1962 Hawk Restoration

[bensherb]

However, just because you are correct on this point doesn't mean that you have first dibs on this car that might be given away. : )

Yeah, and you're 9 hours and 530 miles closer too, not including the 5 1/2 hours (330 miles) for me to get to my shop and pick up my trailer.

[Mrs K Corbin]

Just drive it down to Albion, OK. Ask for George Crims.... He'll take it off your hands and hold it for me.......LOL.

Seriously tho. you need to do some investigating. that's a great car.

Where's our Okie folks @

[chet445]

Sweetolbob and Hallabutt: Bob to answer your question, the body shakes/rattles not just the suspension. I'm going to lower the tire pressure down to 30-32 psi and see if there is improvement. Hallabutt, I'm riding on Firestone FR 380 P205-75-R15 975 that came with the car and are new.

[studegary]

Sweetolbob and Hallabutt: Bob to answer your question, the body shakes/rattles not just the suspension. I'm going to lower the tire pressure down to 30-32 psi and see if there is improvement. Hallabutt, I'm riding on Firestone FR 380 P205-75-R15 975 that came with the car and are new.

If you are "...going to lower the tire pressure down to 30-32 psi...", IMO you have been running way too much pressure and the tires are too hard. Try 28 psi and see how the car is then.

[bezhawk]

Not on Radial tires. Never under inflate them. What do you think all the Firestone/Ford lawsuits were over?? If it rides too hard, then change shocks. I never run any radial under 35 lbs inflation. They will last longer, run cooler and most of all be far safer.
What wheels are you running? Most aftermarket wheels are heavier than stock. The heavier the unsprung weight the harsher the ride.

[studegary]

Not on Radial tires. Never under inflate them. What do you think all the Firestone/Ford lawsuits were over?? If it rides too hard, then change shocks. I never run any radial under 35 lbs inflation. They will last longer, run cooler and most of all be far safer.
What wheels are you running? Most aftermarket wheels are heavier than stock. The heavier the unsprung weight the harsher the ride.

I never run radials at under 34 psi. I was suggesting the 28 psi as a test to see what effect it had on his "problem".

Many people inflate their tires to what is on the sidewall. That is the maximum for that size tire, not necessarily what is correct for a particular car.

EDIT: I got the impression that he was running with more than 35 psi.

[Kdancy]

Start with the basics, double check timing at idle and at 2000 rpm to check advance. I agree with having the distributor redone if its the original.
Does sound like it's running rich, check the choke setting on carb and carb adjustment. Is this carb the right one? If it was set up for a blower it will run rich.
Tires, look and see what the build date is on the side walls. "New" means different things, date will tell for sure how old they are. Radials age differently then bias belted tires.
Agree with advice about wheels, are they straight?
These are the areas I would start looking at.

[chet445]

I deflated the tires to 28 psi and the car ran a lot smoother not perfect but smoother. I will inflate back up to 35 psi; I need a softer tire I believe. As I stated before the tires are Firestone FR380 P205-75-R15 and were new on the car when I bought it. I have checked a number of places for a softer tire and of course they all want to sell you a set. Hard to make a decision on what would work best.

[StudeRich]

You could look on the Back of the Tires for the "DOT" followed by the Date Code, they could be hard just due to age, they say 4 to 5 years old is time to replace these short lived Radials.

Sometimes they are not "New" when purchased.

[Dick Steinkamp]

I deflated the tires to 28 psi and the car ran a lot smoother not perfect but smoother. I will inflate back up to 35 psi; I need a softer tire I believe. As I stated before the tires are Firestone FR380 P205-75-R15 and were new on the car when I bought it. I have checked a number of places for a softer tire and of course they all want to sell you a set. Hard to make a decision on what would work best.

I'm not sure why you want to inflate them to 35 if 28 is giving you a smoother ride. 35 PSI was great for the bias ply tires that came with the car. Not so good for the radials now on the car. I've never heard of "softer tires" except as it applies to the tread compound on tires made for performance driving (and they certainly don't RIDE soft).

In any case, tire pressure and new tires are not going to get rid of your rattles.

For starters, old cars rattle more than new cars. You will never get a 62GT to be as rattle free as a new Toyota.

You can reduce the rattles, however, by carefully and systematically finding what is causing them (there are likely multiple reasons). There is no silver bullet. Each one has a cause that can be anything from a coke can behind a door card to a worn suspension part that was missed during the restoration.

It has always been the case on any extensive restoration I've done that it takes weeks of driving to sort out the squeaks, rattles, and other issues...even when you THINK you addressed everything during the restoration. It's part of the hobby. Finding problems and fixing them.

[studegary]

I deflated the tires to 28 psi and the car ran a lot smoother not perfect but smoother. I will inflate back up to 35 psi; I need a softer tire I believe. As I stated before the tires are Firestone FR380 P205-75-R15 and were new on the car when I bought it. I have checked a number of places for a softer tire and of course they all want to sell you a set. Hard to make a decision on what would work best.

I don't know how long ago you bought the car and new to some people just means that the tires weren't used for any amount of miles. Please check the date code on the tires. If you find them to be ten years old, replace them. It may not cure your "problems", but they should be replaced.

[chet445]

Well I have a "new" '62 Hawk and about 75-80% of the rattles are gone. Gary L suggested I look at the date code on the back of the Firestone tires (new) that were on the car when I bought it and the reading was 10/08. I put 4 new tires on the car with 35 psi and most of the rattles have disappeared, HOORAY!! Now to tackle the low MPG issue.

[STEWDI]

And l have a '60 Lark Hardtop V8 that l bot 3 years ago and it rattled really badly on the too-large 215 radials it came with. l had the front end components inspected and they were alright. After some thot l ordered new 6.70-15 bias-ply BF Goodrich Silvertowns from Coker.

Wow, what a wonderful difference! My car went from a hard-steering to easy-steering (l have no power steering), the ride is much, much better (running 27 pounds in front and 25 in the rear), and like Chet, a lot of the rattles disappeared. Does the car wander on the road? Only a small amount, easily dealt with while driving - probably no more than when the Lark was new! l'm a "happy camper"!

New tires of the proper size is money well spent!

[62champ]

If you are running original bias ply tires - double check your owner's guide for proper tire pressure. My '60 Lark calls for 24 lbs in the front and 20 in the rear - smoothest riding vehicle we have got.

[STEWDI]

Hi Patrick.

Yes, you're right, but l put the pressure up a little more because l'm often running at secondary highway speeds and with stuff in the trunk. Plus 20 pounds just sounds so low!