'68 318 to carbed Magnum 5.2: Check my checklist
Some good, unexpected news - I don't need to get the Firm Feel box, which means lots of play money for the rest of the parts I need.
For those interested in the change of heart:
Until today, I had the (incorrect) belief that the Mopar power steering box is the direct cause of unbelievably skittish handling, courtesy of my '69 Valiant (my first Mopar, and a 22k mile car that is tight as a drum - hence, I have no reason to believe the P/S box to be worn). The Valiant presently has its original 13" rims with P185/70/R14 tires on it - about 2" smaller in diameter than the original factory 6.50x13" bias-plys - and I'd already installed offset control arm bushings and had the front end realigned to the specs given for radials online (not the old bias-ply specifications that have been pre-loaded into seemingly every shop alignment computer ever made).
That said, the tiny 13" rims have given very little options for me to put decent tires on it, so I recently acquired a set of mutt SBP rims (three 4.5" width, one 5.5") to experiment with, along with a pair of decent, unused P215/70/R14 tires from a garage sale. I wanted to get an idea of how much tire I could stick under the Valiant (answer = the P215's fit with room to spare) and whether I'd have to make significant adjustments to the torsion bar ride height:
^Gasser Valiant!
After throwing the wheels on and doing nothing to the alignment, I took it around for a spin, just for fun. I didn't really expect anything different, but for the very first time, not only did the car track perfectly straight, I could feel it pull itself back to center after exiting both left and right turns.
"So THAT's how the stock steering is supposed to feel!"
I'm not sure if it is because the caster was increased with the back end on the ground, whether the larger sidewall deflects better, or if the control arms are in a sweet spot with the taller wheels. But having learned how to drive with 4-turn Saginaw slushbox steering gears in Fords (and driven virtually no other steering box since), I immediately felt right at home and comfortable with the now-correct steering feel.
With that said, I therefore expect the Satellite's box to feel no different than the Valiant on the P215's, provided the alignment is in spec. Hence, no need to spend an arm and a leg on the Firm Feel box - all I want is centering, not stiffness. Maybe I'll go for the fast ratio pitman arm in the future, but not now.
I didn't have an opportunity to photograph it yet, but the engine has both exhaust manifolds on it now. Looks impressive.
-Kurt
Some good, unexpected news - I don't need to get the Firm Feel box, which means lots of play money for the rest of the parts I need.
For those interested in the change of heart:
Until today, I had the (incorrect) belief that the Mopar power steering box is the direct cause of unbelievably skittish handling, courtesy of my '69 Valiant (my first Mopar, and a 22k mile car that is tight as a drum - hence, I have no reason to believe the P/S box to be worn). The Valiant presently has its original 13" rims with P185/70/R14 tires on it - about 2" smaller in diameter than the original factory 6.50x13" bias-plys - and I'd already installed offset control arm bushings and had the front end realigned to the specs given for radials online (not the old bias-ply specifications that have been pre-loaded into seemingly every shop alignment computer ever made).
That said, the tiny 13" rims have given very little options for me to put decent tires on it, so I recently acquired a set of mutt SBP rims (three 4.5" width, one 5.5") to experiment with, along with a pair of decent, unused P215/70/R14 tires from a garage sale. I wanted to get an idea of how much tire I could stick under the Valiant (answer = the P215's fit with room to spare) and whether I'd have to make significant adjustments to the torsion bar ride height:
^Gasser Valiant!
After throwing the wheels on and doing nothing to the alignment, I took it around for a spin, just for fun. I didn't really expect anything different, but for the very first time, not only did the car track perfectly straight, I could feel it pull itself back to center after exiting both left and right turns.
"So THAT's how the stock steering is supposed to feel!"
I'm not sure if it is because the caster was increased with the back end on the ground, whether the larger sidewall deflects better, or if the control arms are in a sweet spot with the taller wheels. But having learned how to drive with 4-turn Saginaw slushbox steering gears in Fords (and driven virtually no other steering box since), I immediately felt right at home and comfortable with the now-correct steering feel.
With that said, I therefore expect the Satellite's box to feel no different than the Valiant on the P215's, provided the alignment is in spec. Hence, no need to spend an arm and a leg on the Firm Feel box - all I want is centering, not stiffness. Maybe I'll go for the fast ratio pitman arm in the future, but not now.
I didn't have an opportunity to photograph it yet, but the engine has both exhaust manifolds on it now. Looks impressive.
-Kurt