Ron 73
Deceased, But not forgotton
Sounds like a lot of Mopar fun, Hope you have as much fun as it sounds!!! Enjoy...
My 1967 Belvedere Convertible Plans and Restoration (aka - Mad Scientist Build)
- Thread starter conv67bdere
- Start date
Got the concrete work done . . . and I'm dripping to prove it . . .
Got the last of the concrete done tonight, as I was a bag short the other night I attempted it.
Oh, great story . . . was at the local home supply store and they had only (2) bags of Portland cement left, and both bags were ripped open . . . so the I asked the sales man if he could put them in the paper bags that I've seen them re-package tore open bags. He said he could but needed an extra set of hands - so I helped. Got both of them bagged up, but nicked my arm on the pallet and was bleeding. Normally the bags of Portland ( 94# bags ) run about $11.00/bag . . .
the salesman grabbed his marker and wrote $1.00 on each bag ! ! !
Couldn't pass that up !
Here's the completed concrete work . . .
This is not structural, so I'm not worried about the double pour that I had to do . . . it's just holding a dirt retaining wall . . . turned out pretty nice !
- - - Updated - - -
Will do RoadRunnerMan . . . I'll tell him . . .
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Ron - you say . . . have fUN ? ?
Let's see, a "bad to the bone completed MOPAR", 747 Mopar, talking cars, narrowing a rear end, Summit Racing visit, crusing, car shows . . . NAHH, we're not going to have "FUN", we're going to have an out-and-out- BLAST ! ! !
I'm so looking forward to it . . . got the day off work Friday to drive up there . . . Whooohooooo ! ! !
Got the last of the concrete done tonight, as I was a bag short the other night I attempted it.
Oh, great story . . . was at the local home supply store and they had only (2) bags of Portland cement left, and both bags were ripped open . . . so the I asked the sales man if he could put them in the paper bags that I've seen them re-package tore open bags. He said he could but needed an extra set of hands - so I helped. Got both of them bagged up, but nicked my arm on the pallet and was bleeding. Normally the bags of Portland ( 94# bags ) run about $11.00/bag . . .
the salesman grabbed his marker and wrote $1.00 on each bag ! ! !
Couldn't pass that up !
Here's the completed concrete work . . .
This is not structural, so I'm not worried about the double pour that I had to do . . . it's just holding a dirt retaining wall . . . turned out pretty nice !
- - - Updated - - -
Will do RoadRunnerMan . . . I'll tell him . . .
- - - Updated - - -
Ron - you say . . . have fUN ? ?
Let's see, a "bad to the bone completed MOPAR", 747 Mopar, talking cars, narrowing a rear end, Summit Racing visit, crusing, car shows . . . NAHH, we're not going to have "FUN", we're going to have an out-and-out- BLAST ! ! !
I'm so looking forward to it . . . got the day off work Friday to drive up there . . . Whooohooooo ! ! !
Propwash
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Have a good trip Kahn. You cat's stay outta trouble.
kb67mopar
Well-Known Member
Where is the fun in that!?
LOL KB67 . . . is this what you're thinking ? ? ?
A friend bails you out of jail . . .
A good friend is sitting next to you in the jail cell saying wasn't that a blast ! ! !
kb67mopar
Well-Known Member
Wasn't quite thinking go so far as to end up in the clink. But a little mischief can be a good time. Hah I have a few stories from back in the day that luckly didn't end up with the clink...
Ron 73
Deceased, But not forgotton
I bet we all have some of those story's, Some gives me the willies considering just how close i came a couple times, I may have been bold at the ripe age of 16 but did some stupid things LOL. Don't ask, I said stupid and maybe someone is still looking for me!!!
Narrowing the 8 3/4 Mopar rear end . . . here's how we did it . . .
The plan for the weekend was get together, get some shop time, get some car time, drive the Charger, and anything else that we could get into . . . and it was a great weekend ( only thing, it was too short ).
The weekend was a complete success . . . this is what we've got to show you ( we put a fork in it - it's done )
Here is the jigs that 747 Mopar created to help us get the rear end narrowed properly, and aligned correctly . . .
I've got a bunch of pictures that I need to get organized and documented on the this thread
I'll try and get the pictures loaded up as soon as possible - I'm trying to get caught up from missing 3 days at home . . .
Oh - need to share this picture with you . . . the final result - an original housing and the narrowed housing . . .
You can see the jigs set out for their pictures in the background . . . trying to get all this documented ( 2 very long nights . . . but we got it done )
. . . but the end results of the weekend ( outside from having an absolute blast )
was a total success of the narrowing process . . .
The plan for the weekend was get together, get some shop time, get some car time, drive the Charger, and anything else that we could get into . . . and it was a great weekend ( only thing, it was too short ).
The weekend was a complete success . . . this is what we've got to show you ( we put a fork in it - it's done )
Here is the jigs that 747 Mopar created to help us get the rear end narrowed properly, and aligned correctly . . .
I've got a bunch of pictures that I need to get organized and documented on the this thread
I'll try and get the pictures loaded up as soon as possible - I'm trying to get caught up from missing 3 days at home . . .
Oh - need to share this picture with you . . . the final result - an original housing and the narrowed housing . . .
You can see the jigs set out for their pictures in the background . . . trying to get all this documented ( 2 very long nights . . . but we got it done )
. . . but the end results of the weekend ( outside from having an absolute blast )
was a total success of the narrowing process . . .
Last edited:
kb67mopar
Well-Known Member
Nice job there! What is the plan for the axle shafts?
HYRDGOON
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Awesome work Fellas! Both of you!
First - the thought process on getting it narrowed . . .
747 Mopar had the "plan", and already had all of the pieces made by the time I was able to get there . . . and his plan worked great.
Here's how the "plan" was suppose to work - here's all the pieces . . .
View attachment 198997
Then we took one of his spare carriers, and the plastic bushing got mounted into it as follows:
The 1 15/16" steel rod was to help ensure that the rod did not "bend" and give us untrue readings.
The metal alignment parts with the handles allowed up to move them and make sure there wasn't undue pressure on the alignment parts.
The plan - measure 27 times,
cut once,
cut the required section out,
use alignment tool to re-align parts,
then weld them back into place.
We'd slide the alignment tools in the end and check the fit - testing for a pretty smooth twist of the tool.
Now I'll work on more detailed description of how the whole thing went down . . . I'll get it posted soon.
747 Mopar had the "plan", and already had all of the pieces made by the time I was able to get there . . . and his plan worked great.
Here's how the "plan" was suppose to work - here's all the pieces . . .
View attachment 198997
Then we took one of his spare carriers, and the plastic bushing got mounted into it as follows:
The 1 15/16" steel rod was to help ensure that the rod did not "bend" and give us untrue readings.
The metal alignment parts with the handles allowed up to move them and make sure there wasn't undue pressure on the alignment parts.
The plan - measure 27 times,
cut once,
cut the required section out,
use alignment tool to re-align parts,
then weld them back into place.
We'd slide the alignment tools in the end and check the fit - testing for a pretty smooth twist of the tool.
Now I'll work on more detailed description of how the whole thing went down . . . I'll get it posted soon.
Narrowing the rear end . . . all the gory details . . . well, most of them . . .
What a weekend . . . and the "gremlins" were with us as well . . . nothing EVER seems to go as planned.
First, we start with the axle . . .and then we strip down the breaks . . .
Drained the differential fluid out - and remove the entire pig assembly
Next, we had a "design meeting" to try and figure the best place to put the weld and decided,
- from the spring perch out was NOT a good option,
- inside the spring perch was a much better option,
- but we decided the spring perch straddling the weld would add additional strength to the weld . . . so that was our direction.
We then found that one of the cuts was going to be under the existing spring perch, so we cut half of it out of the way ( we left half of it to help with mounting the new spring perches later ).
In addition, we placed a piece of angle iron on the axle to draw a straight line on the axle for re-alignment purposes.
The spring relocation moved the springs in 4", but we were only moving the axle in 3".
We measured in 4 inches from the center of the existing perch, and this is where we want to cut the axle housing . . .
One we had the mark on the housing, it was time to put it in the band saw and cut it . . .
No turning back now - this is only the first cut, we still have another cut to remove the 3" piece that we are narrowing the axle.
The entire axle with both of the first cuts completed . . . set on the floor for display - then we cut the 3" piece off both of the end pieces.
This is where the alignment tool comes into play - the outside pieces are reassembled using the alignment tool and the 1 15/16" steel rod a a guide.
The alignment tool fits into the end of the axle, where the bearing goes, and hold it it the proper orientation - and square to each other.
The ends were ground to V-grooves for welding . . .
Then we welded up one side ( 747 mig welded this - my turkey dropping welds weren't going to hold - LOL ).
Then the other side got welded the same way - both sides we aligned the marks on the axles to keep them square. ( ok, this one could have been left out )
Then the remaining gaps in the weld were welded up till they were filled, then ground back down to be level . . .
And this is now ready to attach the new spring perch . . .
guess what I didn't get a picture of ( it was 1 AM - sorry )
- - - Updated - - -
Just got in from the shop after setting the narrowed axle in place to see how it looks . . .
SWEET ! ! !
Then a picture of a "proper" carrier . . .
And one of our gremlins . . . this is what we found in the Belvedere carrier - it's been WELDED in place.
But it's not a POSI rear end - so this one is going to be replaced . . .
We had ONE more BIG GREMLIN . . . I'll get it posted up soon . . .
What a weekend . . . and the "gremlins" were with us as well . . . nothing EVER seems to go as planned.
First, we start with the axle . . .and then we strip down the breaks . . .
Drained the differential fluid out - and remove the entire pig assembly
Next, we had a "design meeting" to try and figure the best place to put the weld and decided,
- from the spring perch out was NOT a good option,
- inside the spring perch was a much better option,
- but we decided the spring perch straddling the weld would add additional strength to the weld . . . so that was our direction.
We then found that one of the cuts was going to be under the existing spring perch, so we cut half of it out of the way ( we left half of it to help with mounting the new spring perches later ).
In addition, we placed a piece of angle iron on the axle to draw a straight line on the axle for re-alignment purposes.
The spring relocation moved the springs in 4", but we were only moving the axle in 3".
We measured in 4 inches from the center of the existing perch, and this is where we want to cut the axle housing . . .
One we had the mark on the housing, it was time to put it in the band saw and cut it . . .
No turning back now - this is only the first cut, we still have another cut to remove the 3" piece that we are narrowing the axle.
The entire axle with both of the first cuts completed . . . set on the floor for display - then we cut the 3" piece off both of the end pieces.
This is where the alignment tool comes into play - the outside pieces are reassembled using the alignment tool and the 1 15/16" steel rod a a guide.
The alignment tool fits into the end of the axle, where the bearing goes, and hold it it the proper orientation - and square to each other.
The ends were ground to V-grooves for welding . . .
Then we welded up one side ( 747 mig welded this - my turkey dropping welds weren't going to hold - LOL ).
Then the other side got welded the same way - both sides we aligned the marks on the axles to keep them square. ( ok, this one could have been left out )
Then the remaining gaps in the weld were welded up till they were filled, then ground back down to be level . . .
And this is now ready to attach the new spring perch . . .
guess what I didn't get a picture of ( it was 1 AM - sorry )
- - - Updated - - -
Just got in from the shop after setting the narrowed axle in place to see how it looks . . .
SWEET ! ! !
Then a picture of a "proper" carrier . . .
And one of our gremlins . . . this is what we found in the Belvedere carrier - it's been WELDED in place.
But it's not a POSI rear end - so this one is going to be replaced . . .
We had ONE more BIG GREMLIN . . . I'll get it posted up soon . . .
usaroadrunner
Well-Known Member
very nice kahn, you an 747 did a real nice job on that. nice pics an how to also. do i see some wilwoods in the future...lol
Propwash
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Nice job fella's!!!
No one like's gremlins hanging around....Good luck ridding of them Kahn
No one like's gremlins hanging around....Good luck ridding of them Kahn
Ron 73
Deceased, But not forgotton
Impressing is the word here bud, Ive thought of different things but doing this kind of work is out of my league! Very good work and that was super 747 helping you and it does look great!
Hey there KB67 . . . the plan was to go with Strange Engineering, but after a call into them, they have limited Mopar applications and can't help me out.
Dutchman - had a great call with them today, and they look like they're a potential supplier - got to get me some very accurate measurements ! !
Also got Moser and Mitchell in the list and will probably try and call them to see how they pan out . . .
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Why . . . thanks H2E . . .
Yeah - the internet brings us together as friends but the distance throws a wrench into the works . . . we'll figure something out ! !
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Thanks GOON . . . we worked together as a great team . . . can't wait to go back up next month for the Nats ! ! ! !
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Thnaks USA RoadRunner . . . you've seen how I like to document, glad it helps out.
Wilwoods ? ?
With the deep dish wheels, and discs, the brake dust would be a real mess - thinking of sticking with drums since they'll be sunk in so much you might not even see them !
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Thanks Prop . . . Just like your Charger Curse, Guess I've got the Belvedere Burden ? ? ?
Think we got this one fixed . . . and now know how it got there.
Trying to get to it and get it documented here on the thread . . .
- - - Updated - - -
Thanks Ron . . . cars / shop time / car shows / car talk / design talks with 747 made for a great weekend ( we had a blast ).
Herr_Poopschitz
Well-Known Member
Great job guys.
Amazing what can be done w/ the right tools...
Amazing what can be done w/ the right tools...
The good, the plan, and now the ugly . . .
Well, I've given the details of the "good" that resulted from the weekend, and the plan of attack, so now it's time to tell you all the details of the "UGLY"
After cleaning up all the dirt and oil on the housing, and actually getting to see metal for the first time in years, we noticed that there were a number of "marks" on the front and back edges of the driver's side housing. We could not figure out "what" was the cause of these marks nor "why" they would be there . . .
Things went great, except for having to stop and think through "where" and "how" we were going to cut the housing - but that turned out to be a pretty much agreed upon decision. So the housing got cut, we had the steel rod positioned in the carrier and the end pieces ( now 3" shorter ) were slid back into place - the passenger side of the housing looked great - then we attempted the driver side - we we're so lucky.
Pictures . . . we we're so focused on the mis-alignment, I forgot to take any pictures of this "error". Sorry !
The driver side of the housing was good on the top and the bottom alignment, however, the front to back alignment was off by at least 1/4". The steel rod was much closer to the front of the housing, then the back of the housing ? ? Which caused us both to scratch our heads . . . we were able to get the housing into the 20 Ton press and get it "mostly" moved back into place, and then used the torch to heat the housing and get it to "move" back into position. We got both sides aligned very well, welded up, fill welded and some initial grinding - all with the alignment right on track. Then we welded the spring perches onto the housing . . . and the alignment was then off by about 1/8" for both sides. So - back to the heat on the housing ( in the right location ) and let it cool naturally, and we got it all back in alignment !
How did the housing get bent . . .
After all my talking to axle suppliers, it appears that the driver side axle is "typically" the one that will break, and it was explained to me that even though the tires are tied together through the axle, the driver side of the car "grabs" harder then the passenger side. Being that this was 383 car, and probably had a good bit of power, the car was driven hard and didn't break the axle, but bent it.
This also helps me to understand why the car was difficult to push, and why the breaks were sometimes locking up on me.
With that said - I think the plan is to go back to the alignment tool - add rear bracing to the axle, and make sure it's still square . . . that's the plan !
Well, I've given the details of the "good" that resulted from the weekend, and the plan of attack, so now it's time to tell you all the details of the "UGLY"
After cleaning up all the dirt and oil on the housing, and actually getting to see metal for the first time in years, we noticed that there were a number of "marks" on the front and back edges of the driver's side housing. We could not figure out "what" was the cause of these marks nor "why" they would be there . . .
Things went great, except for having to stop and think through "where" and "how" we were going to cut the housing - but that turned out to be a pretty much agreed upon decision. So the housing got cut, we had the steel rod positioned in the carrier and the end pieces ( now 3" shorter ) were slid back into place - the passenger side of the housing looked great - then we attempted the driver side - we we're so lucky.
Pictures . . . we we're so focused on the mis-alignment, I forgot to take any pictures of this "error". Sorry !
The driver side of the housing was good on the top and the bottom alignment, however, the front to back alignment was off by at least 1/4". The steel rod was much closer to the front of the housing, then the back of the housing ? ? Which caused us both to scratch our heads . . . we were able to get the housing into the 20 Ton press and get it "mostly" moved back into place, and then used the torch to heat the housing and get it to "move" back into position. We got both sides aligned very well, welded up, fill welded and some initial grinding - all with the alignment right on track. Then we welded the spring perches onto the housing . . . and the alignment was then off by about 1/8" for both sides. So - back to the heat on the housing ( in the right location ) and let it cool naturally, and we got it all back in alignment !
How did the housing get bent . . .
After all my talking to axle suppliers, it appears that the driver side axle is "typically" the one that will break, and it was explained to me that even though the tires are tied together through the axle, the driver side of the car "grabs" harder then the passenger side. Being that this was 383 car, and probably had a good bit of power, the car was driven hard and didn't break the axle, but bent it.
This also helps me to understand why the car was difficult to push, and why the breaks were sometimes locking up on me.
With that said - I think the plan is to go back to the alignment tool - add rear bracing to the axle, and make sure it's still square . . . that's the plan !
carnalsupply
Well-Known Member
I guess the only question I have, and sorry if it's been asked before, is, do you EVER sleep?
I bought my 9" housing at the width I needed but I still need to add some bracing for the Watts Link pivot and I've been concerned about the "warping" caused by the welding, though I'm hoping most of the heat will be concentrated on the case as opposed to the axle tubes.
I bought my 9" housing at the width I needed but I still need to add some bracing for the Watts Link pivot and I've been concerned about the "warping" caused by the welding, though I'm hoping most of the heat will be concentrated on the case as opposed to the axle tubes.
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