The drum brakes wouldn't worry me so much as the tires that were around then. The radial T/A is still only "S" rated, after all. I normally run nothing less than a "T" rated tire, and those are normally snows. Summers are "H" if I can possibly find them.
hey mike I dont think there was radials maybe there was but I think that cuda had bias ply tires.Whats the differance at high speeds?I remember my first set of radials,what a different ride.You had to drive bias ply tires around corners, my friend who was older than me and he was my machanic, would give me crap for driving the radials around corners,I miss my buddy Mike, he was such a good machanic, he taught me everything I forgot.
I have a general question.I have 14 inch tires on my wagon.How much better gas milage would I get on 15 inch tires? I know not much but is there any differance?any how I am working on getting some pictures up.My camera is down so I am trying to get my son to take some pictures and put them up for me.I am quite computer illiterate.
Interesting question. It would be difficult to tell if there would be any difference at all since changing the diameter of the tires will throw off the speedometer and the odometer.
You are right, the Barracuda would have been on bias belted tires. Bias ply were even worse! I am guessing that the modern equivalent to the factory tire on the Monaco would be a P225/75R14. That size is available, but your choices are limited. You can go to a 15 inch tire the same diameter, and go with a P225/65R15. You have a lot more selection in that size, but white walls may be a challenge. You could also go with the 15 inch rims and tire size from the Hemi-equipped midsized Mopars, and then run a P225/75R15, but you would have to change the drive sprocket for your speedo. You would have to calculate which one would be needed. You won't see a huge increase in fuel economy, and you will notice a slight decrease in off the line performance, since you are essentially raising the rear axle ratio (going to a lower number). Chances are you would never feel the difference in the real world, but a stop watch would. With the radials that are available now, you would have no problem going around corners at all.
Tires and suspensions have come a long way since the early days of the first Michelin X radials on US cars(late 60's). The early radials had a soft flimsy sidewall composition to try to retain decent ride quality American buyers were used to and demanded in their cars.
I believe it was about 1968 when radial tires first hit the market in the US. But I think it was at least a few years later when they became optional on new American cars, and years after that before radials became standard equipment. In my high school days in the late 70's, I remember buying bias ply tires cause they were dirt cheap compared to radials. Heres a couple BF Goodrich TV spots advertizing their early radial tires. The commercials are from 1968. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_ikQNHfQ2c http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iggkSJ4_K8I
My friend had a 63 cadillac in the early 80s and it handled terrible so his tire guy suggested bis ply tires because the suspension was not radial tuned suspension.After he changed he noticed how much better the big old cadillac handled.Its early, how the heck do you spell cadillac?
well howdy there 66 Im out in WhiteRock...so im lookin forward to seeing yoour beast....not too many left...they all ended up in Demo Derby's at Callister Park when it was across the street from the PNE I'll pm you my number..I work for a company that sells classic/vintage car parts...i can probably track your stuff down for ya. from down the street
66TC, Wow I didnt know there was a bridge to holland or did you take a ferry from Newfoundland? How many wagon nutz are in your nieghborhood? Like I said to someone else its truly is amazing how many wagons have survived around the world. I am driving wagon no. 9 and back in the 80s and 90s when wagons were a dime a dozen I and everyone else were crushing better wagons than ive seen for sale here.They were considered gas guzzlers and I could buy a 78 caprice wagon for 500 bucks drive it for 3 years and call someone up to take it away for free. The last wagon I owned about 4 years ago (1978 ford zepher 6 cyl. no wood )I bought for 500 and I used it for my paint truck, I drove that car for 4 years,Watched it pass100,000 miles on my 50th birthday,never did I even think it was still valuable,I sold it to a scrapper who gave me 150 to take it away.it still ran good but needed some work to make it road worthy. I could have sold that car for 2000 here on this forum.I was tickled pink to recover 150.how my of you have done that? I could have taken that bridge from Newfoundland to Europe and sold it there.
