First the Horn Question: I have a 1968 coupe & a FR column with FORD spline and I intend to reuse the original steering wheel, now...where the hell do I connect with that one black horn wire which comes through the cancelling cam? The original horn has contacts that no longer have power???
Now I promised I would describe how this project is going...
When I removed the wheels. I saw for the first time, really bad bushings in the spring perches. I don’t know how that was missed before. (The perch mounts to the upper control arm and the shock and spring mount to it. It had rubber sticking out, and was complete metal-to-metal on one side. That means now I have to compress the spring and deal with the upper control arm. I also will have to remove the shock. That may be a problem because the shock tower bracket has the export brace supported with the same screws, and the car may settle, misaligning the holes if they are removed.
Anyway, I called NAPA and had me pay in advance to order perches with bushings installed as a unit, for $$77. a piece. They also had a spring compressor for $90.
I later discovered that CJ Pony (for which I have a gift certificate) had the perches also.
3 Kinds! And 1/3 the price of NAPA! So I got a refund from NAPA and ordered the spring compressor, perches and upper insulators (both polyurethane) for $100 less than NAPA was. So I also ordered 1” lowering 620lb. springs. They will provide the benefits of the Shelby drop without the bumpsteer and binding issues. (The car also looks a bit higher in the front than in the back to me) The new springs as a lowering method means I also don’t have to remove the upper control arms. (my spring place “Shimfp’s” installed new upper control arm bushings back when I bought the car.)
I started by removing the seat for access. I then removed the column. While I had the column out I wired the harness and horn relay for the new column and installed the new master cylinder for the SSBC disc brake conversion. I have line wrenches. They never work on stuck lines…vicegrips! (I was replacing the lines so mangeling didn’t matter)
I had to retain the original brake light switch as the replacement I bought was for power brakes and did not fit.
I was supplied by SSBC, 3 strait 12” pieces of brake tubing with fittings attached that I am supposed to bend to fit. I discovered that the fittings on the tubing supplied by SSBC were the wrong size and I had to cut off the end, replace the fitting, and flare the end of the tubing before painstakenly bending the tubing in exchrusiatingly small increments. They look professional installed I must say, and now I can bend and run brake line anywhere, I am sure.
I will not install the brake adjustable proportioning valve in the engine bay. I will use Dan Nolan’s location suggestion: on the frame under the rear seat. I will cut 2” off the brake line, install fittings, and flare the ends.
Tomorrow I will remove the steering gearbox, linkage, and power steering. Then I’ll attempt to mount the rack and install the universals for the column-to-rack connection.
Soon the CJ Pony order will arrive and I can compress the spring and replace them, the perches, the spindles, and the shocks.
I have new upper ball joints and tie rod ends in the garage already, so they will go in then also.
So the last thing I did tonight was to install the new column and tested the lights…and…nothing worked except for the hazards.
I had heard on the forum that the supplied GM column harness connector is a POS. It allows the terminals to rotate and lose connection. So I lopped it off and spliced in the old harness I cut off the old column…and….all of my light work!! (Hooray for me!)
Gary
Now I promised I would describe how this project is going...
When I removed the wheels. I saw for the first time, really bad bushings in the spring perches. I don’t know how that was missed before. (The perch mounts to the upper control arm and the shock and spring mount to it. It had rubber sticking out, and was complete metal-to-metal on one side. That means now I have to compress the spring and deal with the upper control arm. I also will have to remove the shock. That may be a problem because the shock tower bracket has the export brace supported with the same screws, and the car may settle, misaligning the holes if they are removed.
Anyway, I called NAPA and had me pay in advance to order perches with bushings installed as a unit, for $$77. a piece. They also had a spring compressor for $90.
I later discovered that CJ Pony (for which I have a gift certificate) had the perches also.
3 Kinds! And 1/3 the price of NAPA! So I got a refund from NAPA and ordered the spring compressor, perches and upper insulators (both polyurethane) for $100 less than NAPA was. So I also ordered 1” lowering 620lb. springs. They will provide the benefits of the Shelby drop without the bumpsteer and binding issues. (The car also looks a bit higher in the front than in the back to me) The new springs as a lowering method means I also don’t have to remove the upper control arms. (my spring place “Shimfp’s” installed new upper control arm bushings back when I bought the car.)
I started by removing the seat for access. I then removed the column. While I had the column out I wired the harness and horn relay for the new column and installed the new master cylinder for the SSBC disc brake conversion. I have line wrenches. They never work on stuck lines…vicegrips! (I was replacing the lines so mangeling didn’t matter)
I had to retain the original brake light switch as the replacement I bought was for power brakes and did not fit.
I was supplied by SSBC, 3 strait 12” pieces of brake tubing with fittings attached that I am supposed to bend to fit. I discovered that the fittings on the tubing supplied by SSBC were the wrong size and I had to cut off the end, replace the fitting, and flare the end of the tubing before painstakenly bending the tubing in exchrusiatingly small increments. They look professional installed I must say, and now I can bend and run brake line anywhere, I am sure.
I will not install the brake adjustable proportioning valve in the engine bay. I will use Dan Nolan’s location suggestion: on the frame under the rear seat. I will cut 2” off the brake line, install fittings, and flare the ends.
Tomorrow I will remove the steering gearbox, linkage, and power steering. Then I’ll attempt to mount the rack and install the universals for the column-to-rack connection.
Soon the CJ Pony order will arrive and I can compress the spring and replace them, the perches, the spindles, and the shocks.
I have new upper ball joints and tie rod ends in the garage already, so they will go in then also.
So the last thing I did tonight was to install the new column and tested the lights…and…nothing worked except for the hazards.
I had heard on the forum that the supplied GM column harness connector is a POS. It allows the terminals to rotate and lose connection. So I lopped it off and spliced in the old harness I cut off the old column…and….all of my light work!! (Hooray for me!)
Gary