Have You Ever Seen The Rain?

With car progress on hold for a few days, I'll offer another musical interlude.

Though my impressionable youth was lived mostly in the days when performers got haircuts and dressed up, there were a few during the crossover era when talent and good music still reigned, but the hippie look became the uniform of the day. This group was probably the best example of the looking ugly, but singing great!



 

Checking In

Tax time and spring yard work has taken priority over fun time in the garage, so nothing of importance is happening with the Plymouth. I did get most of the flower beds cleaned and tilled, and today I have to order 12 yards of hardwood mulch to finish them. With my bad back, that part of the job will take several days to complete, as shovels and wheelbarrows do a real number on it. I hate when real work interferes with fun work!

The lighter weight sheet metal I ordered arrived a few days ago, so I can get started on the console structure and AC ducts once I get my tax info to the preparer, and the mulch spread.

After that is done, I think the next project will be determining a location for the terminal strips and interior fuse block so I can begin running wire from the back of the car. The firewall is quickly running out of accessible space, so maybe I can fit them in below the armrest storage bin.

Console and Shifter Issues

If there was a way to record and measure the amount of time expended on highly modified projects such as my ’56 Plymouth, I think it would reveal that it required at least ten times as much time to plan and to contemplate, as to do the actual work. Simple restorations are lots of physical labor, but factory parts are available by part number and the non-production time is mostly spent trying to locate those parts.

When we choose instead to restructure and modify a car for whatever reason, it’s a constant challenge to find substitute parts to replace or improve upon the OEM version. When we also choose a project vehicle that is not among the enthusiast’s favorite models, there is virtually no aftermarket support for parts and materials, and the option is often to make them yourself, or have someone make them to your design.  

While designing and fabricating some parts is a simple job, others require extensive planning, are labor intensive and often require testing several iterations before it works properly and/or looks right. Since my fixation is to emulate a style that “might” have been created in a factory design studio, I often go overboard in building, changing and then changing again, before I’m satisfied with the results. The center console is my latest frustration.

If your read some of my earlier posts, you know that my original intent was to modify a two speed pushbutton shifter pod without a Park feature, to operate a later three speed version of a A-727 transmission that is shifted with various lever designs, and to incorporate a Park lever adjacent to the shifter pod. I was successful in creating a shifter that does the job, but I’ve not been able to get it to operate with moderate enough finger-force to make it practical. I could have used an earlier transmission that used a cable to shift, but it didn’t meet my desire to create something totally different. Now that I’ve spent many, many days to design, test, redesign and test some more, I’m faced with the possibility that I don’t have enough time to resolve the remaining problems and get the car on the road by this time next year. That means that the console design I had originally planned must be modified to allow a ’65 Valiant floor shifter to be used…if I decide to go that way.  I’ve spent the better part of two days figuring out how to incorporate the shifter housing into the console design, yet be pseudo-stock appearing either with the shifter installed, or without…if I find the time and talent to resolve the pushbutton force issues.

I made a rough cardboard mockup of the basic console design, and incorporated the ductwork needed to add a third A/C vent below the dash. From that crude design, I’m able to determine accurate dimensions, so now I’m waiting for the 20 and 22 gage sheet metal to arrive so I can begin work on the real console.

Interior Door Panels

I stopped by the upholstery shop today and picked up the door panels he completed. I had been worried about the color mix, but I really like it. It's not much like the OEM Fury interior, but since my car is highly modified, I prefer it over the somewhat orange tone of the original.

Now I have to decide what to use for arm rests and door handles. I'm still planning on power windows, but need to select the switches and decide where they should be located. There will also be a 2" wide diagonal strip of stainless to separate the black vinyl from the patterned fabric.

I finished forming, but still have to paint, the metal Heater/AC duct adapters for the defrosters and the crossover from the unit to the driver's side vent, but also need something to route the air across the console to the floor, as there's not enough room below the glove box to use flexible hose. The duct will have to be wide and nearly flat to clear everything, or I might design the console with the hose routed inside.

Wiring and A/C Plumbing

Not much accomplished since the doctor's orders to limit physical activity. I've tried to concentrate on finishing my wiring diagrams, but it's been a much more complicated project than expected.

I've done some wiring on the dash, but first have to determine clearances for everything that needs to fit behind it. The centrally located glove box really eats up the space if I intend to keep it the stock size, and the new radio eats up more space than expected.

I'm mocking up the AC ducts and hose layouts so I can get a better idea how to route the wire bundles and where to locate the connector breakouts so they are easily accessed when the dash and console are installed.

New bushings for the windshield wiper pivots arrived, so that's another light job I can work. I decided that I could do a better job of prepping the bezels before having them re-chromed, so I spent a couple of hours sanding and polishing and they do look better now. Compared to the original condition, they look pretty good!

I also have a few other parts that need re-plating, so I'll call the shop next week and find out when I can bring them in.

I stopped in to check on my seats and they are making good progress, but I told him to take his time and put any hot jobs ahead of them. As anxious as I am to see the finished product, I really won't need them until sometime this summer.