Rebel
Part of things
Posts: 343
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Back to the puzzle then, when I put everything back together for the second time it didn't look right ( I hadn't spotted this the first time if it was evident then ), I also didn't take any pics of it as I stripped it down either. I only took pics of what I thought was important, which bolts go where etc. Lesson learnt then! In the above pic, if you take the white shock absorber as being in a straight vertical line, then look at the spindle ( stub axle ) upper and lower ball joints. In the pic, the lower ball joint is sitting further back than the upper ball joint. This has the effect of making the spindle lean forwards ( towards front of car ). This is wrong! The alignment won't be able to be set up correctly and it'll drive horribly, neither should it be set up so that the upper and lower ball joints line up vertically with each other ( imagine the hands of a clock at 6 o'clock ). The correct way for the spindle to be set up with the upper ball joint further back than the lower ball joint, imagine the front forks of a motorcycle, just not as pronounced an angle, if you see what I mean. Theres virtually no adjustment in the standard set up, you can spend a fortune on replacement parts that will allow more than factory adjustment but right now I can't afford that, lol. When the strut rod ( as seen below ) is in place it pulls the lower control arm towards the front of the car, but nowhere near enough to sort the geometry out. So, to compensate for this the only thing left to move is the upper wishbone, this is done with a set of offset washers, set up in such a way that the upper wish bone is angled towards the rear of the car, this adjustment combined with the strut rod pulling the lower control arm forward should be enough to allow correct alignment for uk roads along side a controllable, comfortable, stable drive complete with self centering when coming out of corners. In reality, I'm not that far yet, getting there, but not there yet. The second part of the puzzle ( the part that Scatman nearly got right ) was in the below pic The image above is one of the front strut rods, the bushes and washers are all in the right order but, as can be seen ( hopefully ) the washers at either end of the bushes are concaved on one side and convex on the other. The factory workshop manual shows them in detail being placed on the strut as they are above, however, after doing it this way and with the other issue I again turned to the MMA for assistance, I found a thread from another member who had completed the same job and had put the large washers on the other way round with the convex side touching the bush. Someone had commented on the photo stating that they were glad he had ignored the manual as it was wrong and fitted the washers correctly. guess what?? It all had to come apart again. More updates on Saturday night as I'm away all day tomorrow and back late on Saturday
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Last Edit: Jun 27, 2017 22:10:49 GMT by Rebel
1968 Dodge Charger 1985 Chevrolet Camaro 1993 Toyota Hilux Surf 2001 Ford Mondeo
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Jan 19, 2016 10:43:34 GMT
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bet that was annoying, following the procedures only to have to redo it again. but at least you know for next time.
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1972 viva 'Sparky'
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Rebel
Part of things
Posts: 343
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Yes, it was annoying, but, I'd rather find out before i get at all back together and on the road only to find I have to start again and miss a couple of planned events.
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1968 Dodge Charger 1985 Chevrolet Camaro 1993 Toyota Hilux Surf 2001 Ford Mondeo
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Rebel
Part of things
Posts: 343
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Well, I was hoping to have some more updated details to add, but courtesy of the winter weather, I haven't gotten much further. So, at the moment I have the upper control arm to adjust which will hopefully help line everything up properly. Then all the tie rods, shocks, spindles and the anti roll bar can be reconnected. Once the above is done, i can make a start on the front drum to disc brake conversion, new master cylinder, new brake pipes and MOT. That'll still leave a small amount of body work to do and one or two surprise additions that will be explained a little further down the line. For now though, bare with me, according to the weather forecast seems favourable for the next few days, so hopefully I'll be able to get some decent updates on asap
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1968 Dodge Charger 1985 Chevrolet Camaro 1993 Toyota Hilux Surf 2001 Ford Mondeo
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Feb 17, 2016 16:00:17 GMT
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Hey there Rebel while you're there with the wheel off your Charger, is there any chance you can measure the PCD on the wheels please. I'm trying to find some wheels for this, My 1968 Plymouth Barracuda, it looks like ive got 3 3/4" PCD if I'm measuring it right, which I'm probably not as I can't find any wheels that have that PCD? Sorry for the thread derail buddy Hi PP, as others have said it should be the standard pcd of 4.5 inch with a 5 stud pattern or 114.3mm. British Ford Granada 5 stud fit, so do Mercedes 5 stud. The wheels on my Charger were previously on my '73 Ford Ranchero and before that they were on a '69 Mustang. Due to the amount of repairs / modification that these cars can go through, not to mention poor build quality, it has been known for sizes to differ across the model line up now and then. The below will hopefully help if you get stuck www.wheel-size.com/articles/bolt-pattern-pitch-circle-diameter-pcd/A Body Barracudas are 5x4 inch. very difficult to get hold of wheels in that PCD. I was very luck to get some 15 inch Rallye wheels for mine in 5x4 inch. the usual thing to do is get later (74 and up) A body discs and convert to 5x4.5 on the back axle as well to open up a larger choice of wheels.
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Feb 17, 2016 16:09:44 GMT
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Back to the puzzle then, when I put everything back together for the second time it didn't look right ( I hadn't spotted this the first time if it was evident then ), I also didn't take any pics of it as I stripped it down either. I only took pics of what I thought was important, which bolts go where etc. Lesson learnt then! In the above pic, if you take the white shock absorber as being in a straight vertical line, then look at the spindle ( stub axle ) upper and lower ball joints. In the pic, the lower ball joint is sitting further back than the upper ball joint. the joys of antidive top arm location. on full droop the caster will go completely wrong as the top arm swing forward. at ride height there will only be a small amount of caster as they were set up like this for light steering. check this link for bump steer with the antidive top armthe lower the ride height the more caster you will get. Moog do offset bushes for the top arm to gain more caster another sneaky trick to get more camber is to put spacers between the lower ball joint and uprite. it'll change ackerman very slightly but not enough to worry about
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Last Edit: Feb 17, 2016 19:47:25 GMT by Bozwell
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Rebel
Part of things
Posts: 343
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Thanks Bozwell, I've got a set of offset bushes already fitted but by the looks of it previous owner (s) have set them up wrong. Now that the rain, floods and wind have cleared up, I can get back to it. Once I've fixed the washing machine that just died tonight, lol.
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1968 Dodge Charger 1985 Chevrolet Camaro 1993 Toyota Hilux Surf 2001 Ford Mondeo
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Rebel
Part of things
Posts: 343
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Wow! 5 months since I updated this, must try harder! Anyway, there's been a few changes since February. The bad weather finally cleared up, normal life took over for a while, I bought a 12x24 steel shed to build behind my garage, still waiting to start the build on it. Mrs Rebel has progressed with the back garden as well as making a start on the front one. My 1999 Ford Cougar has been sold and so has my 1991 Ford Mustang 5.0 There's been some progress on my Charger as well, oh, and as the Cougar and Mustang were sold, I bought this It's a 1974 Chevrolet El-Camino, i bought it as a running driving truck that just needed carpet and headlining. However, once it was delivered, the wipers, fuel gauge, speedo and front indicators weren't working, there's also some problems with the automatic choke. So, a few bits to to work through before it can hit the streets
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1968 Dodge Charger 1985 Chevrolet Camaro 1993 Toyota Hilux Surf 2001 Ford Mondeo
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Rebel
Part of things
Posts: 343
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Well, the Camino now has working front indicators, being an American vehicle, the front sidelights were part of the front indicators as well. When it arrived here someone has added the horrible and stupid LED strips under the headlights to use as sidelights, as can be seen below Anyway, adding the LED strips had messed up the earth for the indicators and one of the bulbs was blown. So bulb replaced and earth sorted out, indicators now fully functional! Also had a delivery yesterday of a new wiper motor, the motor under the bonnet currently is from a Ford and is fried, not to mention the fact that the wiring has been butchered to make it work as can be seen below So all I need to do is replace the above knackered motor with this Then sort out the wiring and hopefully I'll have working wipers!
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1968 Dodge Charger 1985 Chevrolet Camaro 1993 Toyota Hilux Surf 2001 Ford Mondeo
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Rebel
Part of things
Posts: 343
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WHOA! Where did the time go? Almost 7 months since I updated this! Sorry folks, that's not good enough - in order to try and make up for it, let's have a revamp for 2017. A new improved version if you like, with a few modifications thrown in for good measure. So, since July last year, life kind of took over a bit, ok, ok, it took over a lot! Owning the kind of cars we do, means we get to enjoy taking them to car shows, cruises and organised events in order to show them off and generally have a good time. We were away at different events just about every weekend last season, of course there's also the usual mundane day to day things to take care of as well. Not forgetting family gatherings ( which always seem to clash with something much more entertaining ), to top it all off I had to quit working to take care of my wife. So, less money but all the time in the world to play, err, work on the cars, garage, watch TV etc. Well, no. Obviously it doesn't work like that does it? I mean, shopping, cleaning, ferrying around of kids, school run, meals, dishes etc etc, as well as doctors and hospital appointments, including an overnight stay in hospital for my wife. All the things that we as blokes take for granted. Now, I never thought that a stay at home parent had an easy life, even when I was working for a living, I appreciated that it's actually easier to be at work than stay at home and take care of all the stuff listed above. No matter how I tried though, I just couldn't get in to a routine that gave me a decent amount of time to anything with the cars. It became a case of taking care of what had to be done and then maybe spend a couple of hours on one of the cars, while dealing with the inevitable interruptions just as you crawl under the car again, for the third time. The season ended and it started to get colder, wetter and darker very quickly. So working outside became less of an attraction and mojo dwindled. However, I'm pleased to say, that enthusiasm has returned, work has started again and we're all looking forward to the start of another fun filled season that'll be here before we know it. And, on that note, the improvements to this thread are, I'm going to split it up, there'll be one thread for each car and one for the new ( to me, at least ) shed / garage / garden. Hopefully they'll all be less confusing and easier for you guys to follow. And finally, we became owners of this gorgeous, adorable little feller
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1968 Dodge Charger 1985 Chevrolet Camaro 1993 Toyota Hilux Surf 2001 Ford Mondeo
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Rebel
Part of things
Posts: 343
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1968 Dodge Charger 1985 Chevrolet Camaro 1993 Toyota Hilux Surf 2001 Ford Mondeo
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Gutted that you sold the Fox. Where did it go?
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96 E320 W210 Wafter - on 18" split Mono's - Sold :-( 10 Kia Ceed Sportwagon - Our new daily 03 Import Forester STi - Sold 98 W140 CL500 AMG - Brutal weekend bruiser! Sold :-( 99 E240 S210 Barge - Now sold 02 Accord 2.0SE - wife's old daily - gone in PX 88 P100 2.9efi Custom - Sold
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Rebel
Part of things
Posts: 343
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To be honest, once it had gone, so was I. I owned it for exactly a year, replaced the alternator, power steering pump and fan belt. Changed the wipers, added an additional fog light so that the rear had a matching pair and managed to find the actual wheels it left the factory with. That was it, it always started and was always fun to drive. Mrs Rebel hated it, the only part she liked were the cheese grater back lights that I hated, lol. It was the ideal American car for use in the U.K., small enough to fit our roads, our parking spaces and our garages. I honestly would have been happy to keep hold of it, but the original plan was to use it until my Charger was finished. Then a mate of mine made me an offer that I genuinely would have been stupid to refuse, so it was sold on. It went down to Cornwall and apparently behaved impeccably, the new owner loved it, changed the rear lights and the exhaust and enjoyed driving it. The 3 or 4 months later his previous car came up for sale again, he bought it back and the fox was on the bay of fleas for a while. The last I heard it had been sold on again, don't know where though. Keep your eyes open, you never know, you might see it somewhere
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1968 Dodge Charger 1985 Chevrolet Camaro 1993 Toyota Hilux Surf 2001 Ford Mondeo
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Rebel
Part of things
Posts: 343
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Jun 27, 2017 22:09:22 GMT
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1968 Dodge Charger 1985 Chevrolet Camaro 1993 Toyota Hilux Surf 2001 Ford Mondeo
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Jun 27, 2017 23:42:05 GMT
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That El Camino looks awesome! I love the Charger too, two of my all time favourite cars. Owning one some day is definitely on the bucket list. Very cool indeed!
Cheers, Drew
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2001 Mk4 Golf - Not retro yet but getting there
Some cars I've owned: '91 Renault Clio 1.4 RT '96 Peugeot 306 2.0 XSi (the one that got away) '96 Vauxhall Astra Euro'96 Gold edition '97 Renault Laguna 2.0 RT '98 Mk3 Golf GTI Colour Concept '00 PT Cruiser
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Rebel
Part of things
Posts: 343
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Thanks Drew, The Charger was on my bucket list from when I was at school, lol. Finally took the plunge in 2005.
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1968 Dodge Charger 1985 Chevrolet Camaro 1993 Toyota Hilux Surf 2001 Ford Mondeo
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Jun 28, 2017 10:39:11 GMT
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Rebel
Part of things
Posts: 343
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Jun 28, 2017 13:08:30 GMT
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Pretty much sorted on the geometry side now. Someone had fitted offset bushes to the upper wishbones but hadn't set them up correctly, little bit of research online and now all sorted with everything moving in the right direction
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1968 Dodge Charger 1985 Chevrolet Camaro 1993 Toyota Hilux Surf 2001 Ford Mondeo
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Rebel
Part of things
Posts: 343
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Back in June of this year ( where's the year gone, nearly September already! ). I had the geometry pretty much sorted on the Charger, well, as sorted as it could be until the drum to disc conversion was completed and the wheels were back on the car. The last time the Charger was MOT'd, I had an advisory on one rear brake pipe. Knowing that I was replacing most of the brake system and thinking that if one pipe was a bit iffy, the rest probably weren't far behind it. I decided to replace all the brake pipes as well. I have one of these, But, it's awkward to use. Either I'm not very good with it or it's not a very good bit of kit. So, I started looking for a hydraulic brake pipe flarer and discovered that I couldn't afford one! However, I did manage to find this, Which works really well. I found a few videos on you tube that showed how to use it correctly and it's a lot easier to handle than the other type. It only comes with a 3/16 former, but as that's the very size pipe I'm using, it's all good. its very easy to use and produces nicely formed single and double flares every time. I also bought a couple of reels of copper brake pipe and some brake pipe unions in preparation. I figured that two reels of pipe would be a good idea, especially as the longest pipe on the car, from the distribution block at the front to the "Y" shaped adaptor just above the rear axle, is 12ft long! Then the fun started, The first pipe I made up looked great, but didn't fit. The brake pipe unions that I had were too big, checking all the unions used on the car showed that there was three different sizes used throughout the entire car! The original master cylinder and one of the unions on the distribution block used a 9/16 union, two more unions on the distribution block, the rear wheel cylinders and the front calipers were 7/16 unions and the final two unions on the distribution block were 5/16. My local motor factors couldn't help with a supply of the correct sizes. Posting a question on the MMA ( Mopar Muscle Association ) forum resulted in being pointed in the direction of automec.co.uk I can't recommend Automec highly enough, a quick phone call and I was given an email address, took a couple of photos of the unions that I needed and sent them by email. A return phone call resulted in Automec sending me one union to see if it would fit. When it got here and fitted, I quickly called them again and placed my order.
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1968 Dodge Charger 1985 Chevrolet Camaro 1993 Toyota Hilux Surf 2001 Ford Mondeo
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Aug 16, 2017 18:15:34 GMT
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The Camino looks good! I also have good experiences with Automec. Bought a brake line kit for my Rover P5B years ago and fitted it a year ago and found 1 pipe was too long and it seemed the short brake pipe from the reservoir to the master cylinder is normally not in the kit. Gave them a call and they send both pipes free of charge
peter
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