John said:
> Most of the changes on later cars were for things like smog and safety, I for
> one aren't about to replace my stylish steel dash and toggle switches with
> the appearence-impaired padded dash and rockers. But some of the stuff was
> better, here's my short list:
> The two big improvements on the later cars were (1) alternator
< snip >
> and (2) the full syncro box.
> The joy of the 4 syncro box conversion is that it is not visible to the
> untrained eye. The later starter and slightly rearward position of the
> shifter is all that shows.
The early starter can be used with a slight modification to the late engine
backing plate. If I could remember what that modification is, I'd tell you.
People claim that the later starter is better. I've heard that it doesn't
make that annoying rattle, but my early starter doesn't get dirt rammed into
the solenoid.
> You will need a 4 syncro box, flywheel and starter from a 68-on car, the 4
> syncro boxes were upgraded by 72 or so with better syncros, so go that way. A
> small cut (3 inches or so) must be made in the driveshaft tunnel just aft of
> the removable trans cover to open up the tunnel to make room for the shifter,
> a little metal fab will fix it or the folks at British Parts in Novato Ca.
> sell a nice injection molded poly-something cover made to fit the now larger
> hole.
It's also possible to have the shift arm of the late transmission shortened
and then no modifications need to be made to the body at all. There's a guy
in San Diego who does it for $75. I also knew someone who had the later
shift lever bent like the early shifter and then had it rechromed. No one
believed that there was a late tranny in the car.
> The one other late-car advantage is the high-back seats...if you wish, those
> simply slide onto the tracks that are already there.
I was once rear-ended in my '67 with the low back seats by an uninsured hit
and run driver going about 35 mph and my neck only hurt for a week.
Don't forget two-speed wipers! Last time I mentioned that, I said I had all
the parts, but that was before I realized I'd fried the park switch when I
made the wires hot. I've since bought two more late wiper motors for the
other two cars, but I still haven't gotten around to installing any of them
in the car I drive because it keeps raining intermittently here in San Diego.
I know as soon as I remove the current wiper motor from the car, a monsoon
will hit and I'll have to drive somewhere.
Denise Thorpe
thorpe@kegs.saic.com
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