[Nicks67GTO]

Originally Posted by old66tiger

you were in Madison area and didn't give me a call???? Well, then...I know how I rank. Actually, I am about 15 minutes SE of Madison. you could have come over and seen my wreck...um, I mean my car.

I would hit it with the pressure washer and then use your air gun to blow it dry. Let it dry good over night...using fans and heat lamps help. And then hit it with the under coating the next day. You don't have to use 3M...any good under coating will do. Just mask up...that crap is not good for your lungs. Comes in spray can

Could use the cherry picker with some good tow straps on the pockets that are open to the front frame mounts. Get the front up a bit and then use a jack under the gas tank brace in the back to get the rear off the frame. Get a couple pieces of 1/2" flat stock (2" wide or so) and bolt that to the rear frame body mounts - sticking out of the back o the car. Use a tow strap with the chainhoist to pick off the flat stock from the rear of the car. I am assuming that you have a way to support the chain hoist in the garage? I am sure that there are better ways, but it gives you a start. Take the seats out of the car to lighten it up a bit. Every little bit helps.

Remember, there is no rush. If you don't get it done, there is always the next day or the next day after that.

Pictures of how I did mine the first time. I used 6X6 treated lumber and 2X4's to make wood cross-braced boxed frame stands. Bases were doubled up 3/4" plywood with 6" long 3/8" lag bolts bolted into the 6X6 from the bottom. The 2X4s made a box frame and cross braces. It was really strong. I cut slots in the 6X6 for the rocker pinch welds to rest in. I raised the car up with a couple of floor jacks, slid the stands in and then unbolted the frame and lowered the frame out of the body. I had all suspension off of the car to make it really easy. Not ideal, but it worked. Rust free convertibles are really strong and I had ZERO problems with body flex

Actually the thought crossed my mind. If I was by myself or even driving for that matter I would have been by but it was me and 7 other old buddies watching big10 wrestling and drinking all weekend. We call it our annual mancation....put the women and children to bed for the weekend...then men are going drinking like days of old. I'll tell you what, if you get a chance to swing by a place called Brickhouse in Madison on Gorham St. do it up.....great food, tons of beer selection and super hot waitresses. You can't go wrong. It was around the corner from the Hampton we stayed in and we basically lived there all weekend when sessions weren't going on.

[old66tiger]

Been there and done that. Good food. Got to love a college town.

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[Nicks67GTO]

Originally Posted by arbys

It looks like it's coming along great. You are a bundle of energy. Keep up the good work.

The energy is artificial...I drink a little Advocare Spark and i'm good to go for about 10 hours!

[Nicks67GTO]

Well day 2 is in the books. I didn't quite get where I wanted to again but its coming along nicely. I yanked the engine/clutch/tranny, fuel system, brake system, rear axle and the entire chassis out. I'm down to the frame, shell, and front A arms. The A arms will be out in a half hour tomorrow morning than its time to swap frames.

I think i'm going to use 4x4's to span the underside of the car and put a notch in them for the underbody pinch point. Ill be keeping jack stands as close as I can to the shell while the frame is out, basically keeping most of the weight on the jackstands and not stressing the 4x4's as much. Ill use a cherry picker and tow straps to pick the shell up to get separation, slide the 4x4's in and set them on the jackstands. Then lower the frame pull it and then just reverse the process. Sounds easy enough but we all know how things like that go. Anyhow here's a few shots of todays progress. Remember I drive the crap out of this car so stuff gets chipped and grimey....

[Nicks67GTO]

Day 3 is a done deal. We got the old frame out around 11:30AM. I found that the old body mounts were really loose, but in decent shape. The strange thing is 4 of them weren't even body mounts but rubber mounts with no bolt hardware and just sandwiched in there between the frame and the body?? I guess ive never seen that.

The new frame is now in and snugged down, sitting on ABC performance aluminum body mounts and hardware and sammiched in there between SC&C isolator gaskets. The ABC kit is really nice and Savitske's gaskets are tough and should isolate NVH.

So the frame I pulled is really in AWESOME shape. I'm going to keep it for sure. It is absolutely rust free and there isn't even any corrosion on the mount holes. None. not a flake. One of these days ill have it straightened out I suppose.

Here are some shots from the day....The big fella in there is my Dad. He's been along for the ride this whole time, and hasnt ever done this before either. He has been a tremendous amount of help and ideas.

[old66tiger]

I will be interested in seeing how the car rides with solid mounts.

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[Nicks67GTO]

Originally Posted by old66tiger

I will be interested in seeing how the car rides with solid mounts.

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I was really hesitant on solid mounts. I read bad press about them like everyone else but after a long talk with Savitske about them, he convinced me. It sounds like body mounts are a huge difference maker in the handling department. I didn't think it would be such a big deal but supposedly it is. Anyhow Marc has been right about everything so far so I guess I just kind of went with it.

From my research.....Rubber breaks down, offers sub par handling and ends up junk pretty quick. The newer rubber used in the replacement mounts now will rot in a hurry and aren't anywhere near as good as the stock 1967 rubber mounts. My 15 year old rubber mounts with maybe 5,000 miles on them were lose, smashed, deformed but not cracked or weather checked at all. Weird. It sounds like the old polygraphite kits work ok but are known to squeak and aren't really built for our cars. They seem to be a generic kit that requires shimming and the hardware kits aren't even correct but still a better option than old rubber. I was worried about a harsh ride and NVH with the solids. Savitske said that they shouldn't offer either and even sells these little rubber washers to isolate any chance of NVH. Solid mounts will unite the frame and body and allow the shocks/springs to do what they are supposed to do and it really isn't any different than having a unibody car.

I guess we will see if that theory holds up here in another week or so??? Ill let you know. I will say that the kit I got from ABC was absolutely top notch. Well machined, nice anodizing, complete hardware kit with very thick washers and grade 8 shouldered bolts. If anyone was going to skimp on the hardware kit buying these, they are doing themselves a disservice.

[Nicks67GTO]

Day 4 {yesterday} I got the rear end and rear suspension back in, gas tank, and rear bumper mounted. All of these parts but the rear springs were previously installed but here's a rundown of it anyhow....

-SPC rear coil springs
-Moser 9" with TRSD 11" rear discs
-Currectrac adjustable upper and billet lower RCA's
-UMI triangulated supports
-Hellwig rear chassis mounted sway bar
-Bilstien shocks
-Stock tank with Robb Mc sending unit

With the rear boxing kit I ended up having to hole saw a spot in the boxing plate to get to the rear bumper bolts. This ate a good hour 1/2 messing around, then I had to drop the gastank back out to get to the other forward bumper bolts. Oh well, lesson learned....no pics this morning. Nothing too exciting.....

[Nicks67GTO]

Day 5. I double checked everything in the rear, smashed the f'ing **** out of my hand, mounted the rear wheels and moved up front. I got my upper and lower SPC control arms in, then back out, then in, then out. I wanted to scream. Ill save anyone actually reading this the details but things didn't go my way today. Also in are the bilstien shocks, SPC springs and all new grade 8 hardware everywhere. I'm starting on the highest ride height setting and ill adjust from there. I also picked up some new front end parts. I needed parts so I called Summit and got some Proforged stuff. Yeah its offshore but it seems like really high quality stuff. Iv'e heard good things over on the PT board so I guess we will see how they work. Youll notice the grubby looking front brakes. I'm putting my 15" wheels back on for a little while so these are going back on until i get my 18's ordered. Then I have a front brake upgrade ready to go in.

A couple shots of the days work.





New proforged stuff...VERY nice, comes ecoated with some sweet adjusters...

[6 Grrrs]

Originally Posted by Nicks67GTO

I was really hesitant on solid mounts. I read bad press about them like everyone else but after a long talk with Savitske about them, he convinced me. It sounds like body mounts are a huge difference maker in the handling department. I didn't think it would be such a big deal but supposedly it is. Anyhow Marc has been right about everything so far so I guess I just kind of went with it.

From my research.....Rubber breaks down, offers sub par handling and ends up junk pretty quick. The newer rubber used in the replacement mounts now will rot in a hurry and aren't anywhere near as good as the stock 1967 rubber mounts. My 15 year old rubber mounts with maybe 5,000 miles on them were lose, smashed, deformed but not cracked or weather checked at all. Weird. It sounds like the old polygraphite kits work ok but are known to squeak and aren't really built for our cars. They seem to be a generic kit that requires shimming and the hardware kits aren't even correct but still a better option than old rubber. I was worried about a harsh ride and NVH with the solids. Savitske said that they shouldn't offer either and even sells these little rubber washers to isolate any chance of NVH. Solid mounts will unite the frame and body and allow the shocks/springs to do what they are supposed to do and it really isn't any different than having a unibody car.

I guess we will see if that theory holds up here in another week or so??? Ill let you know. I will say that the kit I got from ABC was absolutely top notch. Well machined, nice anodizing, complete hardware kit with very thick washers and grade 8 shouldered bolts. If anyone was going to skimp on the hardware kit buying these, they are doing themselves a disservice.

I am very interested in your opinion of these solid mounts when all back together/driving.

[imposter]

looks like you're building my car, i am maxed out on front spring spacers on mine, Mark had suggested i should try global west's BB springs if i needed it higher, but i have not bottomed out my $800 doug's yet so i'm keeping it low, i had the bilstiens in their at first but switched to varishocks now they were a bitch installing so think about the upgrade now as they do not slip in from the bottom you have to disassemble everything again they were expensive but they were sure worth it

[Nicks67GTO]

Originally Posted by imposter

looks like you're building my car, i am maxed out on front spring spacers on mine, Mark had suggested i should try global west's BB springs if i needed it higher, but i have not bottomed out my $800 doug's yet so i'm keeping it low, i had the bilstiens in their at first but switched to varishocks now they were a bitch installing so think about the upgrade now as they do not slip in from the bottom you have to disassemble everything again they were expensive but they were sure worth it

I remember you strongly advising me to max out the spacers on the A arms, so i'm starting there.

I'm going to try out the Bilstiens for now. I know its just more work down the line but maybe 4 hours tops? the rears would take 30 minutes and 3.5 for the fronts? I actually installed the Bilstiens on top of the spacers like the varishocks are supposed to go in.

So did you go single adjustable or double adjustable varishocks? I think i'm getting the doubles if I do it. Is the street ride that much better than the bilstien or is it just the ability to adjust them for aggressive driving?

[Nicks67GTO]

BTW I have flattened a set of coated Hooker Super Comps with my stock springs. Literally smoked them. I might try to rebuild them though and shorten them up somehow, blast and coat with some por15 header paint.

[Old Blue 66]

Originally Posted by 6 Grrrs

I am very interested in your opinion of these solid mounts when all back together/driving.

X2. I know I need to change mine.

[imposter]

singles,
mark's dad said there is no need for the doubles waste of money, like 13" Baer brakes and rear disc's all show he says, realistically we are not competing in these cars, i have 11" drums on my rear and stock calipers up front with a good wagner pad and summit slotted rotors it is more than enough it's all business and no show i am not going to clean any red calipers anyway, oh and hooker headers fit are ridiculous i had them, they have been making them for Pontiac's for 40+ years you think they'd care if they fit or not which they don't

[Nicks67GTO]

Originally Posted by imposter

singles,
mark's dad said there is no need for the doubles waste of money, like 13" Baer brakes and rear disc's all show he says, realistically we are not competing in these cars, i have 11" drums on my rear and stock calipers up front with a good wagner pad and summit slotted rotors it is more than enough it's all business and no show i am not going to clean any red calipers anyway, oh and hooker headers fit are ridiculous i had them, they have been making them for Pontiac's for 40+ years you think they'd care if they fit or not which they don't

-Interesting about the singles vs doubles. I would think that having the ability to adjust compression and rebound would be great for street use especially. Maybe ill look at the singles again. If I sold my Bilstiens they really wouldn't be that much to upgrade. Iv'e also been eyeing the Ridetech HQ singles. I like that Million mile warranty and everyone raves about Ridetech.

-I intend to start doing Goodguys auto X and Car craft Summer Nats auto X so i will be doing a bit of competing with mine but nothing too hardcore. Just for fun but I still want to be able to put up some good times.

-I might even consider going to a Ram Air Resto 2.5" HO manifold... I hate these headers so much. They are just a MF'er

[old66tiger]

Originally Posted by Nicks67GTO

I got my upper and lower SPC control arms in, then back out, then in, then out. I wanted to scream. Ill save anyone actually reading this the details but things didn't go my way today. [/URL]

One of the reasons I went with Ridetech. I put them in and that is where they have stayed. As the springs have settled, I have moved the adjuster up a turn or two. I wasn't liking my ride height the other day, so I turned them up one turn.

I hate dicking with taking springs in and out.

[old66tiger]

Originally Posted by Nicks67GTO

-

-I might even consider going to a Ram Air Resto 2.5" HO manifold... I hate these headers so much. They are just a MF'er

Dougs? Mine fit OK. I have had to shim up the motor mount on the passenger side to get the oil pan to clear the frame and keep the header from hitting the frame when I nail the throttle.

[Nicks67GTO]

Originally Posted by old66tiger

One of the reasons I went with Ridetech. I put them in and that is where they have stayed. As the springs have settled, I have moved the adjuster up a turn or two. I wasn't liking my ride height the other day, so I turned them up one turn.

I hate dicking with taking springs in and out.

I hear ya. When I looked into coilovers I got confused and didn't seem to get a straight/conclusive answer from the guys I talked to. It kind of shyed me away from them. Now that I understand more I wish I had gone that route for my shock spring package and kept everything else from SC&C but its too little too late. I still might try out the ridetech HQ shocks

[Nicks67GTO]

Originally Posted by old66tiger

Dougs? Mine fit OK. I have had to shim up the motor mount on the passenger side to get the oil pan to clear the frame and keep the header from hitting the frame when I nail the throttle.

I may get creative with my headers if I have time. Im going to change from 3 bolt flange to a ball/socket before they go back in. My 3 bolt will not seal no matter what I do. I might try and fix the smashed parts of the header too as well as shorten them 2" each in droop. Not sure how id get that done though. I would of course do this knowing i may very well screw them up and have to order new stuff.

It seems like there is a huge market hole for someone to build really good fitting/easy to install pontiac headers. Every one on the market has a bad name for something.