Hey guys,


I hope everyone is happy that today is FRIDAY !!!!


I'm sorry to ask this but I have a dilemma and today is the day I need an answer. Not only is my machine shop going to call me today and give me the news on my motor work (price & condition) I have to put some things together for a trip to another Performance Shop tomorrow morning.


To Mini Tub or Not to Mini Tub - that is the question.
Will you "really" notice the difference in the rear tire size on the car between the "now" available 275s and the "future" size of 315s ?????? I mean it's like what? about 1.5" ?


Local guy giving a good deal to install DSE mini tubs. Of course "now" is the time to also have the trunk floor replaced. SOOOOO after looking at some install videos, I noticed that they have to completely strip the rear end of the car and the interior. Well, NOW would be a good time to have a new carpet kit put in since they have to "re-install" the interior. AND since they have the rear end out, NOW would be the time to have them install the 8.5" 10 bolt rear end I bought ... except I have to have it re-built with gears & a posi unit. Plus this would be a good time for the new lowered leaf springs I want to buy. And I have to do the shock relocation kit since the tubs both cut into the old upper mounts AND I need to move the shocks inboard to make room for the big *** tires.


My wife (bless her heart) last night said WHOA buster. You want to have them take this stuff out, install mini tubs, put it all back to deliver it to you and THEN you're going to pull it all back out to install carpet, rear end, etc. etc. etc. ..... yeah, I know. My problem is I only have so much $$$ in hand and she wants me to spend another $$$ to get the couple of extra parts together so it can all be done at once? PLUS I still have to pull the front subframe and send it out to get blasted & powder coated before putting in all my new suspension & big brake kit (which is going to require bigger wheels anyway to get it home).


SO, is it really worth the difference between the 315s & 275s ???
Any pictures out there of both?


Man oh man this is going to be a long Friday.

 

Well, it looks like I'm going to bite the bullet and go for it. Rear mini tubs & shock relocation kit to get some big 315s in the back.
This week I'm going to spin the car around, drop the suspension & sub-frame and take it down to get cleaned up, blasted and powder coated. I guess Black will do. Whatever it ends up has to match the rear end stuff. OH, and going to take the 8.5" 10 bolt down and have it built with a new posi, ring & pinion gears (3.42s) and axles so when the shop does the mini tubs they can just install the rear end while they are at it.
Looks like the wife has picked her color for the car. Seems "she" gets to pick the colors of all of my projects. =]
She picked Blizzard White Pearl from her 2015 Toyota Prius (co car) and she's leaving the factory Black & white Deluxe interior colors, though she wants me to take the front bench down and have some foam added to the sides & bolster areas.
I guess I'm going to jump in a little deeper than I thought at the beginning of this one.

 

It's called 'Snowball Effect'
Good color chosen by Wife.
I would keep the rear monoleaf springs and remove the rubber pieces and replace with thicker alum blocks for lowering the rear.


Adding thicker blocks between the axle and top of spring lowers the body.
If going to mini tubs, think of adding crossmember on top and convert to coilovers?

 

Everett#2390 ~


Ah, the good old Snowball effect. I've seen it all too well. Yes, she did pick a good color, funny thing is I already have a gal and a half of Black Cherry that I was going to paint my last project. She's just not a fan since I did a chop top VW many years ago and painted it Black Cherry. Oh well.


I'm trying to find some wheels she likes. WE don't like the same things, though she did say my last 2 projects, the first thing that people said was "nice wheels" so only now will she let me pick what I want. Which is very limited when going with the wide wheels/tires. I was trying to show her that if we paint the car Pearl White, with chrome bumpers & door hands & mirrors and window trim ... with the black plastic front spoiler - we could paint the rear body panel black (like a SS car) and maybe some black spoke wheels with chrome lips. I thought about the carbon fiber look for the front & rear spoilers, but then it looks like you put on something and didn't paint it???


I'm not a fan of the coil over kits unless you do the full blown 4 link or 4 bar set up - which I'm THIS CLOSE TO SAYING YES TO, but I've got to decide on something and really fast. I was "just" going to do the shock relocation thing. There are some decent cheap ones and full blown righteous ones. I was going to talk to the speed shop doing my tubs how much more to just put the DSE relocation kit in there between the tubs while they are there. Might just be the easiest way to go ... other wise I'll be into the car another $4500-$6500 and it's NOT going to be my final car.


Dang it. You guys have some very nice stuff and I'm SO close on the fence to either saving a few bucks and staying on the $25k-$30k value side OR just go for it and build a $65k-$85k car and enjoy the crap out of it. I've got easy access to a LS3 motor, but just don't want to pull that trigger just yet. I want to save it for my '69 or even '68 down the road.


Oops. I've got to go. The Abominable Snowman is knocking at my door.

Have a good weekend everybody.

 

Yes, Black Cherry would be the color as I painted my last '68 in Chrysler FM9 BC and I received, and the next owner also, more positive comments exceeding the number of leaves on a maple tree.


Understand on the coilovers. I would get the shock crossmember and move the shocks inboard. Your shop will give you suggestions as to what works.


Happy Wife, happy life.

 

Everett#2390
Right on. Yes, a good paint job in that color makes every car stand out. I'm still on the fence, but the wife does get to pick this one due to her involvement. Lol. Ha, she did good on the last one, but I had to change EVERYTHING including the interior colors. Oh well, that one was a 3-4 yr project that was pretty bad when done. Miss that one already. =)
Yeah, I'm starting to check out the 4-bar and 4-link rear end set ups. I was hoping to keep it simple. The shock bar welded between the rails is probably my best bet to keep the handling working good.
Thanks for the info - I can use it everyday.

 

You're welcome ... and IF the LS3 is available for a good price, I would say by it.
Even if you don't use it, you can at least break even.

 

Yeah, I may just hit him up for that one.


Well, I hit a snag. The wife wanted some kind of budget on the car to continue. =) Woops. Oh well. I put together a quick (what was in my head) and came up with $6850. more - not including what I've already spent. This doesn't include the mini tubs or her fancy paint work. I thought she was going to do back flips. Yikes !!!
SOOOO to make a long story short, I'm going to have to cut back on a few things and see just how far I can get for $4500. which includes the build of my 8.5" 10 bolt rear end. Unless I can find one already done for a better price. I've got a little "car fund" envelope to cover some things, but looks like I'm just going to do the rear shock relocation thing and stuff the 275s under there. Finish up on all of the front suspension and CPP big brake kit. Need the wheels/tires to get the brake kit on so I can roll the car on the ground. LOL. The rest is nickel / dime stuff like weather stripping, shift linkage for the T350 swap, shocks & front coil springs and a bunch of chassis paint from Eastwood.

 

Sounds like a good project, its funny how fast that dang snowball gets rolling once it starts lol. Be sure to take pictures along the way to "document" the project, you'll be glad you did.

 

Ha, For sure. I've got about 40 pics of the car recently, but they all look the same. Maybe I'm not doing enough. LOL. The engine compartment is finally painted. It looks great.
Motor will be assembled in the next couple of weeks. NO time on the weekends and not enough time after work every night. Ordered my main & rod bearings (for the second time) I must not have hit the "send" button the first time around. Hopefully those will be here by the end of next week and I'll start the assembly. Also need to buy another tap & die set. Not like I didn't have 3 sets around here. But try and find one now. Ugh.
Hope to post some pics in the next few days & weeks. I was "hoping" to have it done by the end of May, but looks like June is the new target date. My wife just wants it done for Hot August Nights in Reno this year. =)