what problems am i gonna run into when i bag my 60 pontiac?

got an airlift kit on its way, so i'm starting to think about the install. most of it's fairly straight forward, but DR J's thread on 2 piece drive shafts got me thinking.

who has bagged a GM X frame car with a 2 piece drive shaft? what kinds of things am i going to have to look out for?

never had a car with a 2 piece drive shaft,(never installed bags on a car for that matter) so any info you all have is greatly appreciated.

 

Don't pontiacs have a one piece driveshaft? I know my dad's '63 does and I read that Pontiac never adopted the x frame that Chevy used.

 

well, by the looks of the frame, it makes an X. it's not a perimeter frame. and i'm 99.9% sure it's got a 2 piece shaft. sure looks like one to me. course, i've been known to be wrong.....alot.

 

Is it a canadian pontiac? They have chevy frames.

 

According to my '64 Motors repair manual, '58-'60 Ponchos had the X frame and a similar two piece shaft but it was splined behind the center support, the way CheapChevy should have. so there shouldn't be a problem with rear end altitude or movement.
It appears that the front shaft is out of phase like the Chevy but it is aligned straight with the engine tranny output by shimming the rear engine mount and/or the center support so it doesn't affect the motion in the same way the Chevy does.
I'm going to look into that design.
I bet it was copied by Inland Empire driveline for their splined Chevy shaft. http://www.iedls.com/twopiece.html
I was just noticing in the photo, they don't have the sections together but they do show them as if they go together in phase on both shafts

 

thanks for the info DR J! anyone else have experience here??

 

I was incorrect about the front shaft. It is supposed to be parallel to a straight edge clamped to a couple of bumps on the bottom of the bottom plate on the "X"

 

I believe Shortbus will chime in on this one.

 

I dropped my '60 Pontiac, the budget way. Cut about 2 coils from the front. I was gonna do the back the same way, but due to time constraints I just put 6-50lb bags of sand in the trunk. Cheezy as hell, but it worked! I ended up selling it before doing the rear the right (or more right) way. You can cut the rear coils, but they're pigtailed, so you'll have to make a little cup or bracket to help hold them in place. It'll probably be alright without it, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. As l;ong as you don't get too drastic with the drop (more than 3 or 4 inches) you shouldn't have any driveshaft prroblems...I didn't. Mine, by the way, was a two piece drive shaft that ran thru an "x" member. It still rode prety nice, too...didn't bottom out and wasn't all over the road or anything. Anyways...that's the budget method.

 

Not sure how my buddy, Sonny, dropped his poncho but he had no driveshaft problems.....Your biggest problem will prolly be the throngs wanting to buy it from you....Sonny's 60..

 

rocky, your buddies car is amazing! i've got the same dumps behind the front wheels.

barnett, when i bought the car, the guy who had it before me heated the springs to lower it. man are those things FUCKED up. it's low, but not low enough, and not even, and not really safe i'm sure. i'll have to take pictures of the springs before they come out, pretty comical.

bringing this back to the top this morning for any other helpful thoughts.

 

If you wanna keep it cheap and do the cut coil thing, get some from the junkyard and cut those. If you have a little more money you can hunt down the after market dropped coils. AGood luck and show us some before and after shots...I really like the 60 Pontiacs!

 

well, the money for the bags has been sent, so that's the cousre i'm taking. i want to do this car up proper like.

plans are for a full custom car. thinking about chopping the top in a year or two. i've seen a few bubble tops done, and if chopped right, it really looks bitchin.

i plan on taking plenty of pictures. i'm sure plenty will document my stupidity and lack of knowledge, but what the hell.

 

dude you prolly spent way too much for those bags!Archie McPhee sells those whoopee cushions for 1.99 a bag!When you get that kit you know you can pull it in the shop to set it up...

 

Cool! If I had kept my 60, it was gonna get bags, eventually...real bagss, not sand bags.

 

[ QUOTE ]
Thinking about chopping the top in a year or two.

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NOOOOOOOO! Dont chop it, the body lines on that car are PERFECT! Decrome it a little and flake it, maybe lime green but DO NOT chop it.

 

once its bagged, dont be stupid. i just got a ticket today for dragging my car on a public road.

 

hahahha!!!!!!! what !!!!!!!! after the red robin show thing!!!!! fuck, stupid work. you got a ticket for that shit! whoa!!!! thats hilarious!! hahahaahahhahahahhh

 

oh, and on the subject of the pontiac chop, like nike man, just do it!!! that shit would look rad, in my opinion!

 

Sure go ahead and chop it, also lick the frozen fence post, eat an earthworm, and stare at the sun too. by the sound of your experience Dont let anyone else talk you into cutting that top. Looks easy but a road filled with nails and psycho motorcycle cops for sure! I HAVE chopped one-o-them poncho's and it was a moth&^%$#$*!@r. That goofy curved windshield post will send the hardest baddest metalman to the anvil to beat his head in. This answers the question of Darrel Starbirds bubble top thing, it wuz easier than making that top look good, and them bubbles are a bitch to make too!
Sounds like you are on the right track man, slam that pig and flake it! get your jollies grinding them bellflowers down!!!!

 

Don't worry guys. He won't chop it...I know where he lives, and I'll hide all his hacksaws, kitchen knives, and axes.

 

Nothing to bagging it. Your lucky, you already have a stock two link rear, mines bagged on leafs, that suxs.

 

This is one of those cars that is almost custom straight outta the factory! Shave it, drop it, flake it and throw some cool wheels or caps on it and then drive the hell out of it!! My $.02...not that you asked.

 

fuck em! CHOP IT!!! ....bags are on the way holmes...

it should be a fairly easy install being a 4 wheel coil sprung car.. build your bag mounts a little tall, you can always cut them down if you decide want it lower after sitting it down for the first time. the BIGGEST thing to watch out for is to make sure the bags do not touch or even think about touching ANYTHING throughout the entire travel of the bag. it WILL rub through and thats not covered on the warranty. you'll likely need to cut the coil spring pocket in the frame open on the fronts to clear the bags (a plasma cutter or torch then a little clean up with the grinder will make short work of that). when your done (at least with the mounting of the bags) run it all the way up and all the way down. take em all up then all down, then just the front, then the rear, then one side then the other and while your doing all this lay next to it (unless you have a hoist) and watch to make sure the bag does not come near anything. you can't be too carefull with this cause blowing a bag on the side of the road is no fun at all.

these are the front bag mounts for a 70 Monte. notice the angle on the lower cub to help keep the bag from being kinked. idealy you want the bag level, or nearly level, at ride height. i usually split the difference so the bag sits somewhat flat when deflated but also is somewhat level at ride height. the ride will be better and it will lift more the nearer to level the bag is at ride height.

also note the 1/2" threaded rod in the top. i weld a 1/2" nut on the top plate in the center (before i weld the pipe to the plate). then you thread in the threaded rod to the nut. it will go through the upper shock mount in the front (after you enlarge the hole) and keep the bag mounts from moving around. the lowers just sit in the lower control arm where the coil would sit and is held in place by the weight of the car....

 

My buddy Gregg is battling the same problem right now with his Impala. He was going to put a 1 piece driveshaft in, but the X member put the kebosh on that plan I think. He could give you pointers on the chop when the time comes. He didn't cut the glass, he just made a place for it to sink into.

 

the only problem is forcing yourself to lift it up (because it looks so cool way down) and not drag the frame all the way down the street .... like others said.. drop the knife and back away from the roof.

 

also note on that last pic the slot in the upper cup. i ran the plumbing INSIDE the from on that car and with a 90 degree fitting i was able to run the 1/2" plastic line right out the side of the cup. make sure the plastic airline does'nt rub on any sharp edges either. also avoid any sharp bends in the airline especially just after coming out of a fitting cause it will tend to leak with the push connect fittings. if you need a 90 in place of a straight fitting to run the plumbing the way you want it then so be it. leaks can be a pain but if you use a little common sense and take your time you should'nt have any major problems. the worste thing to do is get in a hurry. thats how i usually screw up and it ends up taking 5 times longer in the end.

lets see if i can find the pics of the rear mounts for that car. if memory serves me right i did the threaded rod trick on the bottom of the rear mounts and welded a big, thick washer in the hole in the lower coil mount and threaded a nut on from underneath. then i just let the top sit in place with the weight of the car. i used much smaler diameter pipe for the rears so it fit good around the little "nipples" the rear coils sat around. if you get an inside diameter close to the same as the inside diameter of the coil you will be all set.

good luck...

SHEEEIT!! i can't find the pics of the rear mounts. here is a pic of how the car sat though....

 

mr sicko, you can count on me using the shop and your skills homie! no whoopie cushions though. bags should be here in ONE WEEK.

kustombuilder, thanks for the tips! i'll be refering back to this thread quite a bit. also, got your email. thanks for getting things sent out so quickly. you da man.

as for the chopping debate.... it's an idea. i saw picks of that green impala about 6 months ago and said DAMN. see, i've got the fucking post car, so my top is even taller. it would look pretty bitching chopped up. but that is way down the road.

the car has fresh paint, metallic green body, and metallic white roof. (will get metal flaked at a later date.) running astros, new homeade white vinal interior, green carpet, gonna paint the dash and all interior metal trim the same green as the body. oh, and dumps behind the front wheels, which Y and run to the back. putting bellflowers on after i bag it.

i'd post a pic, but i'm at work.

thanks for all the comments and suggestions guys!!

 

Homie...save your money for august...My man Harpoon is comin for the Hotrodarama. He is the master of metal flake. I'm sure he'd be into doin your roof. I have some house of color green flake and some pagan gold base coat I'll hook you up with.

 

i used the same threaded rod trick on my front, but letting the wieght of the car hold the bottom was a mistake. had no rubbing when i did the job, but the bottom cup moved around and one bag rubbed and blew. an easy fix is to spot weld the lower cups in, so they will not move. just a suggestion.