I just saw a bunch of the Y1 17" wheels...I ship a lot of the Pontiac Rally II's to Oz and they come from US Wheel where I was picking some up. They designed them and have them and the other 17" versions of old wheels Y1 does made in china for them..the Mopar Rallye doesn't look bad in proportion I don't think at all.

No kidding. I have heard remarks from a couple of fossilized members in our Sacramento club.

There were quite a few cars with 16" wheels. Should be able to find a decent tire to work for him. For what he wants to do he doesn't need a low profile tire, just a good radial with the sidewall he likes. He wants a cruiser for the daily highway commute that responds when he steers. A little bigger on the torsion bars, good factory type shocks (no need for high $$ stuff) front and rear sway bars, rims and tires of his liking, moog offset UCA bushings, and a firm feel box and he will have exactly what he wants, a well handling and responsive cruiser. I would recommend at least 10.89 discs over drums but 11.75 would be better if not already on the ride he picks. He won't be on road courses, just normal driving. He would be more than happy with what I outlined I would think. I am no expert but that what it sounds like.

when my son bought his new challenger he got a ride on a chrysler test track---he went down to louisiana and got to drive the srt challenger/jeep and the chrysler 300----he drove down in his new car and told me he really took a pounding from the suspension----he said he broke the lap record of the chrysler driver which kind of PO'd him----he said the 300 had great speed and was very competent on the track even with a soft suspension---he said if he was picking out a commuting car he would go with the 300 over the challenger-----if there is a chrysler track near you maybe you can get a ride and get a feel for performance and comfort----also there is a car tv show out there that features the same 3 cars in germany running the autobahn--the last part a female race car driver drives the jeep on her home track---they told her what it would feel like (top heavy may feel like it will roll--just push through it) she went on to run the jeep on the course and beat her lap record in her race car---which astounded her----there are some big cars out there that run good---i wouldn't sweat all the tire hype-- 15's arent so narrow unless you are into running trailer tires....

I did that at one of their travelling road show tracks. One segment had a radar gun with a check speed immediately before a hard braking right hand turn. I asked what their fastest speed was for the day and told them I'd top it. I stayed in it so long before hitting the binders that the factory supplied co-driver was white knuckling it and putting his feet through the floor trying to slow us down. His sigh of relief as we made the corner was clear audible and made me laugh.

That's pretty much it in a nutshell.

I see that Firm Feel has suspension 'packages'. Not cheap but it looks like everything you would need. Appears to be based off factory parts except for the tubular UCAs, so no wild aftermarket parts that require this or that to work.

Again, not sure what I will end up with, just doing some preliminary research. Winter is coming soon which means old car season is winding down so this will likely be something that happens next year.

Thanks again for the input.

i wouldn't talk you out of buying another mopar, but no matter how you shake it -- with that driving your going to probably double your fuel costs of commuting.

given that fact -- it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, to embark on this endeavor for a daily driver @ 33K+ miles a year of commuting, especially with the awful NYC/long island traffic.

now if you just want to get another car and build it, well that makes a crap ton of sense.

Hey Mike. Sense and I are not real great friends...

It won't be an 'every day' driver, like day-in-day-out, 700 miles a week like I do with my Mazda. And no way it's coming out after the roads are salted. But, if it's nice enough out, I'd rather torture myself in style. I live like a monk anyway, gas is probably the only thing I spend money on.

When I insured my D100 last year the insurance company asked if I would be using it to offset some of the mileage I put on the Mazda. I said no initially because it sounded like an odd question but I thought about it later and decided maybe it's not such a good idea to put so many miles on any one car every year. So I guess the answer to that question is actually yes.

Fuel injection and overdrive are definitely part of the equation so there is a nod towards some level of economy. I know the initial investment on those things is probably such that you would never make your money back but it's fun to try at least.

But just to give a comparison - my Mazda 'requires' 93 octane gas which is normally 30-70 cents more depending on where you get it. I use my Stop N Shop rewards card sometimes which helps. On average, that little 4 cylinder FWD car gets about 325 miles per tank, sometimes more (rarely), sometimes less (often). I drive a minimum of 120 miles a day while getting pounded by a sport-tuned suspension.

I had an '01 Cherokee a few years ago that thing got like 16 mpg on a good day and that was an MPI 6 cylinder with an OD trans. My wife's Subaru with the V6 probably gets about 23-25 mpg as well on the highway, way less around town.

My D100 gets about 13 mpg if it's all highway driving. I drive it all the time too, including back and forth to work. I figure I can do a little better than that with a car. If I was able to get 16 mpg with a big block equipped B body, I'd be pretty happy.

My Duster is probably the most impractical but I've driven that back and forth to ETown a few times, wasn't crazy bad, probably about the same as the truck.

It's all relative. If it runs, I'm gonna drive it.

Got a couple of potential candidates I am looking at right now, we'll see what shakes out.

My vote is for a C-body.

If you shop around you can likely find a decent driver for less than a B-body basket case.

C-bodies get no respect even tho they are the next big thing.

This is my transmission builder's 66 300 with IIRC Wheel Vintiques in 16". Not sure of the tire size but pretty conservative as you can see.




My engine builder has a set of 15" Bassett circle track wheels on his lowered 91 Silverado with stainless trim rings and repro rallye centres and it looks really sharp for cheap. The nice thing about the Bassetts besides the price is you can order any backspace you want in 1/8" increments and the OEM style trim rings will snap on.

I would rebuild the front end with good quality OEM type components with offset upper bushings so you can get some positive caster.

Bilstein seems to be the go to "good" shock that delivers maximum control without destroying the ride on a C-body but they aren't cheap.

Next would be a big front bar either store bought or I've been told a mid/late 70's GM pickup bar can be cut down to work with the C-body mounts and links. I think they are 1 1/8th or so and salvage yard cheap.

I would stick with the stock torsion bars with the good shocks and big sway bar and see how I liked it before I went with bigger T-bars or a rear sway bar.

The factory 11.75 discs are quite capable as is. I'd look at better quality pads and maybe change the master cylinder to a 15/16" or 1" if I wasn't happy with the factory one before I got carried away with big brake kits.

Same with the rear drums. Properly built and maintained they are more than capable of exceeding the traction limits of most tire wear friendly rubber compounds. If they aren't already 2.5" wide, I'd upgrade to that or 3" if they were offered on Cop/trailer tow/HD or pick-up truck apps.


Seeing as I'm spending your money here I'd put a 4.25" crank in whatever is in it, 400 or 440 with aluminum heads, 9ish:1 compression so it will make 600+ ft/lbs on regular gas with an idles at 650 cam and top it off with whatever flavor of EFI suits you.

The easy OD solution is a shorty 727 with a GV. Not cheap but none of the others are either if you are starting from scratch.

3.55's with .78 GV OD = 2.76 final drive. 3.73 = 2.90 3.91 = 3.04. Pick your poison. With a stroker any of the above gears should be capable of gaining the respect of most uber cars either at a light or on the open road and still get "okay" mileage when driven accordingly.




Kevin

That thread would have been real helpful if most of them would have said what rim they had. Saw a couple I thought looked good, but I dunno what they are.

I have a ton of miles in my wagon, I need stopping and handling.
I used all Firm feel parts to get what I needed for a regular use car, I stayed with 15" wheels and tires, used the Maxiss Marauder tires that have a good speed rating and stiff side wall.
I would do it all again.
For what you are asking this is good build and it stops.
I live in urban Toronto and I have driven in all types of traffic, I have driven it to Carlisle and the Nats for about 4 years now.
2:94 rear gears 727, 383 4 bbl dual exhaust.
Next thing that I think would be a big big improvement is good driving seats, the bench is getting old, it's old and it's getting old on me.
It really is a Keep It Simple Stupid build.
I removed the stock disc system and installed the later 12" with slider callipers and aluminum master on a power brake booster, also installed 70s dodge pick up rear wheel cylinders.
1.25" front sway bar, .75" rear, (I don't think I would have used a rear bar if it was a coupe)
1" torsion bars, all 4 Bilstein shocks. (that really feel great on this build)
15x7 cop wheels with front 245/60/15, Rear 15x8 with 275/60/15 rear.
I have caught many imports on off ramps and haven't noticed I was blocking anyone.
It certainly is not a track car, but it drives better then our 300c
1967 Dodge Coronet 440 wagon.

I created an account on those forums so i could quote their posts and ask and or PM them to find out.

I have a 68 fury so I'm biased, my thoughts:

Some of the earlier C's are not a lot heavier than the later B's

The C's can take almost any wheel at the back you like, the front gets interesting though.

A stroked SB with a 518 auto would be a better option, the combination is lighter and cheaper if you want the overdrive

Some Aero mods like a belly pan would pay off pretty quick on frequent commutes

You need to go to a really big 4 pot or 6 pot caliper to exceed the surface area of the single piston on the 69 and later C calipers, they are heavy, but they work fine

Do you guys run cars on propane much over there? no one seems to mention it, but its not uncommon on traditionally heavy fuel guzzlers here in OZ

Propane doesn't have a large following around here.

For a good torquey drivetrain with fi and od, think Magnum and a518 trans. Should fit the c body without too much hassle. Running donor truck or van can be found cheap.

Should be able to get mid teens in a c body.

Personally, I think most folks short change the abilities of most late 60s through 70's cars. They are actually pretty competent drivers. No not as razor sharp as some newer stuff but at normal speeds they do just fine. Sway bars and good shocks are the minimum but also the maximum.