86 cutlass salon build

[bjohn07]

I'm not sure if you're aware of this but with adding all those new parts, you could go to a u-pull-it yard and score a rear disc brake setup from an f-body (? 98 or so to 2002). It's not a direct bolt-on but it's not too bad. Here's a link if you'd like to look: http://www.thirdgen.org/ls1reardisc The swap here would be the same for our cars. Only down side is I can't remember if these fit under a 15" wheel.

You can use the same prop valve FE3X CLONE used and it bolts in place of the stock one.

For a budget based front upgrade, you can do an S10 2wd spindle swap that uses stock a-arms. They have the dual caliper alum calipers and offer increased front braking. I believe these will fit a 15" wheel but can't say for sure.

Just a suggestion. I hate seeing anyone put that much money in a car unless you're restoring it back to stock, when you can spend about the same money and upgrade with much better parts. And, since all are factory GM parts, replacement parts are as close as the local AZ, Napa, O'Reilly's, etc.

you right i could do that but considering that my friend swapped out both wheel cylinders, drums, shoes, and all i had to pay for was the seals and the diff cover new wheel studs and shocks and the backing plates. and i spent less than a hundred for my complete drum brake setup and even got a good set of shocks. if i didnt have a good hookup i would have just upgraded to disc but i get most of my parts swapped for new parts or if i got to pay i get em dirt cheap.

 

[bjohn07]

finally i got some free time to work on my car. well not really that much time. my wife decided she wants to redo the bathroom so i gotta go buy paint and tile and other small stuff before i can get to it. and i gota finish the bathroom before i can get to work on my car again.

last time i tried to work on the car i had to wait for some new backing plates to come in so i just held off on it.
now i got all the parts.
new backing plates, wheel cylinders, shoes, drums, axle seals, gonna pull the diff apart to see what gears i got. change the leaky pinion seal. i got a set of 3.55s on hand. i figure if i got anything less that a 3.23 im gonna put these in.
new shocks for front and rear.
up front i got new rotors and pads, my brake hoses were cracked and u could see the inner lining so i picked up a set of those, inner an outer bearings, new seals of course. im leaving the control arm bushings alone for now cuz i plan on doint after market control arms for front and rear. hopefully coil overs on front when i do the swap. for now im just replacing the worn ball joints, and inner and outer tie rods. center link and pitman, idler all look like they have been replaced. no play in those just the one inner tie rod but i figured i would just replace both sides while im at it. im puttin some polyurethane sway bar bushings and end link bushings to. got the motor pulled. it was a standard 350. when i got it apart it looked like it had just been rebuilt. and my friend gave me a used set of kb hyper. pistons 30 over. the block was standard bore so i had to drop it off at the machine shop to get bored. they miked the bearings and rod and main journals and said they are within spec and no point in replacing so im just putting new pistons and rings for now. ill take photos of all the brake and suspension work i can get done today. all these parts, most of them got swapped for new parts, and i only spent 120. gotta love hookups 😀

 

[bjohn07]

oh and i went to get the title changed. never really payed attention to the yr just the vin. well its a 82 not a 86. dont know why i was thinkin it was an 86. but good thing is all the parts i got for the 86 are the same numbers as the 82.

 

[bjohn07]

monday afternoon i get to work on my car again. worked on it the other day but didnt get to much done. its been real humid here in san antonio. sucks. makes u sweat like crazy. i didnt even get to touch the rear end so ill start to rip it apart tomorrow. just put new ball joints in, new sway bar bushings and end links. and lower ball joint wasnt as snug as i would like. my grease gun broke to so i couldnt use the bearing packer i have since it connects to my grease gun . well i picked up a new gun and went to borrow a welder since my crappy harbor freight one crapped out on me. so now i can finish up the front end, just need to put on new tie rods and my front brakes. and put a couple welds to hold ball joints in nice and tight. with the help of my brother hopefully i can get alot done tomorrow

 

[bjohn07]

had the wrong inner wheel bearings so i didnt get to put the rotors on but i got to replace front brake hoses, rebuild the calipers (new piston boot and seal) and put a few welds on the lower ball joints. got the rear taken apart. put all new studs on axles and found out the that gear ratio was around a 2.41. 17 teeth on pinion and 41 on ring gear. so im gonna put the 3.55s in for now. and save up for a locker instead of the minispool. so i got to leave it an open diff for now.

 

[bjohn07]

counted the teeth on the gears my friend gave me and they are not 3.55 they are 3.73s. and for a 8.5. so now im gonna have to buy a new set of gears. since i gotta get some new gears now im just gonna throw in a mini spool.

 

[JBreu]

If your car will be only for the strip then a mini spool would be ok.......If street driven as well I strongly urge you to stay away from the spool........I have friends that run them on the streets and they hate it.........I would say buy a used posi center section for your rear end......JMO of course 😀

 

[bjohn07]

ive heard good and bad about them. but im gonna try it for now and save up for a detroit locker. i just dont want to spend that much on a new locker now with so much that still needs to get done on the car. i can get a new minispool for 60 bucks so im just gonna grab one and use it till later on. hopefully by next january.when i can get me a detroit locker.

 

[neverendingmonte]

you might like the spool until you blow your rear end or transmission. They are very hard on your other parts. I had a friend with one in his nova. he loved it even though eveyone else thought it sucked chattering around corners. He didn;t like it very much when his rear blew though. It's cheaper to buy parts once then to go cheap and have to fix things a second time. sorry just my opinion, it's your choice

 

[bjohn07]

you might like the spool until you blow your rear end or transmission. They are very hard on your other parts. I had a friend with one in his nova. he loved it even though eveyone else thought it sucked chattering around corners. He didn;t like it very much when his rear blew though. It's cheaper to buy parts once then to go cheap and have to fix things a second time. sorry just my opinion, it's your choice

well ill prob go minispool unless i can find a used posi for a good price and if it blows beyond fixing ill just fab up the 9in i got. i wont mind the chattering, im sure u wont hear it over the exhaust. at least in my friends malibu u cant hear it. the true trac is over 5 bills. so if im gonna do that i might as well use that money for a badass 3rd member for my 9in. so till then im gonna use the 7.5 with a minispool if it blows im out a 60 dollar spool and a 150 gear set. not to bad of a loss. considering some people have built rear ends with over a g in them and they blow.