Great progress you are making on your project! I too try to do something each day to mine, but don't always succeed. Sometimes the doing something is ordering parts. Sometimes it is buying more paint at the store. Sometimes it is stepping into the garage and telling her I will catch you tomorrow. Anyway, keep it up. Will be following along. Don't suppose by chance you are in Iowa and an ISU fan?

 

Looking good! You're doing a great job on this. I agree with gerry72 about the advice of keeping your motivation going on the project. Many, many end up sitting and sold due to loss of interest. It sounds like your car may have ended up that way prior to you purchasing it.

Looking forward to following along.

Adam

 

Looks like you're making great progress. Here's a 72 we did a few years back. It also was a War Bonnet Yellow car.

 

She looks great, I hope that mine comes out looking just as nice.

 

I have started tearing down my trailing arms and almost have everything cleaned and blasted. I am about to order my bearing kits and parking brake kit. I was also going to order a new shim and spacer kit but I cant find anything wrong with the ones that were removed so unless anyone has any insight as to why they should be changed as well, I am going to reuse them.

 

here are a few updated pics of my current progress.

 

Looking good. I won't be too far behind you doing about the same thing! Show lots of pictures!

 

You mean you only have a total of two shims and two spacers to setup two control arms. IMO, there is a high probability that you won't be able to find a working combination for both sides. A new kit provides many more options given your new bearings. I would get two new kits (and in fact I did - for this).

Everything look neat & clean. Nice work!

 

RBrid,
lol, sorry I wasn't a little more clear. What I have are the spacers and the shims that were removed and I also have the remnants of shim packs that were used on some other cars. A friend of mine that has a 61', a 69' and an 82' did the trailing arms on them and he was kind enough to lend me his specialty tools and the shim that were left over.

 

Well today I was able to get the rest of the parts cleaned and blasted and I was also able to relocate the parking brake bracket to the top of the trailing arm. Now all I need to do is metal etch everything and get it all ready for some POR-15.

 

Once again its update time. Since my last post I have painted all of my trailing arm assembly parts with POR-15 and I have installed the bearing races into the carriers, checked my spacer shimming and run-out (.005 on both sides). I also installed new mounting bushings. I have everything waiting to be put together once my new parking brake kit comes in on Tuesday, at which point I will post pics of the completed units.

In the mean time I have also torn down my differential and will be starting the process of cleaning and inspecting parts. I will be replacing all of the bearings and replacing my stock 3.08 ring and pinion with 3.55's. I am however on the fence about replacing my posi clutch packs. Can anyone give any advice about how to inspect the clutch packs that I have for serviceability? Any input would be welcome.

 

In the mean time I have also torn down my differential and will be starting the process of cleaning and inspecting parts. I will be replacing all of the bearings and replacing my stock 3.08 ring and pinion with 3.55's. I am however on the fence about replacing my posi clutch packs. Can anyone give any advice about how to inspect the clutch packs that I have for serviceability? Any input would be welcome.[/QUOTE]

If it were me, I'd replace the clutch packs while it's apart.
Couldn't prove it by me, but my brother-in-law worked for DANA and said that clutches only last 25k miles.

 

Well I have made a little bit more progress. I have cleaned, blasted and prepped the differential case and cover. I should be able to get a couple coats of silver POR-15 on them tomorrow and start to smooth out my posi carrier. I think that I have made up my mind to go with the carbon fiber clutch packs and 400lb clutch spring and plate kit. I also think that I am going to put another coat of POR-15 on my trailing arm before I attach them to the spindle assembly. Ill be sure to post pics once everything is done.

 

Update time,
I wasn't able to meet my goal of starting to smooth out my posi carrier today, I was however able to get the two outer bearings removed. I was also a little bit upset earlier this evening when I started looking at some of the other differential parts. I was inspecting the two side yokes and it appears that there is quite a bit of wear on the ends and I only have about .070 and .105 of an inch of material from the clip groves to the ends. So I guess I will be buying a couple of new ones. On a good note I was able to get my differential case and cover painted with some silver POR-15.

 

Time for an update. I am almost finished with my differential. Its been over a month since I have started the process of rebuilding it and I can finally see the light at the end of that tunnel. I have had setback after setback. I ordered everything that I needed or what I thought I needed from Zip Corvette. New ring and pinion (3.55's) new bearing kit and seal kit, new carbon fiber clutch packs, new 400lb preload plate and springs and side yokes. Well as luck would have it the things that I needed to start the rebuild were back ordered and after a couple of weeks of waiting I called and they shipped what they had on hand (ring and pinion, bearing and seals). When I got the shipment I thought that I was getting my clutch packs too but they weren't there. So I called and due to some type of paperwork error their vendor never got the order so I canceled that order and asked that they just send me a set of the steel packs that they had in stock. Well when I got the steel packs in I realized that there were no shims with them. At this point I was getting frustrated and I called Tom at Tom's Differentials and got a set of shims from him and a week after they were ordered I was finally able to make some real progress on the differential and posi carrier. The carrier was blasted, hot tanked, and polished assembled and tuned. I then installed the ring gear and bearings. Then I went through the process of shimming the pinion and checking the gear pattern and once all of that was done, run out, back lash and preload was checked one final time. Earlier this evening I painted my side yokes with POR-15 and once they are dry I will be able to install them and the cover. So with any luck I should be able to install the differential to the frame tomorrow. Here are a few pics of the process

 

Looking REAL good. I will be following along as well. I to am doing a 72 War bonnet car.

 

Its update time. Well its been almost a year since I have started this project and I am proud to say that my girl is finally on four tires again. I am still waiting on a new composite mono spring from Vette Brakes and Products that should be here by the beginning of next month. I also need a new sending unit for the gas tank and a few more odds and ends but for the most part the rolling chassis is done and I am moving on to the engine bay and front section.

 

Nicely done, neat and clean. Keep up the nice work.
RVZIO

 

Just saw your thread, great work and progress.....enjoying the read and all of the pics...... Tom