Better to show us the good AND the bad... as we watch you improve, we are inspired by your progress on the learning curve. So, yeah, your instincts on this are right.
Welds look allot better since the switch to mig. Crank the heat up a little on the thicker steel it isn't melting in enough and standing on top of the steel too much. Die grinders are your friend... As well as flap wheels etc.
Yes. In some spots it was too cold and some it was too hot. The other problem that I think I was fighting is that I may not have ground the old metal welding surface clean enough. There may have still been rust in the pits of rust. I think it caused me to have inconsistent welding which sounds similar to wire speed being too high or too low. I need more experience to know which is which...all in due time.
The holes for the Shelby drop for 65-66 were dropped down an inch and shifted 1/8" to the rear of the car. 67-68 were dropped down an inch only. It looks like your template does have the 1/8" shift to the rear. In my '67 I left my factory holes alone for visual roof that the drop was done for discussion at shows. Did the previous owner weld in the floor pans correctly to the rocker ? I noticed in the previous video that from the passenger compartment there were beads of weld run between the floor pan and rocker - hopefully that's not how they welded it in. In coupes there is a 90deg flange on the floor pan that is plug welded to the rocker. I'm not familiar with how the convertibles are done.
From what I'm told (One of my next steps is to address the underside of the car), the convertible floor pan doesn't have that 90 degree lip where it attaches to the rocker panel, but instead it welds directly to the bottom of the rocker. I will make sure mine is properly attached. I'm guessing those stitch welds are extra, but i will definitely verify. I may even add extra stitch welds to fill in the gaps and make sure things are extra strong.
So if the upper control arm is an inch closer to the bottom of the car, how does that, in itself, lower the ride height? The only way would seem to be if there were other suspension changes (shorter springs? Different spindle mount? Ball joint locations..?) Please explain in detail. Cheers!
Great question. It's kind of a matter of pivot points. I'm not talking about how the upper control arm (UCA) pivots on the shock tower. let me try to explain it. Imagine that your car is sitting still on your driveway. The UCA holds/supports the coil spring which holds up the front of the car. So imagine the UCA as a teeter totter. The point at which the coil spring rests on the middle of the UCA as a pivot point. So, if you lower where the UCA mounts to the shock tower (ie Shelby drop) then the outer end of the UCA will go "up" (think teeter totter). If the outer end of the UCA goes "up", the wheel will go up and effect, lower the front of the car. It also helps with some alignment issues. I hope that helps.
And I'm not sure how much it exactly matters, guess it depends how your bolts fit but the holes aren't 1/2" they are 17/32" from what I've heard and read. I've seen videos where the 1/2" holes the bolts go in fine but others where it's too tight. Just a thought. I'm doing this drop also and bought a 17/32" bit just in case.
I actually used a 15/32" drill bit which was just a touch too small to get my bolt through. Then I used a die grinder to open it up just enough to get the bolts through. That way I knew I didn't drill the hole too big AND it save me buying another drill bit.
Better to show us the good AND the bad... as we watch you improve, we are inspired by your progress on the learning curve. So, yeah, your instincts on this are right.
Thanks. That's nice to hear. Thanks for following.
Welds look allot better since the switch to mig. Crank the heat up a little on the thicker steel it isn't melting in enough and standing on top of the steel too much. Die grinders are your friend... As well as flap wheels etc.
Yes. In some spots it was too cold and some it was too hot. The other problem that I think I was fighting is that I may not have ground the old metal welding surface clean enough. There may have still been rust in the pits of rust. I think it caused me to have inconsistent welding which sounds similar to wire speed being too high or too low. I need more experience to know which is which...all in due time.
Great video! I would fill the holes you drill under the new welded plate. Water and dirt will go in from them.
Good suggestion. Thanks.
The holes for the Shelby drop for 65-66 were dropped down an inch and shifted 1/8" to the rear of the car. 67-68 were dropped down an inch only. It looks like your template does have the 1/8" shift to the rear. In my '67 I left my factory holes alone for visual roof that the drop was done for discussion at shows. Did the previous owner weld in the floor pans correctly to the rocker ? I noticed in the previous video that from the passenger compartment there were beads of weld run between the floor pan and rocker - hopefully that's not how they welded it in. In coupes there is a 90deg flange on the floor pan that is plug welded to the rocker. I'm not familiar with how the convertibles are done.
From what I'm told (One of my next steps is to address the underside of the car), the convertible floor pan doesn't have that 90 degree lip where it attaches to the rocker panel, but instead it welds directly to the bottom of the rocker. I will make sure mine is properly attached. I'm guessing those stitch welds are extra, but i will definitely verify. I may even add extra stitch welds to fill in the gaps and make sure things are extra strong.
Rubber grommets would fill the old holes and leave them in place if it ever went back to totally stock.
Good idea especially if you think you will want to go back someday.
So if the upper control arm is an inch closer to the bottom of the car, how does that, in itself, lower the ride height?
The only way would seem to be if there were other suspension changes (shorter springs? Different spindle mount? Ball joint locations..?)
Please explain in detail.
Cheers!
Great question. It's kind of a matter of pivot points. I'm not talking about how the upper control arm (UCA) pivots on the shock tower. let me try to explain it. Imagine that your car is sitting still on your driveway. The UCA holds/supports the coil spring which holds up the front of the car. So imagine the UCA as a teeter totter. The point at which the coil spring rests on the middle of the UCA as a pivot point. So, if you lower where the UCA mounts to the shock tower (ie Shelby drop) then the outer end of the UCA will go "up" (think teeter totter). If the outer end of the UCA goes "up", the wheel will go up and effect, lower the front of the car. It also helps with some alignment issues. I hope that helps.
And I'm not sure how much it exactly matters, guess it depends how your bolts fit but the holes aren't 1/2" they are 17/32" from what I've heard and read. I've seen videos where the 1/2" holes the bolts go in fine but others where it's too tight. Just a thought. I'm doing this drop also and bought a 17/32" bit just in case.
I started at 1/2". The threads on my control arms fit through but had a lot of interference. I used the 17/32 and it was perfect.
I actually used a 15/32" drill bit which was just a touch too small to get my bolt through. Then I used a die grinder to open it up just enough to get the bolts through. That way I knew I didn't drill the hole too big AND it save me buying another drill bit.