I checked the date codes on the tires on the GTO and they were from 1995 so I thought it might be time for new shoes so I ordered red lines from Coker and they look great against the yellow.  I also installed a new starter with the correct shim and also installed a separate relay and new #2 wiring to the starter to help with the heat soak problems that are common with GM starters and because there was no shim the new starter sounds and works perfect.

The Arizona summer is on its way and that means 115+ temps, lows in the 90’s and then the monsoon season comes with blinding sand storms and rains of 2-4″ in a few hours.

This a good time to get out of town so its off to the northwest for a few months to get my GTO ready for the Wednesday night cruise in at Portland International Raceway!

Part of the preparations for a Arizona summer means putting everything on the garage extension away inside the garage and getting the Chevelle up on the lift for the summer with the BBQ underneath and moving the Gasser project in side the air conditioned garage for a little rest.

I will pick up the project in the fall and see if I can get the front end completed and the chassis rolling and ready for the engine and transmission mock up and install

Body is back on the frame and in the garage for the summer

After I obtained the barn find engine analyzer I started looking around and I found a cherry Sun 1115 Engine Analyzer on auction from the Tuscon Unified School District and won the auction for $137 plus tax.  The unit include all probes and sensors, manuals and operational instructions, and it cleaned up really nice and fired right up when I got it to DaCave. The Sun 1115 includes a hydrocarbon analyzer, a cylinder leak down tester and a adjustable timing light that can be advanced or retarded at the light to check the distributor  advance curve vs RPM and plot it on the scope.  I did have to go to Tuscon to pick it up but a hot rod road trip is part of the hobby.

I also built a new clock for the outside of the garage area

I had the front tires mounted on the new wheels and then pressed out the old wheel studs from the rotor and pressed in new 1/2″X20X 3″ studs in both hubs and mounted the wheels without any spaces until I figure out what will fit and clear (such as the steering arms etc). Wheels look great and should give that old school vibe.

Using the 80 Pontiac Firebird rotors the caliper was not quite high enough to clear the king pin forging on the axle.  The rotor was 11″ so I looked around for a rotor with the same bolt pattern (5X4.75″) rotor thickness, offset etc and came up with a wilwood 13″ that I will try when it comes in.

After removing the drum brakes and backing plate I did some searching around and although there is not a kit for converting the front axles to disks for the 1966 Chevy Vans I was able to find some rotors and calipers from a 1980 Pontiac Firebird that fit the hubs without any modifications and it looks like I should be able to fabricate the caliper mounts using a set from Speedway Motors for the 7″ center to center bolts on the caliper with matching 7/16X20 thread pattern.

The caliper mounts will bolt inside the calipers using the slide pins that will bolt to the mounts and should provide areas to weld attachment steel to the spindle.  I will tack weld it all together and take to my welder, Ron White, for finish tig welds or I may have him bring his portable mig rig to my garage and finish weld the front frame extensions and front leaf spring mounts

I will need to find the right clocking and spacing for the calipers and double check clearances for steering arms and tie rods etc before I commit to any welding.  My idea is to use the Speedway Motor caliber mounts as a starting point and fabricate solid mounts to the spindle using 1/2″ bar stock and 3/16″ plates for ties to the 4 points on the spindle where the drum brake backing plates and steering arms attached.

I ordered the front wheels and tires from Speedway Motors and Coker Tires.

The wheels are Rocket Racing Launcher Series in a gray painted center with polished outer rim.  The wheels are 10 spoke Gasser style 15″ rim that are 4 1/2″ wide  with a          5 X 4.75 bolt pattern to match the front axle hubs.

The tires are Firestone F560 Blackwall Radial 145R15 for 4-5″ rims.

I stripped off the drum brakes from the front axle and pulled the hubs off along with the steering arms and cross link bar.  I also removed the steering stabilizer shock and the hubs from the spindle.

I ordered a Pontiac Firebird Disk Rotor, Caliper and pads from Autozone to mock up how the caliper mounting bracket will need to be fabricated because no kits or upgrade packages are made for the 1966 G10 Chevy Van front suspension that I am going to try and use.  I may have to have the hub machined for the rotor, I will take the rotor with me to Autozone when I pick up the items I ordered and see if it will work or will need to be cut down.

I am ready to move on to the front including but not limited to the I beam axle, leaf springs, steering, front brake conversion to disk, brake hoses, shocks, 12 spoke 18″ front wheels and tires etc.

I started by laying out the front axle center location based on a 112″ standard wheel base.  I temporarily hung the new front frame rails and then checked the leaf spring layout and mounting points.  The spring hangers will need some fabrication work but it looks like it will all fit.

I was planning to add the frame rails using fish plates and butt welds but I am considering installing the new rails under the existing frame with about a 12″ overlap.  This should provide enough welding area for a strong connection and it will also raise the front end for that old school gasser look.  I will leave the new frame rails long until I have the engine and radiator mount locations identified and I might leave some rail out front for the Moon Gas Tank and tow bar mounts to add to the look

I will also need to fabricate front disk brake caliber mounts and use 1980 Pontiac Firebird rotors and calibers and a 1969 Corvette master cylinder.  The brake caliber mounts will be made from 1/2″ solid bar stock and tabs to tie into the old drum brake backing plate mounts on the spindle.

This what the mock up looks like as a first pass.  Once I have confirmed that the brake rotors will mount up and that original hub will fit I will start a search for the wheels and tires.  The front wheel and tires that I would like to use are the Radir 12 spokes but they are spindle mounts and I will need to find a 5X 4 3/4 bolt pattern that is not to wide to keep the front tire skinny.

I found this old school engine analyzer for my old school engine.  Before computers and multiple engine sensors and electronic controls  tune up shops used engine analyzers that were the laptops of the day.

This one had been a garage for 15 years and although some of the wiring is questionable all of the pick up and sensors are present and it has the original operating and wiring manual.  It is heavy but on wheels and should be a good visual addition even if I never get it working.