Hey Thanks, man! We'd love to be workin' on the Riv at this point, but we have a couple hot projects ahead of it right now. We will be shooting a little engine disassembly and planning blog soon, though.
How would you improve this suspension system? How would you improve the Riv's front suspension? Here's the Riviera front end. Not looking for a slot car, just something that drives flat and smooth on the highway and will take turns without rolling over. Going to run bigger wheels & tires, probably a 17*9 in the front. The lower arm is C-shaped, but I don't know if boxing it will do anything, as the loads really don't push it fore & aft, only up and down. As a reference, AirRide's Impala arms make the reaction rod and lower arm one piece, but nothing off-the-shelf is available for this car. I never liked the reaction rod bushings, they always get flattened trying to control the up & down motion, and they take a beating under accel and decel. At the same time, I don't like the idea of a rod end there, either... it's got to be a smooth, quiet machine when driving. I can easily upsize the reaction rod diameter, but any bushing ideas would be welcome. I've got a big front bar, urethane bushings, and will be running lowered springs. Thoughts? Thanks!
I use Rustang poly bushings for the brake reaction rods. I cut a little off the back side to give the suspension more positive caster without having many alignment shims in the rear & no shims in front.
Good idea... so basically, you get Mustang II polys, compare them to the stock bushings, shave a little down, which effectively shortens the reaction rod bringing the lower part of the spindle forward. This then leans the spindle towards the driver giving more caster. DO you know how many degress of caster this has bought you at the alignment shop?
But wait here, wouldn't changing the total effective length of the reaction rod put the lower control arm in a bind at the inner bushing where it attaches to the frame? Or is there enough play in that area that it doesn't really matter? Maybe I'm missing how this would work.
That was my next thought... it would have to be a minute change or the lower could bushing could be bound. The toe would also have to be reset, but that's no big deal. Anyone ever try a taller spindle on one of these? Maybe from a '70s full-size? Could get brakes and better camber gain if it would work...
I posted earlier here, but now I don't see my post. Tommy, I ordered Mustang bushings last week when I was thrashing to get the Riv done for Ohio. They were from a 69, I believe. They didn't look like they'd fit in any way, shape or form. What year Mustang bushing do you use?
I've heard from some of the Impala guys that the urethane bushings crack and disintegrate. The saga continues...
We grabbed an extra set of Chevelle lower control arms and boxed 'em up for the Riv project. Here's the video: http://v8tvshow.com/content/view/632/75/
Well guys, as much as I hate to do it, I'm putting the '68 up for sale. The shop is pretty busy right now and I can't keep sneaking in on weekends expecting to make any progress on this car right now. So perhaps another Riv lover can pick up the project where we left off, or we would entertain finishing it to whatever level someone would want. I just can't do it alone for myself and get it done in any timely manner. Ideally someone is interested in having us finish the car and we can make it a shop / show project, and we could keep posting the video here and on our site taking it to completion. At least that way I'd still have a hand in building it! I guess time will tell. At any rate, here's the listing on V8Buick: http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=161009 I'm available to answer any q's about it via email or here on the boards. Thanks! - KO
It shouldn't be that bad... I really want to see this car completed, and it's been a personal project which has constantly taken a back seat to the main projects. Who knows, maybe someone is really interested in it and wants us to finish it off - making it a "main project", and it will be completed in all its glory in a couple months! That's what I hope for, anyway.
Kevin, I hope it works out for you. BTW, I took 1st in Ohio in the beginning of August and took 2nd today at Englishtown. We'll see how I do tomorrow. The Riv is running SO good! The clutches in the rear are not holding during my burnout... I can feel one wheel stop spinning while the other still spins. Looks like I'll need to have the clutches shimmed in the off season.
13.18@103 on Sunday was the best I've run in 2 years. Hot and humid air, even. 4550 LBS race weight. Cecil is coming in a month! Atco just before Thanksgiving. We'll see.
