[bullheimer]

wow again! FOUR PAGES OF TALKIN AND THEN POOF! GONE!

Which really blows, for me, cause i wanted to hear more about this straight axle. i thought i said at one point he ordered it from Speedway. i want to know how it added up to so much money. Speedway has the solid front axle for like $400. course that's prolly w/o spindles.

i am interested VERY MUCH in doing the same build, but i really want to know if i can make this 66 tempest of mine CORNER with a straight axle as well. why? because Speedway sells parts for DIRT TRACK cars that go round and round. with coil overs, would it corner okay? probably not if it's way up high in front, but then that calls into play the possibility of air bags. get it way up high for crusing the Blvd, and then drop it to the weeds for the mountains.

is this possible????? so consider this a thread hijacking. but, i'll get back to you now anyway. my personal opinion, which i'm sure you know is like a;holes....
selling off that pickup for a POS tempest was the worst thing i've ever seen! holy crap! oieee vey! ming-ya!

however, a gasser is very cool. thats why i want to do it, or at least give some serious thought to doing it, to my temp.

as for sbc power, whatever, who cares? i have a camaro in my garage that has 850 miles on it since i rebuilt it last year and a virgin 400 block i would love to unload. to bad you live in frikken New Hampshire!!! whad would kik butt would be to make it a 377! yow-za! i love your idea, i just think you coulda got alot cleaner car to start with. i think you are going to be a million years with this and spend all that money you got for the pick up and still have to spend more.

i have my own two year project. along with converting my 66, i have a 455 block in the garage that needs everything(i got the whole car for free btw! it was a grandville). and i still have stock drum brakes all around, which have to go. FIRST!, and that is why i need to know more about straight axles. before i spend money on disc brakes that might not interchange with stock control arms to a straight axle. i spoze keeping stock style or maybe aftermarket control arms with air bags would eliminate the problem. the average shmuck on the street probably wouldnt even notice i didnt have a straight axle or not, just that the front of the car was a mile high. i dunno. i am as about as confused as you are. \\\
so, where you been? out working on the car? or just gave up? i wouldnt mind knowing more about your straight axle. whatever you did. good luck holmes!

[Jack Gifford]

Just "thinking out loud" about a straight-axle vehicle's handling (read: I haven't done it, so what do I know?):
I'm guessing you could obtain "reasonably good" handling, but not nearly as good as IFS, which can optimize caster-change, camber-change, etc. for cornering. If you use variable-ride-height (air springs or whatever), I think you'd need a true Watts-linkage to keep the axle centered in the chassis at the various ride heights. A simple track-bar would cause too much lateral movement of the axle. Seems you'd need to be very clever at implementing a Watts-link that didn't totally destroy the simple, attractive image of a straight-axle front end.
One thing you WOULD get, is great wear patterns on the front tires, like only a straight axle can do- which is the only benefit I can think of for the straight axle in my '59 GMC!

[bullheimer]

yeah i'm not doing too good in the "cleaver" dept these days....

[shotgun]

I am planning on a gasser/altered/rat rod type car.I tend to think "outside the box",proof is my 301 powered race car that I shift at 6,000!
For front suspension I plan on using a front VW twin beam.I will have the look of a straight axle,but with much better handling.They can be purchased/made in any length,sand rail guys use them.I built many a V dub in a when I was young and stupid and yes it all started with a girl.
The twin beams can also be made adjustable,ungraded to discs with 4.75 bolt pattern and even come in aluminum.

[Bill Eveland]

Don't try to get the same set-up as the roundy cars, they use special spindles with built in offset camber, same as street rods, you need specific parts for the car your building.

Originally Posted by bullheimer

wow again! FOUR PAGES OF TALKIN AND THEN POOF! GONE!

Which really blows, for me, cause i wanted to hear more about this straight axle. i thought i said at one point he ordered it from Speedway. i want to know how it added up to so much money. Speedway has the solid front axle for like $400. course that's prolly w/o spindles.

i am interested VERY MUCH in doing the same build, but i really want to know if i can make this 66 tempest of mine CORNER with a straight axle as well. why? because Speedway sells parts for DIRT TRACK cars that go round and round. with coil overs, would it corner okay? probably not if it's way up high in front, but then that calls into play the possibility of air bags. get it way up high for crusing the Blvd, and then drop it to the weeds for the mountains.

is this possible????? so consider this a thread hijacking. but, i'll get back to you now anyway. my personal opinion, which i'm sure you know is like a;holes....
selling off that pickup for a POS tempest was the worst thing i've ever seen! holy crap! oieee vey! ming-ya!

however, a gasser is very cool. thats why i want to do it, or at least give some serious thought to doing it, to my temp.

as for sbc power, whatever, who cares? i have a camaro in my garage that has 850 miles on it since i rebuilt it last year and a virgin 400 block i would love to unload. to bad you live in frikken New Hampshire!!! whad would kik butt would be to make it a 377! yow-za! i love your idea, i just think you coulda got alot cleaner car to start with. i think you are going to be a million years with this and spend all that money you got for the pick up and still have to spend more.

i have my own two year project. along with converting my 66, i have a 455 block in the garage that needs everything(i got the whole car for free btw! it was a grandville). and i still have stock drum brakes all around, which have to go. FIRST!, and that is why i need to know more about straight axles. before i spend money on disc brakes that might not interchange with stock control arms to a straight axle. i spoze keeping stock style or maybe aftermarket control arms with air bags would eliminate the problem. the average shmuck on the street probably wouldnt even notice i didnt have a straight axle or not, just that the front of the car was a mile high. i dunno. i am as about as confused as you are. \\\
so, where you been? out working on the car? or just gave up? i wouldnt mind knowing more about your straight axle. whatever you did. good luck holmes!

[6567GTO]

Originally Posted by shotgun

I am planning on a gasser/altered/rat rod type car.I tend to think "outside the box",proof is my 301 powered race car that I shift at 6,000!
For front suspension I plan on using a front VW twin beam.I will have the look of a straight axle,but with much better handling.They can be purchased/made in any length,sand rail guys use them.I built many a V dub in a when I was young and stupid and yes it all started with a girl.
The twin beams can also be made adjustable,ungraded to discs with 4.75 bolt pattern and even come in aluminum.

Got any links to sites that sell that sort of setup? Sounds interesting. 63 gave up on the project and sold it off or is still in the process of selling it. I'm still following through with my 65 GTO gasser and when I get into the project some more I'll start a thread on it, with step by step descriptions including pix. I sometimes wish it was an earlier Tempest. Like I said earlier it'll have a later Pontiac 455 stoker motor in it, T400 and a 9". I'm waiting on the engine to be finished which should be within the next few weeks. I have the trans and rear too. The body will be going to my buddies body shop within the next couple months which is where the long fab process will take place. I have a good amount of the parts needed to build it but still need to buy the sheet metal for the floors and have to buy the roll cage. The 54 GMC front axle is at the chrome shop and should be done next week along with the headlight bezels. I picked up a set of disc brakes for it. Trying to come up with a name for the car and have a long list that I've thought of so far. I figured I'd try one of those magnetic stickys first.

[shotgun]

Just send it down to me,we will build it for you!
I have been out of the VW thing for a number of years but did a quick Google image search.VW beam
Here are 2 places to start looking:
www2.cip1.com pages 139 thru 141
www.vw-store.com
front beams can be had with link pin or ball joint,wider,narrower,extended travel,no adjusters,2 adjusters,4 adjuster, converted to ring and pinion,aluminum etc etc etc.

[shotgun]

That would be
" rack & pinion."

[6567GTO]

Thanks - I'll check them out.

[bullheimer]

so the fenderwell headers are strictly "do-it-yourself?"

[6567GTO]

Yup, or by a custom shop. I'll try and swing it first. If they don't come out good I'll look into having a shop do it. You can use normal headers but I going for the fenderwell type in my gasser. A little more wicked that way.

[Straightaxle63]

my personal opinion, which i'm sure you know is like a;holes....

Actually I couldn't aree more. I havn't been around because I sold the Pontiac with the straight axle and a Camaro I had and got the GMC back. I've been working on that.

Pulled the motor and gave it some more go and put the Radirs I bought for the Pontiac on it.

I just figured I'd drop in and thank you all for the help and opinions before I left for good.

And to the person who was wondering about the cost of the straight axle, I also bought the steering and brake kit from Speedway $500.00

If anyone cares, this is what I've been up to. We also picked up a 59 Bug and front engine V8 frame for the next project. Nothing that will interest anyone here. So thanks again, Tim

[Skip Fix]

All this talk about Chevy motor in a Pontiac. Reher and Morrison started out in MP with a SBC powered Maverick in the 70s.

One of the wildest rides I had was in a straight front axle 55 1/2 Chevy wagon(had a 55 glass front end on a 56 wagon). Screaming SBC and a stick. R&M built 350.

[66geeto]

Bullheimer -I work at speedway I can get you pretty accurate estimates. PM me if you want some help. But don't swamp me guys I'm at work and can pay that much attention. You'll need to know your kingpin withs that you are shooting for.

[Jeff Hamlin]

Found this in a mag and thought you might like to see.

[6567GTO]

Yeah, I have that issue Jeff. What a sweet car huh? I have a 4 cylinder lemans that I'd like to convert to a gasser but not just yet.

[bullheimer]

I thought this thread was dead i guess. been away for awhile anyway good to read this again! i will get ahold of you, 66geeto. i have just FINALLY fingered out last week that you guys at SPEEDWAY have like four different cats. if you can will you please send me the Rod catolog? i have your racecar one and that's why i havent been able to find those damned parts! i saw one about a million years old and read how i can now buy GM spindles for your straight axle kit that will accept later chevelle/camaro disc brakes! that means i can go ahead and buy your set up and complete my plan of 4WDBs!!! i can also put any aftermarket calipers on them that will fit that year, like wilwood, or whoever. why i never noticed speedway had more than one catolog i'll never know.

i'm sorry to hear you sold off the tempest SA63. i am blown awyay you don't think we would care about that wicked truck tho. actually, you can't be serious that we woudn't care about a well, actual hot-rod? but i have a 55 chevy truck second series. is that a 55 too? i can't tell that year apart believe it or not. 50-55 right? looks like it could be fast. but seriously, if you want to find a site appreciates your truck like i do, i also visit hotrodders.com. there is also hotrodder dot com, but they basically ripped the other sites name off. i havent checked them out as much so i cant say good or bad. hotrodders has a bunch of people that are into trucks. even old ones, haha.

[Jurassicgto]

What issue is that gasser in?

[6567GTO]

I think it's April '06.

[Jeff Hamlin]

Here ya go...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...MakeTrack=true