That is so cool to see this, and I can't wait to get another '71 or '72. I gotta concentrate on keeping gas in the bike for now, but after Africa next fall, I want another one! Thanks for updating! KFD
Hey KFD.. I still have your SPEEDO.. YES, YES, YES.. it's yours.. Call me at 914-393-3302.. Mike Iggycat
Heres an up date... Today I got the seats bolted down and the shifter installed. Also ran the lines for the air shocks. Now that all the underside work is done I set it back down in its wheels. Stance looks good. I started the engine to try out the shifter but it only has forward gears and park. No neutral. No Reverse. Weird. I took off the shifter cable from the linkage and ran it manually through the gears and it was the same thing. There should be 5 clicks from P to L1 and theres only 4. Something is messed up. I'll have to drop the pan and check it out next free time I get.
Today the car moved under its own power!!! I had to use the lawn tractor to get it backed out of its parking place. I drove up n down my single lane black top rd to no where several times turning around in the cul-de'sac. It seemed to have plenty of power but wouldn't shift out of 1st. Really need to drop the pan and see whats up with that. I drove it up on the trailer for a trip into town to get some 3" pipes bent for it. Might make the next test N tune depending on that trans issue.
Hahahahahaha! This will two years in the making that I have bugging you about that thing. I tell ya, I will have ANOTHER '71-'72 GS. I just have other priorities eating at the iggycatspeedo money right now! Oh yeah, Briz, the car looks awesome. I worked on a HUMMVW this past week, and it it had a TH-400 that wouldn't shift into second. Ended up taking the shift modulator off the tranny and having to replace a counterweight in it. I would check that as well as your linkage. Also, the humvee didn't have an electric kickdown like the cars do. :do no: I would look at that modulator (I think the that's what its called), it looks like a choke adjustment on the side of a carb. KFD
I posted it in the other thread but what it boiled down to was the input shaft that connects the shift linkage to what moves in the valve body was not connected correctly and the Roster Comb thingie was out of whack. seems to work OK now. I need to drive it more to see if it shifts through the gears. I do not have the electric shift controller on this car and I'm not sure I need it to make it shift correctly. I was going to start a separate thread if I cant find the answer in a search.
You can drive it without the wire hooked up, the only thing to rember if you WOT be sure to have the shifter in at least 2 gear, when it shifts the second gear band only comes on with shifter in 2, it will shift without that but a much harder shift with shifter in 2 and eaiser on clutches, Good luck Johnny :laugh:
The Latest. The trans has other issues which I outlined in another thread. I ended up cutting the spring perches off the orig rear and welding it on this 12 bolt 4-11 posi in the car. The springs line up much better now and it sits better. I also replaced the front and rear bushings in the lower trailing arms. It had some shift front to back and thats cleared up now. I cut all the extra un needed metal from the hood and got it down to 56 lbs. Installed the front bumper and grill. Shes starting to look like a whole car again.Took it to the local cruise on Thursday(trailer to a block away) She drew a lot of interest.
The "new" old transmission from the Riv Parts car is in and running. I ended up having to swap the tail on the trans because the yolk in the lark was bigger than what went into the rear of a Riv trans. I got it all buttoned up and went up n down the road a few times. Shifting well through all the gears. When I got back the Rad was spewing from a hole some where in the bottom cores. This Rad also came from the Riv parts car. I had hoped it would hold up but now I'm not thinking so. Any suggestions on a budget replacement rad? With the recent parts I sold off the car I am still under budget by a few hundred dollars. I also need to tune the Holley. It brakes up as soon as I get into the secondaries. I think either the accelerator pump needs adjustment to squirt a bit later or less jetting. I bought a Holley jet kit to play with. Shes getting closer to test N tune. Just need to button up a few more items.
Steve, A back fire on acc is most likley lean NOT RICH, sec pump might not be squirting soon enough or to small of a jet in the sec, I gave you the orignal jets for the rear IT worked really good for me on that engine, FOOD FOR THOUGHT,later Johnny
I think theres 98 jets in the rear now. The guy that rebuilt the carb for me suggested I put 75's in front n rear. I have a Holley jet kit. It will just take time to fine tune it. I guess I could start with your jets first to see what it does.
There's info on using a 90's bonny/LeSabre rad in our cars ... I believe its Alum with plastic tanks and pretty cheap new (or cheaper from a junk yard) http://v8buick.com/showpost.php?p=1395687&postcount=6 http://v8buick.com/showpost.php?p=945601&postcount=7 http://v8buick.com/showpost.php?p=946193&postcount=18
When I rebuilt the BBC I had in my first '64 I fired it up in a two car garage with the nose pointed toward the door and just open headers. WOW was that loud! I put that same engine in a '79 GMC 1/2 ton years later, fired it up the same any my neighbor across the street called and complained it woke her toddler up. It was 8:30, not terribly late. Looks good so far, I love budget builds. :beer
Same wheels as in the othe pics. I think I might go with a slightly wider tire on the front. Thanks! As soon as I get the carb dialed in Im going to the track for some test N tune time. After running it up n down the road I'm starting to think the 4:11 gear may be to much. Either that or my tach is reading wrong. I dont think it should be 5K @ 90 mph in 3rd gear.
I was concerned about how cockeyed the front end of the car was sitting. some days it would be straight and level other days the tires would be all crooked and the car sat lopsided. I made an appt at my buddys shop and put it up on the alignment rack. Upper and lower ball joints completely shot. basically just flopping around in there. looks like OE stuff and the center link is all worn out. Money I defiantly did not want to spend. Shop wanted 400 to do the work if I got the parts and align it. Did some horses trading and got them down to 275.00 and I paid 90.00 for parts. + while its on the lift they will install the drive shaft loop I got from another friend (free) Hoods on the car so its pretty much complete. next TnT is Dec 10 @ SGMP. Heres a few pics of the car as it sits now. thumbs up :TU: or down on the cowl type hood scoop? Latest budget totals on the build. Car.............................500.00 455 engine and trans ....900.00 Donor car ....................500.00 Headers.......................350.00 Shifter.........................140.00 Seats............................50.00 3 core rad Repair............45.00 Carb rebuild..................160.00 Drive shaft.....................75.00 TH400 yolk.....................20.00 Pipes and lift time..........200.00 Ft end pts and alignment 350.00 Misc stuff nuts bolts ect. ..100.00 Parts sold off Lark........+400.00 scraped Camino...........+215.00 Total to date.................2775.00 I still have the engine and trans to sell off.<!-- / message --> <!-- controls -->..<!-- / controls -->
