The Bronze Brick a Very Unusual 9C1

[vanrah]

Greetings Guys; Just a little recap before we get into the Gen#3 engine.
2002-03 mechanical design career winding down, best job gone. But still managed to install Global West upper front “A” arms & rear lower control links-arms. The steering & handling are way different as the car has become a negative camber turning car. As the tops of the tires tip in to the corner now, similar to a Mustang II & other modern cars. The lower front Global West “A” arms will have to wait until 2015 to complete the geometry that the designer had in mind. During the dead of winter (2014-15) before the lower arms were installed I had Tommy Lee rebuild the steering box & pump. I also took the GM collapsible steering shaft, cut off the nylon U-joint just below the column & the rag (leather) joint down by the box. Flipped it 180 welded on a Borgeson U-joint to mate up with the column spline. And mated it to the box using a Borgeson isolating U-joint. Amazingly different automobile now as it has no slop in the steering wheel & more road feel than some would care to have. When I first drove it I was surprised that I could feel every stone & imperfection in the road. Some would not like this feel as we are use to being very isolated by the rag & nylon joints connecting the box (or now days the rack) to the column. Bob Jr.

 

[vanrah]

Spring is trying to start, but the battery needs charg'in. Sunday it was 75 & yesterday 43, patients required. A little up date on the Brick, all the parts for the new 304L exhaust system are here including the flanges, tubes, band clamps, hangers, mufflers (Borla) & V-band clamps. Everything is 304 SS. Will it be expensive, Yes it will. And the guy welding it is a retired food machine builder-welder so it will be way nicer than anything else on the car (?). As when a food machine is built, no flaws are expectable because any scratch or imperfection will allow food to migrate into said scratch that can't be cleaned out & contaminate all the food going through the tube-pipe. The old system also Stainless is for sale, with Flow Master 50's (mild steel & surface rust). Anyway I'm trying to get the Brick back on the ground so I can get it up to the welder. Set the valves Sunday, washed the plug wires & as I was about to put new cap & rotor on the MSD distributer & I noticed that the advance plate was Not moving (like frozen). Da the light went on, last summer coming home from Car Craft Nat's I drove for an hour & a half in some of the hardest rain I'd seen in a long time. And promptly stored the car as my road was tared & stoned, and it's till a mess. Guess where some of that rain went, inside the distributer (cowl hood) & corrosion commenced. So I got the distributer ALL apart, no serious damage, just some emery paper to the advance plate bore. Clean, clean & some fresh grease and I'll be back in hot rod mode. More later, Bob Jr.

 

[Opie Knievel]

Is your welder guy gonna use TIG to weld your exhaust? If so, I agree that you're gonna have a very nice looking exhaust system.

 

[vanrah]

Greetings Opie & all; Tomorrow the Brick goes to the welder. I believe he's using a TIG system, and you would think I would remember. I'll ask tomorrow, but what I can say is when he's done you will be hard pressed to see the welds (seams). Please keep in mind he welded food machinery for a living so his bad welds are likely better than many guys best welds? He will take about a week & even thou I asked him Not to make it show quality the end result may be. Also the shorter MT DOT's arrived today, so things are looking good for Car Craft Nat's & the Auto X. I don't want to rush July, but I'll be ready.
A little side note, my dad (93) will be passing in the days ahead & that will be life changing for me as well as he has lived with me & the wife for the last 10 years. The house is too big for just two people, but has my dream three car garage is attached. So It will be time to start down sizing & ya know what that means? I either got a sell the Brick or my ol'e work car the 05 GuTOo. Save up your dollars as one or both will be posted in the next 3 to 12 months. And I'll keep witch ever one doesn't sell? I can see my heading now, "Your choice 1979 Malibu 9C1 or a 2005 GTO". And some exorbitant price that no one will want to pay. But this time I won't have the luxury of time. E-bay & or Mecum could very well be in my future, who can tell, Bob Jr.

 

[vanrah]

Greetings Guys; Well Pa has re joined the living twice in the last few weeks and now is in a nursing home doing well. In hind site I wouldn't of spent big on an exhaust system had I seen the future more clearly. Oh well, got the car back last Sunday from the welder & you be the judge. Open exhaust with ease, three flange bolts, one V band clamp bolt & a 20" section comes out. I get open headers (room for cats in future or longer tube headers) with the rest of the system ridged mounted. This way I can drag race, auto X or road course & not worry about lose or hanging exhaust system. The old system is very salvageable & for sale with the Flow Masters, 50 series mufflers. I'll have to resurrect my old FS post, plus I'll be adding the vaned aluminum wheels. Bob Jr.

 

[Opie Knievel]

That's a pretty slick looking exhaust. Looks like your welder guy does a good job. How's it sound?

 

[ssn696]

Beautiful work! There are Americans with lots of talent, but we can't afford us anymore.

Sorry to read that you feel forced to make choices. I have to admit, the market would probably take the GTO off your hands, but the Brick will be yours forever. At this point, I'd rather part with my G8 than either Malibu. I need a six bay shop for all the projects up my sleeve and parked here and there.

 

[clean8485]

That is a very nice looking exhaust system. What diameter is the tubing? 2 1/2" or 3"? Very nice welding work. As asked above, how does it sound? I've heard that the Borla mufflers can be a bit loud.

 

[vanrah]

Greetings Guys; I'm a fortunate individual. It's going to be interesting to see if I gain any performance over the Flow Masters. It sure sounds different now, the Flow Masters had a sharper sound kinda like a tin can with V blocks inside & from what I can see they are still in their. The Borla's are shorter than the 50 series FM's and have deeper sound, a little quiter at idle & cruse, but at full on they may be a little louder? And they snap on lift off from full on where the FM's just rumbled on lift off. Maybe I'll gain a couple of tenth's at the drag strip with open headers. As my goal is to better my 12.39 from 1970 when I had the L-78 Camaro that was so uncivilized. Maybe the Bronze Brick isn't that civilized either? I'll pass you complements on to the welder, you should see his car a 64 Chevelle with a LS2, 4L65E combo, Bob Jr.
Ps: 2-1/2"

 

[Vaughn3031]

Willing to sell the wheels on their own?