TECH: Camaro Clip in your 58 chevy-in one day!

well your wheel options will be limited but look at all the positives that come along with it like the main 2= easy, and cheap, i guess im just scared to cut up my frame so i will ether buy a mustang 2 set up a piece at a time or search for the crown vic set up should be plenty of steel wheels to get at the junk yard or some of those mustang bullit wheels just add a 8.8 in two

 

Nice done is the chassis boxed and or does it has fish plates???

 

So, after multiple people telling me that i have to use a different column and that my stock one would not work, im intrigued by this portion of the install. Is that lower bushing out of a 67-73 pickup a napa part or does it have to be salvaged out of a column. can you elaborate more on the process of cutting the factory column and preparing to install the lower bearing on the column. Thanks, nik

 

You can just install the whole column from a 67-72. I use the tilts or van tilts if I can find them...

 

Thanks. Also, on the subject of these camaro IFS installs, what amount of backspacing is desired? Trying to find some wheels. I want to run the same wheel front and rear. probably a 7" wheel. Im working with a '58 Apache with '79 Camaro Clip.

 

But those columns are ugly ugly ugly...

There are other bearings I've used as well. I think the last one I got at the local Agri Supply. just need the shaft size and the column ID.

 

yeah, I would like to keep the original column. I like the look. I don't need tilt.

 

Use your original column they make a lower support bearing now that is a breeze. Classicparts.com part #76-987

 

Standard wheel back spacing works fine. I think its around 3 5/8". Off the shelf rear wheel drive wheels. The one in the driveway today has 8"ers all the way around, they are centerlines. I don't like the look but the owner does. Usually we do 7's in the front with a 245/60/15 and rears are 8's with 275/60/15. Most of the trucks in the previous posts that I posted, wear those.

 

I think you are ugly........and jaguar suspensions are lame...

 

thank you! yeah, i ordered the bearing from classic parts.com last night. Also, with the rear end, im putting in the 10 bolt from the same '79 camaro. Is there a good donor car/truck to get leafs from or should i just pull some springs out of the factory leaf pack to soften it up a little bit?

 

I have a 58 F100 that I am considering subframing, is the track width similar between the Chevy & Ford trucks of this vintage?

 

Nik,

Trying to find pictures but I followed Lux's instructions pretty much to the T.

Used the Chevy lower bush, got it from my local American car parts place, cut the original mast to the required length and welded it into place. Then used the lower part of the Camaro tilt column steering shaft and welded it onto the original steering shaft.

This gave me an easy connection to the Camaro steering box and was an easy fix.

Welded some tabs to the bottom of the column and used these to secure it to the bulkhead after I had got it adjusted to how it felt comfy.

Will find the pics later and put them up.

Good luck!

P.

 

Thanks Paul. That would be appreciated!

 

My wife's gardening truck gets the treatment, making it number 32...

From this...





To this....





Like this...

 

What were the hub to hub dem. For the camaro clip?

 

Nice Work!!

 

Jaws, sits real nice. Couple of questions, with the clip in parallel are your springs stock? & how many inches has it dropped??
Also what did you do with the rear? is it just a strait forward flip??

One more thing, Lux Blue's way of sliding the clip strait under, does it drop much lower then parallel & if so how much?

 

Thought I would share my install.


Someone had installed a clip before I got the truck and it was grafted on, one can clearly see that the tire is setting back to far in the wheel well.







Now here is the Lux Blue way.












And the rocker is around 5" or so.


How does this look compared to the original???

Do you all think that the wheel base is to far forward??? Or is it ok??
Comments are welcome and expected.

Toad

 

Height is good but yeah...a little far forward.

 

Does it look centered???

 

The hub to hub is 62" if memory serves. I am running 15X7's all around and no rubbing.

Mine uses the stock '79 TransAm WS6 front suspension, all of it. The stock camaro or firebird stuff will sit about an inch higher.

The rear is the stock truck springs, I removed all but 5 and spaced them out to match the leaf style pattern. The springs are on top still, with 2" longer shackles. The rear is a '72 camaro with 273's, stone stock.

This thing rides very nice and smooth. If you were here I would toss you the keys and let you take it for a spin. It's almost boring. It is even better than my 46 coupe with it's Mustang II front and camaro with leafs.

Angles are the most important part of the install, it's not just a quickie. No offense intended, but the engineers who built the F bodies weren't dummies and the position of the control arms and front crossmember in correlation to the rear end and frame are essential.

Most people don't know but the F body's were built with the passenger side front suspension exactly 3/4 of an inch off from parallel to the drivers side. Even the front fenders are made differently, not mirror images.

My clip is not in stock like the LUX way, infact aligning it to the factory specs for a camaro will make it a mess. It is however perfectly symmetrical and level now compared to the stock F body.

Prolly more info than you wanted to know.

My buddy who does them is a magician. I have driven many clipped cars and trucks, none drive like this.

He has one customer who prefers it over his '08 silverado SWB as far as ride and handling.

 

Looks good to me. You must have moved it 1-1/2 forward at least.

 

Thanks JAWS....

I really dont know, I mean I measured the old clip that was installed, but who knows it that was right or not.

It is around 1-3/4" more foward from that measurment. I know from the front cab mounts to the edge of the shock hole (closest to the firewall) it is 28-1/2" I talked with LUX today and his magic number is to the center of the shock hole. If I measured there it would be around 28-7/8". It is square with the stock frame I just wanna make sure that it is good before I weld'er in.

 

Most crucial degree is the front crossmember angle. On the flat in the middle what is it with the frame level?

 

whattttttt? It looks perfect forward to me. My first was nearly stock and was way to far back, my 2nd was forward an inch and I still thought it needed forward when you are that low.

I think you nailed it. I'm commiting 1.75" to memory now.

 

Depends on the clip. But that magic number is right on for looks.

 

man that looks good!!

 

All the credit goes to my friend Jay Young at Jay's Classics here in Idaho. I was able to "work" off some of the cost by being a grunt for him on my own truck and some others. He is the master magician with these 47-59 GM trucks.

I was amazed at how he sculpted the two together in to what you see there. No less than 20 straight hours of pulling the trigger on his MIG. That isn't counting the cutting and rigging for the Jig, measurements and all the rest that goes into this process. He has two full spiral notebooks of diagrams and notes.

Currently he is doing a GMC version of the 55 Cameo for a good friend of mine, that is gonna be 409 powered.

 

Don't know I will check this evening.
What should it be???