1982 Cordoba Stock Car

Mroldart2u · Jul 11, 2012

Well to help someone is a good thing... maybe help him stay out of the way...lol 99% of the guys here run chebbies, so there is no secrets as to speak. The ones that try to do something different seems to be considered an outcast and usually gets no help, which to me isnt a good thing. I havent been to our track to see who is running what this year, maybe a few more strays away from the chevs but i doubt it. From the gearing mentioned thats about where 99% of the guys run... around a 6.90 final. I did things differently when i ran, but thats for a different board as it was a chebbie.... ( i geared around 7.20, but turned my engines a lot higher than most, but was a rocket out of corners )

Diplomat_Wagon · Jul 11, 2012

Cage has been ordered!

Should see it the end of next week!

Diplomat_Wagon · Jul 11, 2012

Our track is quite large and for a stock engine I'm going to try and stay as close to 6.00 as possible.

Diplomat_Wagon · Jul 13, 2012

Started the dis-assembly and rebuilding of the front end.

I'm debating weather or not to replace the UCA bushings as well as the torsion bar pivot bushings as neither is in very good shape.

What can I do about my tie rod assembly? All four need replacing and now is time for an upgrade. Thinking C-body tie rods and sleeves.

Also planning on converting to late B-body pin type calipers instead of the sliding type.

Do you guys know if you can put a police package idler arm on a non police package car?

Other upgrades? Tips? Tricks?

I'm also planning on taking one leaf out of the left side spring pack and putting it into the right spring pack, lower spring rate on one side and raise is on the other.

Diplomat_Wagon · Jul 15, 2012

Got some more done today.

Found out that "By the book." once again doesn't mean shit.

The diff I took out of my 1980 Diplomat /6 station wagon was suppose to have 2.45's in it and after I pulled the cover it has 2.94's.

So I have to swap those out with the 2.45's I have on the shelf.

Got the rear disassembled.

Some scrap metal. Going away from the ISO mounts on the springs and upgrading to late C-body shock plates.

Leafs ready for new bushings.

Steering column almost finished.

The wifey found a whole pile of tires in Canadian Tire's inventory reduction tent and I got lucky and found a couple to run on the front left!

Brand New Continental Touring Contact 205/65/15 $30

Brand New General Evertrek HP 205/60/15 $30

Diplomat_Wagon · Jul 16, 2012

So I got the steering column all finished tonight!

And here is one for all of you, I think it's rather strange.

Something I've never before seen on an F/M/J Chrysler.

Have you see this before?

Crossmember with mount.

Close up of mount.

Crossmember on the car. The crossmember bolts through those large rubber bushings in the frame.

It even has the holes for the regular F/M/J mount so I think I'm going to pick one up from the farm and put this car back to normal.

jasperjacko · Jul 16, 2012

Yeah, my LS has the same extra isolated mounting system....maybe used on just the chrysler cars ?

Diplomat_Wagon · Jul 17, 2012

Must be '82-'83 only.

I have an '80 and an '81 and they have the F/M-body mount.

I'm going to change it to the smaller solid mount that uses the common trans mount.

jasperjacko · Jul 17, 2012

Mines an 81

Diplomat_Wagon · Jul 17, 2012

jasperjacko said:
Mines an 81

Interesting.

I have an '81 Cordoba also but it has the other style mount. :dontknow:

Diplomat_Wagon · Aug 2, 2012

Ok last night I got lots done with the help of my father-in-law and a good friend of mine.

Found out by chance that this little car without bumpers is exactly 16' long.

Leveling the car was a piece of cake, the floor is nice and level and the car is very straight.

Cleaned the floor and then set about transferring the cage diameters to the floor using the transmission crossmember as a starting point, getting them square and then cutting the rocker panel to make room for the main hoop and the window posts. The shop's car just had the roll cage mounted to 1/4" steel plates welded to the floor pan. This cage will be a integrated part of the car's frame structure as well as plated top and bottom with 1/4" plate.

This rear portion that is removed will allow us to properly box together the frame rail to the cage and to the rocker.

The cage is with in less then 3/16" of square overall. I was quite surprised that this unibody car is as square as it is. Everything fit nice.

Now with it square and everything tacked in place we started doing our top welds before painting the roof and the top of the cage and then lifting it back up and then securing the bottom.

Next Day.......

So everything is where is should be and all that is left is the cutting and welding in of the plates and floor patches. I forgot to paint it before it went back up.

All the preliminary welding is finished for now.

Looking good so far!

efriedrich · Aug 2, 2012

Looking good, I bet that racing is about as much fun that you can have with your clothes on..

80 Aspen RT · Aug 2, 2012

Great build thread!

Diplomat_Wagon · Aug 5, 2012

Some more progress.

Taking the rules to the letter which state "stock bumpers, mounted with stock mounts in stock location." Doesn't state I can't modify said bumper mounts.

They all came apart to my surprise.

Drilled holes, drained the oil and cut them down with the sawzall.

Slid them back into the outer bumper shock housing and welded it together, much stronger and safer.

The header panel will not be going back on as I have special plans for that but I wanted the bumpers to sit closer to the body and this was the easiest way.

Rules allow this cross bar so I'm installing them and welding the bumper shock plates to the tubes and then welding the plates to the end of the frame rail with some small beads.

Even though the rules forbid any pipe or reinforcement ahead of the front firewall or behind the rear firewall I am making a small rear hoop with forward facing frame rail angle braces to protect my fuel cell, safety first! I have yet to cut it to fit against the tail panel and weld it in.

Here are the plates for the cage.

The rear is two layers of 1/4" steel.

The front is two layers of 3/16" steel. I have sheet metal floor patching to do before these go down.

I also have some small 3/16" steel plates to go on the bottom of the rockers where the pipe comes through.

Gotta finish this yet also.

Shorty Thompson · Aug 5, 2012

Nice work ! I'm guesing that no other mods other thn what you done to the bumper mounts can be done . Otherwise I'd suggest that you lose those extensions that bolt the bumper shock to the bumper .

roadrunnerman · Aug 5, 2012

that is some serious welding there.A lot of work goes into that stuff.

Diplomat_Wagon · Aug 6, 2012

Shorty Thompson said:
Nice work ! I'm guesing that no other mods other thn what you done to the bumper mounts can be done . Otherwise I'd suggest that you lose those extensions that bolt the bumper shock to the bumper .

The problem there is then the bumpers will sit too close to the sheet metal and not bolt back up.

I need something to bend in a wreck, might as well be the bumper brackets.