Torqued Off

After a 4-1/2 year body off restoration, I now have about 1000 miles on the car since last week of June. I have following observations, adding that I only drove the car one summer in its original condition:

- With all new brake lines and hoses, and new master cylinder, I did NOT bench bleed the master cylinder, and used MityVac plus gravity bleeding, and while the pedal is NOT solid like my 2015 F150, I believe it is as solid as it should be, and braking action is great. Myth busted!

- I am getting an annoying grinding / pulsing noise coming from behind me when driving, mostly noticeable as I slow down, and goes away with brakes....although, it would given the car is no longer moving. I don't know what it is, but the rear hubs are brand new / rebuilt, all new Spicer solid U-joints and overhauled differential....don't know what it is. I have adjusted the parking brake, and cannot isolate where the noise is coming from. I have jacked it and spun rear tires by hand, and cannot hear a thing.

- As previously posted, my engine is awesome, especially when you get on it.

- I just installed a new temp gage to replace original that had pegged to the right, put a new printed circuit board in, and my clock came to life on its own! Bonus.

- I have a Dewitts aluminum radiator, and the temp gage doesn't exceed 160 degrees...so I need to use a laser temp sensor and see what it is really doing??

- My fuel gage was bouncing around, so I put a new one in, and now it doesn't.

- Despite a newly rebuilt steering box by a vendor, a new NOS rag joint, and a completely rebuilt steering column, I still feel the steering has play and will be sending to Gary Ramadie this winter....but maybe I just expect too much out of the system....its not rack and pinion. I just wish it was tighter. Newly rebuilt power steering valve, but am I expecting too much to expect that a small movement of the steering wheel results in movement of the car?? IN other words, is there a certain amount of freeplay that is just how it is in these cars?

- The 4 speed manual T-10 is crude and sloppy, and with 3:55 rear end, the RPMS run higher than by DD, but I wouldn't change it. I love the character of it.

- I will be happy to post some good pictures once I take the time to take them.....I put lots of hard hours and dollars, and rebuilt or replaced every piece of this car....mostly myself, and have to say I am proud of it, and it feels good. For me, it was all worth it. Now, I will drive it.....alot.

Metalhead140

Congrats! I also liked the t10 in my car, it was mostly concern about how it would hold up behind my new engine that has led me to install a Tremec. My steering was sloppy when I bought the car, but with new tie rods, idler arm, rag joint and Borgeson box there is no slop whatsoever, and it steers and responds as well as any car (though it still doesn't have the feedback/feel of my old, manual rack and pinion equipped, MG Midget - I plan to put in a u-joint instead of thread joint at some point to see if that helps). Keep us updated!

Rescue Rogers

Check Wilcox site for steering box adjustment. My 68 is really tight, not much play at all. Do you have rear speakers? If so disconnect them just incase its feedback coming through them. Sounds stupid but a buzz isnt a description of sound I would associate with a mechanically sound. Can you put it on jacks and run it in gear to see if you can get the noise. Does the noise increase or decrease with speed? You say it goes away with breaking? The parking brake is seperate and wouldnt be affected by the normal brakes. Did you put on wider tires than stock with new rims. You might have a tire rub on a brake line possibly. Slightly touching might be a buzz then goes away when you hit the brakes and it might flex the rubber brake line a little.

Good luck, keep us updated

oldgto

I just saw something very similar the other day on the Velocity channel. Fantom Motor Works was re-doing an older Vette, with the same complaint. They found it was a retaining clip for the parking brake cable was rubbing the rim. IIRC they trimmed the clip somehow.
No idea if this has anything to do with what you`re getting, and if it is, it may not be there when the car is jacked up?

Torqued Off

I will check that out, but if it is that, there should definitely be some evidence, i.e. marking, wear, etc. Thanks for the idea. I would love to make it stop.

74 LS4-454

Had a similar problem with my 82, installed new u-joint, but had this annoying noise coming from the rear of the car at slow and moderate speeds. Couldn't figure out what it could be......until I thought about the new tires I had just purchased. Not realizing that when the tires were balanced, they used stick on weights on the inside of the rims. Nothing wrong with that, except the weights were 3 high in some places and in the position they were placed, they were kissing the calipers on occasion on both rear wheels. Took it back, got them rebalanced, no more stacking the stick on weights, noise gone.....
Not saying this is your problem, but you never know......
Good luck....and only noticed with weight on the suspension.