|
Been there....done that! I became tired of the Kingpin front end and replaced it with a 1973 1800ES crossmember. Disc brakes and newer parts were the chief motivator. I have 50,000 miles on it and love the car to such an extent I changed the rear frame to the '73 so I could have discs all around and bigger sway bars and newer parts availability. I changed mine because it is my winter car and so it sits for 6 months after 6 months of salt and ice driving. The kingpins "freeze up" with this kind of driving and general care. But I have to admit I probably would choose a different path. My research is that the 544/444 steering is better in stock form than newer configurations and this is from vintage racers. Keep the front end for all the right reasons.
B20 conversion....YES! the radiator needs to change but I'm running a 240 radiator and it's fine. The modification for the clutch ..I worked with the B16 to B18 linkage for a while but finally went to the fluid clutch and swinging pedals (winter cars don't like master cylinders under the floor). Drive shafts... I had a single one made and resorted to a two piece ultimately. Transmission...M41 cut the tunnel it's worth it. Rear axle...I went all the way. Cut the floor from the 1800ES and weld it into the 544 from the crossmember under the rear seat all the way to the bumper. Remember, I drive this in the winter in Buffalo as a 6V B16 3 speed 4.56. But time will take its toll when you use the car in harsh conditions. My floor was toast. The center mounting points for the trailing arms was not structurally sound. I was welding to anything that would spark and doing it every couple of weeks. My 544 was disappearing from underneath and I needed to change the direction of this demise. So, the floor was cut and rolled out to be replaced by the 1800es. But since it was going to be a highway cruiser, I stuck the 3.91 rear axle from an automatic ES to give me the ultimate gearing. Built B20 M41 3.91 4 wheel discs and turbo wheels. My present project is a fiberglass one piece front end (fenders hood grill)Removable and tilt!
|
