Off season Aspen projects have begun

[Aspen500]

Yep, a car is never done and if it was, what fun would that be? Forgot one more winter project. The speedo started bouncing and making that tinny sound that says the outer ring is rubbing the magnet. Since winter seems to have come overnight, guess it's time to start on some of these things.

 

[Justwondering]

Aspen -- I didn't know about your dad. My condolences. Sorry I wasn't there for you. JW

 

[Aspen500]

Before I changed my mind again, went to Summit and ordered new tires for the car. M/T Sportsman S/T in 235/60R15 fronts and 255/60R15 rears. Once the severed tendon for my right index fingers is fully healed and I can use both hands again, I can get to work on the other Aspen projects also. About a month to go yet on the hand

btw, the severed extensor tendon happened at work on Nov 8th, it was repaired on the 10th, and since then I've been the more or less one handed beast. Naturally it was my right hand and I'm right handed

 

[Oldiron440]

I would not have put tires on until it was drive time...

 

[Aspen500]

I agree. I don't plan on mounting them until this spring. I'll take a couple to work one day, then he other 2 the next. Can't haul 4 tires and 4 tire/rims in my truck at the same time is why the 2 at a time thing unless I take the tonneau cover off and NOBODY wants to go through that. Mainly it's the putting back on that really sucks (snaps).

 

[Aspen500]

From what I learned in another thread, I've convinced myself to do an iso delete this winter and add a rear sway bar. It would reduce the loose feel from the rear of the car, especially on curves is the idea. If the E- body rear bar fits, and preliminary measurements show it should bolt right on. Frame brackets are the correct distance apart and are the right size to fit perfectly over the rails. The bar seems to the perfect length also. I've had the bar since 1984, about time to actually use it for something. It came from a '73 Challenger Rallye 340. I'll know for sure once the car is in the air and I can get a closer look.

 

[XfbodyX]

Id think long and hard if you want to change the way your car rides for no more then you drive it, maybe make what you have better?

Remember my 440 SC car (I still have vids) with a oem rear sway bar and oem iso setup and the car road good and was very agile. In fact with the oem rear swaybar setup and iso with a 8 3/4 it drove and road better then any F ive owned that was iso delete and your a stickler for a nice ride vs harsh, right?

Are your rear frame rails also up to the task?

 

[Duke5A]

I didn't notice any worse of a ride after the ISO delete, but I dropped good coin on quality shocks at the same time. That is probably the biggest plus side is the access to B body shocks.

 

[Aspen500]

Even if I leave the iso intact, a rear bar would be nice. The frame rails are solid so not worried about them. My main "gripe" is the way the rear of the car feels loose or wallowy and disconnected. Not sure how to describe it but you get what I mean. You are right, I like to have the ride better vs all out handling and it rides stiff enough as it is. It's the uncertainty on a curve, especially when first turning in. It always feels like the rear end lags behind the front, and then you have to correct by turning the wheel back because the car is suddenly turning too tight. I suppose, the poly spring isolators don't flex much and, there is zero wheel hop when doing spirited acceleration. So, maybe the iso delete isn't worth the money and work, in this case?

 

[XfbodyX]

What are your rear springs, I forgot? What are you using for rear shaks and are you using rubber bushings or poly and oem org? Front spring bushings? I wonder if part could be your old tires with old sidewalls.

Is your rear end tracking straight? Your wide axle should actually give it a better feel then oem (wide track). Another thing to keep in mind is better then 99% of your driving is in a newer different rig weather the stang or dakota and both are rack and pinion vs the old twin t bar.

Is this bar going to make you do some ex pipe mods?

Then another thing to consider is you have added things to fix your front end in one aspect but has it changed others?

Heres the kicker, your driving a 40 plus year old car expecting a lot. Say it was 1979 and you jumped into something 40 years old to drive so what would you expectations be driving a 1939 anything in 1979?

Check your pm.

 

[XfbodyX]

From a new F test vid, I will just leave this here and pass along the commentary of its superior handling ability. I guess a good body roll std. was not grinding the corners of the bumpers off.

 

[M_Body_Coupe]

I am curious about the answer to XfbodyX 's question re: rubber or poly biscuits right now?

The reason why I'm asking: I retained my ISO setup but moved to POLY a couple of seasons ago...poly for all practical purposes is solid. True, not quite the same as direct mounting the plate to the spring, but in terms of what any of us will ask our rides to do (road handling) it seems to be plenty enough.

Anyways, that change was easily registered in the "butt meter", the car - which was already pretty tight handling due to the suspension config - pretty much no longer wiggles under ANY situation.

My point being: poly should get you there!

 

[Aspen500]

I have poly spring isolators. The springs were new in 2012 and have a round front spring eye. The bushings are rubber but they are stiff rubber (not mushy like some can be) The k-frame has poly insulators also. The springs are 4 leaf and are plenty stiff. Actually they seem as stiff as 5 leaf. I got them from Detroit Eaton Spring and have always thought the spring rate is higher than stock springs.

 

[M_Body_Coupe]

I have poly spring isolators...

I'm thinking no need for ISO delete, get the sway bar in there and you'll have a much improved road feel.

 

[Aspen500]

That sounds like the way to go from thos that have had F/M/J with and without iso-spring. I've only had just one F-body so have nothing to compare iso to iso delete. I still have to take the spring plates off to weld the end link brackets on, so it's the same amount of work either way, but why spend the money for minimal gain. Thanks for the advice!

X, it doesn't appear, at least at this point, the exhaust will be a problem. I did think of that. As with the rest of it, I'll know more, once I dig into the project, how to proceed.

 

[XfbodyX]

Here are some ref. pics and you will see why I asked about the ex. I have more detailed ones of the FF install I can email you if you want them.

This was my 440 F dont show much but it does the the bar and the route with still using the iso setup. Looks like I could of corrected the pinion angle but it never presented a issue.

Here is the FF setup installed on an F with the 8 3/4 and still using the iso setup.

 

[Aspen500]

Thanks X! I hadn't thought of the t-pipe cross over above the axle. Pretty sure it's high enough up to not be an issue, I hope anyways. Got to go out and look if the e-body bar is shaped the same. Whether the e-body bar fits or not, I may end up just getting the FF set up and being done with it. Would save a bunch of work derusting, smoothing and detailing the one I have.

If the exhaust is in the way, that throws a wrench into the works.

See what happens when you've been on injured reserve from work for a month (with at least 3 weeks to go yet), a person start thinking too much.

 

[XfbodyX]

I think a wrench has been thrown, maybe 2 or 3. Or not. But you need new tail pipes anyways and I can use a pre fabed set...so. Im not as skilled as you and currently have two /6 tail pipes mated together sorta in the same way.

 

[Aspen500]

Well, I still have a bunch of extra pipe and mandrel bends from the original exhaust fab. The hiccup is, I was 45 years old then, not 2 months from 58 like now
i

 

[Oldiron440]

The hiccup is, I was 45 years old then, not 2 months from 58 like now
i

It's amazing what time does to your body, the last ten years have been rough for me...