panchovisa

There is a bottom drain plug and a side fill plug. If you are going to change lube, pull the fill plug FIRST! It's happened before that after draining the lube people can't get fill plug out to re-fill trany. Full is when lube is to level of fill plug.

Ya, but I'll get a steak also!

Scary that you never know when you'll need them! I'm married and I know I'll need them on March 20th!

In the suburbs of Wisconsin my trouble is warming up the paint and parts to above freezing before painting. July and August seem to work best.

Schevets, that sucks! My brother and I still joke about "the day we dropped a big block Chevy" into his Chevelle. Nobody put the pin into the cherry picker that keeps the boom attached to the base. We had the boom fully extended and the back of stand started to get "light". I stood on stand base while my brother jiggled engine onto mounts. One jiggle to many and base fell off boom. CCRRAASSHHHHHH! Engine and trany went between cross member and firewall to the floor, and hoist went through windsheild, smashed core support/ grill/ bumper.

Tomo, usually the car behind is presumed to be at fault. Whiplash claims must abound in Chicago. Just remember my warning if you ever have to drive there.

Will, if you had found two large nuts you could have named them Carl!:)

95-99% humidity, don't paint in the shower!

Chicago drivers. The standard there is one blink of the turn signal means I'm changing lanes and you have to get out of my way! Very interesting when they are stopped in their freeway lane and your lane is still going 45 MPH during rush hour. After they signal once they also feel it is not necessary to actualy look before changing lanes.

You guys and the POR15. Clean, degrease, mask aluminum, spray bomb, un-mask, clear coat. Done in a weekend (work on other stuff while paint dries).

Drunkenmaster, the shaft (threaded extension of tie rod end) is tapered. The hole in steering arm is also tapered. In your photo, remove nut and strike down on steering arm. This will seperate the two parts. I assume you will use new tie rods (if not then leave nut on, but give some room from nut to arm. You won't bugger threads to bad then).

Will, the bar is not "deflected" to fit longer or shorter links. The bar only rotates in sway bar bushings. The new bar bushings may be tight, but the bar can (and must) rotate. Carl, use the new drop links because of the urethane verses rubber. The stock rubber links have more compliance (can be compressed more during assembly, and during use) than the urethane. More compliance means that suspension will rise (opposite side will drop) before encountering the resistence of the sway bar. Less complance means more direct function of sway bar. Tighten both links so that distance from end washer to end washer is same for both sides. Tighten so that inner washer to end washer is the same (4 places). This assures no preload on un-tweaked chassis. Another method is to count the turns of the nut on each of the four ends with a vise grip keeping the shaft from turning. If you attach one side and find other control arm is lower, then realize that nothing requires both front struts/shocks/springs to droop equally. At full droop your suspension is way outside it's designed functional range of movement. Just jack the control arm up to attach link.

I had aluminum door panels on my first race car. I used them with fiberglass doors and they were "recessed" to clear rollcage bars. Didn't have to worry about windom cranks and door latch release. Can't see any reason why you couldn't make panels for street car. Just start with cardboard about same thickness as the aluminum you want to use. Get any bends positioned as needed and start trimming it down. Make an oopps, then tape piece back on to template. When template is done, trace and cut out aluminum and add bends/beading and fit, fit, fit.

A preload can only be applied if one link is longer than the other. The difference in lenght between old and new links only affects where end of bar rests. Use the new ones.

High temp (500 deg F) clear here also. Last few days I've seen my screen name as Panchovillas and Panchovistas, it's just Panchovisa (like the credit card). Or call me Dave! :)

Will, I went after casting parting lines with a 4" grinder/sanding pads. Then I went over the whole thing with a mounted Scotch-Brite paint stripping pad (various grits). Then masked off certain areas and got the thing bead blasted. Finished up with multiple coats of clear.

Fouled or mis-gap'ed plugs? Point bounce? Fuel pressure a bit to low?

mperdue, that looks real good. Will and all, I've found that Coleman camp stove gas works very well to degrease primer or finish coats before respraying. In my former career as a patternmaker there were many times that old oil soaked wooden patterns had to be re-laquered. Coats of paint refused to dry, but wetting down with Coleman gass caused the paint to dry in minutes. It basically is "white gas" with a large percentage of "dryers". It will not soften under laying coats like lacquer thinner.