• Hello there guest and Welcome to The #1 Classic Mustang forum!
    To gain full access you must Register. Registration is free and it takes only a few moments to complete.
    Already a member? Login here then!

'66FB GT "Slick Guzzo" Upgrade Build-Up

Re: '66FB GT Upgrade Build-Up

I didn't have anything on the stock bleeders, but when I switched to speed bleeders they came with some kind of sealant on them. I have not had any leaks on either types!
 
Re: '66FB GT Upgrade Build-Up

Thanks. I hope air doesn't go into the brake system because of this. Where can I get that red sealant that goes on brake fittings?

I drove around the block at slow speed (10-15mph). The ride is much stiffer than before and is harder to turn... drove and turned with two hands, so no video! While driving i hear contact with rotor and brake pads on the passenger front. How do I remedy that?

Car is dusty. I'll wash it tomorrow.
 
Re: '66FB GT Upgrade Build-Up

Maybe it's an illusion, but that front tire looks like it has MAJOR neg camber going on!
 
Re: '66FB GT Upgrade Build-Up

No illusion. I put the LCA in the outermost slot of the camber kit. And, there are no shims behind the UCAs.
 
Re: '66FB GT Upgrade Build-Up

OK, going to get an alignment at a tire shop tomorrow morning. And, going to buy some speed bleeders... Russell or Earl's. I'll have to look to see which is better. As for the rotor noise... I'm going to take the tire off and inspect everything.
 
Re: '66FB GT Upgrade Build-Up

When you installed the calipers, did you shim then to get em centered on the rotor?
 
Re: '66FB GT Upgrade Build-Up

Yes, I installed shim washers to center the caliper on the rotor per instructions. The wheel is harder to turn compared to the driver side. I might try bleeding again.
 
Re: '66FB GT Upgrade Build-Up

What alignment specs would you recommend for my setup? Street/highway use, 1.75" UCA drop, and Cobra Auto front suspension.
 
Re: '66FB GT Upgrade Build-Up

Castor = +2* or more
Camber = -.5*
Toe = -1/16" to -1/8"


Ought to work fine
 
Re: '66FB GT Upgrade Build-Up

Re-checking the front suspension right now. 1.25" hollow sway bar is slightly hitting the lip of the frame rail on the passenger side. It looks center. Should I grind down the lip?
 
Re: '66FB GT Upgrade Build-Up

Should I grind down the lip?
Click to expand...


This isn't the first time that I've heard of this, but I've never personally seen an interference problem between the sway bar and the frame rail. I've seen where others have ground away the edge/lip of the framerail to solve the interference issue.

Are you sure you're using the correct sway bar end link kit? I seem to remember installing a kit that was too long..... that it forced the sway bar up higher than it should be....


Doing a little research..... the NPD catalog reflects that 65-67 cars use an end link kit with a 6" bolt. 68-73 cars use a 7" bolt. The spacers within these kits are different lengths. Check to make sure you have the correct length end link kit before you start cutting anything.
 
Re: '66FB GT Upgrade Build-Up

I believe I have the 6" end link bolt. I also had to remove roughly 1/4" off the spacer as the nut topped off and couldn't get it on the thread. I'll need to do a look over of the front suspension a couple times more. As I have:

1. Sway bar nudging frame rail.
2. Pitman arm hitting Tri-Y header.
3. Brake drag at the passenger front. I think due to warped brake pads as it wasn't sitting flat on the rotor. Not sure if bedding the brakes or driving it will smooth it out.
4. And maybe more issues.

I couldn't upload on YouTube. I was getting an error while uploading. I shot some video at a shop who pulled a "bait and switch" on me. I called the cops and they said pay up and take it to small claims court, which I will. Some pix of the '66 getting its alignment...
 
Re: '66FB GT Upgrade Build-Up

Elaborate on this bait & switch.....if you can!
 
Re: '66FB GT Upgrade Build-Up

Well, I learned my lesson in always get a written estimate. When I walked in, I was told the alignment would be $89. 4 hours later, they say I'll be charged by the hour.
 
Re: '66FB GT Upgrade Build-Up

"hivewax" said:
Well, I learned my lesson in always get a written estimate. When I walked in, I was told the alignment would be $89. 4 hours later, they say I'll be charged by the hour.
Click to expand...


Unlike modern vehicles, alignments on classic cars are a bit more labor intensive.

I've spent a few days working under an alignment rack with my buddy and he can knock out a modern car/truck in usually less than 30 minutes. When I bring one of the Mustang's down to him, he's learned to set aside at least 2 hours. There were a couple times early on that he was so frustrated with the slow progress that he simply grabbed his car keys, clocked out and went to lunch.... leaving me to make the adjustments. Rack tech's are accustomed to "getting them on and getting them off" and seem to lose patience when dealing with classic cars. Four hours is not uncommon to get the correct specs.

I don't believe that the shop pulled a "bait and switch" on you. Their intentions were to charge you $89 for an alignment, it just didn't work out that way.

Did they get the alignment done? What did the specs come out at?
 
Re: '66FB GT Upgrade Build-Up

-1 camber, +2 caster, 1/8" toe in. LCA mount slotted to the innermost slot and required (2) 3/16" shims on each UCA bolt.

I say they knew how labor intensive it was. They looked the car over underneath before putting the car on the alignment rack. They took their sweet a$$ time in doing the job; starting the car multiple times (no power assist). I was there the whole time.
 
Re: '66FB GT Upgrade Build-Up

I've aligned AZPete's car twice, all within 2 hours at my garage using simple tools. It's not rocket science, and we did spend some time pondering what thickness shims to use. Usually, by the third attempt, we were spot on. The first time, we added about 1/2" of washers to get it somewhere close, and then went from there. Our difficulty was that the UCA bolts were not staked into the arm, so two people were needed to tighten the UCA.

There's an old guy (my age or thereabouts) here in town that runs a small shop that does alignments. He did Midlife three years ago within 20 minutes, and to my specifications. He did an initial measurement, and then took out one shim and was done. He knew what thickness to add or subtract and where, which speeded things up quite a bit. There's no reason why any professional should take more than 2 hours on these old beasts of burden.
 
Re: '66FB GT Upgrade Build-Up

There's no reason why any professional should take more than 2 hours on these old beasts of burden.
Click to expand...

While I agree with this, unfortunately finding this "professional" that you speak of is often difficult. I also agree that aligning a classic Mustang is not rocket science, but instead rather simple. The problem is that most modern garages/shops don't see enough classic Mustangs to understand how the caster adjustment effects the camber adjustment and vice-versa. They get frustrated because they have to keep going back and forth as each adjustment effects the other. When they're 20 minutes into the alignment they start to panic because "it shouldn't take this long, the boss is going to have my arse".

We had my son's '68 on the rack a couple years ago and the shop supervisor came out and asked if we'd already adjusted the "back". My mechanic buddy and I both looked at him and said "yep, it's already done". Modern mechanics are so accustomed to performing simple 4 wheel alignments that anything out of their comfort zone sends them into a place I like to call "the stupid zone". It's kinda like the twilight zone, but it's just for stupid people.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top