Make it handle

[68Stepbed]

BTW, I love the background with the AD truck with the muffler "cannon" in the back.

[AutoX_a_Truck?]

Originally Posted by 68Stepbed

Can you tell alot of differences in different tires? I'm currently running a hard(420TWR) Hankook, but plan to switch to something closer to 300 or so later. What tire do you like best?

In my experience tires make a huge difference and while tread wear ratings give a general idea, they can be deceptive, particularly with tire companies fighting to make a real street tire for SCCA

My first transition was from 295/50/15 Hankooks (400+ tread wear), which were rock hard to very sticky autocross street tires Kumho Ecsta XS (180 tread wear).

[robnolimit]

Yes, tires make a difference. Be carefull, sticky tires don't last long. When you get down to the 180-220 tread wear range, they're fun, but don't count on more than 3000 miles. I like the BFG KDW's for an all around tire. 300 TW, good grip and they last appx 8-10,000 miles. I know thats not too long, but if your asking about the grip, I'm guessing you DRIVE them hard enough to tell the difference. - That take the life out of them.

[butchp]

Rob can you tell me where to get my steering parts. 1956 chevy truck with 1980 camaro stub. I want to put new center link and tie rods, Idle arm. I have heard about a shorter idle arm and maybe installing the tie rods on top of steering arms. I just need help to buy all this stuf from one place.

[robnolimit]

Originally Posted by butchp

Rob can you tell me where to get my steering parts. 1956 chevy truck with 1980 camaro stub. I want to put new center link and tie rods, Idle arm. I have heard about a shorter idle arm and maybe installing the tie rods on top of steering arms. I just need help to buy all this stuf from one place.

At first I would say that OEM replacement (such as Moog or TRW) is the best bet. Swappint the TREs to the top would play heck on the steering geometry, as would a shorter idler arm (a crcle track trick, but the only turn left. The Idler and Pitman arm need to be the same length. Using a longer Pitman and Idler arm set will quicken up the steering. Also, there are center links with imroved geometry. Caution: many of these type of parts come from the circle track industry, and are designed to help turn left ONLY. Make sure you are looking at 'road race' spec items. Howe racing, Hotchkis, and Afco are good sorces.
2nd gen. Camaros (70-81) are pretty damn goo right out of the box. Buy some good shocks and a 1 1/4" sway bar from Hellwig, put the rest back stock. You'll be happy.

[jimmydean]

Originally Posted by robnolimit

Yes, tires make a difference. Be carefull, sticky tires don't last long. When you get down to the 180-220 tread wear range, they're fun, but don't count on more than 3000 miles. I like the BFG KDW's for an all around tire. 300 TW, good grip and they last appx 8-10,000 miles. I know thats not too long, but if your asking about the grip, I'm guessing you DRIVE them hard enough to tell the difference. - That take the life out of them.

I would rather have a fun 10k miles than 25k highway miles.

[cory d]

im drawing up some plans fro a battery box i can stuff behind the rear passenger tire on my stepper. wont help too much with moxing more weight to the back but every bit helps.

[bdiamond]

Originally Posted by cory d

im drawing up some plans fro a battery box i can stuff behind the rear passenger tire on my stepper. wont help too much with moxing more weight to the back but every bit helps.

I modified the stock tray to do this on my old stepside. Fit like a glove. It was a PITA to access with jumper cables so I'd suggest remote jumper posts

[68Stepbed]

Originally Posted by cory d

im drawing up some plans fro a battery box i can stuff behind the rear passenger tire on my stepper. wont help too much with moxing more weight to the back but every bit helps.

Originally Posted by bdiamond

I modified the stock tray to do this on my old stepside. Fit like a glove. It was a PITA to access with jumper cables so I'd suggest remote jumper posts

Any pics?

[cory d]

im just going to have a door in the inside of the bed so it can be sealed off from any mud/snow/rock/grass/water from the back tire. do you have any pictures of it?

[bdiamond]

That truck has been gone nearly 20 years. But, if I remember right I shortened up the triangle brackets under the tray and redrilled holes. The bottom holes went thru the angle at the bottom of the bed . It was kinda primitive and the battery sat really high in the fender but it worked was solid and it was all we had back then...

[robnolimit]

OK west coaster's, The first So Cal Challange event of 2013 is coming up on March 2, in Riverside. Don't miss out on a great track day. All American powered cars'trucks are welcome. This year we are capping the Riverside and Camaillo events at 50 enties. Check it out at www.socalchallange.com

[72chevynoob]

Finally! Read the whole thing! I have a question, why does the no limit panhard have a bushing in one end and a heim joint in the other? Is it for some give, or would I be ok to put rod ends in both ends of mine?
Justin
Posted via Mobile Device

[69vetteside]

I installed my NO LIMIT panhard this weekend and i have the same question.
would'nt it be easier to adjust having a left and right hiem joint on both ends.i thought it a bit time consuming having to unbolt and take of then adjust and rebolt up till you got the right measurement.
But all that aside it works great and has contributed to the truck handleing a bit better.
Now i definetly have to put my C notch's on as that tiny bracket was just enough to lower it so now it hits on big bumps in the road. must have been close to the limit before

[higXtech]

this is such a great thread. I'm looking forward to a future Make it stop thread.

[DURG]

Rear suspension is now complete. The bolt on brackets will be welded and I will remove the top bolt and sleeves so as not to interfere with the bump stop installed on the underside of the notch. I will also need to weld up the 2 piece Porterbuilt rear end tube mounts when the pinion angle is final. I ended up with 15.5" long arms on the rear bar and it's 37.5 inches wide .095" diameter for a rating of ~175 lbs. @ 5 degrees of twist. I will probably drill some more holes in the arms just to make them look cooler when I tear the truck chassis back down for paint. I used the greaseable bushings. There does look like 10 pounds of **** in a 5 pound bag back here, but everything appears to have adequate clearance and should be fine.

[theastronaut]

Originally Posted by higXtech

this is such a great thread. I'm looking forward to a future Make it stop thread.

That would be a great topic!
Posted via Mobile Device

[jlsanborn]

Originally Posted by DURG

Rear suspension is now complete. The bolt on brackets will be welded and I will remove the top bolt and sleeves so as not to interfere with the bump stop installed on the underside of the notch. I will also need to weld up the 2 piece Porterbuilt rear end tube mounts when the pinion angle is final. I ended up with 15.5" long arms on the rear bar and it's 37.5 inches wide .095" diameter for a rating of ~175 lbs. @ 5 degrees of twist. I will probably drill some more holes in the arms just to make them look cooler when I tear the truck chassis back down for paint. I used the greaseable bushings. There does look like 10 pounds of **** in a 5 pound bag back here, but everything appears to have adequate clearance and should be fine.

That's effin handy work there man! Nice job!

[GEARBOXGARAGE]

Originally Posted by 72chevynoob

Finally! Read the whole thing! I have a question, why does the no limit panhard have a bushing in one end and a heim joint in the other? Is it for some give, or would I be ok to put rod ends in both ends of mine?
Justin
Posted via Mobile Device

Originally Posted by 69vetteside

I installed my NO LIMIT panhard this weekend and i have the same question.
would'nt it be easier to adjust having a left and right hiem joint on both ends.i thought it a bit time consuming having to unbolt and take of then adjust and rebolt up till you got the right measurement.
But all that aside it works great and has contributed to the truck handleing a bit better.
Now i definetly have to put my C notch's on as that tiny bracket was just enough to lower it so now it hits on big bumps in the road. must have been close to the limit before

The NO LIMIT bar has a slight bend in it to clear the diff housing, the welded end with a bushing serves as a way to keep the orientation of the bend in the right location, away from the diff.

[robnolimit]

The heim on one end helps to eliminate any mismatch between the mounts. If the two ends are 'bushed', and one mount isn't parallel to the other, then there is a constant bind. the kit in question is a bolt-on, mostly, and we have to take into account the variables of 40+ year old chassis. If it was a pure weld-on, we would rely on the installer to set these parts accurately. OE bolt holes may force a mount 1 or 2 degrees off, so we use a hiem to eliminate any potential binding.

[69vetteside]

thanks rob for clarifying.

[72chevynoob]

^x2
Posted via Mobile Device

[robnolimit]

BTW, I like the panhard set up shown above. Long and low, very nice. Towards the end of last season, the Hellboy was really coming together after a half season of tuning, and a 'first ever' happened. At the Good-Guys Del Mar show, we actually raised the panhard bar up one step to raise the roll center. ??? Yep. The spring/shock/swaybar set up was so good the the back of the truck was a little 'too' well planted, and wasn't rotating in the corner. The back being so well planted caused the front to 'push' a bit. This is the first time we ever wanted less rear bite. By the time we made the adjustment, there was only time for one run, and although better, we didn't catch Brett's '33. But now we know.

[robnolimit]

Last night i was invited to the premier of a new Speed CHannel show, "R U Faster than a Redneck" Its american muscle against import power, with a bunch of good guys in the mix. We know most of the "Rednecks" from autocross and American Streetcar series, and they did a great job showing off our hot rodding and pro-touring addiction. This show will air on monday nights on Speed. Special airing tonight, friday, on Speed, not sure of the time. CHeck it out for a fun 30 minutes.

[68Stepbed]

Originally Posted by robnolimit

Last night i was invited to the premier of a new Speed CHannel show, "R U Faster than a Redneck" Its american muscle against import power, with a bunch of good guys in the mix. We know most of the "Rednecks" from autocross and American Streetcar series, and they did a great job showing off our hot rodding and pro-touring addiction. This show will air on monday nights on Speed. Special airing tonight, friday, on Speed, not sure of the time. CHeck it out for a fun 30 minutes.

My DVR is already set. I've been keeping up with it on pro-touring.com.