What do you wish you had done differently on you car/build. Could be any cars, from any period. Today or way back. Major or minor things, mechanical or body, or just some what if's.
I got to thinking that this could be a good topic for a thread. There is always a couple of things that you might have done different with what you know today.
Some of it could provide good advice to those in the process.
Mine (at a quick thought)
I would not have put a 3:55 gear in my 67 or I should have focused on a OD trans instead of the TH400.
I kind of wish I had gone down the LS route. The BB is nice, looks and performs awesome, but there is nothing else I can do to it. A LS would have kept me busy learning and tuning.
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65 Laurentian post, 67 Grande Parisienne 4 door HT.
On my 57 Pontiac i would have never restored it. I should have left it the amazing survivor car that it was when i bought it in 1996. I should have just done all the mechanical work and added all the factory and dealer accessories and left the paint from the 1970's, original factory chrome and original factory interior. I also would have saved a ton of money in the process. At the time survivor cars were not the big rave like they are today. The car showed really well but i needed a restored car, so that is what i did. Cheers.
-- Edited by long stroke on Tuesday 4th of February 2020 09:38:32 PM
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1957 Pontiac Pathfinder Deluxe sedan restored 261 six
1974 Chevrolet Caprice Estate wagon low mileage original 400 V-8
I would have bought fewer cars and concentrated on buying and restoring only a small number of the most desirable ones. I also would also have kept a very few of those I sold (56 Chev 210 wagon, 66 Bel Air 2 door post, and a couple of Pontiacs). But 79 vehicles in 46 years are too many. It's only now after collecting for all this time that I'm getting to do the only body off resto I will ever do. Fortunately my other cars, most of which are keepers for as long as I can look after them, do not require major restoration. And that's the way I like it.
Heater core is a must Greg...if the box is open...or if the carpet is new!
3:55's with a 3 speed just limit you as to how far afield you can take the car. Too many revs on the highway. 3.08's probably would have been just fine with 500 FT/Lbs torque.
I still have my eye on that 4L80e core just sitting waiting!
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65 Laurentian post, 67 Grande Parisienne 4 door HT.
My current plan for my 68 Bel Air is a 402BB/Turbo 400 with a 3.36 geared 12 bolt posi. I'm hoping that will be a good middle of the road combination. If I do decide instead to put an M20 in it I'll have to re-think the rear gear ratio.
I would have harvested the bellhousing, pedals and 12 bolt out of the wrecked 65 wagon in the bush by our house at the time I got my 65. Young and lazy, figured they would be anywhere and easy to get if I wanted to go 4speed later, learned too late how different they truly are...
I am not so sure that I should have put a Comp 270 H cam in the Grande with the rebuild. I think it is a bit too much of a cam. Runs nice and burns fuel like crazy but maybe should have toned it down a bit.
3:55's with a 3 speed just limit you as to how far afield you can take the car. Too many revs on the highway. 3.08's probably would have been just fine with 500 FT/Lbs torque.
I still have my eye on that 4L80e core just sitting waiting!
Mark, I thought that you had a 4L80 that you were contemplating adapting to the 67? No?
I would have never sold my '68 Olds 442 convertible back in my early 20s. I would have been on a Oldsmobile website instead of a Canadian Pontiac one.
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Prince Edward Island
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
With over 20 years experience behind me I'd have left my Beaumont where it was in Stevensville, ON and saved my money until I had enough to buy a decent driveable example.
