<VV> Don Manen's Lakewood Station Wagon Mofifications

[Silveyyevlis@aol.com]

 When  I read that you didn't want keep your wagon stock it came to mind what 
I had done to my wagon that Bob Kirkman recommended and had done to an early 
corvair that he shortened to  one seat and called it "SHORTY".
                                                                              
                                               When I purchsed a rare 62 
station wagon (it was not a lakewood but a Monza Wagon with cloth covered bench 
seats, only a few were produced) I was fortunate to get to take a ride in Bob 
Kirkmans shorty early model. He had done many modifications to the suspension 
and brake systems.He suggested that I do the following to my wagon.

Install a late model front cross member and complete suspension system. Then 
bore out the wheel cylinders to the next standard size.  I believe this to be 
one inch dia., could be less, can't remember exactly since it has been about 
twenty years since I did this.  You might want to use the wagon springs since 
the front end is light for the late springs and will ride a little high.

Take the rear axels to a machine shop and have the wheel flanges bored for 
five lugs. Some welding will be required to fill some of the holes.  If you want 
a drawing of the axel as it should  be I have one the Kirkman gave me.  Will 
make you a copy when I return home in the spring.

Install Greenbrier backing plates, wheel cylinders. shoes, in other words the 
complete Greenbrier rear braking sysstem. 

As Bob Kirkman said to me, "This eliminates the weak and lousy early braking 
system and replaces it with one that is as good as the FC's and full size 
chevrolet station wagons.

Lastly he recommended 14 inch FC wheels. I do not remember the tire size used 
but it can be calculated to give you the overall drive train ratio that you 
want.

Now, you may wonder about these recommendations  but take it from me, Bob 
Kirkman was a very intelligent and capable engineer.  He was the supervisor of 
the Chevrolet Div. suspension design group. So that is getting it from an 
excellent source

I did what Bob recommended to my station wagaon and it worked satisfactorily. 
 I only got to drive it a few miles around town to test the brakes before I 
sold it to Waren LeVeque's wife Sharon after it sat in the gagage for twenty 
years.

Tom Silvey