Odometer @ 93,685
Stiffler's D/S safet loop no-go
This piece is very nice and I thought it would work with my Stiffler's T56 crossmember. Actually, it doesn't bolt to that, but wedges between the transmission mount and the transmission on the top side. This thing is cool because you don't have to drill or pull carpet to mount to the floor board, and it's install would tlhave taken 20 minutes. It would work nicely, if not for the fact that I chose to install my wideband O2 sensor in the way. So, this one is a no-go for Black Jack. Guess I'll have to get the floor board mounted version.
A/C recharge
It's that time of year again. We've had a couple 90+ degree days, already. Black Jack's black interior and light tint are not doing me any favors. Also, the a/c system was only getting down to like 60*. Worst of all, the blower just doesn't move air like it used to. I really think that last part is the biggest culprit. I suspect a leak somewhere behind the dash, and while I want to tear it down and ensure everything is well-sealed, I have nightmare flashbacks of when I tore down Father Time's dash and couldn't muster the motivation to put it back together. So, I just recharged the R134, got gauge temps down between 40-50*, and I'm gonna see if fox resto out in charlotte might be interested in doing the hvac box sealing for me.
Koni rear DA shocks (8042-1121 Sport) installed
As mentioned in one of the last posts, I was so impressed with the front Konis that I bit the bullet & ordered rear double-adjustables, as well. They were ~$370/ea.
They replaced Lakewood 40301 shocks, which are ~$100 50/50 drag shocks. It was time. They were no longer doing their job, and were making noise. I didn't notice any leakage, but the mounting rubber was pretty rough, and the driver side's shaft was loose & rattled.
Initial settings were clearly softer than the Lakewoods, and induced more body roll and too much softness, making the rear too rolie-polie. Adding another click of compression back there helped more than I expected. Turn-in is nicer than before, body-roll/laziness are pretty decent, & so far as I can tell balance seems alright, but I'll know more on auto-x day when I can safely keep it near the limit in transitions and hopefully a sweeper.
Talking things through with my dumb-but-smarter-than-this-newb coach, ChatGPT, I'm trying to maintain or improve Black Jack's balance. So, while I have the front at 1/2.75 (36%) on rebound, and 2/12 on compression, I set the rear to 0.75/2.25 (33%) on rebound, and 3/12 on compression. Theoretically, the slightly softer rebound should allow weight to transfer forward more freely, as the inside rear extends easily and outside rear resists extension slightly more than the front.
s n giggles, since I temporarily swapped the driver's seat over from Grover, I went ahead and put it side by side with Grover's Recaro SE. No wonder! The angle, combined with the fact that the Recaro's bitt padding buckets in below the outer portion of the seat, makes it tough to see the actual measurement, but even with a STANDARD height corbeau bracket, the butt pad is 5.5-5.75" from the rear floor mounting surface, whereas the Corbeau is more like 7" from a LOW-PROFILE Corbeau bracket's mounting point.
