I'm from Detroit; in Tampa FL since '88.
My car is 40 years old now, in its 4th teardown. It was originally a glass body made by a shop called Fred's Custom Boat Works in Detroit. The body was a mess. Nothing was square and aligned; the cowl was tilted left, the bed tilted right and off-center. It sat on a mdel A frame with the old buggy spring. It had never been finished. It had a tired 283 and PGlide, but nothing was ever hooked up, no fuel, no electric, nothing. BUT! it had chrome front I-beam!!! I paid $600 for it in 1968.
Over the years it's had a 350 smog motor and now a mild race-built 350 and 350 hydro. It was looking good in '88, now back in rags. I tore it back down to correct a front-end wobble that was very dangerous and unpredictable. The steering was originally an inverted Corvair box. I think I finally found the real cause of the shimmy. The right spring perch hole was elongated out, which could account for the intermittent shimmy (at least I'm hoping).
So, to eliminate a lot of slop and flex in the steering system, I went to a cross-steer Vega with a 90 degree box under the steering column. (I am anal about having the vertical column).
That's where I am today, agonizing over bracketry, shock mounts, etc.
I was lucky enought to meet Li'l John at the Nats in Kentucky once. Although he always vowed he'd never build a bucket, he had an incredible silver one there. I'm trying to find pictures of it because he had a really neat front mount for his coil-over shocks and headlights. I'd like to copy that design, if anybody here can help.
Sorry for the long dissertation, but I've never been accused of being brief!!! Just ask my wife............
Anyway, glad to be here, looking forward to good times.
Thanks for having me.
My car is 40 years old now, in its 4th teardown. It was originally a glass body made by a shop called Fred's Custom Boat Works in Detroit. The body was a mess. Nothing was square and aligned; the cowl was tilted left, the bed tilted right and off-center. It sat on a mdel A frame with the old buggy spring. It had never been finished. It had a tired 283 and PGlide, but nothing was ever hooked up, no fuel, no electric, nothing. BUT! it had chrome front I-beam!!! I paid $600 for it in 1968.
Over the years it's had a 350 smog motor and now a mild race-built 350 and 350 hydro. It was looking good in '88, now back in rags. I tore it back down to correct a front-end wobble that was very dangerous and unpredictable. The steering was originally an inverted Corvair box. I think I finally found the real cause of the shimmy. The right spring perch hole was elongated out, which could account for the intermittent shimmy (at least I'm hoping).
So, to eliminate a lot of slop and flex in the steering system, I went to a cross-steer Vega with a 90 degree box under the steering column. (I am anal about having the vertical column).
That's where I am today, agonizing over bracketry, shock mounts, etc.
I was lucky enought to meet Li'l John at the Nats in Kentucky once. Although he always vowed he'd never build a bucket, he had an incredible silver one there. I'm trying to find pictures of it because he had a really neat front mount for his coil-over shocks and headlights. I'd like to copy that design, if anybody here can help.
Sorry for the long dissertation, but I've never been accused of being brief!!! Just ask my wife............
Anyway, glad to be here, looking forward to good times.
Thanks for having me.
