@gearheadgarageinc Hey my man I'm really feeling your content. No clown show, trying to be "witty", excessive babbling, or other nonsense. Ur talking to grown men like men and getting to the point. Much respect...
Amen! Dim headlights are fine in familiar surroundings until you are blinded by the driver who has unfocused carbon arc search lights for headlights. That driver probably has excellent night vision, too. he just wants to make a statement. No worse case than unnecessarily bright strobes on police cars. I'm pretty sure repeat testimony in court that an intoxicated driver could not see the cop car is why the rest of us have to put up with weapons-grade light intensity on police strobes.
A collapsible steering shaft is a must have, too. A lot of old cars were notorious for burying the steering wheel into your chest when hitting a tree, pole, vehicle, head on.
So true! In the crash that I shared - when i opted to kiss the tree, I leaned towards the center to avoid the column upon impact! Tee rear view mirror was responsible for the head wound. These car should have collapsible columns and/or shafts......and some of the wood steering wheels are dangerous too!
@gearheadgarageinc A few years back, at Deadwood Nights in Deadwood SD a company was offering collapsible steering columns for classic cars with free install. A guy with a 58 Corvette was offered this at his family's urging but he wanted to keep it original. A few days later he rear-ended a box truck on one of those canyon roads. His steering wheel crushed his chest. Sad, but now his family is a big promoter of the product. I would like to see more in headlight options as I have an 06 Sportster and when I rode at night my headlight seems to put out as much light as a BIC lighter in a glass jar.
I am changing out the old original steering column on my 1967 Mustang for the reasons described in the video. Plus I like the tilt steering wheel option you get with the new column.
Scary crash story with stuck throttle....why put the ignition in accy, position though, just turn off the ignition completely in that situation to cut engine power completely..steering wheel won't lock if key turned back forward without engaging the starter can be done in 1 second flick of wrist. Glad you survived that scary stuff.
Needed to watch this. Thank you! 26 y/o with a ‘67 Mustang. Sometimes it’s easy to get sucked in to how fun these cars are then you get a reminder that it’s a chunk of metal with no crumple zones
I learned my lesson about using the proper lug nuts the hard way. I had a 76 Camaro back in 83 that I put aluminum slots on that I got from the junk yard. The guy gave me lug nuts to go with, but they didn't grab hold of nearly enough threads. Going down the highway about 50 mph, the passenger rear wheel breaks loose and bounces across the highway and the brake drum crashed into a roadside pottery shop. Luckily no one was hurt, but it's a lesson I'll never forget.
great video, two things folks might also want to consider: a) run your headlights through a relay if there isn't one already. Its surprising how big a voltage drop you can have in a old ignition switch. b) consider seats with headrests, they don't look as cool but as someone who's gotten severely rear ended, you can get really messed up when your head snaps back.
That's some good advice. These cars aften have worn harnesses, and could really use a headlight relay system, especially once upgraded with more electrical draw! Many modern lights actually draw lees amps than the old school lights. And, yup - whiplash is nothing nice!!!!!
You're a great teacher and obviously a good guy...appreciate the video sincerely and hope your channel gets a ton of attention. You're very easy to listen to and learn from since no obnoxious ego, fake personality, or role playing....world is sick of people playing roles about who they're not or making themselves out to be hero for simply knowing the topic it's their responsibility to know.
Thank you, you may have just saved some lives, I personaly had the throttle stick open on a 66 chevy 2 wagon, shut the key off quickly, stood on the brakes, and it stopped in time, you have exellent content, no bull just straight talk and advice. I know these things to be true because ive owned many classic cars and trucks, presently have restored a 72 chevy Super 10 cheyenne pick up, thanks again !
I lost a rag joint in my 78 f150 in high school back in the early 80s. Luckily I was on a dirt road. The truck cut to the right through the ditch and I ended in a rowed field. We all walked away. Thanks for these videos we all need to be reminded of these important safety issues.
Amazing videos on covering safety, upgrades, maintenance, etc. I work on customer classics as a way to support my hobby, and I REFUSE to work on these old cars unless the customer understands SAFETY is my #1 priority. If they don't want to replace parts or update parts because of cost I simply don't argue, explain the importance of safety and ask them to pick up their car/ truck if they don't want the work done to safety standards. Thank you for these videos. Ahmad
Thank you for putting this video out there. I had a 1965 mustang with the 4V motor, it had a Ford double-pumper 4BBL that looked a lot like the one in the mustang in the video, not long after a complete rebuild I was on an isolated road with no other vehicles in sight and a lot of straight way. I had three passengers, one of them suggested that I open it up, which I did. Throttle remained wide open, like your experience I couldn't pull it back. Luckily the ignition system worked fine and I shut her down before I threw a rod as it was a Borg-Warner T-10 with GT rear gears so it wound up pretty quickly (yes the day ive train was original, many have argued it couldn't be, if you look hard enough they were optional) What had happened was apparently I had not tightened the bolts mounting the carburetor quite tight enough and when I hit it the bracket that sits on top of ONE bolt rotated so the springs were useless. I tightened it up drove it quite s I saw ometime before selling it. After several months I got a phone call that the new owner also had a runaway, same cause. After some thought it struck me that you could probably make a strategic cut and bend on the bracket that holds the stock throttle linkage so that it cannot rotate. Otherwise fabricate a new bracket that utilizes two mounting bolts/studs, I forget it was decades ago...
Excellent Video covering excellent safety issues. Many of us are or will be driving an older car, and especially as a daily driver, the hard truth is that older cars aren't as well designed or maintained for safety. Your presentation helps those of us who aren't inept, but also not as aware of these issues to greatly enhance safety for not so much money. The idea of daily driving an older car is to drive with excellent reliability and reasonable safety, not to drive a jalopy.
Great tips. I’m always concerned about throttle stickage. I’ve upgraded from the original mechanical to a Lokar kit. Much more reliable than the original system that was on my 65 comet. Good stuff.
I was watching this video and thought of vibration dampener is in the steering bam you covered it watch some more thought about tires bam you covered it what a great video bam he covered it
As usual a very informative video on an extremely important topic, Safety should be anyone's number one priority. Back in the 70s a lot of people made their cars fast from high horsepower engines. Problem was they payed little attention to their brakes (drum), or handling (jacked up in the back with air shocks or leaf spring shackles, lowered in the front by lowering blocks on the springs, cutting coils, or heating with a torch,). Quite a few people got into serious accidents.
great advice, be careful when upgrading headlights. Be sure to buy quality, there are a lot of cheap knockoffs out there that do not have a good light pattern.
There are quite a few afermarket options for the OBS trucks. Beware that many of the complete headlight conversions have a light pattern that's not optimal for you nor for other drivers. There are a number of bulb upgrades that will just fit into your stock housings
The 3 pt seat belt and mount upgrade is a must My brother had an all original LT1 Corvette.... t boned a bad driver and only had a lap belt, broke his back.... A good seat/belt upgrade is a must for older cars.
My mistake that I am so lucky that nothing bad came out of it is when I lowered a 56 chevy pick up and thought it was a good idea to just heat up and bend the steering knuckle where the drag link connects to realign it. Was at the carshow pulling into a drive in window at the fast food joint that hosted it and and that knuckle just snapped. I am so grateful that happened when I was hardly moving instead of going down the road.Took forever to find a replacement knuckle, and when I did this time I just drilled out the taper for a new drag link to go in through the bottom of the knuckle with a spacer to level it to the dropped front end.
I know not everyone runs an electric fuel pump/carb, but for those who do, an automatic (collision) fuel pump shut off is a very good idea. I have one that runs off oil pressure that works pretty good but it will still pump if the engine is running. Either way, you do not want the pump spraying fuel in an accident situation.
Pretty good advice on everything you said. On a side note I've Been manual shifting my automatics since I got my license in the early nineties. Be a column shift or floor shift never once have I ever hit reverse. And these are daily driven cars I just pay attention. It's just second nature for me anymore. Learn to do that from my dad riding in a 69 Mach 1 Mustang in the 80s . The only vehicle that I had a reverse lockout was my 68 Chevelle with a munchie 4-speed
@gearheadgarageinc now what you just said made no sense. You said you try to put a manual in reverse and all you did was grind gears. I think you better go back in proofread what you said because it didn't come out right
Thank you so much for sharing this info. I have driven mostly classic 71-72 Pontiac Grand Prixs since 1982. My 1st car was a 68 Malibu. The throttle linkage simply fell off of the throttle shaft. Fortunately I was only going 25mph. I always run a return spring. I should probably run 2, as one can break, causing drama. My stock grand Prix shifter does have the reverse lock out detent. Even the factory Z-gate shifter has it. I upgraded to halogen headlights for exactly the reason you stated. You can see further down the road. I currently run factory lap belts. The car does have the third upper anchor point but the connection is awkward and has no retraction mechanism. I need to bite the bullet and get a newer style 3 point seat belt. My Grand Prixs come stock with disc/drum. They are adequate but they fade if abused. They are on the wish list. A working defrost is essential for any climate that gets below dew point. You have to see where you are going. I upgraded my entire suspension with poly graphite bushings and bigger anti-sway bars. Well worth the investment. Note: The front anti-sway bar has a PROFOUND effect on handling without killing the ride quality. My brother had a 69 LTD. He got some Turbine wheels from a 77 Thunderbird. He had a wheel fall off 3 times because the new thicker wheels and his short stock studs only let 2-3 threads engage. Not good. I like my BFGs they look good and get the job done. I do not mind roasting them from time to time. Since I only drive the car about 1500 miles a year, they will die of dry rot long before they get worn out.
Now that a hell of a situation to be glad you made it out alive. Also these individuals put 1000's of dollars in the restored car but no air bag some of them don't even have the e-brake.
Some of the new LED kits are more efficient. But, you definitely are pushing the circuits on so many of the cars, even just with the stock headlights on!
I have a 1957 Ford F-600 which was turned into a 1 ton as opposed to the 1½ or 2 ton truck it was originally. It is the EPITOME of the term "Farm Truck". It's got rust, baling wire, strange farmer-fixed wiring, basically the works. It's not bad, definitely fixable. It runs and drives great. Though, the passenger side front drum must have something up with it. It has powerful brakes, its just some goofy thing with the drum/drums it/themselves that are holding it back. I like the truck, but it has some issues that need dealt with.
Happened to me at 17 years old on my 69 Camaro. I put a screw in the carburetor linkage to force the vacuum secondary to open and it bound the linkage. First I stepped on the clutch but stopped when it revved and then I turned the key off. Learned a lesson that day.
Damn! And, I remember doing that screw in the secondaries trick when I was younger to kick 'em open sooner! It took a very specific flat screw.......definitely could happen in that situation!
Great tips. I would love to get disc brakes put on my 69 Malibu and my 71 Cutlass convertible, and also have the 3 point seat belts installed. I sure wish you and your shop were located in Ohio. California is lucky to have you. You can tell you know your stuff about classic cars. I appreciate your videos so much. Thanks!
Thanks for tuning in!! Should be pretty easy to get an entry level, great set of brakes. A company called the Right Stuff makes an affordable, quality, all inclusive setup for both those cars. Actually same kit for both A-bodies
good call on the reverse lock out 1994 I was rolling a built 400 sbc built th400 trans 100mph W.O.T. Posi, rear shifted 2nd to 3rd but skipped rd and neutral and hit all the way to reverse reverse on the column shifter BOOM !!! head into windshield even with lap and shoulder belt on then BOOOMMMMM !!!! Driveline rocketed out fom under the car after straight up destroying the undercarriage... snapped the driveline chain as as well.... the rear of the driveshaft had a 2 ujoint double cardon cage and it sheered in half leaving half the cardon hub on the rear diff... memories of being 19 with muscle car money in the 1990s
Good video. One and two can be easily solved by running a manual transmission. 😎 You never covered the non collapsible steering column problem. Definitely belongs in the top 10!
I replaced my front disk brakes on my 72 olds with slotted and drilled rotors with better pads and it makes a world of difference. My 87 buick grandnational has the factory disk brakes brakes in the front and they are garbage and i plan on upgrading them asap.
Was hoping you would talk about how good a vacuum tank for breaks is cause my 71 camaro wilwood disc on front, drums on back I'm having to really press brake pedal hard. Yes I will be checking vacuum on the 468 c.i. big block since cam is very big, almost ready to dig in soon as I'm done painting inside barn.
Most vacuum tanks will help a bit - certainly will store up enough additional vacuum to help with stopping. In some cases you notice a marked difference in vacuum assist, sometimes it's not enough. Cruising around, you'll likely store up enough to assist with a couple stops. Like when you hit a stop sign, you'll use the stored vacuum to help stop, then build up some more by the next stop sign, ideally. If that's not enough, you might consider a vacuum pump. They run a couple hundred bucks, and help compensate for low vacuum.....downside, is they're kinda noisy. Best of luck!
Awesome video. One thing about a lap belt, my daily driver is a 66 Mustang and the lap belt should NOT be used because it will send your head into the steering wheel and the OEM steering wheels in 66 didn't have the middle part. So the steering wheel will break your neck. Get a shoulder belt for that one. Sorry to hear about having to hit a tree, that's a real shame, glad everyone was ok. One quick tip about lug nuts. I lost a wheel with "properly torqued" lug nuts because of rust and dirt. The rust and dirt on the thread, made the torque wrench read the correct torque, but the lug nuts were NOT SEATED. You have to clean the threads and in my case, I should have replaced all the lug studs and nuts. My wheel came off while driving.
I would recommend always using matched components even if its all aftermarket. Dont not try to fabricate or mix and match unless you are REALLY EXPERIENCED and have done it multiple times
Right on! I think Detroit Speed & Engineering has been making some stuff for the 3rd Gen Camaros? Pricey. But well worth it. Excellent quality & design
I recommend driving with the headlamps/ all lamps on all the time, day and night, dusk/dawn especially! Also, remember to turn them off, so your battery don't die when you park it to go inside somewhere... ask me how I know!
Great video but please note Aftermarket brakes require a mechanical inspection to be insured correctly in some states and all canada ...Actually any modification other than stock requires a goverment inspection, this goes for brakes, steering, suspenion, motors and fuel injection systems. it's not well documented but it is there if you look for it. Insurance companies insure the cars on being stock ( unless you have special insurance) please check...
@@____MC____ I looked into it here, in BC Canada ICBC in the primary insurance Hagerty is an addon, If ICBC deny your policy hagerty cant do anything... this is worst case, here in BC they have modified collectors plates for just this reason. the car truck needs to pass a goverment inspection to get this coverage, because any aftermark parts beside exhaust are not covers under basic "Daily driver" insurance.. all I am saying is please look into it, be aware, make sure you are covered that's all
In the note of tires, I also recommend avoiding tire treatment products like tire shine and also avoid washing them with dish soap. If put lots of miles on the car, it’s not such a big deal, but many of those products contain petroleum, and if you let your car sit, or just aren’t putting thousands of miles on it a year, the petroleum can cause premature dry rot of the tire. In being around dirt track racing, allowing dirt to dry on the tire can also cause the tires to dry out. Wash them with simple green or some other sort of petroleum free detergent
Good advice... NHRA requires 2 throttle return springs..... rules written in blood. You misunderstand how brakes work. On drums, when you press on the pedal, even if one shoe is off - the pressure will build evenly on both sides and the drums will put equal breaking power down. Miss-adjusted drums means long brake pedals - not side to side pull. Brakes can run at 1000psi, springs on the drum only hold back a few psi. Oh, and Rain-X makes washer fluid - the orange stuff. Works great for day to day.
Good info! Yep, NHRA does require 2 springs. With drum brakes, I see so many drums that have been mismatched and have different wear patterns. Between that, worn hardware, poor adjustment, and poor bleeding.......many do pull
Oh cool, I’ve finally found a speed shop who gives a damn. I designed a derivative patent for a two piece crash bumper that can drop in under the core support, behind the body work, creating a crumple zone between the core support and subframe of the vehicle. I never submitted the patent because life changed and I was sort of hoping I could pass it along to someone with more resources to produce such a device. Reply to this comment with an email if you’re interested. I’m happy to let this go if it’ll save lives🤙🏻
Steering columns do NOT move rearward (except insane GM 59-64 hourglass frames). Install 3 point restraints, relatively cheap and easy. I did on my old cars including convertibles and prewars.
4WDB. Improved steering & suspension. Better wheels & tires. Better seatbelts- lap belts, like low-back seats, are great neck snappers. Speaking of low-back buckets...break your neck, eat the wheel, smash your head into the back glass of your old truck? Nice options. Valeo re-pop's CIBIE headlights, use 'em with LED bulbs (which I put in all exterior spots). Unibody cars? Install subframe/rail-through construction and torque boxes- tighten them sloppy ass old chassis up, they have the torsional rigidity of a bowl of Ramen Noodles. Something most do not think of? Passenger side door mirror...many, many cars in the '60's & '70's? It was an option & "Cheap Charlie" wasn't going to spend $12.33 on an AM/FM radio, so a $16.02 passenger door mirror wasn't going to fly, either-
And ALWAYS inspect your car underhood,( wiring, ignition, throttle linkage, battery hold down,belts,fuel lines,fluids...etc) BEFORE you hoon and NEVER HOON on the first drive.
I pushed the 3rd gear a bit last week on an empty road, I ended up sliding sideways for 40meters in the middle of the road. Now I don't recommend radial TAs, at least not in the cold.
Great video! When you buy a new (to you) classic car it always appears to be a driver at the minimum but that is rarely the case. Wipers don’t work, neutral safety switches are bypassed, back up lights don’t work, speedometers are inoperable, horn doesn’t work, e-brake doesn’t work, gas gauge is fubar. Fix EVERYTHING before you start driving your project. It’s not just you that will suffer for your lack of patience out on the roadways. We have all seen $200k Red Mercury’s drive through the brakes and hurt innocent people. Remember, that you are sharing the road with people going to work, or taking the kids to their grandparents house. They deserve to get there and not become a victim to poor decisions that are made in our hobby.
Well I daily drive a 1962 vw bug. I love it with a passion, but lately I’ve considered getting an early to mid 2000’s Porsche 911 for a safer ride since now I have a 3 month old baby. I wanted to work on the bug with my baby boy when he gets a bit older, it makes me sad to consider selling my bug since then I would never get the chance to work on it with him. But at the same time If I sold it I would reduce the chances of getting killed in it. On the flip side, I don’t want to live in fear! So I’m hella confused.
I hear that! I'm building a '64 Chevelle SS with my 16yo old son. I'm torn, cuz I know he loves it, and how much he'll learn. The car is pretty solid, but not as safe as a newer car......
I did, but it's a '69 with locking steering column, and I had to be able to steer......so, I switched it all the way back to ignition.....but the MSD box had been wired to ACCESSORY instead of traditional SWITCHED power.....so it kept running
So many restored cars ive had to sort out have had hastily done headlight power systems that "work" if you just turn the lights on for a moment but the first time you take it on a couple of hour long night drive with the lights on, the poor crimps get hot and fail. Dont use chinesium amazon crimps guys get the good stuff. and make sure your electrical connections are tight. if you crimp a connector on a wire and it comes off when you tug on the connector HARD, then you didnt crimp it good enough. i used to piss guys off in my shop when i would go around too their electrical crimps and i would tug on em and make em fail right away. Im like Betch do it right the first time!
@gearheadgarageinc I don't know who is "smart" enough to wire it like that ?? It's not a hard task . I do prefer the ones in the dash as well . Not sure why they changed it .
Watch out for the lug nut holes on your wheels aren’t mushroomed out. My charger had the original rims with wheel covers 14 inch by 6 inch and from take the rain tires off every year for studded tires the shop was probably f-d them up because of the right and left handed threads so they went even grabbing and there was slop. Went to mag 500 but want to go back to 14 and wider so I can put my wheel covers back one with white lines…..
Such a classic look. Yeah - wallered out holes can be treacherous! I always try to use a BULGE acorn or equivalent lugnut to help establish a positive seat. Thanks for wathcing my vid!
Can you make a video on classic cars for a daily driver? Originality is not necessary. I have a 69 cutlass I bought for cheap. Don’t care how the car look on the outside. I just wanna use the cutlass for getting to work and back. I much rather drive the cutlass for a daily. I figured spending the money slowly on fixing the cutlass to drive and drive safe would be cheaper and more entertaining then buying a brand new muscle car for a daily.
12:52.... Come on, man...Mopar guys know that their factory steering units have a degree of play when the engine isn't running and the system isn't pressurized. Your display of "play in the coupler" does NOT show free play in the shaft or coupler but in the steering box itself. Again, that is usually much different once the engine is running.
You're right that Mopars do tighten up when fired up. That GTX is LOOSE and clunky -- hard to talk over it when running though......was just using it to showcase a point. That car needs a new steering shaft, and a column rebuild cuz the upper bearing is shot too!
Get rid of mechanical throttle linkage. Gm learned this lesson late sixties and had a recall, the motor mounts would break on acceleration the engine would lift up and pull the mechanical throttle open even more. Very dangerous.
I had my throttle stick on my 67 Camaro back in 85 after swapping carbs. I couldn't shut it down and smashed it into a raised median totaling the front end. The police didn't believe what happened and ended up charging me with careless. Not a nice day.
Date codes do NOT render tires unsafe. Tire life also depends on sun and temperature. We're NOT going to replace all our low mile, cold climate, stored in the dark tires every 8-10 years. The rest of us limit speed according to tire condition and know a flat tire isn't going to level a city block.
I had a carb spring failure on a 390 70 AMX and it went wot. Shut down the ignition, coasted for awhile and turned onto a side street. So I popped the hood and was checking it out when some idiot cop comes along to claim I was drag racing (an invisible rival?) and I was getting a ticket. Sitting in the cruiser I explained to this idiot cop what happened and invited him to see for himself the broken spring. His response - I can give you a ticket for a defective vehicle. I responded yes please do. The light bulb flickered for but a slim second and he realized where I would be going with that in court so idiot cop decided to forget about that defective vehicle citation.
Drum brakes are fine if you dont road race the vehicle. And if you do drive in a sane manor they will outlast the disk system. I did convert the master to a dual, but l did not use the hideous looking G.M style reservoir.
Glad you switched to a dual bowl reservoir - drums CAN work fine. There must be some reason that Pontiacs of the '60's ran drums, even with legit horsepower....?!
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And if you are going to put dazzling headlights on your vehicle, please have the damn things aimed properly before hitting the road. Thanks.
100%
That's a great tip. So many cross-eyed headlights trying to blind oncoming traffic!
@gearheadgarageinc Hey my man I'm really feeling your content. No clown show, trying to be "witty", excessive babbling, or other nonsense. Ur talking to grown men like men and getting to the point. Much respect...
Amen!
Dim headlights are fine in familiar surroundings until you are blinded by the driver who has unfocused carbon arc search lights for headlights. That driver probably has excellent night vision, too. he just wants to make a statement. No worse case than unnecessarily bright strobes on police cars. I'm pretty sure repeat testimony in court that an intoxicated driver could not see the cop car is why the rest of us have to put up with weapons-grade light intensity on police strobes.
100% am those headlights.
Two return springs are always a good idea.
A collapsible steering shaft is a must have, too. A lot of old cars were notorious for burying the steering wheel into your chest when hitting a tree, pole, vehicle, head on.
So true!
In the crash that I shared - when i opted to kiss the tree, I leaned towards the center to avoid the column upon impact! Tee rear view mirror was responsible for the head wound.
These car should have collapsible columns and/or shafts......and some of the wood steering wheels are dangerous too!
@gearheadgarageinc A few years back, at Deadwood Nights in Deadwood SD a company was offering collapsible steering columns for classic cars with free install. A guy with a 58 Corvette was offered this at his family's urging but he wanted to keep it original. A few days later he rear-ended a box truck on one of those canyon roads. His steering wheel crushed his chest. Sad, but now his family is a big promoter of the product.
I would like to see more in headlight options as I have an 06 Sportster and when I rode at night my headlight seems to put out as much light as a BIC lighter in a glass jar.
Yup, luckily my '69 Dart Swinger & '76 Valiant sedan have those stock.
Definitely would do if I needed to
I am changing out the old original steering column on my 1967 Mustang for the reasons described in the video. Plus I like the tilt steering wheel option you get with the new column.
Scary crash story with stuck throttle....why put the ignition in accy, position though, just turn off the ignition completely in that situation to cut engine power completely..steering wheel won't lock if key turned back forward without engaging the starter can be done in 1 second flick of wrist. Glad you survived that scary stuff.
Needed to watch this. Thank you! 26 y/o with a ‘67 Mustang. Sometimes it’s easy to get sucked in to how fun these cars are then you get a reminder that it’s a chunk of metal with no crumple zones
I have a 67 myself. Just installed shoulder belts.
I learned my lesson about using the proper lug nuts the hard way. I had a 76 Camaro back in 83 that I put aluminum slots on that I got from the junk yard. The guy gave me lug nuts to go with, but they didn't grab hold of nearly enough threads. Going down the highway about 50 mph, the passenger rear wheel breaks loose and bounces across the highway and the brake drum crashed into a roadside pottery shop. Luckily no one was hurt, but it's a lesson I'll never forget.
great video, two things folks might also want to consider: a) run your headlights through a relay if there isn't one already. Its surprising how big a voltage drop you can have in a old ignition switch. b) consider seats with headrests, they don't look as cool but as someone who's gotten severely rear ended, you can get really messed up when your head snaps back.
That's some good advice.
These cars aften have worn harnesses, and could really use a headlight relay system, especially once upgraded with more electrical draw! Many modern lights actually draw lees amps than the old school lights.
And, yup - whiplash is nothing nice!!!!!
You're a great teacher and obviously a good guy...appreciate the video sincerely and hope your channel gets a ton of attention. You're very easy to listen to and learn from since no obnoxious ego, fake personality, or role playing....world is sick of people playing roles about who they're not or making themselves out to be hero for simply knowing the topic it's their responsibility to know.
I try to keep it real! Thanks for watching!
Great tips!! Thank you!!
Thank you, you may have just saved some lives, I personaly had the throttle stick open on a 66 chevy 2 wagon, shut the key off quickly, stood on the brakes, and it stopped in time, you have exellent content, no bull just straight talk and advice. I know these things to be true because ive owned many classic cars and trucks, presently have restored a 72 chevy Super 10 cheyenne pick up, thanks again !
I had a car throttle stuck. Not a good experience. I hope more people check your tips. Excellent work. Thanks for it!
Great video. Lots of little stuff that makes a big difference.
I lost a rag joint in my 78 f150 in high school back in the early 80s. Luckily I was on a dirt road. The truck cut to the right through the ditch and I ended in a rowed field. We all walked away. Thanks for these videos we all need to be reminded of these important safety issues.
Glad you walked away from that one!
Thank you for making this.
My pleasure.
Thanks for tuning in!
Amazing videos on covering safety, upgrades, maintenance, etc. I work on customer classics as a way to support my hobby, and I REFUSE to work on these old cars unless the customer understands SAFETY is my #1 priority. If they don't want to replace parts or update parts because of cost I simply don't argue, explain the importance of safety and ask them to pick up their car/ truck if they don't want the work done to safety standards. Thank you for these videos.
Ahmad
Thanks man.
Yeah, people need to understand priorities. Safety first!
Thank you for this video 👍🏻🙏🏼🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸much appreciated
Glad you liked it!
Thank you for putting this video out there. I had a 1965 mustang with the 4V motor, it had a Ford double-pumper 4BBL that looked a lot like the one in the mustang in the video, not long after a complete rebuild I was on an isolated road with no other vehicles in sight and a lot of straight way. I had three passengers, one of them suggested that I open it up, which I did. Throttle remained wide open, like your experience I couldn't pull it back. Luckily the ignition system worked fine and I shut her down before I threw a rod as it was a Borg-Warner T-10 with GT rear gears so it wound up pretty quickly (yes the day ive train was original, many have argued it couldn't be, if you look hard enough they were optional) What had happened was apparently I had not tightened the bolts mounting the carburetor quite tight enough and when I hit it the bracket that sits on top of ONE bolt rotated so the springs were useless. I tightened it up drove it quite s I saw ometime before selling it. After several months I got a phone call that the new owner also had a runaway, same cause. After some thought it struck me that you could probably make a strategic cut and bend on the bracket that holds the stock throttle linkage so that it cannot rotate. Otherwise fabricate a new bracket that utilizes two mounting bolts/studs, I forget it was decades ago...
Good story, thanks for sharing!
Really good advice. All the best for the new year. Cheers 😊
Great tips keep the videos coming
Excellent Video covering excellent safety issues.
Many of us are or will be driving an older car, and especially as a daily driver, the hard truth is that older cars aren't as well designed or maintained for safety.
Your presentation helps those of us who aren't inept, but also not as aware of these issues to greatly enhance safety for not so much money. The idea of daily driving an older car is to drive with excellent reliability and reasonable safety, not to drive a jalopy.
Glad it helped. Always a good idea to bump up the safety on these older cars!
Great tips. I’m always concerned about throttle stickage. I’ve upgraded from the original mechanical to a Lokar kit. Much more reliable than the original system that was on my 65 comet. Good stuff.
@Gearhead Garage: you earned my subscription. Great informational video!
Same, plus they are local to me!
Thank you!
Same here. You're living the dream brother!
I was watching this video and thought of vibration dampener is in the steering bam you covered it watch some more thought about tires bam you covered it what a great video bam he covered it
Thanks for the positive feedback, makes me wanna keep filming & sharing
As usual a very informative video on an extremely important topic, Safety should be anyone's number one priority. Back in the 70s a lot of people made their cars fast from high horsepower engines. Problem was they payed little attention to their brakes (drum), or handling (jacked up in the back with air shocks or leaf spring shackles, lowered in the front by lowering blocks on the springs, cutting coils, or heating with a torch,). Quite a few people got into serious accidents.
I can only imagine!
THose stances certainly didn't increase stability :)
thank you for sharing this great information
Absolutely!
Great video and thanks for making and sharing these tips. it is impossible to enjoy your car if it is wrecked or you are dead!!
Ain't that the truth?!
Awesome content, thank you!!!
Glad you liked it!
Amazing info !!!!
Very good basic but very important tips. Sometimes the small things are the most valuable information to know. Great video 👍🍻
I'm glad you got some value out of it!
great advice, be careful when upgrading headlights. Be sure to buy quality, there are a lot of cheap knockoffs out there that do not have a good light pattern.
Indeed!
And - aim them properly so you don't blind everyone else!
Return springs need to be doubled up, and replaced often also !
All great points and very informative. I especially liked the headlight safety portion. Can you recommend an upgrade for a 1998 Chevy C1500 pickup?
There are quite a few afermarket options for the OBS trucks.
Beware that many of the complete headlight conversions have a light pattern that's not optimal for you nor for other drivers.
There are a number of bulb upgrades that will just fit into your stock housings
"I'm sure every single one of you is an amazing driver" 🤣🤣🤣
Right?!
All EXCELLENT advice.
Appreciated
Super video sir!
The 3 pt seat belt and mount upgrade is a must My brother had an all original LT1 Corvette.... t boned a bad driver and only had a lap belt, broke his back.... A good seat/belt upgrade is a must for older cars.
Goood common sense advice. Learning things the hard way, you will never forget.
My mistake that I am so lucky that nothing bad came out of it is when I lowered a 56 chevy pick up and thought it was a good idea to just heat up and bend the steering knuckle where the drag link connects to realign it. Was at the carshow pulling into a drive in window at the fast food joint that hosted it and and that knuckle just snapped. I am so grateful that happened when I was hardly moving instead of going down the road.Took forever to find a replacement knuckle, and when I did this time I just drilled out the taper for a new drag link to go in through the bottom of the knuckle with a spacer to level it to the dropped front end.
That's a seriously close call! You're lucky!
I know not everyone runs an electric fuel pump/carb, but for those who do, an automatic (collision) fuel pump shut off is a very good idea. I have one that runs off oil pressure that works pretty good but it will still pump if the engine is running. Either way, you do not want the pump spraying fuel in an accident situation.
Using an oil pressure cutoff switch is a great idea - easy to install too!
Pretty good advice on everything you said. On a side note I've Been manual shifting my automatics since I got my license in the early nineties. Be a column shift or floor shift never once have I ever hit reverse. And these are daily driven cars I just pay attention. It's just second nature for me anymore. Learn to do that from my dad riding in a 69 Mach 1 Mustang in the 80s . The only vehicle that I had a reverse lockout was my 68 Chevelle with a munchie 4-speed
I've never done it, but I've seen it done!
But, I have "tried" to put a manual in reverse....but the gears would just grind, thankfully
@gearheadgarageinc now what you just said made no sense. You said you try to put a manual in reverse and all you did was grind gears. I think you better go back in proofread what you said because it didn't come out right
Thank you so much for sharing this info. I have driven mostly classic 71-72 Pontiac Grand Prixs since 1982.
My 1st car was a 68 Malibu. The throttle linkage simply fell off of the throttle shaft. Fortunately I was only going 25mph. I always run a return spring. I should probably run 2, as one can break, causing drama.
My stock grand Prix shifter does have the reverse lock out detent. Even the factory Z-gate shifter has it.
I upgraded to halogen headlights for exactly the reason you stated. You can see further down the road.
I currently run factory lap belts. The car does have the third upper anchor point but the connection is awkward and has no retraction mechanism. I need to bite the bullet and get a newer style 3 point seat belt.
My Grand Prixs come stock with disc/drum. They are adequate but they fade if abused. They are on the wish list.
A working defrost is essential for any climate that gets below dew point. You have to see where you are going.
I upgraded my entire suspension with poly graphite bushings and bigger anti-sway bars. Well worth the investment. Note: The front anti-sway bar has a PROFOUND effect on handling without killing the ride quality.
My brother had a 69 LTD. He got some Turbine wheels from a 77 Thunderbird. He had a wheel fall off 3 times because the new thicker wheels and his short stock studs only let 2-3 threads engage. Not good.
I like my BFGs they look good and get the job done. I do not mind roasting them from time to time. Since I only drive the car about 1500 miles a year, they will die of dry rot long before they get worn out.
Thanks for watching AND thanks for sharing your feedback
Now that a hell of a situation to be glad you made it out alive. Also these individuals put 1000's of dollars in the restored car but no air bag some of them don't even have the e-brake.
Thanx for the great video. Don’t forget any headlight upgrade will draw more power and may overload the wiring harness. How do I know!
Some of the new LED kits are more efficient.
But, you definitely are pushing the circuits on so many of the cars, even just with the stock headlights on!
I have a 1957 Ford F-600 which was turned into a 1 ton as opposed to the 1½ or 2 ton truck it was originally. It is the EPITOME of the term "Farm Truck". It's got rust, baling wire, strange farmer-fixed wiring, basically the works. It's not bad, definitely fixable. It runs and drives great. Though, the passenger side front drum must have something up with it. It has powerful brakes, its just some goofy thing with the drum/drums it/themselves that are holding it back.
I like the truck, but it has some issues that need dealt with.
Sounds like a cool truck!
Great video… 100% truth… great video.
Appreciate the feedback!
Very well done video. Safety is job one !
Sure is.
Thanks!
Great advice thanks
No problem!
Happened to me at 17 years old on my 69 Camaro. I put a screw in the carburetor linkage to force the vacuum secondary to open and it bound the linkage. First I stepped on the clutch but stopped when it revved and then I turned the key off. Learned a lesson that day.
Damn!
And, I remember doing that screw in the secondaries trick when I was younger to kick 'em open sooner! It took a very specific flat screw.......definitely could happen in that situation!
Great tips. I would love to get disc brakes put on my 69 Malibu and my 71 Cutlass convertible, and also have the 3 point seat belts installed. I sure wish you and your shop were located in Ohio. California is lucky to have you. You can tell you know your stuff about classic cars. I appreciate your videos so much. Thanks!
Thanks for tuning in!!
Should be pretty easy to get an entry level, great set of brakes.
A company called the Right Stuff makes an affordable, quality, all inclusive setup for both those cars. Actually same kit for both A-bodies
@@gearheadgarageinc thanks for the info.
good call on the reverse lock out 1994 I was rolling a built 400 sbc built th400 trans 100mph W.O.T. Posi, rear shifted 2nd to 3rd but skipped rd and neutral and hit all the way to reverse reverse on the column shifter BOOM !!! head into windshield even with lap and shoulder belt on then BOOOMMMMM !!!! Driveline rocketed out fom under the car after straight up destroying the undercarriage... snapped the driveline chain as as well.... the rear of the driveshaft had a 2 ujoint double cardon cage and it sheered in half leaving half the cardon hub on the rear diff... memories of being 19 with muscle car money in the 1990s
What is a driveline chain? I'm only 64 and a retired automotive and truck partsman with 42 years experience.
good video , lots of good stuff to check when buying
Glad you found it helpful!
Good video. One and two can be easily solved by running a manual transmission. 😎 You never covered the non collapsible steering column problem. Definitely belongs in the top 10!
Yeah, I know - the steering column issue is a serious one!
I replaced my front disk brakes on my 72 olds with slotted and drilled rotors with better pads and it makes a world of difference. My 87 buick grandnational has the factory disk brakes brakes in the front and they are garbage and i plan on upgrading them asap.
Damned great video.
Great tips! Also avoid uni-lug wheels.
There Junk, you never get them to Balance Out
How about a video explaining wheel offset. To help explain about proper wheel fitment.
Was hoping you would talk about how good a vacuum tank for breaks is cause my 71 camaro wilwood disc on front, drums on back I'm having to really press brake pedal hard. Yes I will be checking vacuum on the 468 c.i. big block since cam is very big, almost ready to dig in soon as I'm done painting inside barn.
Most vacuum tanks will help a bit - certainly will store up enough additional vacuum to help with stopping. In some cases you notice a marked difference in vacuum assist, sometimes it's not enough.
Cruising around, you'll likely store up enough to assist with a couple stops. Like when you hit a stop sign, you'll use the stored vacuum to help stop, then build up some more by the next stop sign, ideally.
If that's not enough, you might consider a vacuum pump.
They run a couple hundred bucks, and help compensate for low vacuum.....downside, is they're kinda noisy.
Best of luck!
Good video
Thank you
Awesome video. One thing about a lap belt, my daily driver is a 66 Mustang and the lap belt should NOT be used because it will send your head into the steering wheel and the OEM steering wheels in 66 didn't have the middle part. So the steering wheel will break your neck. Get a shoulder belt for that one.
Sorry to hear about having to hit a tree, that's a real shame, glad everyone was ok.
One quick tip about lug nuts. I lost a wheel with "properly torqued" lug nuts because of rust and dirt. The rust and dirt on the thread, made the torque wrench read the correct torque, but the lug nuts were NOT SEATED. You have to clean the threads and in my case, I should have replaced all the lug studs and nuts. My wheel came off while driving.
Thanks for the great tip, and I'm glad your story ended ok!
I would recommend always using matched components even if its all aftermarket.
Dont not try to fabricate or mix and match unless you are REALLY EXPERIENCED and have done it multiple times
Enjoyed this, the thing I am looking for is a "power" rack and pinion set up for a 1983 3rd gen Camaro, new K frame possibly etc.
Right on!
I think Detroit Speed & Engineering has been making some stuff for the 3rd Gen Camaros?
Pricey. But well worth it. Excellent quality & design
I recommend driving with the headlamps/ all lamps on all the time, day and night, dusk/dawn especially! Also, remember to turn them off, so your battery don't die when you park it to go inside somewhere... ask me how I know!
Great video but please note Aftermarket brakes require a mechanical inspection to be insured correctly in some states and all canada ...Actually any modification other than stock requires a goverment inspection, this goes for brakes, steering, suspenion, motors and fuel injection systems. it's not well documented but it is there if you look for it. Insurance companies insure the cars on being stock ( unless you have special insurance) please check...
Haven't heard a peep from hagerty yet
Sheesh....sounds worse the California!
@@____MC____ I looked into it here, in BC Canada ICBC in the primary insurance Hagerty is an addon, If ICBC deny your policy hagerty cant do anything... this is worst case, here in BC they have modified collectors plates for just this reason. the car truck needs to pass a goverment inspection to get this coverage, because any aftermark parts beside exhaust are not covers under basic "Daily driver" insurance.. all I am saying is please look into it, be aware, make sure you are covered that's all
In the note of tires, I also recommend avoiding tire treatment products like tire shine and also avoid washing them with dish soap. If put lots of miles on the car, it’s not such a big deal, but many of those products contain petroleum, and if you let your car sit, or just aren’t putting thousands of miles on it a year, the petroleum can cause premature dry rot of the tire. In being around dirt track racing, allowing dirt to dry on the tire can also cause the tires to dry out. Wash them with simple green or some other sort of petroleum free detergent
Premature tire rot is NO GOOD! Thanks for the tip!
Good advice...
NHRA requires 2 throttle return springs..... rules written in blood.
You misunderstand how brakes work. On drums, when you press on the pedal, even if one shoe is off - the pressure will build evenly on both sides and the drums will put equal breaking power down. Miss-adjusted drums means long brake pedals - not side to side pull. Brakes can run at 1000psi, springs on the drum only hold back a few psi.
Oh, and Rain-X makes washer fluid - the orange stuff. Works great for day to day.
No FRONT brakes?!
Good info!
Yep, NHRA does require 2 springs.
With drum brakes, I see so many drums that have been mismatched and have different wear patterns. Between that, worn hardware, poor adjustment, and poor bleeding.......many do pull
those turbo 400 transmissions are indestructible
They're pretty stout indeed!
Oh cool, I’ve finally found a speed shop who gives a damn.
I designed a derivative patent for a two piece crash bumper that can drop in under the core support, behind the body work, creating a crumple zone between the core support and subframe of the vehicle.
I never submitted the patent because life changed and I was sort of hoping I could pass it along to someone with more resources to produce such a device.
Reply to this comment with an email if you’re interested. I’m happy to let this go if it’ll save lives🤙🏻
Appreciated - thanks
I had a throttle get stuck against the bottom air cleaner tin, thankfully i just shut the car off. but these things do happen.
Steering columns do NOT move rearward (except insane GM 59-64 hourglass frames). Install 3 point restraints, relatively cheap and easy. I did on my old cars including convertibles and prewars.
4WDB. Improved steering & suspension. Better wheels & tires. Better seatbelts- lap belts, like low-back seats, are great neck snappers. Speaking of low-back buckets...break your neck, eat the wheel, smash your head into the back glass of your old truck? Nice options. Valeo re-pop's CIBIE headlights, use 'em with LED bulbs (which I put in all exterior spots). Unibody cars? Install subframe/rail-through construction and torque boxes- tighten them sloppy ass old chassis up, they have the torsional rigidity of a bowl of Ramen Noodles. Something most do not think of? Passenger side door mirror...many, many cars in the '60's & '70's? It was an option & "Cheap Charlie" wasn't going to spend $12.33 on an AM/FM radio, so a $16.02 passenger door mirror wasn't going to fly, either-
You know the drill - safety first!
GREAT comments!!!!
1:44 that spring is over-stretched in the closed throttle position. Need a slightly longer, heavier gauge spring.
Its a bit sprung, but within its range.
Nonetheless, I do agree that a longer spring would be a good idea
And ALWAYS inspect your car underhood,( wiring, ignition, throttle linkage, battery hold down,belts,fuel lines,fluids...etc) BEFORE you hoon and NEVER HOON on the first drive.
I would add to the list a kill switch for any custom linkage to stop the motor if the throttle gets stuck
I remember having a conversation with you about throttle linkage getting stuck open
That was no joke bro!
Yours is electric DBW, so no cable to bind up!!!!
I pushed the 3rd gear a bit last week on an empty road, I ended up sliding sideways for 40meters in the middle of the road. Now I don't recommend radial TAs, at least not in the cold.
They're good tires - but they're not very sticky!!!!
Glad you held control
I'll add a manual transmission is a safety feature.
And anti theft device
AND an anti-theft device!!!
Great video! When you buy a new (to you) classic car it always appears to be a driver at the minimum but that is rarely the case. Wipers don’t work, neutral safety switches are bypassed, back up lights don’t work, speedometers are inoperable, horn doesn’t work, e-brake doesn’t work, gas gauge is fubar. Fix EVERYTHING before you start driving your project. It’s not just you that will suffer for your lack of patience out on the roadways. We have all seen $200k Red Mercury’s drive through the brakes and hurt innocent people. Remember, that you are sharing the road with people going to work, or taking the kids to their grandparents house. They deserve to get there and not become a victim to poor decisions that are made in our hobby.
EXCELLENT INPUT
Well I daily drive a 1962 vw bug. I love it with a passion, but lately I’ve considered getting an early to mid 2000’s Porsche 911 for a safer ride since now I have a 3 month old baby. I wanted to work on the bug with my baby boy when he gets a bit older, it makes me sad to consider selling my bug since then I would never get the chance to work on it with him. But at the same time If I sold it I would reduce the chances of getting killed in it. On the flip side, I don’t want to live in fear! So I’m hella confused.
I hear that!
I'm building a '64 Chevelle SS with my 16yo old son.
I'm torn, cuz I know he loves it, and how much he'll learn.
The car is pretty solid, but not as safe as a newer car......
@@gearheadgarageinc Yeah, it's a tough decision huh?
Damn, a throttle switch could have saved that car
Let me ask you, when the throttle is stuck why not turn the key off and that would shut down everything in seconds. I've seen that in action.
I did, but it's a '69 with locking steering column, and I had to be able to steer......so, I switched it all the way back to ignition.....but the MSD box had been wired to ACCESSORY instead of traditional SWITCHED power.....so it kept running
So many restored cars ive had to sort out have had hastily done headlight power systems that "work" if you just turn the lights on for a moment but the first time you take it on a couple of hour long night drive with the lights on, the poor crimps get hot and fail. Dont use chinesium amazon crimps guys get the good stuff. and make sure your electrical connections are tight. if you crimp a connector on a wire and it comes off when you tug on the connector HARD, then you didnt crimp it good enough. i used to piss guys off in my shop when i would go around too their electrical crimps and i would tug on em and make em fail right away. Im like Betch do it right the first time!
I love it!
I've been known to test a few crimps myself!!
0:26 i had the same thing happen but my key luckly shut it off!
I couln't believe the MSD was wired to ACCESSORY power & kept running!
That's one reason I like the earlier cars with keys in dash
@gearheadgarageinc I don't know who is "smart" enough to wire it like that ?? It's not a hard task .
I do prefer the ones in the dash as well . Not sure why they changed it .
#1 rule. Don’t meatball your build.
get front disc brakes up front unless you want to pulled into a ditch
No Airbags We Die Like Real Men. Best sticker ever.
A customer just used the same line on me, so true
The most powerful part of any car should always be its brakes
Watch out for the lug nut holes on your wheels aren’t mushroomed out. My charger had the original rims with wheel covers 14 inch by 6 inch and from take the rain tires off every year for studded tires the shop was probably f-d them up because of the right and left handed threads so they went even grabbing and there was slop. Went to mag 500 but want to go back to 14 and wider so I can put my wheel covers back one with white lines…..
Such a classic look.
Yeah - wallered out holes can be treacherous!
I always try to use a BULGE acorn or equivalent lugnut to help establish a positive seat.
Thanks for wathcing my vid!
Yes there very good keep up the good work love it 😊
Can you make a video on classic cars for a daily driver? Originality is not necessary. I have a 69 cutlass I bought for cheap. Don’t care how the car look on the outside. I just wanna use the cutlass for getting to work and back. I much rather drive the cutlass for a daily. I figured spending the money slowly on fixing the cutlass to drive and drive safe would be cheaper and more entertaining then buying a brand new muscle car for a daily.
I like your style! So cool that you're aiming to drive the Cutlass on the daily.
Thar's a great video idea, I'll see if I can do one like that!
12:52....
Come on, man...Mopar guys know that their factory steering units have a degree of play when the engine isn't running and the system isn't pressurized. Your display of "play in the coupler" does NOT show free play in the shaft or coupler but in the steering box itself. Again, that is usually much different once the engine is running.
You're right that Mopars do tighten up when fired up.
That GTX is LOOSE and clunky -- hard to talk over it when running though......was just using it to showcase a point.
That car needs a new steering shaft, and a column rebuild cuz the upper bearing is shot too!
You forgot - carry a fire extinguisher
Thanks for adding that!!!!
Significant auto safety improvements starting in 1967. Tandem brakes, collapsible steering wheel, etc...
You are correct. Sadly, it took a while for things to start changing!
Another suggestion: Bright LED tail lights.
Great input. Make sure they see you so they don't slam into you!
So much common sense gets lost in the hunt for Horsepower and performance. Thanks for the reminder and "back to basics" tips.
Yeah, safety is definitely more important than how fast you can go!
Get rid of mechanical throttle linkage. Gm learned this lesson late sixties and had a recall, the motor mounts would break on acceleration the engine would lift up and pull the mechanical throttle open even more. Very dangerous.
The most important is a roll cage
I had my throttle stick on my 67 Camaro back in 85 after swapping carbs. I couldn't shut it down and smashed it into a raised median totaling the front end. The police didn't believe what happened and ended up charging me with careless. Not a nice day.
That's awful! It's scary how many cars have throttle linkage issues!
Date codes do NOT render tires unsafe. Tire life also depends on sun and temperature. We're NOT going to replace all our low mile, cold climate, stored in the dark tires every 8-10 years. The rest of us limit speed according to tire condition and know a flat tire isn't going to level a city block.
I remember seeing you right after that happened lucky to be alive trees don't move
No they don't!
I had a carb spring failure on a 390 70 AMX and it went wot. Shut down the ignition, coasted for awhile and turned onto a side street. So I popped the hood and was checking it out when some idiot cop comes along to claim I was drag racing (an invisible rival?) and I was getting a ticket. Sitting in the cruiser I explained to this idiot cop what happened and invited him to see for himself the broken spring. His response - I can give you a ticket for a defective vehicle. I responded yes please do. The light bulb flickered for but a slim second and he realized where I would be going with that in court so idiot cop decided to forget about that defective vehicle citation.
Putting on a dual chamber master cylinder upgrade is the most common
Excellent advice. Simple tip that's often missed.
It's a bit scary running everything off a single bowl master!
Drum brakes are fine if you dont road race the vehicle. And if you do drive in a sane manor they will outlast the disk system. I did convert the master to a dual, but l did not use the hideous looking G.M style reservoir.
Glad you switched to a dual bowl reservoir - drums CAN work fine.
There must be some reason that Pontiacs of the '60's ran drums, even with legit horsepower....?!