Whoops, the ones I was advised to get are rims too small for the tires, in the back. Looks completely stupid. You can not tell from this photo, but they are about 2" too narrow, and the tires that are on these rear rims are about 3/4s of an inch too narrow.
Anyway, that is why they call some cars twenty footers, cause you can't see the problems from twenty feet away
So someday, years from now when I have paid off this credit card load, which is twice what I thought this upgrade was going to cost, I'll get the right sized rear rims, use these rear tires to replace the fronts when they get worn down, as they are all the same size right now... and get black rims all around, but wider backs that fill out the wheel wells correctly.
The brakes? Incredible.
The new headers give it a better sound, and omfg does it drone around 3500 rpm, louder than it used to.
The steering? So different from what it was, but until I get to play with it, there's more to learn.
I couldn't screw around tonight as the trunk had a lot of junk from the stuff that was pulled off, and the set of new aluminum heads that I can't use with my 440 six pack intake. Yeah, 2500 wasted dollars. Oh, and the rims, about another 1200 misspent dollars. More, I had to buy another par so the steering wasn't going to rub, as the change to lowered spindles messed with the tie rod to rim distance. But, it lowered the center of gravity (and now I need to drive over some boards to get into my garage, it lowered the car enough for the bigger header collectors to hit the garage floor (higher than the alley) ) and gives this upgrade additional cornering ability, so, not knowing that choosing a better cornering set up, would make the recommended front rims hit the tie rods, I screwed myself into buying the extra set of rims.
Oops, getting back to the point, I had a lot of stuff in the trunk and no way I was going to hit the brakes, or gas pedal, and cause anything to ping pong inside the trunk and hit the quarter panels and dent the hell out of them. So, I was not able to check the brakes yet for how fast they stop the car, or the steering for how much better it corners.
It was enough to get it back to the garage and go home to unwind
Jesse, I always just considered mistakes as a learning curve and tried to remember not to do it again. You an probably figure out how that went! Have Fun Sir!
ReplyDeleteTasteful and beautiful! Two thumbs up!
ReplyDeleteCongrats!
ReplyDeleteLooks good!!
ReplyDeleteI'll just add, secure those rear rims you need. Rims seem to come and go now a days, you may not be able to find them in 3 years.
ReplyDeletethere's no room on the credit card for that. This seriously went deep into expensive. Effing alignment was hundreds, and the re welding of the exhaust, as the new headers changed the lengths of the rest of the system, and they found something wrong with the H pipe... was hundreds. So, about 3800 in heads and rims I won't be getting use of, or getting refunded on, and close to a thou on the alignment and welding, that I didn't even think of... and now it's close to 5 thou of waste.
DeleteYeah, there won't be any purchases for the car for a long time. It's going to take probably a year or two just to pay off the 5k of waste. THen the other 10k or so in parts and labor will be a couple more years.
See what I mean?
I totally get it, just a suggestion.....I just started shopping for rims for a project, prices are stoooopid. Marketplace I've seen a few pairs of 'mis-purchased' rims, brand new, at very good prices. Keep you're eyes open, might get lucky!!
DeleteI now have 4 original Magnum 500s, and 4 of these new rims, all to sell. It's stupid how fast a guy has 8 damn rims to find a good home for. Plus, I think it's time to get rid of the two orignal spares, with 1970s tires on them. I had one in the trunk for fun, as an original spare is neat in an original car, but, now it's time to put a real pair of spares in the trunk, and a floor jack. Legit race track time.
DeleteHell, two of the rims I bought are still in the damn boxes with the insulation on the rims to prevent scratches, and now I'm storing 600 in new rims. So frustrated.
If you want to spread the word of what you're looking for I can post that on the blog. Hard to say if anyone reading along has stuff to sell.
I've seen a LOT of guys use facebook pages for Mopars to sell related parts, and Bronco guys use theirs, so do Van and Bug guys.
It looks stunning! And most of the improvements can't be seen. Just forget the cost and enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteforget the cost? You're funny. You make my credit card bank statement laugh. This was going to be a half cash half credit card upgrade. Then it tripled in cost to get the job done right, the first time, and about 5k was wasted on parts that are shelved (the heads don't match the intake, as Edelbrock didn't maintain where the runners are from 1969 to 2023, on the intake ports, between the 440 six pack intake, and Victor Jr heads) and the rims debacle mean I have 2 new rims in boxes. That's about 5k, of credit card debt, not even bolt to the car.
DeleteForget the cost? What millionaire nonsense is that?
You're sleeping on stacks of hundred dollar bills or something to make such a ridiculous statement.
and it's going to look even better with the right big rims in back filling in the wheel wells, like the fronts do, and with all rims having black spokes.
DeleteWell from twenty feet plus a few thousand miles it looks pretty good. Oddly, that color looks OK too. It's very similar to a 70's Mercedes color called "maple yellow" which with a subtle addition of some olive, and obviously a different car underneath, looked hideous. When I bought an old one long ago the dealer's key tag said "puke yellow Mercedes." Mopar's tiny difference was a big favor.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, this one looks nice, and from this distance and angle the wheels don't look bad. Not sure about the mechanics of it, but while waiting to afford new wheels, could you space these out a little?
the rubber is stretched over the rims too much, too much rim, not enough rubber. Spacing won't help that.
DeleteAnd putting a spacer would just move the too small tire and rim closer to the outside where it's easier to see, like when you're broke, only can put some coins in your hand, and instead of leaving a decent tip, you just move it to the other side of the tip cup.
It will look right, and have more rubber for more traction (which is probably necessary at 4200 pounds and 426 ft pounds, 372 Hp) with wider rims and rubber that properly fits over that wider rim.
Exactly the right decision,mate. Everything new should be eased into (broken in) use. You may be surprised by what things may rear their ugly heads in the process! Good luck with it all,Jesse. Hope it makes a VERY happy Christmas for you! Cheers from Down Under.
ReplyDeleteLooks great Jesse!
ReplyDelete