I just did the drum to disc conversion on my 68 and replaced about everything on the front end. Before I'm ready to roll it out of the garage I will have replaced body mounts with solids and replaced the 6 cyl with a 350. My first stop even before I've fired it up for break-in will be for lube and alignment, then onto the muffler shop for custom exhaust.
I was thinking about towing it with a bumper attached type tow bar. Or should I have it towed to at least the alignment shop?
Anything else I should think about at this point in the process?

Ken, don't do the tow bar route, you will bend the front bumper, been there, done that!

I would rent/beg/borrow a trailer or tow dolly.

Luck, Kevin

------------------
69' SS-350 Convert, M20, 3.55 posi. Totally Disassembled & in boxes (I'm working on it!) (http://www.fototime.com/0A0DC8E11C07E95/standard.jpg)
69'(Hugger Orange -originally, Burgundy now) Z-21 Convert 327/PG, 3.55 posi too! Driver (http://www.fototime.com/BD198A2E7BF669A/standard.jpg)

Hadn't thought of that. My last experience with a tow dolly was not fun though. Is there an easy way to get a non-running car up on one of those?

Do you have AAA? Call them and tell them what you have and what you're doing and ask them to specify a flatbed tow truck. You won't even be charged.
If you don't have AAA, call the service stations, or whoever, in your area and tell them what you're doing and make sure they have a flatbed truck. I doubt they'll sit and wait for the work to be done and it'll probably cost you more but a flatbed is the way to go.
Get AAA! They'll tow your car anywhere you want to go for free, as long as the car has an engine. That's how I got my car to my new house when we moved.

Maybe I'm missing something here, but wouldn't it be easier to get it to the alignment shop when it's running? The AAA guy isn't going to want to wait around for you and the guys at the shop aren't going to want to push it around the work area. Why not just wait? If you can't drive it right now, an alignment won't do you much good anyway.

True... true...
http://www.camaros.net/forum/smile.gif

I might suggest you reconsider and do the engine break-in and drive it there. Follow this link to get the alignment close http://www.carcraft.com/editorial/mgarcia_article.jsp?viewtype=text&id=24880

Then drive to the exhaust and alignment shops. That is asssuming they aren't too far away from where the car is now. Just a thought. Besides, I cringe at the thought of having the car loaded and unloaded that many times from a tow vehicle.....

------------------
Bret Copsey
'68 Camaro base coupe
'92 Caprice wagon
'98 Malibu

I would get it running before the lube or alignment. The joints have lube from the factory, enough to drive a little.
I have flat towed my 67 before. I made some neat spacers and attachment points that bolt to the subframe inner side of the frame horns, they stuck out just behind and below the bumper for a tow bar to attach.

BUT you need some positive caster in the front end or the car won't follow you around a corner.
David

------------------
Check my web page for First Gen Camaro suspension info:
David's Motorsports page (http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/David_Pozzi/)
First Gen Suspension Page (http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/David_Pozzi/first_gen_suspension.htm)
67 RS 327 original owner. 69 Camaro Vintage Racer, 65 Lola T-70 Chev SB Can-Am Vintage Racer

As most everybody suggested here, get it running. You can buy header mufflers for break-in and driving to the Muffler Shop first.

I have these header muffs on mine to keep semi-quiet in the neighborhood.

Be sure to have everything on the car before alignment, weight in the car is essential for the proper Thrust-angle Alignment.

This t/a alignment aligns the front axle with the rear axle, not with the centerline of the car.

------------------
Everett 68/350/PG/11.90/115mph

Put a set of old tires/wheels on the front, load up your nice ones in the trunk (ha, ha) and drive to the alignment shop.

I crashed my 64 Nova in the rain once and busted the front drivers side wheel off on the curb. The body and frame were fine though. The flat bed guy wenched my car crooked and creased the drivers side valance under the door, and then said it was already like that. I also drove my nova "to the muffler shop" for a couple days. Open headers are on a 350 with a cam sounds really nice. I just hope I can drive my firebird soon. Good luck either way

I'm wondering the same thing as everyone else... why wouldn't you drive it?

Dave

My concern is that I would hurt something if the alignment was way out of wack which I don't think it really is and then also I didn't want to fire it up until it had exhaust on it. I like getting along with my neighbors. I hadn't thought about putting some kind of mufflers on it temporarily during break-in. My understanding is that it being a convertible I'm going to have to get a custom exhaust system anyway, so I think I'll go to the shop and see if I can buy the mufflers and header reducers and put them on so I can break it in and then I could drive it to shops.

I put the wheels on and one was angled way out from the other. I had measured the old tie rod ends and put the new on the same length but I guess with everything changing it just wasn't going to be close. So I adjusted it to look like it's straight. Is there a way to align them sufficiently to safely drive it 5 miles to the shop?

This is shade-tree as all getout but I took a long 4" x 4" and looped a short piece of 3/8" chain on one end with a 1/2" through bolt and needed washers, then put it over a tow ball and tied it down tight so it couldn't come off.

Then did the same thing to the other end except looped the chain around the front center cross member front to rear tie strut down on it's bottom, bolted all together and pulled my old car 25 miles home through the country!! It worked GREAT!! pdq67

Ok- here's the 'hack and whack' alignment-- take two 2x4's or something else pretty straight about 30" long. put one by each front tire on the ground, against the sidewall. It usually works best to raise them 1-2" or so to get over the tire buldge. Run a tape measurer and measure the distance outside to outside of the 2x4's front and rear- make sure you don't hit anything under the car or the measurements will be off. The rear measurement should be say 3/16-1/4" wider than the front...(toe-in) adjust the tie rods as needed to get this.

Next, take a carpenter's level-- put it againt the tire or rim vertically. Shim the upper a-arm evennly front and back to get the tire close to plumb. This isn't a good alignment, but enought to get you there driving slow. (I say slow since you just set toe and camber, not caster- but if the shims are even, you should be good enough to drive a few miles)

Or send me $200 and I'll send you my caster/camber gauge!

Winch, check the link in my other response for DIY alignment.

------------------
Bret Copsey
'68 Camaro base coupe
'92 Caprice wagon
'98 Malibu

Thanks guys. I didn't look at that link before. But that was when I thought I wouldn't even fire it up before getting it to the shop. This might not be so bad after all.