Hello,
Got a 75 350 and thought I'd be better off if I had someone install the seat belts (seats are moved back), given my car fixing novice status. Anyway, this guy that builds freakin race cars wants more than a few hundred to install them on top of my hammered, riveted, and tack welded in floor pans. Just comparing to what was there before makes me wonder why a few little welded brackets that support bolts wouldn't do the trick as opposed to all this cross member support frame expensive structure metal work...

Anythoughts on the matter are greatly appreciated.
Jeff "thoughts I'd have it waterproof by now" D

Hey Jeff.

I think your buddy is talking over kill. The factory anchors are strong enough. This is just my veiw, but I would not trust pop rivets and tack welds to secure floor pans. Weld them in solid it will be a better repair.

David

How are the seats mounted?

Mr Hairball,
The factory anchors are in the wrong place - mounting the seats back farther, so I thought I would only need some new anchors fab'd up...I think I bit off more than I was planning on chewing with this one. I was quite proud of the pans, but am seeing now that perhaps it was a bit half arsed. :?

And aucath1,
well, for the front two, got two layers of 3" by 6" plates of 16 guage with a bolt welded on/up...the plates are tack welded in. for the back, another 16 guage piece tack welded on, and the floor pan. they will bolt in from the bottom up with some big ole washers on the inside (to prevent rear end collision collapsing through the floor).

I tell ya what, the first place that thought they would work on the seat belts and then declined, I pulled away, and now my brakes are all mushy. Granted the fluid is murky gritty brown. And the next, the alignment is off, pulling to the right. But I was thinking that that is probably related to the brakes. No visible leaking going on and the level looks OK, so maybe I am looking at a master cylinder. I don't know, seems like every time I take her out, something else is wrong.

Could be a tough winter. Anyway, whaddya think?
Thanks!
J

...and now my brakes are all mushy. Granted the fluid is murky gritty brown.

Could be a tough winter


Sounds like you DEFINITELY need to flush out the brake fluid! :lol: But at least it don't look like you'll run out of things to do over the winter! :D

Sounds like you DEFINITELY need to flush out the brake fluid!
That brings up another topic. Has anyone replaced his or her typical brake fluid with silicon based fluid. Just curious as to the procedure and if there's anything special to do.

Hi Jeff -- Welcome to ECC and NECOA! Isn't it great to own an Elky? Everytime you turn around you find something else to do. You will never run out of projects big and small. None of us ever got bored owning an El Camino. Most of these projects actually turn out to be fun and they will keep you out of the bars and similar bad places. Have fun over the winter. Post some photos of your work as you go along. John H.

I remember seeing a show not too long ago that replaced the regular fluid with silicon fluid, and the only thing they did was to flush all the old fluid from the system and replaced it with the silicon. I guess its supposed to be alot better than the old fluid, it doesn't absorb the water like the old fluid would and it won't kill you paint if you get it on it.

but i've just did a quick search on google and found a couple of places that say its not all that good i guess makes the pedal spongy since it compresses more than the regular fluid. i guess it has its pros and cons i think i'd do some more checking into it before i switched.

Hey Jeff

There is nothing wrong with fabing your own pans. I just recently did The all four in my 79. The nice thing about building your own is that you can make them to fit your own needs. I cut 2" off my rears so the exhaust could tuck up tighter. Besides I can think of better ways spend the 400.00 than on floor pans.

As for your belts, I understand you moved the seet back. I would just make some new plates and bolt the belts in like the factory.


What John said about never running out of things to do,it's true My 79 started out to be a three week strighten and paint. Well, its been 1-1/2 years and now its off the frame.

I replaced my brake fluid with DOT 4. I don't know if that is silicon based but I figured it was better than DOT 3. I just flushed out the old brown crud and the pedal feels much better.

From HowStuffworks.com....
hat are the different types of brake fluid?

The U.S. Department of Transportation issues specifications for brake fluid. The three main types of brake fluid now available are DOT3, DOT4 and DOT5. DOT3 and DOT4 are glycol-based fluids, and DOT5 is silicon-based. The main difference is that DOT3 and DOT4 absorb water, while DOT5 doesn't.

As a DOT3 or DOT4 brake fluid absorbs water, its boiling point decreases. It can absorb water from the air, which is why you should avoid opening your car's brake fluid reservoir. For the same reason, you should always keep containers of brake fluid tightly sealed.

DOT5 fluid does not absorb water. This means the boiling point will remain relatively stable, but it also means that any water that does get into your brake system will tend to form pure water pockets, which could cause brake corrosion.

Two other important things about brake fluid: DOT3 and DOT4 eat paint, so don't spill it on your car. Also, none of the different types of brake fluid should be mixed. They can react badly with each other and corrode your brake system.

Ah yes and DOT 5 will not eat the paint ,

I have one little question Does DOT 5 help keep moisture out of the brake system?

I will be using it in my 80 when we get there. I don't think it actually helps anymore than does the conventional stuff it just doesn't absorb into the silicone like it does petroleum products. It could cause puddles, someone else said but a sealed system will keep out as much moisture as possible.

My issue is my paint job. Its pretty expensive, well really expensive and its the same in the engine compartment as on the outside. I can't afford to damage it, if I can keep from it. It is not an easy touch up, not really. So Silicone brake fluid will go in. Some of the high dollar sports cars use it and if it is good enough for them, its good enough for me.

My system is all new and all dry so no flushing or worrying about cross contamination and none of the parts have warnings against using it, I've looked. Anyway big cams can and do cause spongy pedals, I'll use a hydraulic boost not vacuum. If its spongy after that I'll just deal with it best as possible I guess.

Just my thoughts.

I am running a 270 H in the old girl It's the 65 Corvette stingray hydrolic cam.
I have to say it will help it count them out just a little, but is just mild enough to allow for power brakes to work fine and with a 2600 stall converter. it's a great combo in my 350 with the 700 R 4

Hey thanks for all the words on the brakes.
I lucked out and now the car stops and goes.

One last thing about DOT 3 and 4

From what I gather, the 4 works better under higher temps.

I'm sticking with the DOT 3 until I get a sweet paint job like Pete.

J