dud or stud?

[yumyumchoppers]

GUess what I got myself for christmas. My new project; a 1962 Buick Skylark loaded with the all aluminum 215 "powerhouse", two speed automatic, and even has factory air conditioning. Very solid pretty much rust free car. Now the bad; has been hit in the drivers quarter but i also got a parts car with a good quarter and rear bumper!; has FOUR lug wheels that has to go; has drum brakes all the way around that has to go; and the weird bell housing bolt pattern to make tranny swaps harder, planning on 5 speed swap.

I have looked all over the internet for ideas but to no avail. D&D in michigan is the only place i have found any info or parts.Can anyone point me in the right direction with some suspension options? I thought about s-10 spindles but they are front steer and the Buick is rea5r steer.I need disc brake ideas.comments or suggestions?

[novanutcase]

Try Marcus at S.C. & C.

http://www.scandc.com/index.htm

[yumyumchoppers]

thanks man that's on the lines of what i was looking for. Any others?

[yumyumchoppers]

still wondering what kind of rear steer spindles i could adapt to this car. Any ideas? I will try to post pics tomorrow, raining like all get out now.

[novanutcase]

Most of the sponsors in the sponsor bar to your right will probably have what you want and more. Check 'em out!

[yumyumchoppers]

I swear I have looked at every one of those too.If anybody has anything for a buick it starts at 1964. I guess I will have to somehow fab my own. I don't have unlimited tools or budget only time and patience. My plans are a d&d 5-speed conversion, some kind of spindle and 5 lug swap and a complete strip and paint, all done entirely by me. However a part or two sure would come in handy every now and then.

[novanutcase]

What are you primarily going to use the car for? I ask because if your not going to be tracking the car you might just want to put front wheel disc brakes which Baer or Wilwood might be able to provide for the spindle you have. If not then you may need to have someone make you an adapter for your spindle so you can put disc brakes on it. If you don't have the coin for those brakes you may want to look at other Buicks, in particular, or GM cars, in general, in that year range that you can swap over Discs to your spindle. As far as suspension, if your not tracking the car and you just want a better stance and improved handling through the twisties then why not just cut your OEM springs? I think Skylarks had rear leafs right? Hotchkiss should have some heavier duty leafs. You can put some lowering blocks to even out the stance. I would add a thicker front sway bar too improve roll. Maybe about an 1/8" to 3/16" more than stock but no more than that! Thickness is proportionate to stiffness. In other words, a little goes a long way! Just by lowering the center of gravity on the car and stiffening the roll , you'll see a marked improvement in handling! Most important, STICKY TIRES!!!!!!

As far as the Tranny, what performance gain do you expect from the 5 speed? Quicker off the line? Are you going to be drag racing the car? Most drag racers now a days, that I know, like the 2 and 3 speed autos. I would stick with what you have for now and improve the handlingfirst unless your going to be dragging the car which, I would think, means you would want to go to a higher horsepower engine!

My .02

John

[MuscleRodz]

still wondering what kind of rear steer spindles i could adapt to this car. Any ideas? I will try to post pics tomorrow, raining like all get out now.

AFX spindles from ATS.

Mike

[yumyumchoppers]

thanks for the replies guys. Nutcase you've been more than helpful and your car is looking SWEET. My main goal for the car is a dependable really nice driver. I've done camaros and chevelles, even a 442, but this car i don't think i will see another like it.The reason for the 5-speed is the two speed really winds the engine out at speed and i really want an overdrive. The brakes, just so when I up the horsepower in the future i want it to be a good stopper too. The five lug conversion is so I can find some cool wheels. The rear end is actually a triangulated four link like chevelles. I also plan on shockwaves in the front and bags in the back. But first things first. I'm trying to dare to be different on this car and finding parts is somewhat scarse.I will try the ATS site, thanks

Terry

[yumyumchoppers]

here is some befores;

[yumyumchoppers]

couple more

[novanutcase]

The reason for the 5-speed is the two speed really winds the engine out at speed and i really want an overdrive.

JMO but do you really want to do all that work to make it work for the tranny switch and when you upgrade the horses you will need to chuck it all and hunt for another bellhousing? I would either wait till I have the coin and do the whole engine/tranny swap at once or do it now and bite the bullet!

The rear end is actually a triangulated four link like chevelles. I also plan on shockwaves in the front and bags in the back. But first things first. I'm trying to dare to be different on this car and finding parts is somewhat scarse.I will try the ATS site, thanks

Terry

Have you driven the car hard around any corners? Does the rear end do weird things? If not I would leave it alone for now although if your going to go with airbags then I would go with the airbar for the rear. It's a triangulated 4 link also but with airbags. Shockwaves in the front shouldn't be a problem although you will need to weld in mounts for the bags.

As far as brakes you may want to check these sites out:

http://discbrakesrus.com/index.htm
http://www.raceshopper.com/index.shtml
http://www.baer.com/
http://www.wilwood.com/
http://www.stainlesssteelbrakes.com/

For Transmission these guys can probably help you:

http://www.keislerauto.com/gm/index.html


BTW.....thanks for the compliment! It's always encouraging to hear good things!

Good Luck!

John

[yumyumchoppers]

I am still going to use the all aluminum 215 engine, just with a few upgrades. I REALLY want the 5-speed and will see no need to chuck it in the future.There's just something about jamming those gears. Throwing this car into a corner is a feat in itself as the tires are almost original, dryrotted, and BIAS ply!!!I dont want to buy new tires for these wheels since I want to swithch to disc brakes and five lugs. Hence my search for spindles. Stupid rear steer!!Being different certainly has disadvantages.

[yumyumchoppers]

stupid rear steer. The lug nuts are even left hand thread!!

[RobM]

love that body style.... i could bench race that car all night long. nice find!

[novanutcase]

LOL...You did say "Dare to be different!"

[yumyumchoppers]

is an early model Nova like a 62 is it rear steer? I was looking at performance online catalog and they have a disk kit that looks rear steer for a early nova.

[novanutcase]

You might want to point that question here:

http://www.stevesnovasite.com

Off the top of my head, no but I could be wrong!

John

[MickyT]

Check out this site, he is building a 61 Buick Skylark. http://community.webshots.com/user/camaroman7d

[yumyumchoppers]

yes yes yes that's what I need!! Thanks to all, keep em coming. Any ideas are always welcome!