cleaning off the dust

TINY · Guru

RE: cleaning off the dust

BBB-66-SD · Veteran Member

TINY wrote:

Where you from?

Tri - cities B.C. is home for the last 10 years.

68sd · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

would you like to add it to our registry?

http://canadianponcho.activeboard.com/index.spark?aBID=118110&p=3&topicID=27761937

03cts sport · Uber Guru

30 plus posts to this thread in less than 6 hours. Yeah, I'd say the group appreciates the mods...

pontorquer · Poncho Master!

Welcome ! Great looking race car, Love the body style !

BBB-66-SD · Veteran Member

pontorquer wrote:

Welcome ! Great looking race car, Love the body style !

Thankyou, Lol , I have yet to make it out to the track in this . Mission Friday night street drags are only 1/2 hr from here. Its built safe enough to avoid getting sent home by the track officials. It's been a lack of time thing and now having to rebuild the rear suspension . I am aiming to post up some time slips on the forum next year. wink

-- Edited by BBB-66-SD on Saturday 5th of December 2009 12:57:02 AM

lueger68 · Poncho Master!

HI warm welcome from Delta not far from you. I would love to give you a run in my 68 Beaumont 377 Stoker friday nights at mission are great hope to see you around!!
Kevin

87 player bird · Poncho Master!

BBB-66-SD wrote:

TINY wrote:

Where you from?

Tri - cities B.C. is home for the last 10 years.

I had the green 69 gto rag hammering around surrey about 6 years ago.

lueger68 · Poncho Master!

I never ran into you with my Beaumont on my cruises up and down King George. Did that for a while looking for something too run, had alot of brown mustang's you know what I mean!!

BBB-66-SD · Veteran Member

lueger68 wrote:

I never ran into you with my Beaumont on my cruises up and down King George. Did that for a while looking for something too run, had alot of brown mustang's you know what I mean!!

I will probably have it ready for some 'cruising' next year . I am glad I live fairly close to the track, due to the fact that its hard to resist mashing the throttle on the street. Big Buicks are fairly loud running through 3" pipes and magnaflow mufflers. biggrin

At the right time of evening it's alot of fun, but getting caught in the lower mainland daily traffic is not for me .

invader wagon · Addicted!

Welcome! Pro Street is alive and wll in Canada.

rabbit64cs · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Trust me ,, it hooks!! It moves your instant center, therfore the weight transfer is better. The only comparison I can make is years ago, I drove a friends 66 chevelle wt 427 m22 and 488 gears it had bags in the coils. It was insane, but the thing wouldn't idle ,you had to side step the clutch at the lights and make sure you 5 car lengths of clear road.
The trailing arm set up is good for cornering too.
Do some research, it's worth looking at

later... Rog

-- Edited by rabbit64cs on Saturday 5th of December 2009 04:26:45 PM

beaumontwagon · Guru

Very sweet car.I love it.I also have two tubbers,a 69 firebird and a 65 beaumont wagon.In my opinion,you should keep the ladder bar setup and just fix it for simplicity sake.If it has been cracking, sounds like theres preload in the suspension,there shouldnt be,or bad welding.To check preload fairly easily,park on a level serface,with weight of a driver on the seat and you should be able to remove either front ladderbar bolt,without too much work.I ve had ladder bars in my bird for 11 years and never had any cracks ,and I have done alot of street driving and strip racing.

rabbit64cs · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

not to high jack this thread...BUT, Beaumonwagon , what is the story with your car?? it looks great , and I notice the vista roof?? If the details are in an old post,, please direct me !!

great dyno pull and day at that track ,,by the way !! smokin !!

later...rog

BBB-66-SD · Veteran Member

beaumontwagon wrote:

Very sweet car.I love it.I also have two tubbers,a 69 firebird and a 65 beaumont wagon.In my opinion,you should keep the ladder bar setup and just fix it for simplicity sake.If it has been cracking, sounds like theres preload in the suspension,there shouldnt be,or bad welding.To check preload fairly easily,park on a level serface,with weight of a driver on the seat and you should be able to remove either front ladderbar bolt,without too much work.I ve had ladder bars in my bird for 11 years and never had any cracks ,and I have done alot of street driving and strip racing.

Your wagon is awesome! Looks like a grocery getter until you hear it, and notice the big meats under the back.

You are right about the preload in my suspension, as I remember not spending alot of time setting it up. I was always in a hurry to go out and drive it.

From what I have read at the chassis websites ,there are alot ways to set up a 4link that do not work, but few ways that work really well. Ladder bars only have a couple ways that don't work , so finding the way that works well is simpler. The ride quality would probably be nicer with 4 link though as it allows the axle to articulate more like a stock type suspension. I won't be driving the car daily though.

beaumontwagon · Guru

Thanks guys.Well the wagon was tubbed and had the roof added in about '82. I just redid the whole car over the last couple years,interior,quarters,paint ,motor ,and trans.It has a mild 454,hyd. roller,180 shot of N2o.th 400 2500 stall,430 gears.Its a super fun car ,and runs 12.60s on motor and 11.50s on nitrous.The best part is I tow the Bird to the track with it.When my Firebird ran 10's it really didnt matter where the ladder bars were adjusted,they worked perfect from the very first pass on the track,and I think they would also work fine at any of the adjustment points on the front mount,even with the power now,theres 5 of them.Ladder bars by nature are very hard hitting on the tire,with a short intersect point,compared to a 4 link,whick will hit the tire softer but sort of keep it planted more farther down track.I dont think youl notice any difference other than like you said the 4 link drives softer.By the way did I mention I love your Beaumont?!

BBB-66-SD · Veteran Member

Its been a while since I've posted here. I bought a welder and a pile of parts from http://www.cachassisworks.com/ . I was busy earlier this year! biggrin

I went with a eurethane prostreet 4-link and a 2x3 cross member , and an entire fab 9 housing with Strange enterprises center section , axles , and a Truetrac posi. . I also pieced together a rear disc brake set up off a Ford Explorer , with Lokar stainless parking brake cables. The parking brake works ! I sold the old rear end and only re- used the gear set. I sold the 15x 12 rear wheels and bought a used set of 15x 10 Welds smile

.

I didn't have to cut into the floor , I only had to ball peen massage the floor 1/2" to fit the 4 link brackets. I fabbed up a custom sway bar mount to utilize a front sway bar out of an Audi A4 , and mounted it to rear of the Beaumont. I managed to rebuild my mandrel exhaust so the mufflers are tucked way up under the trunk with rear dumps. Sounds good!!

I switched from bias tires to radial all the way around . 165 80r 15 skinnies on the front ,and 325 50 -15 Mickey Thompson ET street drag radials on the rear .

I will post some more pics soon.

The long and short of it, the car rides like a Cadillac now , and I ran consistent 12:40's @107mph on the motor. Next season is a 100 shot of N2O wink

-- Edited by BBB-66-SD on Saturday 18th of September 2010 09:30:54 PM

The Big Kahuna · Addicted!

This car is so cool.

Keep the updates coming on your rebuild.

BBB-66-SD · Veteran Member

Thanks ! I was drooling over this piece of metal art when I got it home. Its only a few hundred bucks more than getting a shop to narrow an OEM housing. It's overkill for my car but I like it

-- Edited by BBB-66-SD on Sunday 19th of September 2010 03:33:34 AM

ZAPPER68 · Addicted!

BBB-66-SD wrote:

Maybey this 4 link kit would fit under the floor. http://autoweldchassis.com/Big8.ivnu

I sse you are living in BC...Dale Gerry in Kelowna does chassis as good as Morrison. I was at his shop in Kelowna yesterday and he has some very interesting projects on the go. I don't know where in BC you are, but if you have the chance give Dale a call and check out his work. You won't be dissapointed.....guaranteed. his web site is www.dalegerry.com

ZAPPER

beaumontwagon · Guru

Looks like youve been buisy....nice work.Way to go making the narrower swaybar work,I was thinking of what would work on the back of my wagon if I needed to add one,never thought of a smaller sportscar.Keep us posted.

03cts sport · Uber Guru

BBB-66-SD wrote:

Its been a while since I've posted here. I bought a welder and a pile of parts from http://www.cachassisworks.com/ . I was busy earlier this year!
I went with a eurethane prostreet 4-link and a 2x3 cross member , and an entire fab 9 housing with Strange enterprises center section , axles , and a Truetrac posi. . I also pieced together a rear disc brake set up off a Ford Explorer , with Lokar stainless parking brake cables. The parking brake works ! I sold the old rear end and only re- used the gear set. I sold the 15x 12 rear wheels and bought a used set of 15x 10 Welds .
I didn't have to cut into the floor , I only had to ball peen massage the floor 1/2" to fit the 4 link brackets. I fabbed up a custom sway bar mount to utilize a front sway bar out of an Audi A4 , and mounted it to rear of the Beaumont. I managed to rebuild my mandrel exhaust so the mufflers are tucked way up under the trunk with rear dumps. Sounds good!!
I switched from bias tires to radial all the way around . 165 80r 15 skinnies on the front ,and 325 50 -15 Mickey Thompson ET street drag radials on the rear .
I will post some more pics soon.
The long and short of it, the car rides like a Cadillac now , and I ran consistent 12:40's @107mph on the motor. Next season is a 100 shot of N2O

-- Edited by BBB-66-SD on Saturday 18th of September 2010 09:30:54 PM

A Beaumont that runs mid 12's and rides like a Cadillac...does it get any better than that! Thanks for the update...

(And those gauges look great.)

-- Edited by 03cts sport on Sunday 19th of September 2010 09:52:52 AM

BBB-66-SD · Veteran Member

The new Grant classic 15" steering wheel with the original Beaumont horn cap.

The other horn cap is the Grant one that came with the #989 wheel.

-- Edited by BBB-66-SD on Friday 13th of April 2012 02:57:00 PM

BBB-66-SD · Veteran Member

Thanks, the nice thing about the union on the hose , is that it allows room for adjustment. The jeep shaft fits in there really nice. I am looking forward to trying this steering upgrade out . Other guys say it's one of the best mods they've done.

-- Edited by BBB-66-SD on Friday 13th of April 2012 06:59:46 PM

BBB-66-SD · Veteran Member

One of the latest upgrades is this Flaming River tilt column . Its a 30" with a 1" DD shaft . To save some money , I am using a $20 Jeep Cherokee steering shaft . I heated the shaft with a propane torch to melt the inner plastic retainers , and then separate the two halves. Its a collapsible shaft by design , and it has a rubber isolator at one end and two U-joints. As a bonus ,the U-joint allows more room at the steering box input in case I install an LS engine, and the steering will be less sloppy then a rag joint.

I also bolted in a $40 Grand Cherokee steering box , for quicker ratio steering.

The picture shows the 1/16" deep relief I filed into the 1" DD end of the new column , to allow the U-joint bolt to pass through and lock the steering shaft to the column. The Jeep steering shaft length is good , no trimming required. The picture shows 1/2 the shaft after I separated and painted it.

I am making my own harness for the 4 -way flashers to save an addition $80, as you can see by the butt connectors.

The column and floor plate are nice pieces. The column housing is stainless. I sanded it and clear coated it, and for an extra $100 you can get it in powder coated black , but I decided to go this route for now