So if anyone remembers I bought this 76 back in October and so far I have done quite a bit to her. Picked up some nice parts this weekend, Borgeson kit, aluminum radiator, full interior, duck lip rear bumper, full brake kit, and some other odds and ends.

She now sports a rebuilt numbers engine with some performance upgrades. KB Pistons, Eagle crank rods, ARP fasteners, custom grind roller cam, lifters, rockers, aluminum heads, Ebrock aluminum water pump, Ebrock roller timing chain, performer carb and intake, hooker headers with full stainless magnaflow exhaust system, davis billet distributor and dress up goodies. This alone made the engine bay 10 times better than when I got it.

The wiring on the car when I got it was a rats nest. I have went through almost every section and rebuilt it where I could. The radiator didn't have the tranny lines hooked into it and I suspect it is due to a leak so I ordered a nice Aluminum racing radiator for it this weekend. Should help out quite a bit in the cooling department.

The interior was a complete train wreck. Every piece of interior was either glued together, busted up, epoxied or duct taped. So I ordered NOS replacement parts where I could, repop on what I couldn't find NOS, and used where I found good deals. Outside of the dash pad and seats the entire interior has been replaced or rebuilt. I took the column out and went through it. I fixed alot of issues and I can now start it via the ignition that was previously broke. However after I put it all back together I still have a 1/2 inch of up/down movement when the column is full tilted up or full down. If I leave the tilt in the center it's not bad, maybe 1/4" movement. It's noticeable but not as bad as the full inch I had before rebuild. I was hoping I could have gotten rid of all the slack but this will have to do until I have time to yank it back apart or get a new column.

I also tore apart my tach and the board was melted in several places. So I soldered jumper wires where the breaks in the metal laminate on the board and put it all back together and bam, tach works like a charm and only cost me a few bucks for solder. Alot of the parts I picked up where not black so I had to dye most of everything I have bought, well used parts that is.

The borgeson kit ran me 670.00 shipped but at least now I will be able to get rid of the 3" side to side slop I have in the steering not to mention the constant leaks from the steering control valve. Is there anything major I need to watch out for when I install this it or is it pretty much straight forward bolt on? From what I read my hooker headers should be fine as others mentioned to have plenty of clearance with that particular brand of header. I am pretty stoked about getting this on as It will allow me to drive the car again.

I also want to swap the hood out to a 77+. I know the hood is the same size and will fit but that the brackets are different. Is there any way I can easily modify a 77+ hood to fit the 76 easily? As in can I just move the brackets or bolt them into a new position or? If it requires major work I will just look for a replacement 76 in good shape. My current hood is ok shape but the previous owner had molded on a 3" lift on top of the lifted scoop that was already on the 76. So it looks bad from inside the car. On the outside it just looks like a high rise scoop but on the inside you can see the hood under the other scoop so it looks like a double scoop. They did a good job installing it I would just prefer a stocker if it's all the same.

Last but not least, when I swap my bumper out to the 80-82 flex bumper from Wilcox will I need to watch out for anything or will it be a direct bolt on minus some possible size and alignment issues? I would like to get a 80-82 front bumper as well if it's a straight bolt on like the rear. Any help to my questions is appreciated.

I'll get some pictures up momentarily for anyone who likes to look at before and after stuff.

 

I had little problems installing the Borgeson steering box. I did have to pull the column and set it up on blocks to break the shafts free from 30+ years of rust to get it to collapse enough for the rag joint connection.
My install page

 

soak everything in PB Blaster overnight, do the steering shaft adjustment before installing the borg box, the instructions include the measurements, disconnect the battery , center the steering wheel and use a bungee cord around the steering wheel to keep it from spinning, loosely attach the hoses to the power steering pump before you attach them to the borg, everything else is nuts and bolts.

 

Yea collapsing the column is not an issue as it moves in and out freely when I installed the new OEM rag joint last month. Everything else should pop right off with a little PB Blaster and some heat if need be. Pretty excited to get the kit and get it on. I almost regretted buying the car when I drove it home the steering was that bad. 3" of side to side play mixed in with hitting the brakes the car went off the road...yea it's a disaster.

So it looks like I ended up buying(won the bid) an entire column on Ebay. The seller claims absolutly no play or slop any where in the column on tilt or otherwise. So I am just going to freshen it up and install it when I do the borgeson swap.

Thanks for the Link RedWing it will come in handy, some good info in there.