1980 Pontiac LeMans Station Wagon - G-T-faux (stuck with it, and can't shake it... like a bad case of herpes)

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motorheadmike

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Nov 18, 2009
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Longroof79 said:
Are the interior panels going to be re-installed, or are you just going to modify them to accommodate the speaker enclosures?
From how it appears, it looks as though you're going a slightly different route.

I am planning on cutting out the plastic pockets in the panels to suit.
 

Longroof79

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motorheadmike said:
Longroof79 said:
Are the interior panels going to be re-installed, or are you just going to modify them to accommodate the speaker enclosures?
From how it appears, it looks as though you're going a slightly different route.

I am planning on cutting out the plastic pockets in the panels to suit.

Okay, gotcha. That's what I figured you were doing. Those cubbies are more useful as speaker enclosures than storage compartments. Those pockets are only riveted on anyway.
 
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motorheadmike

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Spent the weekend working on a sick baby, sick wife and incredibly sick self... so there was no progress with the project.

However, today I did order up a pair of Toyo Proxes TQs in their 345/40R17 size for an outstanding price (with free shipping) from TiresDirect.net. TireRack was useless as usual.

The Mustangs below are on a 10.5" (the black one may be an 11") wide rim and the Vette is on 11" wide rims out back.

I'll be trying these on an 11" wide rim, and have already fit a 315 under a stock frame G-body so this should be very possible with the notch and mini-tub.
 

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EdontheBeach

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Feb 29, 2012
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I just read your ls1 tech thread. you cracked me up with your recitation of phone calls about springs.

I have been thru the same ordeal; I can't get a straight answer, make that ANY answer from ANYone about springs. consequently I still have no springs that drop the rear of my wagon 2 measly inches. went thru the same thing just yesterday with umi - couldn't even tell me if they were constant or variable rate. (4051R is their prt#)
 

ssn696

Living in the Past
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Lowering Springs for 1980 Pontiac LeMans Station Wagon

Two ideas:

1) Phil Patterson on Malibu Racing has some coil spring data that may illuminate. http://www.maliburacing.com/coilspring.htm

2) Talk to Mike at Eaton Spring. Small enough company that they will talk to you on the phone. If in order to get what you want, and you need to order a batch of 5 or more cars' worth, count me in and post the idea on the Forum. I bet a few other sign up too. http://www.eatondetroitspring.com/produ ... l-springs/
 

motorheadmike

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EdontheBeach said:
I just read your ls1 tech thread. you cracked me up with your recitation of phone calls about springs.

I have been thru the same ordeal; I can't get a straight answer, make that ANY answer from ANYone about springs. consequently I still have no springs that drop the rear of my wagon 2 measly inches. went thru the same thing just yesterday with umi - couldn't even tell me if they were constant or variable rate. (4051R is their prt#)

Glad I could amuse. :wink:

The easiest solution may just be to run a coil-over spring without the coil-over. You just have to make sure that the free and installed heights make sense for the application. I know my brother has run the rear springs from a fox-body Mustang in the back with good success. It is just a matter of how creative you are willing to be in your research, and if you don't mind taking a risk.
 

motorheadmike

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Slowly making some progress again after being away on business much of last week. The pictures are pretty self explanatory: nitrous and amps. LOL!

For those with wagons you probably have noticed that the spare tire well is significantly more shallow toward the rear of the car... as such I had to make a 1x2x4.5 pedestal for the forward bottle bracket to ensure the proper angle for the siphon tube in the bottle.







And I have started wrapping some of the interior panels due to them becoming extremely chalky from UV exposure. I will say that if you were less inclined to vinyl wrap your parts, you could simply drag a razor blade 90* to the surface of the panel until you reached fresh/clean plastic. I did this to prep the surface for adhesive (3M Hi-Tac 76), before lightly sanding the surface with 100 grit to provide some tooth to the adhesive.
 

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liquidh8

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I had though about wrapping the panels with vinyl. But the ability for the vinyl to stay glues on after 10 years has kept me from doing it.

It is looking good though.
 

motorheadmike

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liquidh8 said:
I had though about wrapping the panels with vinyl. But the ability for the vinyl to stay glues on after 10 years has kept me from doing it.

It is looking good though.

Thanks, I figured it was this or live with it looking like total crap; and who knows if I will still have the car in 10 years? With dark tinted windows it wouldn't have mattered much until I opened it all up to chill on the tailgate... then it would begin to bother me.

EDIT: I should add that while it isn't shown here I did have to "plastic weld" (read: melt parts with a 750*F (or was it *C?) soldering iron) a few substantially large cracks and broken pieces as well. The good news is that with all of the material I cut out of the "sail panels" I had lots of material to work with when stitching it all back together.
 

motorheadmike

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The new plates came in today...
 

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