It definitely seems to be true that a '69 car might need a Total Car
Replacement operation... I'm working my way through the systems but I'm
not going to be happy/comfortable until I've rebuilt them all.
I'm in the middle of the front hubs right now. Once up the jack stands,
tugging on the front wheels (L-R and T-B) revealed too much slop. Part of
the L-R slop is in the steering box (another project), but the T-B is the
bearings.
It might have been enough to adjust the bearings, but with potentially 20-
year-old stuff of unknown origin and history it seems best to just replace
the wearing parts, then you KNOW exactly what state it's in (i.e. brand new).
The front rotor on one side was as badly scalloped as any I've ever seen
(with a matching anti-scalloped pad). Both were seriously thin; they
must have been turned a number of times. The wheel studs were semi-stripped
on the same bad side, which may have been the cause of the outside-edge
tire wear. If two adjacent studs are bad on a 4-stud attachment, couldn't
the wheel actually flex around (hinging at the two good ones) and cause
tire damage? Scary!!! I've been in a car driving down the freeway when a
wheel worked loose and prepared to come off and it was NOT A PLEASANT
EXPERIENCE....
New rotors and bolts, new bearings, new wheel studs. Now it's nice! An
easy job with very satisfying results. But gazing at that cruddy old
suspension really makes me long to rip it apart. I've got to resist...
I want at least one day of driving time per month of work. I've got to
run out of systems eventually (and then it's time for a new project car??
Sunbeam anyone?)!
--ian
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