Help with my 69 Chevelle 396

[Brian28]

What are good places to order parts from ?

[Huskinhano]

NPD is a good place. For general stuff Rockauto is another. As SBG said check the steel brake lines you may not need to replace them. I would at a minimum flush the old fluid out. Put new fluid in, bleed them and take it from there. I would replace all the flexible rubber brake lines though. If you do need new steel brake lines you can get pre bent line kits. They're pretty reasonable. They do sell upgraded line kits made out of stainless steel. I would avoid them only because it's hard to get the double flares crushed to seal. The mild steel seal easy. You can also buy brake line in straight lengths at any AP store. You will need a tubing cutter and a double flare tool kit. Again neither is terribly expensive. You can make a lot of bends with the 3/16" tubing by hand pretty easily. It's not that it's hard to bend but to keep it from linking. I would suggest a bender. Harbour Freight is your friend for stuff like this.

[SuperBuickGuy]

Yeah I do need to spend the money where it's needed , I did the brakes back around 02 . But from sitting they can be good or bad , I know it needed bushings back then in the front end so I think I should get that done , I from Portland , as a kid I Remember pushing so hard on that floor board as my dad drove , and i would see the street then the sky , back to the street then the sky throw all the grears , I'm glade it's the 4speed and not a auto

My dad lives in Oregon City, there are several others who pop in here as well who are from Portland.

As for the bushing issue, yes, replace those and box the rear, lower control arm with the $12.00 kit from Classic industries.... makes a world of difference (if it wasn't already done at the factory).

Disk brakes are great for racing, but for a street car that's going to see transportation duty and car shows - you don't need the headache of trying to make it all work. Simply because there's a kit doesn't mean it works. Simply because it sat since 02 doesn't mean they're bad - steel lines generally only die from salt on the road - Oregon doesn't do that, so the only other way would be due to water in the fluid... while it's true that rubber lines do die, they're easy to replace and dirt cheap (like $10 each). Be careful in disassembly because you can make a lot more work for yourself if you try to force things rather then use heat, penetrating fluid and gentle persuasion.

[Huskinhano]

You do realize you'll have to buy a 6-71 supercharger for that 396, right?

[Brian28]

Supercharger would be cool , but i don't want anyth coming out the hood , i have seen the side ones tho , and also for the street it's already semi built up , is it has more then enough hp for me as is , I was thinking about updating the suspension breaks just to make it drive nicer , fuel injection would also be cool , I wish I would have stRted this car long ago and never let it sit just to redo stuff that was already done early 00 , but can't do anyth about that now , I kinda always thought parts would be spendy but there really not , if i can do most of the work my self i can make the 3k go along ways , I forgot about someone my mom has known for ever that has a shop that builds old cars like mine , he said if I buy the bushings kit for the car he will do it for 400 bucks , I'm not sure if it's hard or not , if I should do it my self or if it worth the 400 to not have to do them ,

[Deaf Bob]

My 57 chev is older than your Chevelle, I only teplaced the cradle hard line and the hoses in 3 places because it was origionally a single pot master now running dual pot.
I am running a Chevelle disc brake up front and a Nova rear with drums.. Stops fine!
If you race road courses, then big brakes will be needed, but as SBG says.. Not required for the street

[SuperBuickGuy]

bushings shouldn't be hard to do - but the variance between hard and easy is weeks. If you have a hydraulic press, it's not too terrible (and a bushing press for the upper bushings on the rear differential) - after you've done a few, it's not too bad. The first one you do, can literally take you weeks of weekends and week nights to accomplish because bolts have to be cut off, bushings don't press out without destroying the arm, etc. On a Chevelle - I'd really, really consider doing the B-body spindle swap. You must buy new upper control arms, but it gives you larger brakes and better steering geometry. Add to that, a couple larger sway bars and good shocks (which are $400 by themselves) and you will have a car that handles amazingly well - all without doing something irreversible. I'd then get better springs (higher rate) and spend the remainder on good tires.

and here's the one I built

http://www.bangshift.com/forum/forum/bangshift/project-cars-update/11063-1970-buick-skylark-part-ii

the car handled like it was on rails and was a blast to drive.... all for not much money. You'll also notice I did a rear disk brake conversion... and it's the reason I say stick with drums on the back.

[Brian28]

Sounds like paying the 400 on labor wouldn't be a bad deal , I don't have the press , I have a few lathes and mills at work but that's about it , That's sucks about ur motor melting I hope my carb is rebuilt right might need to look into having it tuned ,

[Brian28]

I'm looking at getting a new battery this week , witch kind should I get for it and how many cca ? I was thinking like 1000cca since I will prob have to turn it over a few times to get started , but what style and brand should I get also is 1000cca okey or do I need less ?

[SuperBuickGuy]

I'm not a fan of paying extra for a battery - if you've got a huge stereo, major lights, or something of the sort, I'd still say get a bigger alternator. Batteries are all pretty much made by Eveready and Union Carbide.... anymore it's just stickers that differentiates. As for deals, Costco tends to have good deals, but if you get in good with a place like Baxter or a local to you parts store; eventually you'll get better-then-average deals on parts. So there it is, use the battery experience to find a decent parts store that will help you with what ails your car - some just sell parts, others get involved.... Despite McTaggert's claim (a writer here), there isn't a brand which is better or worse; it all depends on the management.

To that issue - look for stores with employees driving old cars, employees that have been there and served Jesus, and stores where they are willing to help - most know that their window is the first you will throw the crappy part through, but some are FAR better then others. Batteries are common, so look for stores that tell you "why spend X when you can buy our label produce for 70% of x?" rather then the store that sells you a Yellow Top Ultima when you really you just needed a battery with a long-term, 100% refund warranty?

[Brian28]

I was talking with someone they said I should switch it from points to Electric that it's cheap & easy , that I still use the same dizzy I already have , is this ture ? They said I won't have to mess with the points every year

[Barry Donovan]

if manual tranny cut back on battery amps.
the less amps, the healthier the body.

I love 396, and would be asking same questions as you.
The same for all old ones keeping for historic longevity..
modern cams, lifters, robust timing more towards injection duration.
Getting out of solid lift, and points would be my preservation goal.. I spotted you mentioned injection. that is an awesome idea.
Very nice engine.

no pressure on spending big bucks either, bangshift is a great place.

[Deaf Bob]

I was talking with someone they said I should switch it from points to Electric that it's cheap & easy , that I still use the same dizzy I already have , is this ture ? They said I won't have to mess with the points every year

Yes and no.. For me, changing points is no biggy.. I run a solid lifter cam.. I had an electronics conversion. When it quit, it quit.. Went back to points only because the big cap HEI does not fit in a 57 chev. I would think you have room to run an HEI dizzy.. You will need 12 volts at the power source, as points draw less.. I have ran many HEI set ups on derby cars.. They are dead nuts reliable.. Plus the coil is in the cap.. I run a big ACCEL coil in my cap in my flatbed 77 Chev flatbed..
If it were me, I would get the car running, driving then find an HEI and swap it in when you need the next point change..

[Brian28]

Thanks for the help guys , yes it's the 4speed manual so would 800cca be a better battery ? I looked at the part store they were around 125 , Amazon has red tops 800cca for 155 , Iv never bought one before becouse there like 250 at the store , so at only about 30 extra doesn't seam to be a bad idea I would think plus I get free 2 day shipping with the prime we have this year

[Deaf Bob]

When I was scrapping full time, I went to truck shops and asked if I could swap batteries in their battery box for recycling. They always change batteries in pairs for over the road trucks and I used one battey 11 years.. Bad part about 1000CCA batteries is they tend to be physically larger than the smaller ones.. I love the screw posts tho.. That is what I use in the derby cars, 2-1000 CCA batteries wired for 12v. We run no alternator (something to short and kill the car)