Dennis,
We are driving our 52 Chevy car here in the North Dallas area daily. Fifty five on US75 does put you out of the traffic flow. We changed the rear end (3.73) and did the T-5 which gives us a steady 65 with no sweat. We also did a front disc conversion and dual master cylinder. I think stopping is more important than doing 70 mph. I used to drive my Coupe with original style brakes and it was not possible to be within acceptable safety margins. That was six years ago and the traffic has gotten worse. Just finished rebuilding the front end and that helped a lot, it was worse than I thought.
If I were going to rebuild to stock, I would buy new wheel cylinders, put in new brake lines, check specs on drums, bring the front end up to snuff and then convert to dual master cylinder as the bare minumum for driving on 635, US 75 or the Tollway.
Most of the drivers honk and wave and tolerate the slow, but they have no idea how poorly you will stop if there is an emergency. Also a worn front end will cause additional problems in a panic stop. Add a little rain, vacuum wipers, skinny tires, no signals, tiny, dim brake lights and you become a real hazard to yourself and others.
If you want to ride in a stock 235 with updated trans, rear end and brakes let me know. We'll cruise to Sonic for a burger.
Patrick
