You're right, Tom - only use synthetics where recommended. I had a limited slip chatter like hell in a 9" in another car until I switched back to organic lube. As for the trans, it's not so much of a "slipperyness" issue, it's more of the synthetics ability to resist moisture contamination and subsequent corrosion. Synthetic oil is great against corrosion... like when normal oil can become acidic and attack metal parts. Synthetic trans fluid seems a hair more slippery, but it stands up to heat and abuse better. But don't use it if the manufacturer says no! (with anything in a can!)
That was my reasoning for using it. It cured the chattering problems I was having that is so common with these posi's. Now I need to do a real good brake torque and make sure both sides are still roasting the tires equally! :Brow: That could be serious, because the spider gears and cross shaft in the posi rears are less beefy than the gears in the open rears.
I just found some burnout clips from my red '70 shot about 15 years ago.. I'll post 'em up in the next couple days or so... :laugh:
Here's one for you... I'm running through different plans in my head, and I want to clean things up under the hood make sure everything works properly. I'm considering replacing the vacuum headlight movements with electric linear actuators... mechanically, it would be pretty simple, I just have to measure the stroke and use something like this: http://www.firgelliauto.com/default.php?cPath=110 But the question is for the power. These things will extend with +12v, then retract by reversing the polarity. Any thoughts on making (or modding) the original headlight switch to make these actuate the lights when the headlight switch is pulled?
You could possibly connect a vacumm switch(eletrical switch activated by vacumm) and place them either near the headlights, or near the headlight switch and just run wires instead of vacumm lines. This would take minimal changes at least to the headlight switch itself. The drawback would be that you'd still need an engine vacumm signal to activate the headlights....just not as big of a volume in the signal. This thread I started sure did take off. :TU:
Or I guess also the headlight switch is already an electro-mechanical switch. It has all the different vacumm routing hose connections but it also electronically turns the headlights on. So you may just be able to tie a relay to the headlight electrical switch. The attached paint picture should make it work from that with just relays and no solidstate stuff. I just threw it together, but it should work provided the relays activate quickly enough. Some diodes may help prevent the possibility of a short if they don't. You can also do the same thing with some MOSFET transistors provided they'll take the current that the actuators need. Do you know if the linear actuators will shut themselves off when they reach their fully extended position? Otherwise they'll just sit there and possibly burn up with the motors pushing against the stops.
That's the idea - use the factory switch with relays. The actuators have limit switches both ways, so they shut off in fully extended and fully retracted positions. It seems they extend on +12v, then the retract on -12v. The trick is making them retract. It's easy to send power to them when you turn the lights on, but how to reverse the polarity and retract them on lights off is the trick. Ideas? And yes, the is getting to be a big thread!
It's not really -12v, right? Just reverse polarity? If it needs a true +12/-12 (24v total) across the terminals then that's a little more difficult to do. uzzled: But I imagine it's just +12 and 0v, and then reversed. If so, then the above diagram should work. Just FYI, on the diagram, NC = the normally closed terminal of the relay, and N.O. = the normally open terminal of the relay.
Right, you're correct, it's just reversed polarity. Can you clarify for me how turning the headlights off will reverse the polarity and provide power to run the actuators down? Thanks!
I updated the digram with the terminal numbers found on common automotive relays. Bascially, when you switch the headlights on, the coils in both relays will be activated. This will cause the NO contact of the top relay to send +12v to terminal A(I'm just using generic names to make a destinction between the two terminals) on the actuators, and the bottom relay will connect terminal B to ground. Then, when the headlights are switched off, the coils in both of the relays will be deactivated, and when deactivated, the relays are connecting the N.C. terminal to the output. So then the top one will connect terminal A to ground, and terminal B to +12v, thus reversing polarity. All of the automotive relays I've seen have both of these N.O. (contacts open when relay is off), and N.C. (contacts closed when relay is off) terminals. the N.C. contact is hardly ever used for normal operation. It's the center terminal on the bottom of the relay: 87a
OK guys, here's the first video installment on the V8TV Riviera project. http://www.v8tvshow.com/forum/index.php?topic=169.msg534#msg534 Post what you think! Thanks! - KO
Awesome! :TU: I'm really excited to see how this project pans out. It'll also be neat to see what wheel/tire combo you come up with. I'm going to have to search around for what you mean by "redline" wheels. I'm not too sure what that is. My '69 is pretty much identical to this 68, other than it being a G.S. There were only a few differences between these two years, most being cosmetic I think.
Thanks! By redlines, I mean tires with the red line in them... like the original musclecar tires, (and old Hot Wheels), but in a new diameter and aspect. You can get BFG Silvertowns in 14" diameters with red stripes, but they're more of a resto-tire than a performance tire.