1964 bonneville rebuild

[64 kiwi boni]

Funny thing is, that thats the way you used to buy your beer! 12 big bottles in a wooden crate, or flagons.

and you took the empties back, you got money for the empties and you bought another crate!!!

soooo simple, and great for the environment...oh how times have changed  

[64 kiwi boni]

A very productive road trip today

I now have all my steering parts rebuilt , rebuilt ball joints and I called into the spring makers in Rotorua and my reset springs where ready 🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻 

and my Xmas present too myself arrived  for my tig welder

a foot control 👍🍻🍻🍻🍻

[64 kiwi boni]

front springs have been reset 3 inches lower, rears are reset 2 inches lower, but these are just for set up and to see what my ride height is,then once i am happy with how she sits, i am going to have a new set made from heaver steel, these are way too light, i am after a firm ride not a floaty ship feel.😜 

Edited December 4, 2020 by 64 kiwi boni

[Wrongway]

Man those look good brother! Glad to see them. 

[64 kiwi boni]

Trans mount arrived yesterday from Ames which was not bad Vermont to Taupo in 2 weeks 👍

[64 kiwi boni]

The Boys at the spring makers called to say my new 1inch sway bar is made... so dont tell the boss, i am going to sneak over to Rotorua ( 1 hour away) tomorrow afternoon and grab it!!!, ( supposed to be working !! )

Plan is to get the front end assembled on sunday......... if i am lucky enough to get the time🙄

and as long as its not as hot as it is today!! or i might just have to stick a pop up awning over the frame to make it a bit cooler!!😡

[64 kiwi boni]

The new 25mm sway bar up beside the original 20 mm bar 

while it won’t make the 64 into a race car , it will certainly improve cornering 

and I can retain the original saddles with  new bushings drilled out to suit the bigger bar 👍

Edited December 18, 2020 by 64 kiwi boni

[Frosty]

Good work Kiwi. Have you gotten a rear sway bar for the old girl yet? Pontiacs never came with one (that I know of) but I've heard that the full size Chevys did and they can be adapted.

[Wrongway]

Lookin good Kiwi!

[64 kiwi boni]

5 hours ago, Frosty said:

Good work Kiwi. Have you gotten a rear sway bar for the old girl yet? Pontiacs never came with one (that I know of) but I've heard that the full size Chevys did and they can be adapted.

Oh do tell more frosty ??? 

I was thinking I would have to come up with a template from scratch and have the spring maker build it ..... 

What year Chevy do you think would be simlair to 64 wide track ?

[Frosty]

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/aco-k1-460-0u/make/pontiac/model/bonneville/year/1964

Well what do you know  - it appears Summit Racing has a rear sway bar kit for a 64 Bonneville now. That's good to know. You might check other catalogs too Kiwi, see if they have a kit at a better price.

It use to be that you had to use a 58-64 full size Chevy kit but you have to remember that the Chevy rear end is 2 inches narrower than the Pontiac unit (e.g. the Widetrack Pontiacs).

 

Here is the '64 Chevy Impala kit for comparision purposes

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/aco-k1-934-0u/make/chevrolet/model/impala/year/1964

 

Edited December 18, 2020 by Frosty

[Wrongway]

That's cool! I may look into one for mine to. 

[64 kiwi boni]

11 hours ago, Frosty said:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/aco-k1-460-0u/make/pontiac/model/bonneville/year/1964

Well what do you know  - it appears Summit Racing has a rear sway bar kit for a 64 Bonneville now. That's good to know. You might check other catalogs too Kiwi, see if they have a kit at a better price.

It use to be that you had to use a 58-64 full size Chevy kit but you have to remember that the Chevy rear end is 2 inches narrower than the Pontiac unit (e.g. the Widetrack Pontiacs).

 

Here is the '64 Chevy Impala kit for comparision purposes

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/aco-k1-934-0u/make/chevrolet/model/impala/year/1964

 

thanks frosty, that pontiac one looks to be a front bar, the chevy one looks like  this one i found on helwig site

https://www.hellwigproducts.com/wp-content/uploads/product-digital-assets/135005812.pdf

if its as simple as helwig design where you are just bolting a bar to both lowers rear legs, i think i can template it and have my spring guys make it  

[Wrongway]

Just know that I want to see it when your done bro.

[64 kiwi boni]

11 hours ago, Wrongway said:

Just know that I want to see it when your done bro.

for sure Mate , i think i will start another thread as i have questions about how well the bolt onto the side of the trailing arms will work, 

But it will have to wait.... today i am going to get my frame down on the front wheels, its going to be another stinking hot day, and as i am sorting this part outside, i will stick the pop up so i dont get too burnt

Edited December 20, 2020 by 64 kiwi boni

[64 kiwi boni]

Wire buffed and sand blasted all the bolts and parts 

some got JustA rust convert prime while bigger parts got a coat of black paint 

Any bolts that looked worn 

I have replaced 

Bolted all the ball joints in 

 

Another stinking hot day 

Edited December 20, 2020 by 64 kiwi boni

[64 kiwi boni]

So stuck up a pop up and got the girls chassis on four wheels 🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻

time for a beer I feel 

[64 kiwi boni]

The new inch sway bar looks to be fitting very nicely 👍👍

[Wrongway]

Good job bro. Lookin good to!

[64 kiwi boni]

i have a issue and i am really hoping Last Indian will see this post and tell me if i am worrying for no reason !

yesterday i assembled the lower a arms onto the 64 frame, went to insert the bolts through the frame and bushings and they didnt fit !!! my bushings are 1/2 inch yet my frame rails they bolt through are 9/16.

now that means i need to get 1/2 bolts to clamp up these lower arms, but that now means i have a 1/16 play in each mount....

 do i

A    bolt them up tight and not worry

B    try and drill the bushings out to 9/16.... which i think will devulcanize them 

or C get a machine shop to make a 1/16 bush to fit in each frame rail bolt holes ???????  

[Frosty]

Here is another ad for a rear sway bar mate. I throw it in because I though you might want to see the photos rather than buy it.

https://fabcraftmetalworks.com/product/chassisch8-0520-2/

I will let Last Indian comment as well.

If it were me, I think I would first try using either split lock washer or either an internal or external tooth lock washer to help keep the bolt in place. I would not expect the bolt to move around that much once you've torqued it down anyway, but I expect the added clamping force of the washer will further help keep it in place.

 

 

[Last Indian]

On 12/1/2020 at 11:04 PM, 64 kiwi boni said:

But hay she is never going to be a race car!

Don’t tell Smokey Yunick that! Those cars dominated NASCAR in the day mate!

[Last Indian]

7 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

i have a issue and i am really hoping Last Indian will see this post and tell me if i am worrying for no reason !

yesterday i assembled the lower a arms onto the 64 frame, went to insert the bolts through the frame and bushings and they didnt fit !!! my bushings are 1/2 inch yet my frame rails they bolt through are 9/16.

now that means i need to get 1/2 bolts to clamp up these lower arms, but that now means i have a 1/16 play in each mount....

 do i

A    bolt them up tight and not worry

B    try and drill the bushings out to 9/16.... which i think will devulcanize them 

or C get a machine shop to make a 1/16 bush to fit in each frame rail bolt holes ???????  

First of all how big is the outside diameter of the inner steel sleeve in the vulcanized rubber?
It’s a problem, but not to worry! You can fix it! You need one of two remedies! The simplest is two special washers for each side of the 1/2” bolt. So depending on how large the outer diameter is of the sleeve is will determine what those washers look like!

Aarms like other vulcanized bushing need the center steel sleeve clamped to the frame/bracket by the through bolt! This is what make the vulcanized bushing do it’s job!

Once you tell me what that O.D. Is I’ll determine what the washer should look like!

[JUSTA6]

9 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

i have a issue and i am really hoping Last Indian will see this post and tell me if i am worrying for no reason !

yesterday i assembled the lower a arms onto the 64 frame, went to insert the bolts through the frame and bushings and they didnt fit !!! my bushings are 1/2 inch yet my frame rails they bolt through are 9/16.

now that means i need to get 1/2 bolts to clamp up these lower arms, but that now means i have a 1/16 play in each mount....

 do i

A    bolt them up tight and not worry

B    try and drill the bushings out to 9/16.... which i think will devulcanize them 

or C get a machine shop to make a 1/16 bush to fit in each frame rail bolt holes ???????  

Justa me, but I would use the correct size flat washer for the bolt.  Then Justa tack weld the washer in place.  Too much pressure/stress to have it work loose Justa using lockwashers.  If you ever need to replace the bushings again, would be super easy to grind off the tack weld. Sounds like you got a wrong bushing.  What does your supplier say about it?  Again Justa me but i swear my a arm bushings took bigger bolts then 9/16 even.  1/2 sounds pretty wimpy.

[64 kiwi boni]

4 hours ago, Frosty said:

Here is another ad for a rear sway bar mate. I throw it in because I though you might want to see the photos rather than buy it.

https://fabcraftmetalworks.com/product/chassisch8-0520-2/

Oh now thats what i am talking about !!!! thank you.... the helwig one that bolts to the lower control arms would simply put more stress on the bushings each end of each arm, and i think that is wrong

where as connection from the diff straight to the chassis make more sense too me 👍 Thank you 😋