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Help with my 69 Chevelle 396

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  • SuperBuickGuy
    replied
    Originally posted by Brian28 View Post
    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.
    Last edited by SuperBuickGuy; August 8, 2016, 09:50 AM.

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  • Huskinhano
    replied
    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.

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  • Brian28
    replied
    What are good places to order parts from ?

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  • Brian28
    replied
    Yeah I'll never sell it so I'm not worried about the value of the car that way , but I need to have it appraised for Insurance purposes and I don't want it to lose value becouse if anyth ever happends to it i want the most money I can get from it , (don't we all)

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  • Russell
    replied
    Look for dry rot cracks on the tires, if they look good I would wait, and use them for testing the other systems and around town. Long trips or hard driving could cause them to fail.

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  • Brian28
    replied
    Should I have the tires pulled off on looked at , Iv never let them go flat as it sat , it has been moved ages time from moving around , but this last time it has not moved for 5 years

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  • Brian28
    replied
    And yes it does have the stock front disk brakes on it , what cars came with rear disk that would work ?

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  • Brian28
    replied
    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

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  • Russell
    replied
    If you are not going to sell it don't worry about the value. Sounds like you are on the right track. Post pictures, ask question, try to do one thing at a time, it's easy to get bogged down in big projects, don't forget the tires even with good tread they could be aged out.

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  • SuperBuickGuy
    replied
    Total props and major kudos for hanging onto it, that's pretty awesome!

    Don't spend money until you have to. Does the brake pedal go to the floor? if not, wait until you move it down your driveway (and test the brakes) before you spend a penny on them.

    Where in Oregon are you? I'm from Oregon and my family lives there (there's also Deaf Bob who lives in Oregon as well) who would help you if you need it.
    Last edited by SuperBuickGuy; August 8, 2016, 07:10 AM.

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  • Brian28
    replied
    Are the brake lines hard to do ? Will the motor and suspension need to be pulled as well ?

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  • Huskinhano
    replied
    Rear discs look cool but aren't needed. Before I would buy a rear disc kit I would go to the junk yard and look for a later model that had them. I'm s Ford guy so I may not be up on everything. As far as front disc, if you don't have them or are looking to go with larger try the B body. They usually had 12" vs 11" on the A body. I believe you would have to redrill to the 4.75"

    Before you start spending money on bling to the basics, get it running and driving. Enjoy the car and the memories. You can drive or enjoy a car that's in pieces on the garage floor and don't have the money or time or both. I've seen it happen.

    I own a 66 Mustang that looks like a POS. I only do one job that's obtainable at a time and that can be a struggle. I'm trying to finish getting the new old motor up and running.

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  • Brian28
    replied
    I believe I can do the work my self well the bolt stuff that is , when I was 14 this was the car I would work on , did the brakes my self back then , when I was 15 I blew my 1st import car motor didn't have anyone to help so I bought a motor and just figured it out as I went , before all the YouTube help , also I had little more money then I thought , have about 2900 for this car right now , I really want to know if the brakes do need to be redone if I should get a 4wheel disk brake kit , I was one 396.com or something like that , it had full kits for like 800-1000 wanted to know if that stuff is junk or if I should just spend the 1500 and buy the willwood kit , or if that one isn't good ether , if my dad was around I wouldn't never of done the import cars , I would have been 16 with a 68 Camaro , so I don't know a lot about these cars , I know parts are way cheaper then any import I have built in the pass , or if I should replace any brake stuff with keeping it as close as stock as i can , I don't want the car to lose value with replacing new parts on it ,

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  • Huskinhano
    replied
    Check all the brake hard lines for rust. I would just replace them, they're cheap enough. Same goes with the wheel cylinders and brake calipers.

    One of your best resources is here right on forum. Don't be afraid to take on tasks or to push yourself. The more you can do, the more you can get done.

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  • Brian28
    replied
    also if down the road I update the brakes and suspension would it hurt the valve of the car ? Should I leave it stock as much as possible , anyth I pull off would be saved , but I know it really needs new bushings , I think that is where I'll start to spend my money just not sure witch ones to use

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