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65 front clip questions

drjenkins

drjenkins

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Hey folks,
I had a question I'm sure you guys can answer. I know that I want to do disc front brakes, A/C - Heater, power steering, and possibly add a new steering column. I assume that doing the brakes,column, and power steering at the same time would be the smart route. How hard is it when you get kits to do the upgrades to actually install those components? Also, what kind of radiator do you guys recommend for a 350 V8 with a 350 3 speed. It's got the original 2 row rad in it right now and it's not cooling well at all obviously.

I had a major scary moment last week where my trans wasn't locking in on the column and my brakes were almost totally out. So I'm gonna address those first for sure. I blew through two stop signs in my very hilly neighborhood before I could get it stopped. The emergency brake had been removed when the new engine and transmission were put in I assume, so I didn't have that to fall back on. Needless to say, it's staying parked until I get it worked out.
 
Main thing is your OK !!think God.. On your radiator my 2 cents the 4 core Heavy Duty Dessert Cool are the best thats what cools my 283:cool: thanks 283 man
 
Glad you got that baby stopped !!

A normal 3-core radiator will work fine if used with a fan shroud. You don't need to go crazy here unless you want to. I used a factory replacement rad with a crate GM HO-350 motor and 700-r4 combo. NEVER got over 185.

Your assumption on doing the steering column, power steering, and disk brakes are correct. Do them at the same time. I did all those in my garage using hand tools.

The column replacement will need a double-D shaft, a Borgensen U-joint, and either a rag joint or another Borgensen u-joint/steering dampner combo to connect to the steering gear. If you use a "factory" column it will bolt in just like the old one. If you use an aftermarket like Flaming River, Billet Specialties or others you will need a different column drop. I used one I got from Flaming River advertised as an OEM replacement. ( see my web site pictures for how it went in. ) Pick up a new column harness connector kit and use that to wire in the column. If you purchase a new column the harness connector should be included.

Setting all that up including the power steering REZ adapter install took one Saturday.
The disk brake kit from Early Classic went in in less than 8 hours. The front end had already been rebuilt with new ball jounts, control arm bushings and outer tie rod ends.
The front end rebuild took a weekend or so only because I had to have the lower ball joints pressed in by a machine shop.
Everything was installed in my one car garage with a modest set of hand tools.

Val
 
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Thanks guys, I was about 2 seconds away from crapping my pants. Luckily I turned uphill and got it stopped with a little help from gravity. Thinking I've got air in my brake lines, so I'm bleeding those very soon.

And thanks for the info so far, very helpful!!
 
D Valintine says it all, also, if you go disc in the front make sure you decide first if you want to swap out for drop spindles. if you want to go lower this is the time to do it!!


http://www.earlyclassic.com/home.aspx

earlyclassics has the absolute best complete kits for brakes and lowering. i swapped my brakes and did a 6" drop for $1400 including shipping. i did however get a brake booster seperatly for an additional $250. CHANGE OUT ALL BALL JOINTS, AND TIE RODS. saftey first, its a cheap way to keep you steering straight. i dont swap to power steering without the rez kit unless you want to see your frame crack out. :eek:
 
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Ditto on rebuilding the front end !! You will not believe the before and after !!! It is like driving a NEW truck !!!

Val
 
I think Im only gonna do a 2.5" drop on the front. But the kit they have for that is like $750, which isn't too bad. I've seen other kits that include the ball joints and tie rods, but they don't have the proportioning valve and the master cylinder. It's pretty much a wash as far as price goes. Plus after that scare I want to be as safe as possible.

I was wondering about the front end rebuild, so I'm gonna need to save some more pennies up to buy all that at once. I couldn't find a working web page for Rez anywhere, could you guys point me in the right direction?
 
with a few basic tools, a 1" drill bit and welder the job is actually quite easy, i did it start to finish in less then three hours. including repainting the rez bracket to my preffered color
 
66 KUSTOM said:
with a few basic tools, a 1" drill bit and welder the job is actually quite easy, i did it start to finish in less then three hours. including repainting the rez bracket to my preffered color
Click to expand...

Awesome! Thanks for the insight.
 
oomdpdbit1M.jpg
 
3/4" or 1" i couldnt remember exactly. its been a year since i did mine. the instructions say when you buy the rez kit.
 
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