65 Skylark - Nailhead tribute restoration

[Dlmwtvl]

Hello,
I am in the middle of my 65 Skylark restoration.
Here are some pictures of my progress.
I am replacing the 8.2" rear diff with an 8.5" from a 72 Skylark.
I am going to update the front, to disc brakes. I am going to replace the control arms and spindles.
I want to use the conventional coil springs with adjustable shocks.
I want to match the control arms with a tall spindle to correct the caster, camber gain, and bump steer.
I also want to replace the steering box, and the steering wheel. It just takes too many turns of the wheel to steer the car!!
I would appreciate any input on part selection/combinations.
I have been looking at many manufacturers. Some low buck options from EBAY, all the way up to a few thousand with a brand name.
I want well made parts that do what I want, but, I don't want to pay more than I have to.
Sincerely,
David148929148930

[Paraman1]

I went with a UMI stage 4 setup and Corvette Z51 brakes from KORE3 on my 1964 El Camino. I highly recommend both companies. Excellent support from initial research to help choose the right systems clear through installation.

I bought my steering box from a guy in California , Hector at CarHex , who rebuilds old ones and changes the gearing so that its just over 3 turns lock to lock.

[skylark guy]

The car looks great! I'll be watching this one.

[1989GTA]

I also have a 65 Skylark so I will be following your thread. As to the gearbox I went with the mid 90s Jeep Grand Cherokee gear box. The hose fitting are metric but that is no big deal as the parts for that are readily available. Looks like you already have a big tubular sway bar in the front. I also put a 1" sway bar on the rear plus upgraded the traction arms and couple of other things.

[tim222]

Very nice looking starting point!

Are you planning on narrowing the '72 diff to the '65 width?

I'm putting the UMI suspension parts on my 64 Skylark, they seem well constructed and they include options for the tall ball joints.

[Dlmwtvl]

I believe it is only an inch wider.
I am upsizing to the 15 inch rally wheels anyway.
I can order them with custom back spacing a lot cheaper than narrowing the diff.
I have looked at the UMI product. they seem well made. It just seems the companies are making a killing on these control arms...
I saw some Scorpion control arms on EBAY for $325.00 for the whole set.
Someone must have tried them...
Also been watching Southside Machine tall spindles for about half of the price of the big guys.....

[DualQuadDave]

Love it! Are you keeping the Nailhead? Hope so, if you do, ht me up. I build custom Nailheads, ported heads, custom cams, custom forged pistons, etc. The car is perfect, the red int w/ black is as good as it gets. FYI, my opinion on the GB steering box is not firm enough. I have installed a couple and was not happy with the firmness. Ratio is good, just too loose in my opinion.

[Dlmwtvl]

Yes, I am getting ready to assemble the 401 Nailhead. Also putting in a ST400 trans.
I went with an offset ground crank, with 6.800" bbc rods. Diamond, custom forged pistons with 0.030" offset pins.
TA-25 camshaft. I ported and polished the heads. Set static compression to 10.25:1
Thank you for your compliments on my car. The black with red is what I have always wanted.
I wanted a GS, but couldn't find what I wanted. So, I am making my own version. No GS badges or anything.
What steering box, and ratio, do you recommend?
Do you have any recommendations on front control arms, tall spindles, or disc brakes??
I am glad to meet another Buick friend.
Sincerely,

[64G-lark]

Nice looking car David. I will be watching for updates. Welcome to the site.

[DualQuadDave]

The cam is a mistake, not your fault, TA has been selling crap Nailhead speed parts for a long time. The rest sounds great. What intake are you running? If you are still in the build phase, PM me and I will spec you out a cam/spring/pushrod combo that works. As far as steering box, there is a lot of personal preference, but I like them tight and fast(remind me of something else I like...). I like the "feel" of an AGR box, but quality is crap. I would probably go with a Lee quick ratio stock box or something similar. 12:1 and mid-high effort. Front arms/brakes, either Spohn, Global West, or BMR-all are good. What size wheel are you running? That will determine brakes. PM me and will give you my contact info. Take care and have a great one!

[Dlmwtvl]

Okay, I just got logged in and read your reply.
What is your take on the TA25 Cam?? I believe it is a Crower stick ground to TA specs.
I am anxious to hear your opinion on a good cam. I have found options to be limited...
I just got my pistons, so I am gearing up to assemble.
As far as the box, I want a direct bolt in unit with a quicker ratio than stock.
I have been kicking around the idea of 18/20 inch wheels, but I really want to stay with the stock rally wheel.
So, 15x7 on front and 15x8 on the rear.
The intake is the stock 4 barrel intake. I also looked into the stock dual quad setup, but, it seemed like there wasn't enough hp/torque gain to justify the expense. Plus, I want to drive this car, a lot.. I haven't bought the carb yet, but, was planning on the Edelbrock 800 cfm AVS.
Thank you for your help so far!!

[DualQuadDave]

I replied to your PM, best to call me regarding the cam for your Nail, lots of input goes into figuring best cam for the car. Short story on the rest is:

I have a used AGR box I can sell cheap if you just want to try it. It was leaking slightly, but still functioned ok. So far, it's had the best "feel" of any box I have tried, but I am getting ready to drop $$$ on a custom Lee box for my Riviera, same ratio/firmness.

If you go big on the wheels, stay 18's all around. Early A Bodies are a little difficult with the fitment and a some sidewall height is good thing. To me, anything more than 1in size difference front/rear looks like a mistake. Only a few cars can pull it off.

Go with 800 E-brock AFB. AVS not necessary, AFB is plenty fine. Might consider an FITECH set-up. I have a customer in AZ running a dual quad Nailhead with dual FITECH's and runs hard.