For truck arm components without the "bling" go here! http://www.stockcarproducts.com/ Look under rear suspension, 51" long arms for less than $230. Should be plenty stout enough, come in both ball end and rubber bushed. I don't know, but would shop around, I bet you can get some deals on this stuff! How many circle track cars last for more than a year or two? I know if I ever open driveline a torque tube car this is the route I'll be taking! It closely mimics the original setup. -- Mark Price markprice242ATadelphia.net Morgantown, WV ---- "Swygert wrote: > Dave, yours is the kind of project I'd like to be working with, or at > least "supervising". I don't mean actually looking over someone's > shoulder, but like a 2.3L Pinto engine in a 54 Rambler I helped with > years ago. I went over and the owner and I talked about a few things, > and I pointed a few things out, then he called me a month later with a > few snags, we discussed on the phone, and I dropped by for a couple > hours the next weekend. Only went over there three times, talked on the > phone four or five. He did all the work. Wish I'd taken pictures!! Now > for some of your specific problems: > > 1. 304 V-8. Believe it or not, those things are hard to find, and > getting hard to find things like pistons for! My advice would be to go > with a 360 because they are easiest to find. You may not need or want > that much power, but a stock 2V 360 will have what a mildly warmed up > 304 would have. Keep the hood closed until you roast the tires or blow > someone away, THEN lift it and show a bone stock 2V 360! That 62 Classic > is lighter than it looks, and the carb will be hidden by the air filter > housing anyway. For more of a stealth look, grind all the extra fittings > and casting numbers off the iron intake, sill in extra holes with JB > Weld, and paint it with aluminum paint. I've seen that done before, > makes people really wonder what's in there. > > 2. Check out http://www.hotrodstohell.net/truckarm/truckarm_index.htm. > That will be the best overall (ease of build/install along with good > handling/ride) rear suspension. HTHT uses I beams for the arms, which > are two pieces of channel back to back. I'd use a piece of 1.5"x3" 11 > gauge (roughly 1/8") sidewall rectangular tubing for each arm. Look at > the G-body kit. That would be the easiest to adapt to your Rambler if > you prefer a kit (also look at the "Shoe Box" - 55-57 Chevy -- kit for > photos of one installed on a frame, much better idea of how it's > installed). The G-body has the springs mounted on top of the axle like > the Rambler. The G-body kit isn't listed, but all others are $1995 -- a > bit steep, with a triangulated kit from TCI running under $400. You can > buy the arms only for $220 each, and a lot of other components. I didn't > see anything that can't be made with a hack saw, welder, and ingenuity > -- and a lot less $$$ for your labor vs. theirs. Any 4x4 shop will have > the rear axle saddles. I'll be looking for someone with a car and wants > one of these after I get settled in SC (will be a couple years from > now!) who will pay for materials only so I can build one as a pattern > for making more. Depending on how you install the trans, you may need to > make a crossmember anyway. As long as the crossmember is near the end of > the trans, and the pivots for the arms are at or behind the universal > joint pivot point, you can make one for the arms and trans together. I'd > mount the engine using the existing side mounts and make a combo > crossmember myself. The front crossmember on the 62 will support the > engine, just weld on perches to match the engine mounts. The crossmember > can even be past the end of the trans with an "extension" going forward. > A couple pieces of angle iron or a piece of channel will make a make > crossmember. Since the rails run bumper to bumper on that body, make a > 1.5"x6" or so plate from 1/8" steel to go under the carpet with a pair > of bolts running down through the rail tack welded to the plate (to > prevent turning). Carriage bolts would be nice -- 1/2" because they are > grade 3 or ungraded -- you need grade 5 to use 3/8". The rounded heads > won't "bump" under the carpet much. The RACE (company name) adjustable > ladder bar kit is the next beast and easiest to install. It runs $260 > from Summit, and you can modify the existing panhard rod and mount > provided it's the same as the 63 mount (axle end bolts on to one of the > truss rod mounts). You may be able to use a diagonal bar instead of a > panhard rod or triangulated four link. This mounts one end of a bar on > the axle end of a lower link, the other end on the opposite chassis end > of a lower link. This works link with parallel four link or the ladder > bars. > > 3. I've sent a simplified line drawing of the truck arm suspension to > your account. It has the springs mounted on the arms, but shold clear > anything up the HRTH photos don't show. > > _______________________________________________ > AMC-List mailing list > AMC-List@xxxxxxxxxxxx > http://www.amc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/amc-list > > or go to http://www.amc-list.com _______________________________________________ AMC-List mailing list AMC-List@xxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.amc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/amc-list or go to http://www.amc-list.com