"Christmas" comes early for Biomedtechguy...

[biomedtechguy]

Well the parts came in as an "early Christmas present" but I haven't made any progress on installing any of them...
Busy with work, but that is going well.
The good news I just got today is my wife proclaimed that I can schedule appointments to get all of the goodies installed on both of our cars. Now I'm not sure just how close to "all" I'm going to get when she realizes what that's going to cost, but I'm starting with the Wilwood brakes, Borgeson box I still need to buy but is lined up, and the front suspension, and I guess the GTO can get the Dakota Digital gauges, Vintage Air AC and the TKO600 5 speed. Round 2, if we make it that far, will be swapping into the GTO the new rear axle housing from Quick Performance to correct the mistake they made on the one that's in it now, and I'm taking that opportunity to convert the GTO rear to coilovers. At that time, maybe I can get my chrome moly driveshaft ordered and installed, the HD braced aluminum Dana 60 diff cover I bought from a forum member installed, and Hydramax hydraulic throwout bearing installed. I have to get the HitMaster launch control system, and if I have to upgrade the current street/strip clutch disc and pressure plate, I'll see if I can do that (I hope the ones I have are at least worth trying). Both would get the new Cold Case radiators and Wraptor serpentine systems installed in the process, and I have Dakota Digital gauges and a Vintage Air AC system too.
I'll follow up, but at least I'm getting some financial help from the Mrs...

 

[themechanic]

I see you have been on the "nice" list this year.

Also, you can buy a lot for what you saved not going the EFI route. I think that someone made that point a few times in other threads but you have the parts to prove it.

 

[biomedtechguy]

Well, with my "prolific posting" I wasn't sure where to post this update, but since this thread had all my "goodies" (I've added more since I started this thread) listed, I figured here would be a good place.
I got pix from the shop owner who is doing the work on my 70 Roadrunner, and his latest area of work is...
The QA1 K-member and front suspension components!! (all QA1 except for the UCAs which are SPC)
In these pictures I can see the QA1 tubular K-member and Borgeson power steering box, and although I haven't had any problems with my existing motor mounts, I bought a pair of the Mity Mounts that have "travel limiting" bolts inside them, similar to the home made solution that some people have described using.

 

[watermelon]

^^^ that is going to be a tight feeling ride

enjoy!


watermelon

 

[biomedtechguy]

that is going to be a tight feeling ride

Thanks. I'm not sure if you know, but I have had the USCT subframe connectors, front and rear torque boxes, and front spring hanger reinforcement plates installed, and Calvert split mono leaf springs and triple adjustable Xtreme Street rear Viking shocks installed, and already have double adjustable front Viking shocks.
Did that mainly for drag strip and engine power preparation, but I use my car mostly for cruising.

 

[747mopar]

That's going to be one sweet riding RR!!

 

[biomedtechguy]

Thanks. I'll likely try a launch or 3 with the QA1 front sway bar attached, and see if I can hook like that. If I have to disconnect it for the 1320 though, I will. My understanding is the front sway bar prevents lift, and that is detrimental to weight transfer to the rear?
I chose the "more aggressive" Xtreme Street Viking Warrior triple adjustable rear shocks because with the manual transmission and the brutal power output I expect from the 541 stroker that's in the works, I figure I need all of the help and flexibility for chassis tuning I can get WITHOUT going into the weeds, and having so MANY adjustments I'd never figure out the right combination.
If the 541 lifts the front end, I'd expect BOTH tires to lift, vs the driver's side tire only, like on the cars that have body and frame twist. Lifting the tires is cool, but spider webbing the windshield, not so much.

 

[biomedtechguy]

More front suspension parts installed!!
(I'm really getting excited! )
Remember, ALL front suspension components are being replaced (except for the tie rods and steering links) the tie rod sleeves are included as well. The only part that is not QA1 are the SPC upper control arms.
Check out the progress!

 

[biomedtechguy]

More joy and happiness!!

SPC UCAs, stock OEM drum spindles that a fellow citizen of the Mopar Nation sent me (my mechanic says they look new) and various other front suspension parts are installed..
Along with my SIX PISTON Wilwood front disc brakes!
(I'm so happy...)

 

[biomedtechguy]

Well, I was reluctant to spend $100 on a billet aluminum hydraulic clutch bearing reservoir, but now that this fine looking Wilwood master cylinder is in place, that white plastic crap has got to go!
Line lock mounted, and adjustable proportioning valve is integrated into the MC plumbing. Satin black billet aluminum hydraulic clutch bearing reservoir is on its way!

 

[Markzx14]

DAAAMN that is what's up. Very nice. What you have done is almost exactly what I've been saving up to do. I was going to build a 440 stroker but changed my mind so I swapped blocks for a 400 and kept my crank. So, it's going to get a procharged 451. I've got 2 inch dropped spindles and bigger torsion bars. I'm gonna run disc brakes but nothing as nice as you've got. I'm fixing to put my car on the rotisserie. It needs new everything. Plus it's a 69 that is going to be wearing 70 clothes. So when I say everything I mean everything. I wish I woulda just bought a 70.

 

[biomedtechguy]

So I went to the shop to bring the black billet aluminum hydraulic throwout bearing reservoir and I get to "check out progress"
One thing that I'm happy about is the elimination of a "string of adapters".
I had pointed it out when he had sent me pictures, and he didn't "like" it either but said it was a neccessary thing. Well I guess that stuck in his mind because he "discovered" some 90° fittings that allowed for a MUCH cleaner installation of the initial lines coming off of the Wilwood master cylinder.
BEFORE:

AFTER:

Now the white plastic reservoir will be replaced with this:

AND I won't have an "adapter LOG" either.
The Strange chromoly driveshaft and slip yoke assembly with the 1350 solid U-joints is in, PLUS he noticed a missing anchor bolt in the 12 o'clock position of the Mancini driveshaft safety loop. He welded a stud to the transmission tunnel and put an 8 point nut on it to hold the loop at that point.
Great attention to detail and not having to be told or asked to fix or improve things that are not part of the primary installation?? YES! THAT is another reason why I like this shop owner to do the work on our classic cars!!

 

[Markzx14]

When I saw your user name and all those nice *** parts I think I'll call u Walter White. Instead of the drug dealer knocking on the door it should be the roadrunner rumbling in the driveway

 

[biomedtechguy]

When I saw your user name and all those nice *** parts I think I'll call u Walter White. Instead of the drug dealer knocking on the door it should be the roadrunner rumbling in the driveway

So as to not "get it twisted", I had the Dakota Digital VHX gauges for 3+years, the QA1 front suspension for 2 years this November...
Normally I would have to wait to either make a big payday on a big job and not have that money already spoken for, or put it aside which is almost impossible.
What allowed this to happen was the parts I compiled over the course of appx 3 years, the wife telling me that she was OK with putting some of the stuff ($10K worth) we bought from the 2 vendors at Cruisin the Coast last October on their last day when they were cutting deals that they won't even duplicate for ME now, so best prices possible ever, and being able to get her to agree to cover $4K of the $9K in labor I have agreed to pay for the work being done to my Roadrunner, which is a little less than half of our 2018 tax refund. She thinks I'm paying $2K cash and $4K on the credit card, but I'm actually paying $5K cash and $4K on the CC.
Yeah, most of the "boxes are checked off" now, but it took just the right combination of events to make that happen.

 

[Markzx14]

So as to not "get it twisted", I had the Dakota Digital VHX gauges for 3+years, the QA1 front suspension for 2 years this November...
Normally I would have to wait to either make a big payday on a big job and not have that money already spoken for, or put it aside which is almost impossible.
What allowed this to happen was the parts I compiled over the course of appx 3 years, the wife telling me that she was OK with putting some of the stuff ($10K worth) we bought from the 2 vendors at Cruisin the Coast last October on their last day when they were cutting deals that they won't even duplicate for ME now, so best prices possible ever, and being able to get her to agree to cover $4K of the $9K in labor I have agreed to pay for the work being done to my Roadrunner, which is a little less than half of our 2018 tax refund. She thinks I'm paying $2K cash and $4K on the credit card, but I'm actually paying $5K cash and $4K on the CC.
Yeah, most of the "boxes are checked off" now, but it took just the right combination of events to make that happen

So as to not "get it twisted", I had the Dakota Digital VHX gauges for 3+years, the QA1 front suspension for 2 years this November...
Normally I would have to wait to either make a big payday on a big job and not have that money already spoken for, or put it aside which is almost impossible.
What allowed this to happen was the parts I compiled over the course of appx 3 years, the wife telling me that she was OK with putting some of the stuff ($10K worth) we bought from the 2 vendors at Cruisin the Coast last October on their last day when they were cutting deals that they won't even duplicate for ME now, so best prices possible ever, and being able to get her to agree to cover $4K of the $9K in labor I have agreed to pay for the work being done to my Roadrunner, which is a little less than half of our 2018 tax refund. She thinks I'm paying $2K cash and $4K on the credit card, but I'm actually paying $5K cash and $4K on the CC.
Yeah, most of the "boxes are checked off" now, but it took just the right combination of events to make that happen.

you ain't gotta explain nothing to me bud. I was just kidding not hating. Every time I start saving up I end up getting something else. Heck I spent 10k on a damn lawnmower a couple weeks ago and I only mow my yard. I'm that guy who says if I'm gonna pay 5k on a mower and no more but then my neurotic(it really is I have to get MRI all the time) mind starts justifying this and that I normally get the best or close to it of anything.

 

[biomedtechguy]

That's a miss on the form your reply took, but the substance is right on.
You wrote:

you ain't gotta explain nothing to me bud. I was just kidding not hating. Every time I start saving up I end up getting something else. Heck I spent 10k on a damn lawnmower a couple weeks ago and I only mow my yard. I'm that guy who says if I'm gonna pay 5k on a mower and no more but then my neurotic(it really is I have to get MRI all the time) mind starts justifying this and that I normally get the best or close to it of anything.

I hear ya! I didn't think you were "hatin' on me" and I really appreciate your replies and kudos, that means a lot, I don't mind saying!
I think my first posts may have been trying to get help decoding my fender tag? I know I was here in 2015...
Anyway, I post like I think sometimes, very detailed, which can be tedious to the audience, BUT I'm grateful that my Mopar forum family seems to be patient with me, and certainly has been helpful!
It's funny for me to read some of my old posts...things I was "certain" I was going to do, like a triangulated RMS or Gerst rear suspension. I even got encouragement in private messages from guys who went that route, and I saw Detroit Muscle use the RMS setup on their B-Body project car "Hard Charger", which really turned out great. Funny thing related to that car, if you have watched the Detroit Muscle shows that covered the purchase of that Charger and the subsequent build up, after they did the basic "road worthiness" work on it, they drove it to The Wellborn Museum for a show. I just happened to park right next to it, so my Roadrunner got some "TV fame" just from being parked next to their Charger, and the film crew used a scene where I was driving out of the parking lot as fill footage!
Anyway, there are some serious Mopar superstars on this forum, with decades of first hand experience, and they are happy to share their knowledge.
As far as how much I spend on stuff for the Roadrunner, for me, it has to do with wanting to get the most out of the investment, because my Roadrunner and my wife's GTO are the main players in the precious little free time we have, so I want that time spent to return on the investment, because if something breaks or doesn't perform as expected, we may have to wait an entire YEAR to "get another chance" to enjoy that activity, and for me, having already had to say my last goodbye to 3 friends my age in the last 3 years, it's all too clear to me that "Well there's always next year" is a fool's lamentation.
I'm pretty pissed off right now from having turned over my wife's GTO to a "highly recommended" mechanic, and after 6 some odd weeks and $5K in labor which is about $2K more than I expected, he says "Car is ready" and it ran hot and ran out of gas on what should have been a 40 minute ride home. The running out of gas part was from 2 crappy wire terminations of the fuel gauge connection on the Dakota Digital block, where a few errant strands of wire touched each other, and that made the gauge read 1/4 tank when it was empty.
The running hot issue is still something we are troubleshooting, and to his credit, he's come by to help and will again, but that isn't the same as making sure it's RIGHT before you collect your money and make the "It's ready, come get it" call.
She just couldn't wait for the guy doing the work on my Roadrunner to finish though, so that's what she gets. It's my responsibility though (of course ) to get it right, and in the meantime I have to hear the bitching...

 

[Markzx14]

That's a miss on the form your reply took, but the substance is right on.
You wrote:

I hear ya! I didn't think you were "hatin' on me" and I really appreciate your replies and kudos, that means a lot, I don't mind saying!
I think my first posts may have been trying to get help decoding my fender tag? I know I was here in 2015...
Anyway, I post like I think sometimes, very detailed, which can be tedious to the audience, BUT I'm grateful that my Mopar forum family seems to be patient with me, and certainly has been helpful!
It's funny for me to read some of my old posts...things I was "certain" I was going to do, like a triangulated RMS or Gerst rear suspension. I even got encouragement in private messages from guys who went that route, and I saw Detroit Muscle use the RMS setup on their B-Body project car "Hard Charger", which really turned out great. Funny thing related to that car, if you have watched the Detroit Muscle shows that covered the purchase of that Charger and the subsequent build up, after they did the basic "road worthiness" work on it, they drove it to The Wellborn Museum for a show. I just happened to park right next to it, so my Roadrunner got some "TV fame" just from being parked next to their Charger, and the film crew used a scene where I was driving out of the parking lot as fill footage!
Anyway, there are some serious Mopar superstars on this forum, with decades of first hand experience, and they are happy to share their knowledge.
As far as how much I spend on stuff for the Roadrunner, for me, it has to do with wanting to get the most out of the investment, because my Roadrunner and my wife's GTO are the main players in the precious little free time we have, so I want that time spent to return on the investment, because if something breaks or doesn't perform as expected, we may have to wait an entire YEAR to "get another chance" to enjoy that activity, and for me, having already had to say my last goodbye to 3 friends my age in the last 3 years, it's all too clear to me that "Well there's always next year" is a fool's lamentation.
I'm pretty pissed off right now from having turned over my wife's GTO to a "highly recommended" mechanic, and after 6 some odd weeks and $5K in labor which is about $2K more than I expected, he says "Car is ready" and it ran hot and ran out of gas on what should have been a 40 minute ride home. The running out of gas part was from 2 crappy wire terminations of the fuel gauge connection on the Dakota Digital block, where a few errant strands of wire touched each other, and that made the gauge read 1/4 tank when it was empty.
The running hot issue is still something we are troubleshooting, and to his credit, he's come by to help and will again, but that isn't the same as making sure it's RIGHT before you collect your money and make the "It's ready, come get it" call.
She just couldn't wait for the guy doing the work on my Roadrunner to finish though, so that's what she gets. It's my responsibility though (of course ) to get it right, and in the meantime I have to hear the bitching...

My wife's really chill about my spending she never says no just tells me to wait. She keeps up with all the bills as I have that brain disease (it's called neurosarcoidosis and it can be a nightmare. Some days I'm fine and others I can't walk or talk hardly. If I text the same thing a couple times it's cause I can't remember what I just did). see how I just started rambling. Maybe that's God's way for getting me because of how I talked about my stupid mother in law lol. I found me a 70 roadrunner roller yesterday that has new floors and quarters. So that's gonna be great since I want have to deal with that 69. I read that you have the passion transmission, I think I'm going to get my 727 built a run a gearvendors overdrive. I heard some horror stories about the tko 5 speed. My infinity has the 6 speed and I wad considering going with a manual but the 6 speed is geared like a tractor down low and I don't think a big v8 needs all that. I think that gearvendors will be cool especially if I wire it all up nice and neat. Oh yeah your emojis have me rolling how do you get those?

 

[Markzx14]

That's cool as **** your car got tv time

 

[biomedtechguy]

Oh yeah your emojis have me rolling how do you get those?

They're built in to the forum.
See screenshots.

 

[Markzx14]

Thanks