1970 Pontiac Lemans Update

[john31s]

Okay, here this goes.

I bought the car when I was 15, and since then I have been doing simple stuff. Its a 1970 Pontiac Lemans with a P350, 2bbl, 350 trans, & 8.2 10 bolt. Its a real nice, original car with only 38,000 original miles so I'm going to cut it up. Last fall I began to work towards a pro-touring car, but things have been moving slow. Its hard to get stuff done on the budget of a high school student, and it won't get any easier next year when I go to college, so it will be slow going. I hope to turn my old Pontiac into a reliable daily-driver to use at college, I'm not going to make a street-fighter or a big money car, just a competent street car.

Here is the suspension plan:

UMI front upper control arms w/ 1/2 inch tall ball joints & delrin bushings
UMI front lower control arms w/ delrin bushings
UMI rear upper & lower control arms w/ roto joints & adjustable
UMI drive shaft loop
UMI rear control arm braces
Lee 670 steering box
re-valved power steering pump
new Lee rage joint
lower it a bit (not sure yet how much)
hotchkis sway bars front & rear (already in car)


Here is the drive train plan:


aluminum radiator w/ electric fans
convert 2 bbl carb to 4 bbl (already have in boxes, just need to put in car)
swap original 2.78 gears of something a little more fun
put shift kit in the trans
2.5 stainless steel exhaust (already done)


As far as the interior goes, its all their and pretty much all original. I pulled the original bench (made a sweet couch) and put in some scat pro car seats. I replaced the speedo because it was the only gauge which didn't work, but now all the other gauges decide to stop so they will get completely replace with some new ones. It also needs a console, so I'll make one and put a floor-shifter on it. Its currently a column-shift, and the wiring in the steering column is funky so ill just replace it with a new one. I also want to put down some form of sound deading, maybe dynamat?

Here is what I have some questions on:

brakes: everyone here loves kore 3 so I've been looking at their stuff, but i have heard good things about the CPP big brake kit
steering column: flaming river or ididit?
wheels: this is where it gets tricky, I would love wheels like NewGen lite III's (ones on vengeance) but they cost a lot. I also like the Year One 17inch Rally II's and their cheap. Any other wheel suggestions? How wide can I go with rubber on a stock frame up front and out back? (I'm thinking 275 out back but I'm not sure what to do in the front)
I also need a smaller steering wheel, any suggestions?




Here are a few photos of what I'm working with:
586125818358184581855818658187



Unfortunately major updates will be few and far between, but I'm still moving forward.

That should be it for now, thanks for looking.

John

[Compaan-Designs]

Nice and original Le Mans you got there!
It's pretty rare to see such an old car with only 38K miles.

[LeighP]

Any of the repro Formula factory steering wheels would look nice, and they feel good. Lecarra does a Formula looking wheel but in leather...very nice!
I have the Year One 17x9 Honeycombs...they are a really nicely made wheel....so I'm betting the Rally II 17's would be the same...great value and would really look right on your car....as would the Honeycombs.
Personal suggestion....don't lower it any while you're using it as a daily driver...its low enough as it is for regular use...think speed humps and driveway entries etc. The suspension work to make it handle is a great plan.
For brakes....I've heard good stuff about Kore3...if you want to go budget on the back, try a Master Power Brakes conversion kit for 11" drums....complete bolt on B body big finned drums, cheaper than a disc conversion and would match larger front discs nicely.

Its great that it looks good...detail up the paint, get some good quality wax on there like a couple of coats of Meguiers etc. Don't get tempted to go crazy on the outside...doesn't need it, looks great the way it is....save the tight budget for mechanical/suspension and interior stuff.

Good luck with it!

[Roadbuster]

For a column, go with a factory column. They made that car with a floor shifter, so they can be found. (My family had a 70 lemans for years. I wish I had gotten it when I was 15!) Another reason for the factory column is that it is collapsable. In the event of an accident the column is designed to slide forward if your body hits it. At the same time the steering shaft is designed to collapse in an accident. Get yourself some morris 3 point belts as well. This will make the car safer for a daily driver and they bolt in.

[UMI Performance]

Awesome car... I am huge Leman's fan. We are redoing a 1972 now to use for some testing, auto cross and show.

Enjoy and thanks for including us in your project!

[john31s]

Ryan when is UMI bringing back the 15% off sale? I missed it last year and I'm hoping ones coming up soon.

[UMI Performance]

Hello John, Unfortunately you won't see any sales or promotions until mid summer sometime. This time of the year is prime season so we have trouble keeping up with orders as it is, everyone is trying to get their car ready right now!

If you decide to go with one of our suspension kits listed on our site they have a 10% off savings built into them.

I hope that helps,
Ryan

[john31s]

Ok I've ordered the 17 inch Rally II's. Now I need to decide on tires. Currently I have BFG Radial T/A's which are 225/70 r14s. These are 26.5 inch tall and I want the new tires to be around this size. I have narrowed my tire choice to Nitto 555, I just need to pick a size. 255/45 r17 which are 25.94 inches tall or 255/50 r17 which are 27.09 inches tall. Any opinions? Both are around half an inch off the current size so it probably won't make a difference. I just want another opinion.

[Zyman]

I am running 17x9 rims with the NITTO 555; 255-45 Front and 285-40 Rear on a 1970 Firebird Formula. If you are alright with not being able to rotate them, then I think the wider tire on the rear of the LeMans with its wide rear quarters would look great. The 15" stock rims and tires were about 26" tall on the 1970 Formula and TA, I bet the LeMans was similar.

[john31s]

Do you think a 285/40 r17 tire would fit under the rear of a Lemans without any rubbing

[Mingus]

Do you think a 285/40 r17 tire would fit under the rear of a Lemans without any rubbing

With the right wheel backspacing they should fit no problem. The wifes' LeMans has 275/40/17 and I have 285/40/17 on the rear of my Cutlass. They both have 245/45/17 on the front. I think I could (barely) fit 315 tires on my car if I had the exact right backspacing.

[john31s]

The wheels have 5 inch back spacing (I'm 90% sure). Would that fit?

[andrewb70]

Do you think a 285/40 r17 tire would fit under the rear of a Lemans without any rubbing

Yes, easily. I run a 295/40-18 on a 18x10.5 wheel with 6.25" of backspacing. I do have the fender lip rolled slightly, but that is mostly to give it a soft edge in case it does rub, which it never has.

Andrew

[john31s]

Ok but would it fit on a 17x9 wheel with 5 inch spacing? I don't want to have to use spacers on the rear.

[andrewb70]

Ok but would it fit on a 17x9 wheel with 5 inch spacing? I don't want to have to use spacers on the rear.

I don't see why not. But hopefully someone else will chime in that knows for sure. I can only tell you what I have on my car and how it works.

Andrew

[john31s]

Okay, a quick update:

Today i got the wheels and I think the look awesome. I pulled a front and back wheel to make sure there would be no rubbing issues and it looks all good. I've ordered Nitto 555's so I'll post pictures of them when they are mounted on the car.

5861358614

[LeighP]

Outstanding....those YO Rally IIs are going to become a Pontiac "classic" wheel choice!

[acegto]

Wanna see that with tires on...good looking ride.

[john31s]

Here are so photos of the wheels on the car:59149

I can't drive it yet because the wheels studs are too short. The new cast aluminum wheels are a lot thicker, and the lug nut does not get enough engagement. Year One says they will work with stock studs, but I have no faith in them. I'll order new studs and press them in this coming week. The car needs to be lowered around an inch in the front and the back looks about the right height. I know I planned on not spending money on the body until the suspension/brakes were done but that fell through. I went to Carlisle and came home with a new rear bumper (The pictures make i look good but its shot along with the front) and various other chrome bits. I also bought a new front bumper (almost impossible to find) so I had to buy it when I found it. After the wheels studs are sorted out I want to completely gut the front and rear suspension and step up to big brakes and all new control arms etc. That could be a while off because I'm getting low on funds and I don't start work for another month.

More updates to come.

[srh3trinity]

Those look great!

[CruizinKev]

very nice! :twothumbs

[LeighP]

Yeah, those Rally IIs really work on the car!!!!

[gtalum01]

That is just a super clean ride

[sr73bu]

Those wheels are the perfect choice for that car! Looks great!

Nice to see some NJ guys on here too!

-Sean

[Nemesis RR]

Can you post a side shot. What size tire did you end up with?

[john31s]

Nemesis: Their 255/45/r17 on the front and 285/40/r17 on the back. That gives me a 25.94 inch tall tire both front and back so I'm pleased. It just needs to be lowered now.

59370

I got the new studs and cut them down at my friend's dad's machine shop. They will be in tomorrow so I can finally start driving it again.

[Andrew McBride]

Looks awesome! Love those wheels.

[john31s]

So I finally got the car back together last night. Today I was driving around and it was going good so I decided to head down to a car show at my school. This was a mistake, because on the way down on I-280 I turned off my brain and chased down a Ferrari F430. While doing this a little red light on the dash came on, and then the radiator cap blew. I rolled off the highway, parked it for an hour until it cooled enough to fill it back up (I thought this might happen so I had two full containers of antifreeze). Drove home with my pride broken. So I ordered basically every part of the cooling system because it was all orginal so I was going to gut it eventually.

[67gtonut]

Where is NJ are you?

Rockaway here.....

[john31s]

I'm from Kinnelon.

[67gtonut]

Cool, local.....

Catch you at some local cruise nights....

[ponchopwr70]

That's a clean lemans, I really like those wheels they fit that car perfect!

[LeighP]

Research up on Pontiac water pumps - but the main story is -
1. get a quality waterpump with a CAST impellor - not a stamped steel one. I personally like flowKooler brand waterpumps.
2. Clearance the divider plate to the rear impellor face to around .020" (with gasket in place)
3. while the pump is off, check the water transfer tubes and the timing cover for corrosion/leaks - you can loose water pressure in this area internally.
4. make sure there is a spring inside the lower radiator hose....seems a lot of hoses are being sold these days without the spring...find a spring from a cheap hose and swap it into your lower hose if needed.
5. check to see if the fan thermo-clutch is working.....when the engine is hot, have the hood open when you shut down and watch the fan blades. If they stop when the engine stops, the clutch is working...if the fan continues to spin down after the engine stops (from operating temperature) then the clutch isn't driving the fan blades...replace the clutch unit.

[john31s]

Ok, so its been a while since I last posted and no much has changed. The car is now off the road all together for the time being because I took the radiator, water pump and timing chain off. I had all the parts I thought I would need when I started but after I opened up the engine I realized that the bolts which hold the timing chain were coroded beyond use as was the divider plate. The water pump had been changed at some point in the cars history and when the replace the water pump they saw the divider plate was rusted though and they used RTV gasket fill the rust holes. So I got new bolts and a new divider plate snd now I'm fabbing up some radator mounts. I have made the lower mounts and I'm waiting to see where the radiator sits on them before I make the top ones. Once I get the radiator mounted, and the trans cooler lines plumed I can put the rest of the stuff back on the engine after work some night. I'll post some pics when I get it all buttoned up adn back on the road.

[LeighP]

Good luck...don't you love how people just don't want to do the job properly....they have to stick it together with some RTV and good wishes....lol.

[68firebird]

love the 17 inch rallye 2's. where did you order them from? good luck with your coolant issues too, what the heck were you thinking chasing down a ferrari F430, LOL. thats some balls.

[acegto]

Car sits really well as it is. Sorry to hear about the RTV hack job. Put it back the right way so you don't have to worry about it. Looking forward to seeing all the upgrades you do and the difference it makes in the car. P.S. Keep that vinyl top. Car looks sweet with it.

[john31s]

love the 17 inch rallye 2's. where did you order them from? good luck with your coolant issues too, what the heck were you thinking chasing down a ferrari F430, LOL. thats some balls.

I got the 17" rally II's from Year One but I think PY or Ames carries them now as well. When I saw the Ferrari all I was thinking was why the hell not, he couldn't have gotten away if he wanted to because of traffic. I would have had him if my car kept its coolant.


Good luck...don't you love how people just don't want to do the job properly....they have to stick it together with some RTV and good wishes....lol.


Car sits really well as it is. Sorry to hear about the RTV hack job. Put it back the right way so you don't have to worry about it. Looking forward to seeing all the upgrades you do and the difference it makes in the car. P.S. Keep that vinyl top. Car looks sweet with it.

Thanks, and I now hate RTV. As for the vinyl top, it was originally going to go but its starting to grow on me.


61217

Just a shot of how the car sat today, it took me hours but I have finally made all the mounting brackets for the radiator. All I need to do now is plumb trans cooler which will be a royal pain, wire the electric fans and then put all the accessories back on. Shouldn't be much longer until I can drive it again.

[LeighP]

Glad that cordova top is growing on you....I've come to like them.
I have a friend with a 74 Super Duty...factory cordova top....cool and different.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/06/alternatecrop_std-1.jpg

[inactivist]

@John31s: What width front/rear wheels? I see they're 17 inch, but I was wondering about the wheel widths.

EDIT: I see that the Year One Rally II wheels are listed as 17x9" -- is that correct?

Nice choice, BTW, I agree with others, those wheels look great.

[john31s]

@John31s: What width front/rear wheels? I see they're 17 inch, but I was wondering about the wheel widths.

EDIT: I see that the Year One Rally II wheels are listed as 17x9" -- is that correct?

Nice choice, BTW, I agree with others, those wheels look great.

Thanks, and the wheels are 17x9". Year One does make these in a 17x8" but that's more for first gen firebirds. The 68-72 A-bodies have plenty of room up front to take the 9" wide rim. I only wish they made 17x10" so I could stick more rubber undert the rear.

[john31s]

So, here is an update:

Saturday night/ Sunday morning: Got all the hard stuff done, the raditor was finally installed and the transmission cooler lines which I had to remake were done. But then, I realized I forgot to put the probe in the radiator for the fan controller, no big deal. I pull out the radiator, lie it down on the table and realize if I cut the ties holding the fans (which goes through the fins) I wont be able to reinstall it tonight. So I decide to drill on the shroud which is mounted to the radiator using a drill stop to make sure I dont go through it. The drill stop hits the shoud (light aluminum) which deflects and I drill a hole in my new radiator. Yep, I that guy. So then I get angry, order a new one ($$$) adn decide to put the timing cover back on. Put it back on only to come to the conclusion that I royally f#@ked up the gasket along the bottom so it will leak.

I should have left the car alone this weekend. Needless to say, the car will remain in the garage for another week. To make things better, I have just over a month until I go off the college so I need the car done son or I won't get to drive it all summer.

[john31s]

Got the new radiator mounted and plumbed in today. I went to test the car for leaks by running the engine before I wired up the fans and I ran into two issues. First the mechanical fuel pump was puking gasoline. Upon closer inspection I realized that I split the casing by over tightening one of the bolts too much. The second issue was also due to me overtightened a bolt, because I split the thermostat housing at the back, so it leaks like a siv. All in all it could have been worst, and I should have it back on the road soon which is good because as of today I have one month until I go to school.

To anyone who wired in aftermarket electric fans, what kit did you use/ would you recommend?

[john31s]

So I finally got the car 100% back on the road. And just in time becasue in just over two weeks I go away to school. Car runs good and cool but I'm still unsure what temperature should I set the electric fans to kick on at? I have a 180 degree themostat so I was thinking around 190 possibly? Another thing I noticed while driving it around yesterday was then I was cornering and hit a bump the rear got all sloppy. Not about to go into a slide sloppy, more just a big wiggle. I'm assuming this is due to the fact I still haven't gotten around to putting new control arms with new bushings on the rear. Thats really it for now. I'll post some pictures of the new rad setup when I get them off my camera.

[cortcomp]

I'm glad i found your thread, i have a 71 t-37 i'm looking at putting these same wheels on now that my 15's are done. THANK YOU for posting the tire sizes and wheel backspacing, etc! I don't know how familiar you are with pontiacs, but if you ever need tech advice, hit pontiac street performance, great guys over there:

psp.aquacomp.net

190 degrees is fine, but you'll kind of want to gauge it with how hot the car runs. So if it always runs 190, set it 195 so that the aux fans only kick in when you're running warmer than normal. You really don't want them kicking on and off all the time, which can sound annoying. I prefer to run a mech fan only for looks and less noise, i'm where the car is running about 180 all the time, and a little more with A/C on. If i ditched the clutch fan, i think i could lose another 5 or so degrees.

Here's a pic of my car, just back together a month ago for the 3rd time. Thanks again for posting the info!!!!

63005

63007

[john31s]

Sorry I never got back to you, your car looks great. I really want to run a 455 soon cause the 350 isn't cutting it.

As a minor update the car is on hold and at home while I'm at school. I thought about bringing it down next semester but the ways things are looking I won't have the time to do any work on it.

Hopefully I can get some work done over Thanksgiving, but that might not happen, and winter break will defiantly too cold so basically nothing new will happen until next summer.

[car_guy]

That's a super clean looking pontiac...im starting to build a 70 as well. About the year one rally's....what is the shape of the inside of the wheel, im curious if they'd fit C5 brakes

[john31s]

That's a super clean looking pontiac...im starting to build a 70 as well. About the year one rally's....what is the shape of the inside of the wheel, im curious if they'd fit C5 brakes

Thanks, and I'm not sure of the exact shape of the inside, I think/hope they will fit cause I want to run C5 brakes, but my car is back in Jersey and I'm in Virginia so I won't have a chance to try a template till thanksgiving. From what I remember they looked to have plenty room but I will have to check. I will post up when I do get a chance to try a template.

[UMI Performance]

The LeMans is looking great. I really like the wheels, they fit the car perfect. It has a semi-stock look but aggressive at the same time... nice choice!

[Grim]

Wow that's clean! Now your making me second guess my wheel choice.

[john31s]

Wow that's clean! Now your making me second guess my wheel choice.

Thanks, I like the wheels allot but, they are kind of small on the inside. I test fit some brake caliper templates for the right stuff signature series brakes and they were tight.

[ed1le]

Car looks great, perfect foundation for a project car. Enjoy!

[john31s]

Just as another update I ordered new control arms front and rear from UMI. Got to love the 15% off sale. Now I have most of the suspension on its way or in boxes so I can put that all on over Christmas provided the weather isn't terrible. Now I just need brakes and a new steering box/linkage and I'll be set.

[UMI Performance]

Just as another update I ordered new control arms front and rear from UMI. Got to love the 15% off sale. Now I have most of the suspension on its way or in boxes so I can put that all on over Christmas provided the weather isn't terrible. Now I just need brakes and a new steering box/linkage and I'll be set.

Thank you for the order :)

I have been falling this thread, I love the car. We hope to get some pictures of our '72 LeMans up soon, it is in restoration mood as well.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Ryan

[john31s]

New picture, update to come...

71631

Photo by Jerry McCrea

[UMI Performance]

Wow does that car look awesome!! I love it

[ed1le]

Love it! Looks great!

[erikgto]

Looks awesome!! Very insprirational!
Can't wait to see what she looks like when you've lowered her!!!!!!!!!!!

[john31s]

I’ve been meaning to do an update for a while so here it goes:

-I've ordered and received all the suspension. All UMI, all red, complete madness. The only suspension parts which will not be bright red will are the sway bars. They are from Hotchkis so they are black, I considered swapping them over the UMI or powder coating them red, this was promptly deemed stupid/ waste of money and/or time.

-I have a set of Viking double adjustable coil-overs for the front, and double adjustable shocks for the rear with Hotchkis 2" lowering springs.

-I ordered a Right Stuff Detailing Big Brake kit. 13" rotors up front with 12" out back. This did not fit, and checking the scale of the template made far too much sense. I was going to be stuck with shipping it back, when I discovered I would have to pay for the shipping my way because I got free shipping when I initially bought them. To save money I drove these back to Ohio from NJ, 8 hour drive. Did both ways back to back, in nothing short of incredible fog, would not recommend it.

-On the way back from the Right Stuff Detailing's place in Ohio i stopped by Summit, and bought a rear disc conversion kit, because that made sense at the time. (A trend is starting to appear).

-Now I have a rear brake kit waiting to go on the car, and I am planning on converting the front to a 12" setup (1LE, Wilwood, I'm open to suggestions).

-Planning on an ARG steering box with all the appropriate linkages to tighten the steering up.

-Install a new alternator, the current stock replacement doesn't charge the battery when the electric fans are on. Driving home though unlit back roads is far less fun when the headlights begin to dim.

-I bought a heat wrap to go around the starter, i was having hot start issues and determined it to be the starter getting hot. I drove the car around for a while, threw it on a lift and used a IR temp. gun to see how it was doing. There was a 100 degree difference between the side facing the exhaust, and the opposite side.

-Would like to put down some form of sound deadening/ a muffle wrap to keep cabin drone down.

-Still pursuing a center console for the car. It was a bench seat car, now has some buckets so I'd like to fill the gap. I would also like to bring the shiftier off the column and onto this console/floor. Cup holders would be a definite plus.

-I would also like to change the steering column/get a new wiring loom for it. Its buggy as all hell, turning dash lights on and off depending on which gear its in (R,N,D).

-New formula style steering wheel would be a solid investment. I probably go with a Grant due to cost, a repro would cost too much.

That should be it for now. I'm still deliberating what to do as far as drive train goes. A posi would be fun, but my P350 isn't exactly up to the task of spinning the 285's.

[LeighP]

Talk to Dave at Pro-Touring F-Body about his 1LE front brake conversion...might work for your A body set up???? otherwise, try Kore 3. Everyone likes their customer service and their kits. I've got 1LE brakes on the front of my Firebird...work well.

[john31s]

Some quick pictures:

Here is some of the suspension. Nice stuff.
71734

Here is the car with the rear bumper off, I don't have any pictures of the new one yet.
71733

Finally, that picture I posted the other day was not taken by me. Jerry McCrea, a family friend who is a professional photographer took it.

[ent72olds]

:kewlpics::kewlpics::kewlpics::kewlpics:The car looks fantastic! Love the lines of the Pontiac A bodies. Looks like winter hasn't hit you Jersey Boys yet.....

[john31s]

:kewlpics::kewlpics::kewlpics::kewlpics:The car looks fantastic! Love the lines of the Pontiac A bodies. Looks like winter hasn't hit you Jersey Boys yet.....

Thanks. I really have from to love the 70-72 Pontiac A bodies. As far as weather in Jersey, those pictures are from the fall I just never posted them. I don't know exactly how bad this winter gas been for Jersey being I'm at school in Virginia but they have gotten a few inches recently.

[john31s]

Been back from school two weeks and doing some small jobs on the car. I ripped out the orginal under hood mat and painted the bottom of the hood to clean it up a bit. I will redo the truck this coming week and will also have to grab a new battery this week becasue the current one will not hold a charge. I am still looking for a center console which I plan to get at or befroe GM Nationals at Carlisle when I plan to pick up a few more things.

Thats it for the moment, no pictures due to my lack of a camera. Should probably get one of those soon.

[john31s]

So summer end a month ago for me. I got the car on the new suspension the night before I left for school but still have a bunch of issues to work out.

Oil Leak from oil filter housing
messed up dash harness
car does not sit leave in rear.
car is too damn low



I lowered the car 2 inches in the rear using lowing springs sourced from UMI. The thing is dumped. Looks a little ridiculous on a muscle car but that's what I bought. I installed the UMI suspension I have up front with the viking coil-overs. Installed them at the lowest setting (so 3 inch drop) and went to get the car off the lift and realized I couldn't. The exhaust hangers all faced down, and now the got hung up on the cross bar of my four post lift. Not a huge deal. So I get the car outside and I realize how low I went. Its straight up slammed, looks like its on bags, went to try to get out of the driveway and couldn't because I wouldn't turn the wheel. The 255's I have on the front are tucked, and won't turn. I span the collars up and now the car can move around.

Unfortunately I do not have any picture being I left for school pretty much right after I finished but it looks ridiculous (my stanced Honda buddies think its the greatest thing ever). The nose is in the air and the back is slammed. Probably going to get new rear spring that are 1 inch drop or stock height and retain the Vikings up front.

All of my shenanigans aside everything from UMI went on real easy, and looks awesome. Would highly recommend them, will report back when I actually drive the car.

[67speedfreak]

Your car is looking great. I like the wheels !

[ponchopwr70]

Car looks awesome! Can't wait to see pics of it lower

[john31s]

Car looks awesome! Can't wait to see pics of it lower


Expect those around thanksgiving as I'm back in school in Virginia and unfortunately the car stayed in Jesery this year.

[john31s]

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/09/DQeVEZ4-1.jpg

[ponchopwr70]

That's a nice pic, those wheels look so good, the front needs to come down an 1" or raise the back like you said, I like them low but that's me, my headers don't like it though.

[19,69camaro]

+1 on the lowering the front an inch or two. Otherwise it looks great

[67goatman455]

That's a nice pic, those wheels look so good, the front needs to come down an 1" or raise the back like you said, I like them low but that's me, my headers don't like it though.

agreed. rear is perfect, bring the front down an inch.

I died laughing at the "my honda buddies think its the greatest thing ever" haha.

[john31s]

That's a nice pic, those wheels look so good, the front needs to come down an 1" or raise the back like you said, I like them low but that's me, my headers don't like it though.

I will be going down an inch in the front, I love the stance of your car. I was looking at your thread and saw you have 275s on the front of your car. What have you done to the inner fenders of your car? I am hoping I can just trim the stainless piece that goes around the wheel well to get some more clearance. I don't want to have to get different wheels...

[andrewb70]

The 70s have a ton of wheel well area in the front. 275/35-18s fit great on a 9.5" wheel with 5.25-5.75" of backspacing. I am quite certain that if rubbing the sway bar didn't bother you a 295/35 front tire could be had on a 10.5" wheel with 6.5" backspacing.

Andrew

[john31s]

The 70s have a ton of wheel well area in the front. 275/35-18s fit great on a 9.5" wheel with 5.25-5.75" of backspacing. I am quite certain that if rubbing the sway bar didn't bother you a 295/35 front tire could be had on a 10.5" wheel with 6.5" backspacing.

Andrew

This is what has me convinced that I should have no issues with my 255/45-17s on a 9" wheel with 5" of backspacing. The wheels I have were only offered in 5" backspacing so I will see how this pans out.

[john31s]

Also now I'm thinking of doing an ls swap in the spring/summer rather than another car. I drove my roommates 2012 mustang gt and I need something with decent amount of power. Thinking a 5.3 or a lq4/9 with an auto start then some more power and a manual value body setup later.

Someone talk me out of it.

[AusMarty]

Ls3, t56.

Do eet

[andrewb70]

This is what has me convinced that I should have no issues with my 225/45-17s on a 9" wheel with 5" of backspacing. The wheels I have were only offered in 5" backspacing so I will see how this pans out.

That setup will fit with tons of room to spare.

Andrew

[john31s]

Andrew,

I meant 255's not 225's. I still think I can work it out without any real issues.

[andrewb70]

Andrew,

I meant 255's not 225's. I still think I can work it out without any real issues.

I ran 255/40-18s without any issues.

Andrew

[john31s]

I just got back to school after my week off for thanksgiving and I'm sad to say I got nothing done. On the 8 hours drive back from Virginia to New Jersey a bearing from the rear end of the car was screaming so when I got it home I threw it on the lift and started looking for bad wheel bearings. Long story short it wasn't a wheel bearing and I lost two days driving to Syracuse NY to get another rear end out of a wrecked car with 5xx miles on it. I got nothing done on the Pontiac, and I ran if for a few minutes. Had a minor accident with it and my dads Lexus in the drive but in my defense there were nine cars in the drive and I was backing it out of the garage at night.

The Lemans will be on the shelf until I redo the front coils, figure out the dash harness, and get my Mercedes wagon where I want it. It needed full floors. :(

[krwyellowz28]

I just saw and skimmed through this thread. Looks like you're headed in the right direction... keep up the good work.

[krwyellowz28]

Edit: double post

[john31s]

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/09/DQeVEZ4-1.jpg

I was just rereading my thread while bullsh*ting (finals week lol) and I just noticed my wagon peaking around the corner. It's waiting its turn for a v8 :fingersx:

[krwyellowz28]

Any updates or more pics of the car with the new stance?

[john31s]

98213

This is all I have as of now. Ignore the caption, the shocks were set to kill and it made the drive through some road works interesting.


Edit: Sorry its small, I'll get a better one later this weekend.

[john31s]

So I am back in Virginia for a while but I will be driving back to NJ to get the Lemans and then driving it down.

So any suggestion on what to double check before driving 480 miles?

I will post pictures when I get it back to VA or if it has any issues.

[andrewb70]

So I am back in Virginia for a while but I will be driving back to NJ to get the Lemans and then driving it down.

So any suggestion on what to double check before driving 480 miles?

I will post pictures when I get it back to VA or if it has any issues.

I am probably the last person to listen to on this, since I tend to hop in the car and just drive for 2000 miles.

I guess check all fluids. Maybe go over the lug nuts with a torque wrench. Give everything a visual inspection with an eye for anything unusual (who the heck knows what that means...)

Good luck and enjoy the trip!!!

Andrew

[john31s]

So with about a week to go before I drive my Lemans 8 hours back to Virginia I find out the engine may be making a knocking sound. My dad sent me a video and you can defiantly hear a knock so that worries me. He thinks it may be the alternator's rear bearing going on it so he will run with that tonight, but I don't think its the case.

Regardless I'm heading home to hear the noise and see if I can figure out what is up with it before I try to drive it back. If the knocking persist I'll bring my Mercedes down.

[epeterson]

Very nice lemans! Any recent progress?

[john31s]

Very nice lemans! Any recent progress?

Not much to report. The car is running right again but now something is up with the steering. Its back in NJ and I am in VA so not much will happen until I get the car down here next week.

First thing I will probably do is cut the inner fenders to go lower in the front and call it a day.

[john31s]

So I got the car today. More updates to follow.

[john31s]

Good bye Merc.
103945

Hello LeMans.
103946

I finally got it into the garge after a night stuck outside in the pouring rain. There was 2" of standing water in the trunk so I need to redo the seals. :hammer:

More to follow.

[john31s]

So I have the car pretty much topped out on the coils to avoid the tire rubbing the inner fenders. Has anyone cut the back to gain some clearance? I don't want to removed them completely I just want to gain some room.

[Interceptor5588]

What did you end up with for front brakes?

[john31s]

What did you end up with for front brakes?

Still running stock disk with EDC Redstuff pads. I'll figure something else out this winter.

[Interceptor5588]

I've been doing some research cause I'll be using the same wheels, with Camaro LS1 brakes all around. Rotors are 12", with aluminum calipers, and should fit into the RII's. Swap is relatively simple and will not cost $2-4k like all the other 12" swaps (Wilwood & Baer.) I've run these brakes on my 92 Formula Time Attack car and they work great, no fade ever and awesome braking power. Clean up and clearcoat the calipers, with fancy rotors if you want more bling.

[john31s]

I looked into that a while back and based on the templates I got from Kore3 they wouldn't fit. I'll revisit the front brakes when I get a chance. Right now school has me tied up most of the day and my neighbors threaten to call the cops on me if I make any noise in the garage past 10pm.

[john31s]

Minor update, I am still screwing around with this. I just swapped on some tie rod adjusters from UMI with some new Moog tie rod ends and I love how easy it is to adjust them.

I will finish up the trunk this week while the weather is nice and post up a bit more.

[UMI Performance]

Minor update, I am still screwing around with this. I just swapped on some tie rod adjusters from UMI with some new Moog tie rod ends and I love how easy it is to adjust them.

I will finish up the trunk this week while the weather is nice and post up a bit more.

Great to hear!

[john31s]

So I have been considering selling the car for a while now and would like some input on what I would potentially ask. I have not made up my mind yet but really would like an R32 Nissan GTR or Grand National.

Please comment with what you think I could ask here: https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/113293-1970-Pontiac-Lemans-WIW?p=1117062#post1117062

[Justin@EntropyRad]

If you buy an R32 GTR thats had a strong clutch in it for a while...be prepared to rebuild the bottom end at some point. The early 89-90 RB26's had weak cranks/thrust bearings

See Crank,
See Crank Walk,
Walk Crank, Walk

[john31s]

See Crank,
See Crank Walk,
Walk Crank, Walk

Lol I say this to my DSM buddies. I have a decent idea of what I am getting myself into with one of those. Honestly I would be more likely to get a GN.

[john31s]

Bump on what is it worth. I am still throwing around the idea of moving on to something else.

[andrewb70]

Bump on what is it worth. I am still throwing around the idea of moving on to something else.

John,

Pick a number you're comfortable with and see how the market responds. There is really no other way to know, since the whims of the masses are always in flux.

Andrew

[john31s]

I posted a For Trade add here on the forum. I am only interested in a trade at this time for a boosted car.