NewPortR/T wrote ... OOFFF that is a big subframe clip.
So those torsion bars are the answer?
NFURY8 so your boat sticks on the twisties? what sway bars if any?
And then some!
The recipe is pretty simple.
- Quality and Complete suspension rebuild: Counter parts are getting scarce and sub par. Just Suspension and Firm Feel.
- New torsion bars: Mine are from Just Suspension, Firm Feel also offers them. Don't mess with used bars. The new bars make a amazing difference!!!
- Frame Connectors: You will have to fab these, but pretty simple. This big uni-bodies are surprisingly stout, but there is flex. My Fury had rippled quarters with just a 318 to prove it!
- Beefed up shocks: KYB is the starting point. Firm Feel is working on Bilstein's.
- New Rear Springs: Or at least stiffened up with new leaves or re arched. They don't need to be fancy. Mine were made in the 90's, probably to Police spec. Can't remember, but they were given a little extra.
- Front Sway: I am very happy with my Adco bar, which is readily available. Firm Feel also offers their own bar.
- Rear Sway: Jury is out here. Fit can be a serious problem on many cars. Need is also up for debate. I don't have one and don't see any need. If you feel you need them, Firm Feel. Just Suspension also offers their Ground Pounder kit, that mounts a second set of shocks perpendicular to the rear axle, from the spring perch to the frame.
- Steering box: I think my $100 rebuilt one from the parts store is perfect. We are stuck with the ratio, so if you are going to have to spin it 10 times, I want to be able to do it fast. Firm Feel and Steer & Gear offer stiffer boxes. The trend tends to favor Firm Feel.
- Front Disc Brakes: You can get fancy, AR Engineering offers an insane 13" rotor and Viper caliper kit if you are going to do some serious autocross. Otherwise the stock design used from 69-73 will be plenty to knock your teeth out the first time out if you try and driving it like it has drum brakes. Ditch the stock valve/tee and use an adjustable prop valve to dial it in.
- Rear Disc Brakes: Totally optional. Offer little, unless autocrossing. However, most think mandatory for a G-Machine. TSM offers an awesome, low buck kit that can be installed before lunch. I opted for the TSM kit because I hate working on drum brakes, it was cheaper than new drums and hardware, and drums would have looked dorky behind my wheels.
- Big wheels and Tires: 17x8 is awesome! 17's look like right at home on a monster C, much better proportion. Also cuts down on sidewall flex and really tightens things up. I am 17x8 wheels on all 4 corners, and 255/50-17 up front and 275/50-17 out back. This maintains the same diameter as the typical 235/70-15 so common on C's, but knocks 2" of sidewall off. It still has about a 5" sidewall, for a decent ride though. I am running Nitto NT450's, very grippy, yet affordable, so drive it like ya stole it!
My Fury carves! Less body roll than my Intrepid, you can feel the G's in a turn and really shows the flaws in the 40 yr old seats! That is the next project.
That covers the meat and potatoes of it. You can go further, Just Suspension offers tubular upper arms. Lower arm stiffening plates are also available, or easy to fab.
I suppose a hot motor, transmission and Sure-Grip go without saying. My 440 is modestly beefed up, and just begging for some 440 Source Stealth heads. The trans is a Hemi spec 727 from a 69 Imperial, beefed up a bit and a Turbo Action Cheetah Pro Street valve body, nice second gear chirps! 3.23 Sure Grip in there now, 3.55 SG chunk in the garage one of these days. The stock converter was a mistake and will be getting chucked, probably with the heads. TTI is the way to go with headers, pricey, but they fit. A hammer is no way to work on your G-Machine. For the ultimate touring action, a 518 or 46RH will let ya skip a couple gas stations along the trip. I am assembling the parts now for an Ultrabell 46RH build.
Don't suppose you will be around St. Louis in September for Monster Mopar? I will take ya for a spin!
Hard to beat cheap tack welded jack stands at full extension balanced on wheel dollies to hold a car up while you reef at getting the front clip on or off! !thumb !thumb
Joined: Tue Aug 07 2007, 01:15PM
Location: Blackpool Lancs England
Posts: 314
Hi Bill Not quite sure how to take your comments !!!! Cheap jack stands yes... Tack welded and balanced.....NO (I hold a city & guilds in welding) The reason for the car being on jack stands and and not 1 of the 2 $10,000 electro hydraulic ramps (hoists) i own is a question of weight distribution when removing a substantial and heavy piece such as a sub frame.Which was lowered onto 2 further jack stands also mounted on to dollies the sub frame can then simply be wheeled out from under the car with out any reefing (never heard that term before must be US specific) as u put it. The 4 dollies that are in the pic then had the jack stands CUT OFF and i then used them to make a mobile rotisserie.
The car has made an 8 mile round trip to the sandblasters on the rotisserie on a trailer and sat on it for a further 10 months. The work rate on the car may be slow but i wont use tools or welding that isent up to the job.Or bad workshop practice. The red ramp (hoist) on the right of the pic has since been replaced with a brand new US made Bendpack ranger 2 post asymmetric electro hyd lift.
Joined: Sat May 16 2009, 06:22PM
Location: Columbia, SC
Posts: 8
I agree with these guys. One other reason why Mopar C bodies sit lower than a Caddy or Lincoln is due to the unibody design.
My '78 has XHD torsion bars, and an extra leaf in each spring in the back. Yes, you could go with a different rear suspension set up. I wouldn't change the front, as the torsion bars are adjustable.
The rear springs on my '78 have been de-arched, as well, giving the car a squat stance compared with stock, but it still works for the car and looks good. I run KYB shocks all around, and poly bushings on the sway bar. The car weighs in close to 5K#, yet handles extremely well, especially on highway on ramps
Joined: Wed Dec 21 2005, 07:34AM
Location: indiana
Posts: 791
!welcome Welcome NewPortR/T! What town in eastern IN? I�m on the southside of Indianapolis.
I had a �66 Nupe a while back, one of the smoothest-riding Cs I�ve had. A buddy still has it, but alas, it�s now in derby-car condition.
If you end up getting that car let me know, I can possibly hook you up with some parts if you need them. I have a shed full of 10+ years of misc parts that need to go away soon.
Joined: Tue Oct 11 2005, 01:33AM
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Posts: 5893
uk fury wrote ... Hi Bill Not quite sure how to take your comments !!!! Cheap jack stands yes... Tack welded and balanced.....NO (I hold a city & guilds in welding) .... Russ
I'm sort of the resident safety freak, I guess because I've seen so many stupid things that really hurt people. I'm not discounting your welding ability or the availability of other fancy equipment, I'm just looking at some jack stands that break a lot of rules.
I look at that stand and see the top of the stand does not have a collar to reinforce the legs. With the centre post at full extension, any side load will put considerable side force on those welds. Pop one weld and down she comes.
I see the legs have braces but they don't appear to be welded to the edges of the legs. Pop one leg brace weld and down she comes.
The stand seems to be held on to the wheel dolly with bolts and big washers. Plus being mounted on wheels and not fixed to the load, nothing prevents it from simply rolling out if it has any side loading. If it shifts, down she comes.
I'm sorry, but if this were on a job site, it would be red tagged and all work would stop.
Joined: Tue Aug 07 2007, 01:15PM
Location: Blackpool Lancs England
Posts: 314
Hi Bill I appreciate your concern for other peoples safety,but i can assure you every step is taken to avoid any possible accident when working under cars . I can appreciate from those pics it may seem a bit dodgy. But i must confess i Do remove the guards from all my grinders and sanders
Now we've hijacked this thread Lets get it back on track. HAS HE BOUGHT THE NEWPORT YET ???????????
Joined: Fri Jun 19 2009, 07:51AM
Location: Eastern, IN
Posts: 4
Sorry guys been awhile since I posted, been reading and rereading this thread lots of good info, thanks.
It's still sitting there and Im still working on getting the price down.
The misses said gotta get rid of my other car "JUNK" in my garage, before I take on another project.
Did have another question tho, on the size of those FIRM FEEL torsion bars , wich ones do guys you recomend, for a PRO-TOURING approach? <span class='smallblacktext'>[ Edited Thu Oct 15 2009, 12:55PM ]</span>