Messages

1

General Discussion / Re: 1968 Camaro Small Block Header Fitment

« on: May 18, 2023, 07:51:12 PM »

I don't have a recommendation, but I can tell you that you are not the first having this problem with the Doug's 308. Same thing happened with me. The passenger side header fit perfectly. The collector flange of the driver's side header hit the floor pan before you could line up the back header bolt with the hole in the head.

I had a deadline to get this car up and running and did not have the time to return them and try another brand.

I had to grind down the top of the collector flange and then elongate five of the six flange bolt holes to get the header to drop down far enough to clear the floor pan. A royal PIA!

Good luck in your search!

Dave

2

General Discussion / Transporting my Camaro from Florida to Upstate New York

« on: May 18, 2023, 07:38:47 PM »

I am looking for some thoughts, opinions, and/or recommendations on transporting my 1968 Camaro from the Orlando, FL area to Upstate NY.......To the Binghamton area which is at the intersection of Interstate 81 and NY Rt. 17 ......and then transporting it back to Florida around four months later.......About 1200 miles one way.

I will be going up there for the summer and fall and would love to have my car up there with me. I would be going in mid to late June or early July and returning in late October or early November.

It is a frame off restoration. I've owned this car almost 45 years, spent 15 years and about 80K restoring it so great care is of the utmost importance. An enclosed trailer would be a must!

I am thinking of two different ways I could go. One, hire a transporter.....or two, possibly rent a truck and single car enclosed trailer and haul it myself..........As far a renting a single car enclosed trailer, right now, I don't have the first clue where you would go to do it.

I AM NOT a "money is no object" guy so price will be a consideration.

Thanks in advance,

Dave

3

Restoration / Chirping / squealing noise at highway speed ???

« on: November 25, 2022, 09:20:26 PM »

My '68 is a fresh frame off restoration. Everything is new or refurbished. Before today, it's only been driven about 100 miles since finishing the restoration. Today was the first time though that I took on the highway and got it up above 45 mph.

Once it hits 50 mph and faster, there is a fairly loud chirping or squealing sound. The best comparison I can make is that it sounds like a bunch of crickets chirping away at night. When you drop back down below 50 mph, the noise disappears.

It sounds like it is coming from the front passenger side but I can't be sure.

In the front, the spindles, wheel bearings, rotors, brake pads, and tires are all brand new. The tires are BFG Radial TA's.

The rear end was professionally rebuilt. The axles, wheel bearings, brake drums, and brake shoes are all new. Also, it has a new Eaton posi unit in it.

For what it is worth, the front disc brake pads seem to be clamping awfully tight on the rotors with no pressure on the brake pedal. With the front wheels off of the ground, I've never felt so much resistance when trying to rotate a tire by hand.

Any ideas on this sound (and the tight brakes), I haven't got a clue.

Thanks.........Dave

4

Restoration / Re: Help identifying heater box part

« on: June 23, 2022, 01:13:09 PM »

I was the original poster on this. I was never able to find that part anywhere.

What I did was just to cut a piece of rubber that was about the same size as this part. The same size of the section of it that is the actual seal, not the part that goes through the slot to lock it into place. Just a rectangular piece of rubber big enough to block the airflow the same as the original piece did. Then using double sided tape, I stuck it over the slot. I wish I had a picture to show you but I don't. it doesn't have to look like the original part,  it just has to do the same job.

My heater works fine with no problems and no one is ever going to know you don't have an original part in there.

Dave

5

Restoration / '68 wheel and tire size questions

« on: June 03, 2022, 05:19:17 PM »

I am nearly complete on the restoration of my '68 and am ready to order wheels and tires but need to make some decisions on wheel and tire size first, especially in the front!

This is the set up I have. I have a Hotchkiss TVS suspension on it which has the 2 inch lowering springs in the front and 1 1/2 lowering leaf springs in the back. Also, the heavier front sway bar in the front and now a sway bar in the back too. I have Koni Classic shocks all the way around. If it matters, I have factory power steering. The box was rebuilt by Lee Power Steering and converted to the 12.7 to 1 ratio.

I have had my heart set on Torq Thrust D or similar wheels forever and ever and I would be running a 15x7. In the actual Torq Thrust D, that size only comes in a 3 3/4 back spacing. I would like to get as much tire width in the front as I can but with the 2 inch lowering springs and the 3 3/4 inch back spacing, that really limits me on tire width. After some rough experimenting, I'm making a half-educated guess at a 205 width maximum. I wouldn't consider changing to another style wheel to get more tire width. The Torq Trust D style is the look I want. It doesn't have to be actual Torq Thrust D but would have to be something that looks very similar to it.

That being said, another wheel choice would be the ET Wheels Classic V wheel, which in their 15x7 size, is available in different back spacings up to 4 1/2 inches. I would consider this wheel as it is very similar to the Torq Thrust D.

So my big question is.....does increasing the backspacing and moving the tires inward negatively affect handling?

The reason I ask this is that many years ago, I was running Goodyear GT Radials on Crager 14x7 slotted alloy mags. I don't recall the back spacing of them but assume it probably around 3 3/4. The car handled very well with this set up but I was having tire rubbing issues in the front going over bumps. So I switched to Goodyear Eagle GT's on 15x7 steel wheels with 4 7/16 back spacing. At that time, the Eagle GT had replaced the GT Radial as Goodyear's performance tire. My tire rubbing issues went away but the car did not handle as well with this set up. Within a 1/4 mile of leaving the tire shop, I knew something was different. The steering was not as crisp. It was looser and sloppier.

So I always wondered if the reason for that was because of the change in backspacing and moving the tires inward. I see suspension geometry diagrams which show lines intersecting at the center of the tire contact patch. Do you screw up the geometry, and in turn the handling by moving the tire center contact patch inwards and putting it not where the geometry design intended it to be?

So as far as handling is concerned, would I better off with the 3 3/4 backspacing and a narrower tire or the 4 1/2 back spacing with a wider tire?

Thanks for any thoughts on this in advance.

Dave

6

Restoration / DOOR PANEL WATER SHIELD VINYL POCKETS ???

« on: May 07, 2022, 01:19:06 AM »

After buying and returning repro door panel water shields that were terrible, I decided to make my own out of 6 mil vinyl.

The original factory water shields had a vinyl pocket covering the opening in the water shield for the door opening mechanism that pops through it. The screws attaching the interior door handle to the mechanism went right through the vinyl pocket.

I've looked at several repro water shields online and haven't seen one that had the vinyl pocket. Just a hole for the mechanism to go through.

So I'm wondering what others might have done to replicate that vinyl pocket. I know, if I wanted to, I could just cut up a sandwich bag and tape it over the hole in the water shield and be ok but was looking for something a little better than that.







Thanks........Dave

7

Maintenance / Re: Turn signal goes on and opposite brake light goes out !!!

« on: March 21, 2022, 03:41:08 PM »

It turns out that the replacement switch I got was defective.

There was a short circuit in the switch between the dark blue and brown wire. The blue wire feeding the right front turn signal light in the grille and the right turn signal indicator in the dash....and the brown wire going to the hazard flasher....hence, those two lights flashing even when the turn signal and hazard switches were off.

I bought the new switch from The Parts Place. I called them and they were great. They put a new switch in the mail that same day and included a return shipping label for the defective switch.

The new switch came today. I plugged it in and everything is fine. No short circuit in this switch and my original problem (why I bought a new switch in the first place) of the left brake light going out when the right turn signal went on is gone.

Thanks for the help......Dave

8

Maintenance / Re: Turn signal goes on and opposite brake light goes out !!!

« on: March 15, 2022, 03:16:51 PM »

I got my new turn signal switch yesterday. I unplugged the harness of my existing switch (still in the steering column) from the connector under the dash and plugged in the new switch.


It solved my original problem of the left brake light going out when the right turn signal was turned on. The brake light stays lit like it should.

However the new switch gave me a new problem that I didn't have before.....With the key on or off and the turn signal switch in the off position, the right front signal light in the grille and the right turn signal indicator in the dash are blinking however the right turn signal/brake light is not blinking.

Turning on the flashers on or turning on the right turn signal with the key on will override this and all the lights on the right will blink as they should. If you turn on the left signal, all the lights on the left will blink as they should, however the problem on the right still persists. The front turn signal light in the grille and the right turn signal indicator in the dash are still blinking along with all of the lights on the left.....and also the left and right side are out of sync with each other and blinking at different speeds. The flashers blink at a much slower speed that the turn signals and this blinking problem on the right blinks at the same speed as the flashers.....for whatever that's worth.

When I disconnect the new switch and plug the old one back in, everything goes back to how it was before.....All lights functioning perfectly except for the left brake/turn signal light going out when the right turn signal is turned on.

The switch is by American Autowire. It is their p/n 07800482. It lists many applications that includes '68 Camaro "without column shift auto trans, with or without tilt." I have a tilt column.

New switch bad? Any other ideas? I have none.

9

Restoration / Can seat tracks be disassembled ???

« on: March 11, 2022, 04:52:52 PM »

Can seat tracks be disassembled for cleaning and re-greasing? I saw a video on Youtube where a guy did it to a set of '67 tracks by inserting a little hook tool and grabbing the assembly that has the roller and two ball bearings and working the assembly out.

I don't know how he accomplished that. When I look in there, I don't see how you can get the roller past the stops that are stamped into the lower track section.

If they can't be disassembled, and suggestions on the best way get 54 years of dirt and old grease from the insides of the track assembly?

Thanks.....Dave

10

Maintenance / Re: Turn signal goes on and opposite brake light goes out !!!

« on: March 08, 2022, 01:49:01 AM »

Thanks for the replies and input so far.

This problem actually dates back many, many years to before this restoration started. At that time, the car was at an auto electric shop for another problem. I asked them for an opinion on this problem. They thought the problem was "inside the steering column." That was just their opinion at the time. It never went back to the shop for them to dig into it and then the car went into hibernation for many years.

During this restoration, the only thing that has been changed electrically is that both of the under hood wiring harnesses and the wiring harness going to the tail panel lighting were replaced with original style harnesses from AAW. Other than that, everything is everything else is exactly the same. The wiring harness under the dash is the original. Everything else electrically on the car is working fine.

I checked the grounds on the tail/ brake/turn signal lights and they all seem to be fine.

Problem does exactly the same thing with the headlights on.

Front turn signals and signal indicators on the dash work fine with the brake lights on or off.

Wiggling the turn signal lever doesn't show anything out of the ordinary.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Right now, I'm inclined to order a new turn signal switch but is there any other ground points should I be checking besides what I already checked first?



Thanks ......Dave

11

Maintenance / Turn signal goes on and opposite brake light goes out !!!

« on: March 06, 2022, 10:53:54 PM »

Hopefully someone with more electrical knowledge of these cars than myself can point me in the right direction on as to where the trouble is.

When you apply the brakes, both brake lights light up as they should.

With the key ON....and the brake lights on, when the right turn signal is turned on, the right turn signal/brake light flashes as it should but the left brake light goes out.

Also, if the key is OFF.....and the brake lights are on.....if the right turn signal is turned on, both brake/turn signal lights go out.......If the left turn signal is turned on, only the left brake/turn signal light goes out and the right one stays lit.

Any ideas?

Thanks......Dave

12

General Discussion / Re: Posting photos on this site ???

« on: March 02, 2022, 08:00:01 PM »

Thank you very much for the info. I appreciate it!

Dave

13

Restoration / Re: Will this wheel and tire combo work?

« on: March 02, 2022, 07:56:30 PM »

I love the Torq Thrust D's. I've never seen a car with them where they didn't look good.

So does anyone think I could get away with 215/65R15's with the 3 3/4 back space Torq Thrust D and my lowered suspension?

Are there any Torq Thrust D lookalikes with a greater back spacing than 3 3/4?......If it helps to know this, the distance from the center of my wheel to the top of my front wheel opening is 14 3/4 inches.

Just as a note, I was at a local car show a couple of weeks ago and there were several '67 and '68's there. I was comparing the height of the front ends. I didn't have a measuring tape but I would stand sideways at the front corner of the car with my arm straight down and note the height by were the car came up to on my hand. The ride heights were all over the place. Probably four inches difference between the lowest and the highest. Interestingly, the owner of one car that the height was the same as mine said he had a stock suspension. Not lowered at all......So go figure.

Thanks.......Dave

14

General Discussion / Re: Posting photos on this site ???

« on: March 02, 2022, 07:09:50 PM »

Yes, I do have "Paint" on my computer.

15

General Discussion / Posting photos on this site ???

« on: March 02, 2022, 06:04:41 PM »

Can someone give some advice on post pictures on this site.

To post pictures on this site and at Team Camaro, I used to host my pictures in Photobucket. I would copy the link from Photobucket and paste it into my threads. The pictures came out fine here and at Team Camaro also.

After Photobucket started charging to post their pictures, I started hosting my photos on the Team Camaro site. Their pictures came out fine over there but came out huge on this site.

So now I've tried hosting on Imjur and again, the photos are fine on Team Camaro and huge over here.

Any ideas on how to fix that?

Thanks.....Dave