Rebeldryver's '70 Caprice Granny's Luxo-Muscle-Barge

[1badmonkey]

My Cragar's on the Impala still look nice when I clean them and I bought them in 1997. So these turning to rust in less than a year is pathetic.

I don't think the rears will clean up with steel wool and polish. There is too much chrome missing.

I would kinda like to have the whole wheel chromed at this point. I am going to get an estimate for cost.

The reason I went for the chromed hoops because the trim rings were a pain in the ass. They were also stolen along with the center caps by some crackhead.

it seems the older chrome stuff DID last longer than the new stuff does. most of those chrome hoops that are used now, even though they are assembled here, come from over seas. the quality just isnt there any more.

I bet you could replace them for less that rechrome. which totally sucks. good luck man

[Deaf Bob]

Turtle wax chrome polish/cleaner... Gets pretty much alot of chrome stuff clean..

[Scott Liggett]

I drove my butt down to Placentia today to pick up my tie rod sleeves for the Impala that CPP has been jerking around sending me. I ended up buying a new pan hard bar for the Caprice. I am hoping that it will help keep the rear diff from moving around with the locker. The stock bar isn't in that bad of shape. The bushings are still decent and it isn't bent like the original that came off my Impala.

CPP's isn't as beefy as the UMI one I have on the Impala, but it should work. It is adjustable. I may have a four wheel alignment done to make sure the rear diff isn't off set one side or the other.


That is the stock one on the car. On these cars, 65-70 Impala's and Caprices, there are four parallel trailing arms and the pan hard bar locates the rear diff from moving from side to side. The Chevelle's rear end has the upper trailing arms triangulated so they don't need one.



Compare the two.


The original bar is just under 36" center to center, so I adjusted the new one to the same length.


Here it is installed. You can see my Edelbrock shocks. They are actually for a Chevelle, but they work just fine on this car.

[NightShifter]

I like that Caprice. There was one identical to it for sale in Havasu a while back. No cash at the time.

[SuperBuickGuy]

is the new bar made of heavier steel?

[Scott Liggett]

They weigh about the same. The ends keep on the original with the big rubber bushings allow it to flex. As I was installing it, I was thinking I could easily replace the ends with with rod ends.

[Huskinhano]

They weigh about the same. The ends keep on the original with the big rubber bushings allow it to flex. As I was installing it, I was thinking I could easily replace the ends with with rod ends.

All of the rubber bushing on the front of my 66 have been replaced with some sort of bearing, such as the LCA bushing, the spring pearch and the end of the strut rod to the frame. I can't comment on how it's going to ride but I did notice after installing slightly stiffer springs with out artificaial spring rate from the spring perch rubber bushings it seems to be softer. The guys who have done his say the car rides smoother and no noticeable increase in noise. We'll see. I just have to tighten up some bolts, but the tires back on and see where my camber is.

[Scott Liggett]

Drove the car today. Definite improvement.

[Scott Liggett]

Bought new BFG T/A's 275/60/15's for the rear as the car has been riding on the old back tires off the Impala. They were the sacrificial lambs after putting them on 15x10's and shoving them under the rear quarters. So now, I got brand spanking new ones. Holy freaking buckets, those tires have gotten expensive, $380 out the door.

Funny thing, they look taller and skinnier than the old nearly bald tires. The car also feels like it's jacked up higher in the rear from the driver's seat. They left the labels on them, they didn't make it across the street as I hammered the gas to turn left on busy Sepulveda Blvd at rush hour.

[milner351]

Everything that has petroleum in it has gone up - tires have doubled in price in the last several years it seems.

I'm wondering about that panhard bar too - it looks no beefier than the OEM, perhaps it's a thicker wall tube or uses a better steel - if you noticed an improvement - something must have changed - but visually it looks like the same part with adjustable ends.

[Scott Liggett]

Everything that has petroleum in it has gone up - tires have doubled in price in the last several years it seems.

I'm wondering about that panhard bar too - it looks no beefier than the OEM, perhaps it's a thicker wall tube or uses a better steel - if you noticed an improvement - something must have changed - but visually it looks like the same part with adjustable ends.

Definite improvement. It has the ablility to preload the side to side movement. I adjusted it about an 1/8" wider than the original. Maybe that is why it works better.

[Deaf Bob]

How were the old bushings? That will make some difference..

[Scott Liggett]

How were the old bushings? That will make some difference..

The bushings are original to the car and in good shape for their age. But the soft rubber allows them to.move around. The size of the panhard bar is really irrevalent if the bushings allow side to side movement. The much smaller and stiffer poly bushings make the difference.

This isnt a sway bar. Its thickness only needs to thick and strong enough to prevent it from bending under load.

[Scott Liggett]

Followed some advice here and took some steel wool to the rear wheels, then polished and waxed them. The steel wool took more chrome off the wheels. CRAP! Made in the USA doesn't mean quality here.

[Scott Liggett]

Took a couple new shots of the car while at Long Beach today.