[TempestFugit]

Originally Posted by bb400ho

i cant believe how smooth these cars ride. .

That was a huge selling point for these cars, the ride was closer to a fullsize GM ride than a compact. Also without the Trans hump in the floor it felt bigger inside.

[tom s]

they are smooth untill you go into a corner real hard and the rear wheel folds under and you end up like a Corvair!Been there done that!Tom

[bb400ho]

ill have to remember no hard corners.. im really liking this thing..maybe it will cure my gtoitis. is there alot of upgrade stuff for these cars available? dual exhaust (326) disc brakes overdrive trans axle etc.
thanks bryan

[tom s]

front disc kits are avail and dual exhaust has to be built on the car with a change of the drivers exhaust manifold.No OD avail that I know of.Tom

[Doug]

Tom,

I too have had some scary episodes when you get these cars into hard cornering. I did a complete 360 turn once.

Did you ever have any experience with one of these cars with the "anti-fold under" equipment. Seems to me that there some equipment like rebound straps/links that worked to limit fold-under. I don't know if this was factory optional equipment or aftermarket stuff. (It could have been some stuff that John Fitch developed for the Corvairs.) What do you know about this stuff?

[mechanickeith]

There were 2 different kits available for the rear suspension. One was made by EMPI & was called a caster compinsator (sp). Basically a large transverse leafspring assembly, with attachment links to the lower "A" arms & had a pivot point on the differential. The second one was made by Huffman & was called a swaymaster. this was a true sway bar setup that bolted to the lower "A" arm mount points & had links to the lower a arms at the shock mount area. I have only seen these setups mounted on the 61-62 cars. Have not read/seen anything for the 63's as the rear suspension was changed for that 1 year & dropped for the 64 production. Should not be to hard to search out a sway bar that could be modified to fit the 63's.

Keith

[bb400ho]

just so i know what speed are we talking about for fold under?
thqanks bryan

[mechanickeith]

Bryan, Not so much the speed but the hard quick turns, especially while braking/slowing down. If you are up to highway speeds, leave lots of room around you & dont make any quick lane changes. Body roll causes the rear tire on the inside of the turn to tuck under. Look for a book put out in 1963 by hotrod magazine called "Pontiac Performance Handbook" (I think it is in reprint) There is a killer 421 on the front with alum cast headers with dual quads with a bathtub intake. This book has a large amount of info on the early Tempest's to include performance & suspension mods for better handeling. There are great pics of early Tempests on a test track under hard sharp turns that shows the body roll & tire tuck. This tire tuck is most noticable in a sharp turm while braking hard. This book has a lot of fix's for the Tempest suspension.

Keith

[tom s]

I lost control on a wagon and telephone poled it.Very lucky to walk away from it.Also almost did the 360 on a hard corner on my 63 HO.The most dangerous car made next to a corvair IMO.Got my first one new in 1962,then bought a 63 new in 63.Cant remember how many I have had since them.Tom

[bb400ho]

thanks for the info. better to hear now. ill look for that book
thanks bryan

[TempestFugit]

I think it's a matter of understanding the limits of the car. Like any 'swing-axle' car of the day, they can be unforgiving if pushed beyond that limit. Or like, say a motorcylce... Turns, Braking, Road Surface, Motion and Momentum Dynamics, Coefficent of Friction etc. all take on a higher importance.

Driving in the snow is a skill that needs to be learned by doing... so too driving a Transaxle Tempest.

[fasteddy]

Seems like a transverse leaf spring would do the trick-circa-63 Corvette?

[bb400ho]

are we talking about just loosing control or actual damage to the transaxle?
thanks bryan
if anyone can help i need a turnn signal switch or somewhere i can buy one and a wiper switch 2 speed with washers
thanks bryan

[tom s]

if wrap it around a tree the transaxle will still be OK im sure!LOL,tom

[mechanickeith]

Bryan, If you drive it like a normal car & pay attention to traffic & road conditions you will be just fine. If you go out & start road racing it around twisty roads, you will be in for a BIG surprise!!! Just use common sense when driving & enjoy the ride!!!!!

[TempestFugit]

bb400ho, The turn signal switch was probably the weakest piece on the '63s. Somebody had the bright idea that if they made it out of plastic they could save a couple of pennies. So they redesigned it as a - one year - one car - part. The '61-'62s last forever and the '63 will last until the first time you try to switch it back on after it self-cancels while you are still turning the steering wheel. You need to locate a NOS switch and the supply is getting scarce, but patience is a virtue they still show up on eBay once in a while. A good used wiper switch should still work and there should be some around. East West if you're in a hurry or don't need to stretch the budget.

[triathlonx13]

"turn signal switch was probably the weakest piece on the '63s"

Yup - mine is tend to fall into the left turn signal when you hit a small bump in the road..... very weak.

I haven't found one yet. Maybe I can make a new one out of delrin.

.

[bb400ho]

is this one year pontiac only or is it the same as some other gm?
thanks bryan

[TempestFugit]

Good question! it's Tempest only not Pontiac but I don't know if the Buick or Olds small car ones will fit... I suspect not.

[TempestFugit]

Originally Posted by triathlonx13

Maybe I can make a new one out of delrin.

.

Besides having critical parts made of plastic, they are not made to be fixed. The whole thing is held together by a one-way spring clip that makes it hard to dismantle without making a mess out of the pin/clip that holds it all together. It could be done but not easily.