Newbie - seeking advice

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moper said:
it's got a clutch - so she doesn;t need a bunch of power to have "fun"...lol. If it was me I'd just make sure the brakes and suspension are mechanically sound, upgrade the ignition, and add a single exhaust pipe and muffler. I don;t think I'd go further until she's got some seat time with it and keeps the tickets off her record. Just me - but I was a teenager and know what I did. If the car was more capable - I pushed it to it's limits. Best keeping it a wallowing, underpowered, brake fading mess until she get's some seat time.
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Ohhhhhhhhh boooooo hisssssss!!!! :-D My first car was a '69 Impala with a 396 and a four speed. It's EXACTLY what every 16 year old girl needs to turn into a die hard motorhead for life. But that's just me. < grin >
 
notpaul said:
Okay - first question(s):

I want to tackle front brakes first, and while I'm at it, minor suspension & front-end stuff.

1) I want to change over the front to disc. Nothing high-performance or overly pricey. Is there a kit that is recommended? (I see several places, such as Summit, that offer complete kits.) Since the car has stock drums, any special tips or extra items I need to be aware of when making the change?

2) I figure I may as well do shocks while I'm doing the brakes ... again, recommendations for something "better than stock" but not crazy?

3) I want to put sway bars on front & back. Will I run into any challenges installing them? (Ex: am I going to have to do any mods in order to do the mounting?)

Oh, and I may need to do the clutch, also ... trying to decide of I want to tackle that at the same time.

Thanks for the input and encouragement!
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Buy a 74-up a body parts car and swap over the rear end and suspension/brake system. $1200 tops. Poly bushings all around and use bilstein shocks. The shocks are a little pricey but last forever
 
First things first. Go through the brakes and suspension before anything. Speed can come later, especially since she's a NEW driver.

If i were you, I'd start gathering parts to put 73-76 A-body discs on the front. Get everything together before tearing it apart. Go to the Mopar Action web site and check out the "disco tech" article. It'll guide you in what you need to upgrade the brakes with factory stuff and it's cheaper than going aftermarket.

You are such a short drive from Columbus, this is a no-brainer. (my son is a UD grad) Go to the Mopar Nationals with her in August! Just do it. You can find everything you need in the swap meet but be aware that Nats pricing will be in effect. If I were you, I'd give the cash to your daughter and let her negotiate the price. Who could say no to a little girl with a Mopar Passion?
(well I could, I said no to Leanna when she asked if I wanted more mashed potatoes :D)


http://www.moparnats.org/
 
If you wanna keep the slant a few things you can do for it.

Take the head off. Have it reworked and mill .100" off. Upgrade to the Super Six (factory two barrel) setup. Get some free flowing headers for it. Hooker makes a nice set. Oregon Cams can regrind your stock camshaft and regrind your lifters very reasonably. They have many different grinds to choose from. The cam is 75 to regrind and lifters are 4 bucks each to regrind. You can use the stock 340 valve springs on the head. They will stand all but the most radical of grinds for the slant. The head is where you'll see the most improvement. Without milling, you're really not going to add a lot of power. If you don't do that, you may as well leave the slant stock and look at upgrading to maybe a mild 318 after she's driven it a while. Just some food for thought.
 
Yes, that car looks like a great starting point. Like others have said, start with the safety stuff first. I would not worry bout doing things to motor till she has some seat time.
 
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