OK, after a little shifter sidetrack........this should get the basics of the car documented and we can start speculating for the future. :D

The hind-quarter is nothing special, Global West leafs, DSE plates, 1" blocks and 2* wedges. I believe it's the original 12 both which I had freshened in the early 90's and was talked into the C-clip eliminator set up with Moser axles. Gearing is either 3:30 or3:42 can't remember and the tire/drive-shaft revolution count is tweenered. Fact is the 26.5" tire at 2300-2350 rpm with .63 6th delivers a GPS'd 85 mph.
http://sieg.smugmug.com/Cars/69-Cama...IMAG2014-L.jpg
The drive-shaft is a 3.5 steel from Inland Empire.

This photo "highlights" the DSE plates, rear drum brakes :_paranoid and Monroe Gas Magnum shocks which LOL were pretty hot stuff when I bought them in '91. :lol:
http://sieg.smugmug.com/Cars/69-Cama...MAG2010-XL.jpg

Blocks and 2* wedges. I still have a bit of vibration at cruise rpm so I'll probably try 4* wedges and see what happens.
http://sieg.smugmug.com/Cars/69-Cama...IMAG2013-L.jpg

Now that the mediocrity of the car has been somewhat un-robed we can start having some 1st Gen upgrading fun. :yes:

One of my long-time friends is Grant Springer who was a true icon in Eugene, OR during '74-'76 when I was in high school. I'd get out of school and head straight to his shop to help in anyway possible, sweep, clean, sort, organize, etc. but most importantly stay out of the way of the go-fast guys at the shop. I was fascinated and always watching and listening to everything happening in that 6 man shop. I owe Grant an un-payble debt for being understanding enough to let a punk school kid hang out a learn what has become a life long hobby. I still to this day cherish a 7/16 wrench he ground down, torched, and bent, to as he said get those F'ing Pontiac headers unbolted. The Pontiac was mine, a silver 66 GTO, which was my first car in '76. I spent damn near every dollar I made on that car and a the Grant Springer Racing Engine in it was my pride and joy.

Grass roots drag and circle track boat racing motors were Grants forte back then. Here's a couple cool nostalgic articles about NW Funny Car Racing in the 70's. The #13 Springer & Price car is referenced in text only.
http://capracing.com/sixtyfour.html

http://www.capracing.com/nwnitro.htm

I got involved wrenching and pitting on an open-comp circle track car for a friends older brother in the late 70's and early 80's. Grant was building all the competitive roundy-round motors in the area. Our 70 Nova, was a Redfield coil over chassis, Franklin quick-change, Brodix headed, Carillo rodded SBC top five car in the area. Grant decided to build his own car, a 73 Camaro body with his custom designed truck-arm chassis and this little motor he has laying around the shop from a boat customer that had fallen on hard times and could pay his debt. It was a ZL1 that Grant had stroked to 390ish spec that would spin up over 9K. Never will I forget hearing and watching that car, stupid fast........when it would hooked up. :unibrow:

Time passed, business got crappy and Grant decided to put himself through college to learn about computers, he ended up working for Intel in Portland for about 5 years until he couldn't stand it any longer. He'd kept all his equipment in storage, where, I'm not sure. About 9 years ago he opened up shop again about 8 blocks from his original shop. Here's a few pics I snapped the other day.

Grant, now 68, on the right teaching another young kid the trade
http://sieg.smugmug.com/Cars/69-Cama...IMAG2027-L.jpg

Tools of the original trade
http://sieg.smugmug.com/Cars/69-Cama...IMAG2025-L.jpg

Home-made flow bench that tells no lies
http://sieg.smugmug.com/Cars/69-Cama...IMAG2026-L.jpg

http://sieg.smugmug.com/Cars/69-Cama...IMAG2024-L.jpg

Couple little Big M heads with 2.40" intakes off a 630 inch straight-liner
http://sieg.smugmug.com/Cars/69-Cama...MAG2029-XL.jpg

One thing I admire is even though Grant worked as a "designer" for Intel, all his tools of the trade are manual...........no CNC. I was checking his current schedule and there's 31 hand-built motors currently in progress.

So there's a little more of my life history blended into a project named Norwood. :thumbsup:

My car came with the same or similar Monroe shocks you posted and a 2" block. I went down to a 1" and a coilover. Tremendous difference. :thumbsup: I have not seen the wedges employed before.

Very cool story and pics on the old timer! :thumbsup:

Cool story. Nothing like learning form the old cream of the crop. I am very fortunate to have learned from a couple of eng building/ racing legends. First Dick Landy then Lambeck Our equipment is pretty much the same as in those pics. Some of the stories of yesteryear racing and "the way we used to do it" I get to hear are priceless

Keep it coming Seig

I wondered how common that was, and while it is often done with lifts and 4x4's I have not encountered wedges in my meager experience...that I noticed or observed.

It would indeed make sense, for the same reasons adjusting driveline angle.
My 79 Bronco lift had 4* blocks for a 4" Lift to promote the same pinion angle as I recall.

Good Stuff Seig.
Do you know what GW leaf you have? I was recommended the L2-R2 which is not a StarWars droid but "lowers 2 and has a reverse eye."

Great story Sieg - prob my favorite post in this thread so far. Just like me, those early experiences make you and your car what it is today...:thumbsup:

Jerr - You really are fortunate to have two of the all time best next to you. Don't ever use the wrong wrench or Bob'll take your head off! Ask Mikey about that one...:D Did you hang out w Landy over in VN - Saticoy and Woodman? In the very early days, he'd fire up his motors and the whole neighborhood would rumble.

I bought them before they had L designation, they were as firm and low as they had at the time and still not low enough, but they are firm. With the old Goodyear Eagles on the rear Norwood was turned into a drifter. :D

Thanks "Gentlemen" :unibrow:

What's disappointing is a lot of memories of the early days were before compact camera's and digital. In comparison, today's world makes it so easy to create and archive a photographic time-line of your life. I've always dabbled in photography and have boxes of prints, I need to go through them again and scan more of the automotive images to digital.

HA HA I know all to well about Bob and his antics Bob hates lock washers too LOL.. I worked for The Landys over in Northridge back in the late 80's And like Seig I too crewed for a few circle track guys over at Saugus speedway back in the day

Ok back to Seigs build........................

Some may wonder why the name Norwood, the obvious would be the manufacturing facility which is the primary reason but the secondary reason is being born in May of 1958 I feel fortunate to have grown up in what I feel was the greatest segment of the cartoon era and Norwood has a little similarity to character names of the period.........IMO. Some may find that stupid and I'm quite OK with that, but I wasn't naming the car Claude. :D