CHEVELLE TECH is a regular column intended as a guide to assist members with questions they have regarding 1964-72 Chevelles. We'll publish as many letters and responses per issue as space permits.
Sorry, but no personal responses can be made.
Address your questions to:
CHEVELLE TECH, A.C.E.S.,
4636 Lebanon Pike, Suite 195,
Nashville, TN 37076-1316.
Bill Inglis #342 Newbury Park, CA
A:
You can order one-piece replacement rotors (the originals
are of the two-piece variety) from D&R Classic Automotive
(31 W 280 Diehl Rd, #107, Naperville, IL 60563 (800)
472-6952) that may not be 100% correct appearing, but will
provide the additional clearance needed to clear the
four-piston calipers. But, aside from original-style
replacement rotors being difficult to find, the four-piston
calipers often leak, with the only solution being to have
the sleeved with stainless steel. Several companies offer
this service, but one of the best we've found yet is the
ASL, Co (1200 S. Rock Blvd, #10, Sparks, NV 89431 (702)
331-3331), for a complete sleeving and rebuilding of your
calipers.
If you've already gone through the trouble of having your four-piston calipers rebuilt and sleeved, you've got half the problem whipped already, Bill; the rotors will take care of the other half. And, just for the sake of discussion, the four-piston setup is arguably better at bringing things to a halt.
Of course, if you're contemplating the swap because the calipers leak, the rotors are hard to find, and you don't want to spend the bucks to repair/replace them... and you just happen to have a disc setup off any '69-'72 A-body (Chevelle, Skylark, Cutlass, or Tempest), bolt 'em up from the spindles out. The master cylinder, proportioning valve, and all the plumbing hardware should work with the single-piston calipers. Be sure to replace the rubber lines from the caliper to the frame, especially if there's any evidence of cracking or leaks.
Naturally, no matter what your course of action, be sure to properly bleed the brakes and road test your Chevelle at slow speeds before getting out in traffic with it. As for the hood lock problem, we don't have any solutions, but perhaps some of our members do. How about it? Anybody out there got a good way to secure the hood without a chain or drilling holes? Good luck, Bill!
As I mentioned before, I'm not doing a "numbers" resto on my El Camino, as it was originally a 307/'glide car, and, as Tim Allen says, "More Power." I've gotta have the 427/TH400 combo!
Do you have any big-block numbers on an OEM aluminum intake
with oval ports, a Quadrajet base, and provisions for the
choke heat stove? If you do, save yourself the phone call
and drop me a note. Besides, that is a better way of
keeping up with items needed in my El Camino library.
Bruce Kosienski #430 Meriden, CT
A:
The intake you're looking for, Bruce, was originally
istalled on ''68 and '69 Corvettes with the 390hp/427ci
engine. The casting numbers you should be on the lookout
for are: 3919849, 3937793, and 3947801. Be advised, though,
that they are Corvette items, and as such can command higher
prices than you might want to pay. As for dropping the
note, Bruce, what better way to keep up with an answer than
in your copy of CHEVELLE WORLD? You ARE keeping all your
back copies, aren't you? Good. That's what we thought!!!
A:
Funny you should bring it up, John, but we were just about
to ask the membership to submit any data they have on
bellhousings to us so we can build a relational data base on
casting numbers and other pertinent information. As far as
we know, this information has never been generally
available, and we've been unable to turn anything up in our
research books.
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