35 replies to this topic

[scatpack01]

the current issue of Mopar Action has an article on how to make your C-Body handle like a sports car. Ok maybe not that good but better than it does now. check it out.
Mopar Action On-line - What's In This Issue

[TK826]

Another issue of Mopar Action (Back issue- June 2000),
has an entire section dedicated to the Bluesmobile.

[cheoperative]

TK826 said:

Another issue of Mopar Action (Back issue- June 2000),
has an entire section dedicated to the Bluesmobile.

I'd love to check that issue out!

[Shotgun Blues]

Unfortunately, the article isn't available online, and the local stores don't carry that particular MoPar mag...****.

[scatpack01]

I probably have that issue. If no one else can find it, I'll scan it in and post it. Assuming your talking about the 2000 issue.

[Steam McQueen]

TK826 said:

Another issue of Mopar Action (Back issue- June 2000),
has an entire section dedicated to the Bluesmobile.

The top of that mag says it all ...



So who's doin' the burnouts in that Bluesmobile?? 9 years ago now!

[FL-BLUESMOBILE]

Here is the article, sorry if they are not very good scans my scanner is junk. You will notice this was a Brougham, check out the tail light trim and the fuel door. Enjoy!!!

Huey

[TK826]

Very cool thanks.


And thanks to scat for the heads up on the current issue.
I am going to hunt around for that one.
I'm really curious as to what they suggest.

[scatpack01]

Here is a lowdown on what they suggest.
first make sure your alignment is good.
Replace the front sway bar with a new one from Firm feel. A 1 1/4" sway bar with poly end links and greaseable frame bushings.
Also add a rear sway bar if you don't have one. again from Firm Feel. There were 2 types of springs so check to see what you have.
next is replace those front subframe mounts with solid aluminum. FF is working on those.
Torsion bars..upgrade to bigger 1.18" bars
They also changed out the steering box to a cop car box or a stage 1 from FF.
They also suggested a minumum 15x7 cop wheels but said a 17x9 or 17x10 would be better, but I know we are staying with the old look.

Here is Frim feels website. Mopar high performance suspension products, Mopar high performance torsion bars, Mopar high performance sway bars, Mopar suspension kits, Mopar steering kits, Mopar tubular upper control arms, Mopar leaf springs, Mopar high performance suspension and or 800-FIRM426

try wal-Mart thats where I got mine.

[Ghostbluesman]

scatpack01 said:

Here is a lowdown on what they suggest.
first make sure your alignment is good.
Replace the front sway bar with a new one from Firm feel. A 1 1/4" sway bar with poly end links and greaseable frame bushings.
Also add a rear sway bar if you don't have one. again from Firm Feel. There were 2 types of springs so check to see what you have.
next is replace those front subframe mounts with solid aluminum. FF is working on those.
Torsion bars..upgrade to bigger 1.18" bars
They also changed out the steering box to a cop car box or a stage 1 from FF.
They also suggested a minumum 15x7 cop wheels but said a 17x9 or 17x10 would be better, but I know we are staying with the old look.


try wal-Mart thats where I got mine.

Danny...you got all those cool Monaco front end parts at Wal-Mart?!

Rob
(Just funnin'....)

[sigmfsk]

Here are scans of the article. Good stuff!

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[TK826]

Very cool.
Thanks sig.

[country bunker]

AWESOME!! I was looking forward to reading that article, but didnt get it yet.. Love the big old new yorker!

[sigmfsk]

For those interested in some of the firmfeel upgrades, I e-mailed the following to dick @ firmfeel . com

Hi Dick:

I read in October 2009 "Mopar Action", the article "Barge Massage" that
mentions several Firm Feel upgrades to the c-body.

I read
C-bodies have always had rubber-isolated front stub
frames...We're gonna try to get FF to introduce drop-in solid aluminum replacements.

and

The register (hole) in the spring perch on the axle housing is
significantly larger on the late model than on the non-iso
assembly...Firm Feel is working on a simple bolt-in rubber-dump kit,
similar to what the factory used on cop applications.

Can you provide some info on these upgrade kits? If/when you expect
they'll be available?

thanks,
arthur---
and just got the response

Arthur,
We haven't made any body mounts yet, but if you need some, we will
need your old rubber mounts.
We have the leaf pad adaptors and are still working on the shock
plates. Maybe in about a month. Thanks Dick---
It seems strange that they'd need the old rubber mounts. Surely the size of the original rubber is documented somewhere. Maybe the expectation is that after 40 years they are compressed to exactly the size needed to replace in aluminum. I seem to recall when I replaced the subframe body mounts on a '69 Camaro with something like this
67 - 81 Camaro/Firebird Billet Aluminum Body Mounts
that the original rubber mounts were basically useless for measurement purposes.

I don't yet have a Bluesmobile,
but I'm sure coming up with a good plan for one,
arthur

[country bunker]

I emailed Dick a while back.. Actually a month ago. Over on the c body forum they said the bilstein shocks for the front of the 75 and up c bodys wernt made yet, all they had were the ones for the back (being they never changed).
So the only front shocks bilstein had were for 65-73s

They do have complete sets of KYB gas shocks. But the c body forum guys who tried em say you should save up a lil more and wait for the bilsteins.. their much better, and the KYBs are more for stock suspensions.. But if you dont plan on putting torsion bars, and sway bars in then their good, and their half the price of the bilsteins!

Dick said that bilstein should have em ready by the end of march.. well I havnt heard anything from him, but i havnt contacted him either..

[RobM]

So can anyone tell me if the improvements detailed here in the mag article, while they no doubt improve the civilian C body, will they dramatically improve the factory police package C body??

Rob

[Ghostbluesman]

RobM said:

So can anyone tell me if the improvements detailed here in the mag article, while they no doubt improve the civilian C body, will they dramatically improve the factory police package C body??

Rob

I'd like to know that, too, seeing how mine is a police package....http://www.bluesbrotherscentral.com/forum2/public/style_emoticons/default/icon_cool.gif
Rob

[sigmfsk]

RobM said:

So can anyone tell me if the improvements detailed here in the mag article, while they no doubt improve the civilian C body, will they dramatically improve the factory police package C body??

Rob

I think it depends on what your car has on it. A list of the specifics, along with firmfeels's current pricing:

non-rubber-isolated rear axle (only cop cars had this. This improves handling, and is also needed to install a rear sway bar - "the rear sway bar link attachment plate sandwiches between the axle housing and leaf spring...Cars with Iso-Clamp axle attachment...have this huge hole in the axle perch, so it can't locate to the spring without some mods.")

1.25" front sway bar - $300
0.75" rear sway bar - $345
pair 1.18" torsion bars 47" - $410
stage 1 steering gear - $329
Bilstein shocks - $425

non-rubber subframe spacers (no cars had this)

So if your cop car is in good shape and has all the above sway bars and such, then the only areas for improvement are:

new shocks - because the Bilstein's are probably better than what was offered originally

and the solid subframe spacers. I don't believe that any '74 Monacos, police or otherwise, came from the factory with those.

your friend in handling,
arthur

[scatpack01]

I agree with Arthur.

[sigmfsk]

Here's another interesting mopar handling article.

Its from Mopar Action Aug 2010. I see in my post #7 that I didn't record the date of the article. Here's a summary of this thread. All articles from "Mopar Action" magazine.

post 7: jun 2002
post 11: oct 2009
this post: aug 2010

This article talks about how cops could get solid iron biscuits to replace the rubber subframe spacers - and shows a cover of a 1979 Dodge Police Vehicle brochure. So I don't know if they were ever available for a 1974 c-body, but no matter, as it seems that FirmFeel now offers them in aluminum.

The article shows oval rubber front spring bushings for the rear leaf springs, and how firmfeel offers urethane oval bushings to remove the slop. I don't know if this rubber oval situation applies to '74 c-bodies.

I don't see actual leaf springs at firmfeel, but I see they're available here:

Eaton Detroit Spring Home
here's their application guide:
http://www.eatonsprings.com/71-74dodgerearleafapplicationguide.pdf

Has anybody ever replaced their rear springs? Did you use these guys? Somewhere else?

your friend in rear suspensions that don't crab-walk due to rubber isolated components,
arthur

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