I am really surprised this didn't kick up
Yep, back then 50 years ago this stuff was slapped together for the lowest dollar they could get away with. There was no competition from the Japanese (yet). They had to meet the corporate 5/50 warranty. Typically once this stuff hit 5 years and close to 50k on the odometer they were traded in on a new car, hit the used car lot and were used up at 10 years and 100k. They used current tire technology that was available to them.
These cars when built rode just fine for 98% of the people who bought them. They were new cars then. Most people bought them for the same reason you would buy a toaster or a refrigerator. It was an appliance. It was bought to be used to get to work, during the week, and go see Aunt Bessie 50 miles away on the weekends. People put bumper hitches on em and towed trailers with em. Heck my pops had a 1973 Dodge Polara sedan with a bumper hitch on it. Used to pull a starcraft pop up camper and car had a bike rack on the back to go with it.
Heck the reason the pentastar is only on the passenger side is the bean counters and marketing arguing over the cost to put them on every car. Marketing wanted it on both sides, bean counters didnt want it on there at all. In the end they both conceded. The star would be passenger side only since its curb side, only half the costs.
So I guess along w subframe connectors, Uncle Tony would be horrified at my home made lower radiator support made with 2x3 boxed steel like my connectors. As well as my fully welded K frame with strengthening gussets, and skid plate. I intend to do these same mods to my sons 69 notchback as well. Not H or M code cars so who cares. I like stuff that handles. Notch out on my lower support is fully boxed and is for the radiator lower tank. This way it tucks up nice and tight
Had a T Top Daytona Shelby in the late 80s. You could hear this car creak and pop like a bowl of ******* rice krispies when pulling into a driveway. It didnt help matters that the T Top daytonas were done after they left the St Louis assembly plant by an aftermarket company. This meant the roof got surgically sawsalled off behind the windshield, and forward of the rear hatch all the way across, and a T bar frame panel was installed to stiffen it back up with big assed steel pop rivets. I jacked it leveled it square, removed the seats, and carpet, then proceeded to tie in the front and rear subframe with 2"x2" 1/8" thick boxed steel. Had to slot the floor pan to fit them, added extra carpet padding in spots, reinstalled everything. What a difference it made, even over a Daytona Shelby hardtop. This was a more modern car, had heavier spring rates 225-50 VR15 tires on 15x6.5" rims, used a 1&1/4" front sway bar and a 7/8" rear sway bar. I forced the suspension to do its job. Car felt more solid, was more precise. So heres a case of a more modern vehicle benefitting from the same modification. I have another Daytona shelby z t top car. If I ever get to it, I will be welding in the T bar panel to the body structure and welding in subframe connectors, as well as seam welding the K frame, and bracing the strut towers to one another and the cowl with a triangulated brace.
Yep, back then 50 years ago this stuff was slapped together for the lowest dollar they could get away with. There was no competition from the Japanese (yet). They had to meet the corporate 5/50 warranty. Typically once this stuff hit 5 years and close to 50k on the odometer they were traded in on a new car, hit the used car lot and were used up at 10 years and 100k. They used current tire technology that was available to them.
These cars when built rode just fine for 98% of the people who bought them. They were new cars then. Most people bought them for the same reason you would buy a toaster or a refrigerator. It was an appliance. It was bought to be used to get to work, during the week, and go see Aunt Bessie 50 miles away on the weekends. People put bumper hitches on em and towed trailers with em. Heck my pops had a 1973 Dodge Polara sedan with a bumper hitch on it. Used to pull a starcraft pop up camper and car had a bike rack on the back to go with it.
Heck the reason the pentastar is only on the passenger side is the bean counters and marketing arguing over the cost to put them on every car. Marketing wanted it on both sides, bean counters didnt want it on there at all. In the end they both conceded. The star would be passenger side only since its curb side, only half the costs.
So I guess along w subframe connectors, Uncle Tony would be horrified at my home made lower radiator support made with 2x3 boxed steel like my connectors. As well as my fully welded K frame with strengthening gussets, and skid plate. I intend to do these same mods to my sons 69 notchback as well. Not H or M code cars so who cares. I like stuff that handles. Notch out on my lower support is fully boxed and is for the radiator lower tank. This way it tucks up nice and tight
Had a T Top Daytona Shelby in the late 80s. You could hear this car creak and pop like a bowl of ******* rice krispies when pulling into a driveway. It didnt help matters that the T Top daytonas were done after they left the St Louis assembly plant by an aftermarket company. This meant the roof got surgically sawsalled off behind the windshield, and forward of the rear hatch all the way across, and a T bar frame panel was installed to stiffen it back up with big assed steel pop rivets. I jacked it leveled it square, removed the seats, and carpet, then proceeded to tie in the front and rear subframe with 2"x2" 1/8" thick boxed steel. Had to slot the floor pan to fit them, added extra carpet padding in spots, reinstalled everything. What a difference it made, even over a Daytona Shelby hardtop. This was a more modern car, had heavier spring rates 225-50 VR15 tires on 15x6.5" rims, used a 1&1/4" front sway bar and a 7/8" rear sway bar. I forced the suspension to do its job. Car felt more solid, was more precise. So heres a case of a more modern vehicle benefitting from the same modification. I have another Daytona shelby z t top car. If I ever get to it, I will be welding in the T bar panel to the body structure and welding in subframe connectors, as well as seam welding the K frame, and bracing the strut towers to one another and the cowl with a triangulated brace.
