Projects Plan II - 62 Chevy II Drag Car

I'll see how much grief I get trying to use the stock steering location.....the Corvair box would be the way to go if I need to move it. I'm putting a big radiator across the front, so if I moved the box up there it would have to sit low.

 

You'd probably want it low anyway, so it lines up better for the drag link to stay flat. It really is a lot easier to go with the forward location to get everything to clear and stay level.

 

It's still a possibility...but it does mean a lot of work, such as finding another steering box, mounting it, finding the right pitman arm, making a different column, making the shaft fit, probably a U joint in the shaft or at least a coupling, etc. We'll see what happens.

Anyone have some neat 48 year old wheelie bars laying around they don't need?

 

Great idea on the header mock up!....likely will do similar on Seabass49's car....Coronet getting a SBC and Super T 10 with fenderwell headers.

 

thanks! I ordered the Speedway header kit, I guess I'll see how it goes.

Mostly finished the transmission tunnel today....ordered a bunch of new parts yesterday....progress is being made.

Film at 11. If I find anything interesting to take a picture of, that is.

 

A few pics.

 

Squirell, thought I would share a pict of the front susp of my dad's gasser, originally fabricated/built around 1964. For his set up they used what appears to be the factory pivot but relocated it to to the frame (from middle crossmember). it uses the stock steering column with a lengthened shaft.

 

Thanks, thats a neat setup. The Chevy II box has a mostly vertical pitman shaft, the early Chevys have a horizontal shaft, so it would be tough to make it work in my car...but I did think about using a front-rear drag link, instead of cross steer.

We'll see how the oil pan clearance is. I ordered the parts for the drag link yesterday.

 

I used a stock box in mine in the stock location with a speedway axle kit. Been driving mine for three years with no bump steer and decent handling with bias ply

 

Coincidentally I had a 64 post car body I bought out of a junkyard and started on about 20 years ago but didnt get far before I sold it, Ive saw it occasionally sitting at another guys house who has owned it for about the last 15 years,I hadnt been by the guys house in a long time so I went for a drive the other day (after seeing you get this one)to where its at just to see if he still had it and it was still there sitting in the same spot.
It still looks exactly the same as it did when I had it other than slightly more deterioration.
Ive thought about trying to get it back but I doubt he would sell even if I decided to buy.

 

If the stock steering box doesn't work out, and you want an economical replacement that works well up front. Look into early 60's Ford F150 truck boxes. They sit outside the frame, and are what the later Ford Courier pu boxes were designed after. They sit vertical, so have a horizontal pitman arm, but input from the column is straight back.
I used a Courier box on my Falcon, but not real difference from the '65 and older F150 box.

 

Wonder if this would work if you were keeping your stock steering? I just searched "big block chevy nova oil pan" and this came up.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/94781519@N07/11856917923/" title="big block oil pan by Leadsled51, on Flickr"></a>

 

Interesting....I was doing some work on that just this morning. Turns out the pan I have on the 427 that I plan to put in the car is a similar pan, although it's the Moroso version.

I did some work on the suspension, I removed a couple more leafs from the springs...and now it actually sits down a bit. It still is stiff, it only moves less than half an inch when I sit on it (I weigh about 160). I mocked up where the drag link will go, and measured the pan I have on the 427, and I think it'll work. I may want to limit steering travel to keep the link from running into the pan, but that shouldn't be an issue for a car with such a short wheelbase (105 is my plan) and not scheduled to do a lot of street driving anyways.

I also jacked up the rear end about 3" to see how the car will sit, I think it will be close to level, which is fine with me. The rear tires will be about 30" tall, the 13s on it now are about 24" tall. The fronts....might go a tad smaller diameter, not much, I'm probably going to run 5.60 15 or something similar.

Pictures

 

Great minds think alike, your moving along Jim. Temps are way to low/cold here!

 

I don't know what your plans are ,but a guy on ebay sells this style valve cover thats a little taller than stock and that still clears roller rockers. I was always going to paint them orange , but never got around to it. I had a .725 mech. roller and nothing touched.

MELTDOWN DRAGS
VINTAGE DRAG MEET
JULY 18,19,20 2014

 

I'm trying to avoid using trick new parts....neat covers, though! I'm probably going to use old stock chrome covers and not much rocker. One thing that makes a street car survive, is valve lift less than .600"

 

I get it... I respect the decision to stay with real vintage parts.

MELTDOWN DRAGS
VINTAGE DRAG MEET
JULY 18,19,20 2014

 

cool...subscribed.

 

Looking good.I like the way this is going!

 

Just a thought cuz I don't have a Nova pitman to compare with. If the Size and Spline count on a Tri Five pitman arm is the same as a Nova. And if it indead had more drop as well, would that get you the clearance you need?

 

The arm is a kind of funky shape, which is necessary to clear the frame. I can't drop it because then the drag link end would hit the spring on the driver side.

I'm not too worried about being able to make it all work...but I won't know for a little while....

 

A few pics. I ordered a driveshaft loop that is made for something else, but looks like it'll fit my car perfectly. And I finally made the front down bars, to hold the frame to the firewall. They're not quite like most folks build them...I figured the most load will be from engine torque, and from the weight of the car landing on the axle after doing a wheelie...so I made the bars straight so they'll be strong, and put the front end near where the load will be. I'll put some rubber suspension limiters (bump stops) on the bottom of the frame, above the center of the springs. And I played around with the header mock up a little more.

 

Lookin' good so far but you might want to put some 1/8" plates over the rails at the struts and motor mounts to reinforce the attachment points like you would a roll bar in a unibody car. The stock rails are just sheet metal maybe 1/16" thick.

 

I thought about it...I can still do it easily. The rails are about the same thickness as the tubes, about 3/32. And I attach at the corner, where it's strong.

 

Wow Jim! Another project? Glad that it's a Deuce gasser. Looks like it's going to be a cool one. Wheelies on demand, how awesome is that? Subscribed!

What truck did you sell? Thanks for the fuel tank tips.

Mike

 

I sold the truck that I put the suburban tank in.

 

Anyplace tubing is welded to factory sheetmetal it should have atleast 1/8" thick x 6"x6" plate welded on first. Tech would probably flunk it the way it is now (even if the factory sheetmetal is 3/32" thick).

 

When I do the cage, I will add the 1/8" plates. The bars on the front are not part of the cage.

 

"A picture is worth a thousand words". In this case, a possible inspiration to make something may come of it. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=9468642&postcount=8

 

The dropped center link would work if I kept an idler arm...which I am not planning to do....