1979 Pontiac Lemans Safari build thread

[19cutlass79]

Bummers I just canceled my order from summit for the axle, the back order keeps getting pushed back. So I have to go through O'Reilly and spend $50 more. On the high side at least I figured out how to edit an image and post my avatar!

wade

 

[19cutlass79]

well can scratch the above post, I had a bout of insanity and just bought a pair of moser replacement axles for $300 shipped to my house from summit, I was thinking there is no way I was paying 200 and waiting 10 days for one stock replacement when I could get the pair of moser axles for 300 and wait two days. Big reason being is I want to burn 3.42 posi traction rubber on my b day oct 29, and I still have to change the u joints in the drive shaft, and some other little things before then, oh yeah all this without having a job and my last unemployment check coming this wed! .............now I have to find something to sell after this latest spending binge I should still have enough in the old bank acct to be good for another 3 months of bills, I better find work by then! or I'll be starting my boat ride without a paddle down sh*t's creek!

wade

 

[19cutlass79]

Big score today guys, my cousin was cleaning out the basement of his grandfather inlaws new place that had the basement flooded out with mud and sediment for at least a couple of years, that insane winter we had of 47 days of rain, more than the bible! :shock: lo and behold in the sediment and dirt/ dried mud there were four boxes that contained new 15x7 pontiac rallye rims! have to clean em up but check the pic's, by the looks they might be old stock not a single scratch on three of them, and not one spec of rust either, on one of them looks like the previous owner of the house tried to pry off the cap with a screwdriver and scratched up the snout, don't really know what do do about that weren't these powdercoated from the factory? would I be alright just spray painting the snout? the back of the rims have that factory gray finish best part my cousin gave them to me for free!

thanks for taking a look guys, any chance anyone know the color code of these rims, they appear to be some kind of gun metal gray, I'd like to know so I can touch up the snout on the one rim.

wade

 

[19cutlass79]

Moser axles came in yesterday, it will be a good day today!

wade

 

[19cutlass79]

got some work done today, got the car up on some jacks in the back and ramps on the front, and got the old rear end down

wade

 

[19cutlass79]

punched a drain plug in the gn rear just for ease of changing fluid, there was a dimple on the cover already figure that's where they were planning on making one so figure just do it you know.

got the moser axles and new wheel cylinders installed.

installed intrax 1" drop springs.
before: I should have took better strait on pic's before dis-assembly, oh well

after, with new brake's and aluminum drums

This morning I was going to start to tear down the front, change out the control arms as I have spohn lowers, and HR parts uppers, and the 1" intrax drop springs, but beermonkeys last post has me hesitating a bit, he has the 1" drop in the back only right now and his exhaust is hitting the ground! I have duals out of stock manifolds, so I asked him what part of his is hitting, if it's header collectors I might be safe as running exhaust manifolds gives some ground clearence.

Here is the front with tired stock coils, car originally had a 301 now has a pontiac 350

wade

 

[19cutlass79]

I was bored so I figure that I would crack the housing on the stock 7.5" just for kicks, guess what? my wagon had the highest gearing I have ever heard of! doing the math ended up being 2.11 the highest I have ever heard of is 2.14 no wonder my car was a dog on the street but felt like it had a lot left on the highway/freeway, geez it's like gm went out of it's way to make the car crap! Now I cant wait to feel the difference in the giddyup with the gn rear

2.11 crap gearing

 

[Bonnewagon]

2:11's ?!?!? That's a new one on me. Maybe for a Land Speed Record attempt, but not with a 301 pushing it. Even my heavy-assed 301 Firebirds had 2:41 or 2:56 rears. Should be nice with the 350 with a tad worse mileage than the 301.

 

[G-Body_Vet]

Looks like you're off to a good start. What's the plan for the front suspension?

 

[19cutlass79]

2:11's ?!?!? That's a new one on me. Maybe for a Land Speed Record attempt, but not with a 301 pushing it. Even my heavy-assed 301 Firebirds had 2:41 or 2:56 rears. Should be nice with the 350 with a tad worse mileage than the 301.

I know right, I told my friend about it over the phone and there was a long pause like his brain could not compute haha! then he says "wwhhhaaatt? is that aftermarket? or stock?" Then I had a long pause, it was a dumb question. "who would put 2.11 on a street car!" pretty much how the conversation went we were both dumbfounded :lol: Yeah I'm eager to see how much the 3.42's in the gn rear will wake my car up

Looks like you're off to a good start. What's the plan for the front suspension?

I have HR parts tubular uppers, and spohn tubular lowers with the poly bushings and a huge sway bar with poly bushings and end links, intrax 1" drop springs, and all new moog front end suspension stuff, had to call the tear down early today as for safety reasons I like to chain the coil to the lower control arm just in case something slips, last thing I need to happen is the coil pops out and slaps me in the jaw, and for some reason my chain is MIA! my friends going to bring one tomorrow, here is where it is now, took off the sway bar, shocks, calipers, and removed the cotter pins for the ball joints, all I gotta do is break the ball joints loose, hopefully I can finish the tear down and start the installation tomorrow, after I take care of my daily driver she needs a trans flush.

wade