Summer break

Now the car only needed wheels to be able to roll and steer. Some more paint was applied in the trunk before it got loaded on a trailer and off to storage for the summer. Not much of body work left for the next winter season. Don't you think the hauler is up to it's task ? It is an Opel Astra with 100hp 1.6 liter engine.

Steering Box

ID tag on the steering box says:

Code		HCC AT
Date		4K08B

According to the documentation found in the internet

Application	Tag Code	Type	Ratio	Turns
65-66 Mustang	HCC AW	Power	16:1	3 3/4
	HCC AX	Manual	16:1	3 3/4
	HCC AT	Manual	19.9:1	4 5/8

And the interpretation of the date code is:

1st digit		Year	4	1964
2nd digit		Month	K	October
3rd and 4th		Date	08	8th
5th		Shift	B	B	(the second work shift of the day)

Based on the dates, this might be the original "slow-ratio" box installed by the factory.
The basic reconditioning took place with the steering box. Cleaning, painting and greasing, that is.

Steering box

Idler arm

Good instructions how to lubricate the box can be found on Stangers' site. In brief it goes like this. 

1) Turn wheels all the way to one end 2) Remove fill plug and the farthest screw 3) Press grease in until it squirts out of the screw hole 4) Turn wheels to the other end and repeat the steps.

Fill Plug removed

Grease squirting out of the far-most screw hole

Tie rod

More detailed adjustments for camber, caster and toe will be done later as well adjusting the steering box for which instructions can be found here.

Front suspension

The front suspension had been prepared for Arning drop by drilling the new holes for upper control arms. Except for reconditioning all of the parts I do not plan any changes in the structure at this phase. So once all the replacement parts had been gathered, usable parts cleaned and painted, the installing of the front suspension in pretty straight-forward task to do. The front suspension will consist of the following equipment.

• reconditioned upper control arms (UCA)
• new upper ball joints
• new spring saddles
• 1" lowering coil springs
• new Scott Drake lower control arms (LCA)
• new spring insulators
• standard sway bar
• new sway bar end links
• standard strut rods
• urethane strut rod bushings

Here is presented as a picture show what was done to get the car rolling.

Reconditioned UCAs and new ball joints

New spring saddles

Scott Drake lower control arms

Control arms bolted in the shock tower

Strut rods cleaned and painted.

The new urathene bushings compared to old ones.

Strut rods and sway bar attached

New insulators for the 1" lowering springs

Spindles and springs installed

Drum brake shields will be replaced later

I did not pay any attention to the brake parts as they will be replaced with disc brakes. I only cleaned the rotating assembly and bearings and bolted the necessary parts back to get the car rolling without brakes.  The steering box still needs to be installed before the car can be dropped from the jack stands.