Pedders Install

Me and another guy have been working on this since Mon. So far the old drive train is out. The rear cradle hit the floor today. We took the sub frame over to another shop at a farm where there is a big press to get the subframe bushes out. Gotta get something bigger to use to press them out with. Those things are huge and the directions say that when you press them out it sounds like a shotgun blast. It's gonna take an act of God to have this done by Friday. The new Getrag still has to go in too. That isn't an easy job either. Got my last package of bushings today, but minus the front lower control arm bushes that are on back order. I still haven't seen my rear end links from Paul either. I'm still waiting for my blue top noids. I ordered a tunnel brace, which is another anytime part. All in all I guess I'm in pretty good shape on this install. Eventually everything will get here and I'll just put it on then. At least I have the lions share of parts and the rest can just go in when they get here. It will basicly be a track 2 install minus the shocks and springs and those bushes associated with them. Everything else is the same as that kit. I just picked them off of the forums here and there and saved enough $ to do most of the install as long as I help out with it. It should be a real dream to drive when it's finished.

Glad you got it started.

DON'T RUSH!!!

That thing is gonna be a beast tom. I'm glad your going though with it cause I know what it means to ya!

This is an extremely slow install operation. OMG I can't believe how long it takes. Spent most of Mon. just getting the car up on jack stands and getiing wheels off. Some of the bushings have clock orientations and others are indexed off of a specific point on the part it goes on. Some are off center and can be oriented for street, track or drag. I'm thinking of going half way between track and drag.

jesse031081 wrote:

That thing is gonna be a beast tom. I'm glad your going though with it cause I know what it means to ya!

It does, thanks. I was so nervous for the first couple of days. I was afraid the car would fall off the jack stands cuz I have it up off the ground at both ends and it's raked towards the front. It hasn't even moved a little, yet. 4300 lbs. don't move very easy. I have pushed from every side and it won't budge. I'm relaxing on that now, finally. I can really appreciate the pros that do this for a living.

Damn Tom you dont mess around. Congrats on the mods to be. That thing is going to be sick as hell.

Sounds like a helluva project Tom. It will be worth all the hard work. I wish I had the time, energy, cash and know-how to do all that crap.

i need a ride in that bad boy!

Are you doing the getrag? If so here is a good write up by Pat.
http://www.lxforums.com/board/showthread.php?t=227304

Shawn1112 wrote:

Are you doing the getrag? If so here is a good write up by Pat.
http://www.lxforums.com/board/showthread.php?t=227304

Thanks bro!

Got the car out yesterday. The 3.73 is in and the subframe bushings are done. I installed the rear trailing arm lower front and said fuckit. I wouldn't get this done in 2 summers. There are too many alignment issues anyway. I originally thought I would just do a few here and there. Putting the car on jack stands is a pita. Plus there is one I missed while I had the cradle out and I don't have a portable press. I need 3 more parts to have everything I need. Just one is critical, the other 2 I could do myself anytime.

I can really feel a nice difference with the subframe bushes in. The car feels solid and a little stiffer, but not harsh at all. It feels just right and inspires confidence around curves and dips in the road. It almost feels like adding some spring tension on rough patches of road. The rear Chubby sway bar is just awesome. I should have done that long ago. When I swerve like a Nascar driver warming up his tires it feels gokart like. Alot less body roll.

The Getrag rearend is just sick. Because of the taller 3.73 gear in it, my issue with acceleration is all but gone. I'm turning some higher rpm now so it has taken it to the next level. Adding some rpm to each gear seems to have cured most of that problem. Around town it no longer feels sluggish in D. The trans seems to not torque lock on me, like it did before. At least not bad. No more lugging feel in D. When I jump on the skinny pedal now it is much more responsive and feels just right. I can't wait to get the rest of my bushings done now.

Awesome Tommy happy everything went reasonably well

Thanks Vic.

Thats awesome to hear tom...

Thanks alot, Brian. I'm loving it. I can't wait to finish it now.

So glad it all went well and you are already back on the road.

Oh i bet man... i cant wait till i can start tearing into my car and working on the gofast and handle stuff...

irishrt5.7 wrote:

Oh i bet man... i cant wait till i can start tearing into my car and working on the gofast and handle stuff...

Anything worth having is worth waiting for, bro. The dreaming is often better than the reality.

Yeah i hear ya...

I just got tracking numbers for the final bushes.

Thats cool man, glad it all came together FINALLY, I know you were waiting on some parts what seems like FOREVER!

Moparcharger06 wrote:

Thats cool man, glad it all came together FINALLY, I know you were waiting on some parts what seems like FOREVER!

Thanks, bro. It's so awesome already. The front sway bar really glued it to the road. I can't wait to get the rest done.

I changed the oil in the Vortech today, to save some money. What a pain in the ass.I had to drop the belly pan in the front and some of the facia to get at the permanent drain hose that was looped up and zip tied in an almost impossible spot to reach. Next time it will only take a few minutes instead of 2.5 hrs., like today.

I ran the car in for the rest of the Pedders bushings install. The Shaker will be ordered tomorrow. It should be here by Friday. My install list was knocked down from 17 items to only 7 plus the shaker install. It's really a motivation thing when your looking at $85 an hour. I installed alot more stuf on my list than I thought I would.

I still haven't decided on what combo of colors to go with on the shaker, though. I need some visuals to help me decide. I saw a reverse Mach1 scheme on a hood today. It looked pretty cool, but was flat black. I'm thinking of doing some kind of center of the hood paint. Going a little wider than the shaker on each side. Might do satin black and leave a bb gap in the middle or something. It's hard to decide colors for me.

Just talked to Tim and my car is across the street at the alignment shop. The Pedders install is done!!! I'm just leaving it there, because the second project will start on Monday. Too hard to make arrangements to get it back over there again. Rhonda calls it "pulling out your big boy card" lol.

Next week the shaker project starts. My car will be the first one ever to get a shaker with a Vortech on a 6.1 Hemi Charger. CDC is robbing some parts off of a Challenger kit to put one together for my car.

Thats awesome Tom! I cant wait to see that bad sumbitch when its done.