives a rip...mine corners so great and fun now that even if I lost a road race by a mile I would still be smiling from ear to ear... Time for sway bars... My GTO has never been any claim to fame on the corners...but one thing I was proud of, was that from turn in to exit...the car behaved itself, even if some better car was pulling away. It was very fun in the corners, and unless someone was pulling away to make you realize you weren't actually any good in the corners, the car made you "feel" as if no one could beat you....this is how I feel in the Valiant now, even if I know there are significant improvements yet to be made. So...the base assesment is in...I love it...I can adjust to any alignment spec I want...I have a lower control arm that stays exactly where I set it and doesn't have any significant friction, I have solid strut rods to locate my alignment specs consistently in the corners, I have changed my roll center (with the larger ball joint of the later upper control arms)for a better position, and have discovered that .990" torsion bars don't make me hate the ride(although others might not like it....I have been searching for go kart handling ever since I left go karts for real cars)...the disk brakes give me stopping power I haven't felt in a long time(my GTO disks have trouble...albiet from 125-130mph compared to my slanty's numbers) The only thing I have to do now is...back up a little and go over what I have done and post pics...AND...build sway bars. My rear springs are 340 springs, but they could use rebuilding also... All said, this thread and all the work associated with it has paid off with didvidends, and driving my car provides all anyone needs, a giant smile from ear to ear to know I am one happy camper. There is, of course, much more to do...not the least of which is more HP!!! Gearhead aka Karl |
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| Author: | gearhead [ Thu Aug 31, 2006 1:30 am ] |
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VDart...just reread your post and wanted to add...I had 14x6 factory wheels from 1991-2005 with 235-60-14" Grand Am Radials. I never once ran any tire or wheel other than this until moving to the Wheel Vintiques 15x7 sbp rally wheels from Summit, and the 225-50-15" Faulken tires I am running now. No other reason for this FYI info other than to answer any unanswered questions regarding what I know about sbp Mopar wheel and tire configurations. This is all I know with the added comment that any and all of this last 8 pages of info relates only to what I know about the only Mopar I have ever owned...this particular 64 Valiant 200 post car. This, I guess, is my chance at a disclaimer...I try to do as much research as I can when I get into things, but I have by no means any justification for claiming I know anything about Chrysler products beyond what I have specifically targeted in my research to try to make this Valiant a good car. First for the ex-girlfreind who thankfully, was strange enough to specify such an odd request for a transportational vehicle, and Second...for the unfortunate occurrance of a significant accident, on the day the car had been sold to a third party, that ultimately led to my having to have the car in my possesion, long enough to fall in love with it, and somehow come to an arrangement in which I now own it... Anyway...if a drunk hadn't pulled out of a strip bar, during rush our, at a particular instance in the billions+years our universe has, and will continue, to exist, and crashed, right into me while I was performing a perfectly legal turn with witnesses...you would never have been reading this thread... Guess I'm in a philosophical mood tonight... Gearhead |
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| Author: | gearhead [ Thu Aug 31, 2006 1:48 am ] |
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I just read that and should clarify...I was delivering the Valiant to the third party it was sold too...on the way...I was hit by a drunk...by the time it was fixed, it was dead, cold, winter...and the guy didn't want it anymore...So I drove the car all winter after retreiving from the body shop to sell in spring...but I couldn't let it be sold to anyone that wasn't me by then...I hadn't realized how much all the work over the years had endeared me, but also, how much fun it was to drive. Now, I can't imagine not being able to go outside and jump in for a drive...the same way I feel about my GTO's, which I've now owned well over twenty years, and I'm only 42. Gearhead |
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