1966 Polara 880: The Build So Far, or "Bring Money".

[TroyCo]

Started a project a few evenings this week: piping in some tunes.

I approached this upgrade on a budget. A Retrosound system would be ideal, but I feel the cost for one of those systems is not ideal for my needs. It all started with a pair of 3.5" speakers I've had kicking around for the past 20 years or so that were too small for everything else I've owned over the years.

With that, I bought the cheapest Bluetooth radio I could find and went about making a new glovebox insert to mount the radio.

I thought about painting the inside with a hammertone paint, but decided it would be best if the inside were upholstered. Here are the results:

I'm happy with how it turned out, and it looks a lot better than the old decaying liner.

 

[TroyCo]

I decided the old speakers had to go. One would crackle every now and again, and that just won't do. To rectify that, I did the right thing and bought the best $40 speakers that had 1 day shipping Amazon had available.

Pictured below are photos of the speaker plate that I didn't include in the last post, as well as the new ones.

Lanzar VX320: When *Quality* Matters.

The sound quality is actually not terrible. Good, in fact. 80 watts peak each, the old Pioneers were only 40. Hopefully they last. If not, I won't be heart broken. I have less than $100 into this stereo setup.

 

[TroyCo]

Wow, has it really been 8 months since the last update? Well, yeah. Not much has happened, really. The only notable updates are the additions of a new AVS2 800 cfm carburetor, a pressure regulator, and I also rerouted the fuel lines to keep them farther away from the engine.

Also, took the time to add a bumper sticker. I'm generally not a fan of them, but on this car, it seems right.

The only political endorsement I'll ever make.

 

[TroyCo]

Here's the latest:

It's just about where I like it. There's a few things left I'd like to do, such as gears & a posi, an electric fan, and maybe a shift kit.

 

[TroyCo]

This update has been a long time coming. Honestly, I haven't done anything to the car since my last post other than drive it and enjoy it for the past year and a half. I've put thousands of trouble-free miles on the odometer, but now it's time to do something about the stub frame.

It's been repaired in the past, and has been showing signs of corrosion around the torsion bar mounts since I bought it. I purchased a mint stub frame this summer, so now the tear-down begins.

I was somewhat dreading what I would find underneath, being a southern Ontario car, but the only surprise to greet me was solid, original steel. The inner fenders were the only signs of past butchery, as they were welded and seam-sealed together. Other than minor rot inside the driver's fender, and a bit of bubbling on the bottom of the passenger side fender, they are perfectly fine.

 

[TroyCo]

Here's where I'm at, currently. Engine and trans is out, everything else underneath is unhooked, save for the frame itself. What I'm wondering is should I remove the torsion bars now, or after the frame is out? Your input, as normal, is appreciated.

 

[cbarge]

View attachment 705842

Here's where I'm at, currently. Engine and trans is out, everything else underneath is unhooked, save for the frame itself. What I'm wondering is should I remove the torsion bars now, or after the frame is out? Your input, as normal, is appreciated.

Take the tension off the torsion bars if not done already.
I prefer pulling the bars after the stub is removed but othets may prefer before hand.

 

[MoPar~Man]

You're swapping this stub out - yes? So you're going to have to support the body. When I started I jacked my '67 Monaco front up and set blocks under the front rocker rails in front of the doors and a block under the engine cross-member and rested the car on those. I did not use cribbing. I eventually rolled out the stub with engine and trans still mounted, but I backed off the torsion tension quite a bit before I did that because the wheels weren't supporting the car any more, just the engine.

You really can't do anything with the torsion bars while the full weight of the car is still on the tires. So you've got to block-up the body, put a block under engine cross member and get rid of the cribbing. Then you can dial back the tension on the torsion bars pretty much all the way. If the wheels are in the air, put something under them, planks or what-ever. I used cinder blocks under the body and engine cross member, but never in direct contact with the car or the ground (always used a thin piece of plywood). The blocks can crack easily unless protected by some wood. When you support the body, you have to do it in a way that does not get in the way of when you drop and pull the stub forward.

Before you do anything, fully disconnect the steering shaft. You'll have to drop the column and move if forward, it has to come off the steering gear.

 

[TroyCo]

You're swapping this stub out - yes? So you're going to have to support the body. When I started I jacked my '67 Monaco front up and set blocks under the front rocker rails in front of the doors and a block under the engine cross-member and rested the car on those. I did not use cribbing. I eventually rolled out the stub with engine and trans still mounted, but I backed off the torsion tension quite a bit before I did that because the wheels weren't supporting the car any more, just the engine.

You really can't do anything with the torsion bars while the full weight of the car is still on the tires. So you've got to block-up the body, put a block under engine cross member and get rid of the cribbing. Then you can dial back the tension on the torsion bars pretty much all the way. If the wheels are in the air, put something under them, planks or what-ever. I used cinder blocks under the body and engine cross member, but never in direct contact with the car or the ground (always used a thin piece of plywood). The blocks can crack easily unless protected by some wood. When you support the body, you have to do it in a way that does not get in the way of when you drop and pull the stub forward.

Before you do anything, fully disconnect the steering shaft. You'll have to drop the column and move if forward, it has to come off the steering gear.


View attachment 705847

Thanks for the advice. It lines up with the plans I had, so thanks for confirming I'm on the right track. And yes, I am swapping stubs. In fact, the stub that's going in used to belong to you.