Posted by Jesse Ybarra
on 7/13/2009, 19:51:03, in reply to "Re: Chevy 350 V8 Conversions for sustained freeway use."
205.188.117.15
If the frame you have is a wide track and it is good don't box it. If it is a narrow track check the areas above the hangers and box only near the front hangers to the round crossmember. use a set of wagoneer shackels over the front and rear FC hangers, the FC hanger bushings will need to be replaced, these shackles are narrow on top, wider on the bottom, at the other end of the springs remove the narrow FC spring hangers, then use a new wider hanger and use wider CJ style Rancho type springs. if you are using the narrow track frame then stay with the spring under later Commando axles. Don't try to make a wide track by adding side hangers, the 57 frames are to weak and they won't hold up to the strain.
--Previous Message--
: well call me stupid or short sited, I just cut
: up the jeepster frame about two months ago.
: Well well well, what to do next. One of my
: FC-150 frames is straight and in very good
: condition, the truck even sits level, no
: driver side sag. Can I box the the 150 frame
: and use the jeepster front end and rear end?
: Thanks Ed
:
: --Previous Message--
:
: Chevy 350 V8 Conversions for sustained
: freeway use.
:
: I talked to Scott on the phone, he will be
: searching for a complete 73- 85 Chevy 1/2 or
: 3/4 ton V8 TH-350/Np205 4x4 Let him know, if
: someone has one in Chicago area, so we can
: end the 44 gears questions, I was getting
: lost with all the replies.
:
: Craig's Tech section on the FC Connection
: Yes you can post to your website anything
: that I have ever written.
: Isn't it nice that Craig works full time,
: and makes the time to be so helpful, he is a
: Most Excellent FC person.
: This should help to explain a few things
: that hopefully will prevent terribly wrong
: expensive conversions.
: About costs, when building an FC Freeway
: Flyer, quit trying to think of economy, and
: think of long time reliability, a lot of new
: people like Scott and a few others are very
: new to FCs, Scott for example had never seen
: my #1 M-677 4 door on Craig's Website. In
: past years, I have met a lot of people, that
: are really new to all, that is automotive.
: questions that seem to be common sense, to
: an FC dinosaur like me, are really not the
: experience someone who has never driven an
: FC can understand. Worse if you ask enough
: people that don't have an FC, about what can
: sustain freeway speeds, it is easy to go in
: many directions. I have enjoyed the benefits
: of driving my 4 door for many years as a
: daily driver on freeways in hot AZ, so I
: want express a few FC-on the Freeway
: experience facts.
:
: About the Small Block Chevrolet V8 350 or
: SBC, if you have you ever driven a 283 Chevy
: anything, you now it was reliable and had
: good power, well compared to a 6 cylinder,
: they were plentiful, but they were here
: before the freeways, they are over 40 years
: old now. The 307 a longer stroke and the
: cool 327, these were good motors, but short
: lived, then came the 350, like the original
: VW they were unchanged everything was
: basically the same, until 87, the changes
: and improvements made some problems, along
: the same time another short lived motor the
: anti smog 305 came and went, it had a list
: of different issues. The pre 85 350 SBC
: remains as Chevrolet dealers most popular
: replacement, brand new motor that is on the
: shelf. Here at the FC Roundup each year we
: only see a few FCs that are actually capable
: of being on freeways, most can go for a few
: offramps or miles, but can't or shouldn't go
: on the freeway, because of overheating or
: handling. The FC is a big box, unlike a low
: to the ground sports car, as the FC goes
: faster over 40 mph, it really pushes against
: the air, the faster it goes the more the
: wind it fights against it, the more it
: pushes against the wind it also looses
: stability, it is as heavy and requires about
: double the energy that is required to push a
: regular Chevy pickup, maintaining constant
: freeway speeds, this extra requirement,
: causes a lot of engine friction, that heats
: up the oil, as the water gets hot the oil
: gets real hot. A larger motor does not mean
: you can go faster, but it does the work with
: less effort, taller gears are what makes
: them be able to go faster, the bigger the
: gear ratio, the more torque / HP is
: required, again the 350 does the work with
: less effort.
: Forget small cubic inch V6s and V8s, like I
: mentioned for example, the V6 225 or 283
: motors, because they were last made over 40
: years ago, it is impossible to find one that
: is not going to need to be bored and they
: had small journal cast cranks, they were
: made before unleaded gas, rebuilding a set
: of heads, and changing the valve seats to
: hardened valve seats, can be a bunch of $.
: The 283s are only good for when they are
: going in an original 58-66 Chevy.
: 4.3 made by Chevrolet, good but harder to
: maintain passing acceleration at over 60,
: without gaining overheat, working temp 195
: degrees, 4.3 is a 5.7 (350) with 2 cylinders
: missing, Again more expensive to rebuild
: than the SBC.
: SBC temp can run fine with 160 degree
: thermostat, this means cooler in the cab, a
: large radiator is required and an oil cooler
: for the engine and trans are needed.
: Average cost on a band new SBC 350 crate
: motor is cheaper than the parts and machine
: work to rebuild a tired motor. This applies
: to Ed Browning, just because you have a
: motor taking up space don't assume it is
: less money to have it redone. It will
: surprise most people how inexpensive it is
: to buy a band new crate motor from the Chevy
: dealer. And it has a 2 year guarantee.
: Question of Ed,
: I have an intake from a 1978 z-28 also a
: friend gave me, don't know if would help
: either.
: Answer,
: it is probably is for a 305, water
: crossover is restricted on some factory
: aluminum manifolds but it may have the same
: size intake ports.
: Question,
: I have a tranfercase out of a 1973
: 3spd/T-15, jeepster/Commando I think is a
: Dana 20. What do you think I would need to
: bolt all these together after I overhaul the
: engine and rebuild everything? Can we do
: this upgrade and the back drive shaft not
: bind up - FC-150?
: Answer?
: An inline 4.0 AMC motor and a 72-73
: Jeepster, the bell housing will only fit an
: AMC 232 six or 304 V8, that T-15 is a top
: shift. plus the Adapter that comes on the
: Dana 20, makes it all pretty long for an
: FC-150. Even if someone is in the bed
: shifting the gears. use a Chevy TH350/NP-205
: or adapt the D-20 to the TH-350
: Another question if you don't mind,
: I have cut up a fc-170, if I put the spring
: hangers on one of my 1957 150 and I know I
: can move the stands.seat on the housing, I
: have jeepster parts 1971-1973, will any of
: this help make the upgraded 150 truck better
: on the highway 3.73 gears in jeepster front
: and rear end? Should I look for a certain
: model of housings to change to? Thanks Again
: and Again Ed your carefully planned insight.
: Answer,
: The 57 frame is tired fatigued and I am sure
: full of fractures, if not find someone that
: really needs it. The frame on the FC-170 is
: very wide at the rear and is tapered to the
: middle, the FC-150 frame is narrow front and
: rear, so the hangers are not true 90 degree.
: Use the much better 73 Jeepster frame and
: the Jeepster axles.
: If you do use the Commando frame it probably
: has the mono leaf composite springs, for
: sure the axle centering bolt will be to far
: forward in the wrong place, so use the
: better FC-170 springs. After changing the
: springs, you will have the centering holes
: in a new position, but upside down, use new
: ones and put them in to match the perches,
: should be at less than 100" leave it,
: lengthen the bed, or shorten it to 80".
: it will still be a spring under suspension
: but a taller wide track. or cut off the
: spring under perches and add new ones on the
: top. With the axles mounted, measure from
: the front axle on an FC-170, to where the
: front cross member with the bell crank needs
: to be, then add on to the front of the
: Commando frame, 2 feet of an FC-170 frame,
: to the Commando frame for the steering. It
: sounds like a lot of work but it does have
: good resulting strength benefits over the
: weaker narrow track frame.
:
:
:
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