Recovery is slow, but after giving priority to delayed household jobs...like two acres of rapidly growing grass and weeds...I have been able to do a few things on the car that didn't require heavy lifting or contorting.
I've been concentrating on the firewall since the last order of parts arrived. The battery feed-through is installed as is a re-do of the AC hose mounting. Instead of trying to twist the hoses to fit in the tight space, I cut a bigger hole in the firewall and made a stainless steel mounting plate for the connectors. It works and looks much better.
Still to do on the firewall are clamping points for wires, conduit and cables, and applying soundproofing and insulation material in areas hard to access after the dash is installed.
Lots of time spent figuring the best way to route wires into and through the console. I finally decided so I was able to cut the hole through that cross bracing and install the battery cable conduit. When more parts arrive, I can make a shelf for the fuse panel and seat module inside the console.
I'm not sure which way to go after the firewall. It may depend on the weather, as I'm anxious to get the roof painted and want to move the car outside for the final priming and sanding. The rainy season should be slacking off soon, so that might be one of the next jobs.
I'm also getting close to the point where I can install the engine and transmission. All the little things take time and don't give much feeling of accomplishment, so maybe seeing the drivetrain taking form might give me more inspiration.
Gary,nice that your back is getting better..had lots of trouble with the back myself,and it's incredible how all the " stuff " inside work together..it just hurts everywhere else too,when you try to do just anything..
ReplyDeleteWell,I'm no near how far you are with your car,but I'm curious to what you've done with the steering components.
My 55 Plaza suburban is a real plain Jane,but my goal is to have it to appear like the wagon they never built - a Belvedere 2dr.I have all the mouldings needed ( I think ) incl. the sport two tone mouldings,emlems etc.
Naturally,mine had a flathead six,three on the tree,and manual steering.The chassis was renovated by my 3 decades ago,with a 241 Dodge Red Ram Hemi,and Powerflite, remains is a power steering conversion,but I was hoping to keep the stock steering linkages for the V8's,which I have,but hook it up with a more modern power steering box..the stock P.S. box,is so huge,and the pump is driven by the generator..seems unnecesarry complicated,expensive,doesn't look good,and I plan to use an alternator...do you know if a newer P.S. box can fit? Also hope to find a modern steering column with tilt
to go with this setup..
Didn't you also mention you had a friend with a Plodge wagon? Would very much like to get in contact with him,as I'm having trouble with reconstructing some sheet panel bits for my wagon..would be nice with some pictures..
P.S : What happened with your 56 Fury parts car? Seems a shame to scrap a fire breathing Fury..quess it's the dream car of every 55/56 Plymouth owner..
Best Regards,
Geir
I couldn't find a modern PS box that would work, so I rebuilt all the original suspension and steering and decided to use the manual steering box that was on the car. However, if I could find a modern power steering setup that could be adapted, I'd still do it. That's one nice thing about DIY, your schedule and new options are flexible.
DeleteSince I was pretty much stuck with the stock steering, I set about to remove as much weight from the front as possible. Aluminum intake manifold and radiator, mini-starter, alternator and moving the battery to the trunk should lighten the front wheel load substantially, even with the heavier interior mods. I once had a ’55 with manual steering, and it wasn’t terribly heavy…and the weight reduction should help
I originally wanted a tilt column but the price for aftermarket versions and possible quality concerns convinced me to go with the non-tilt Dodge truck option. I also couldn’t get a Flaming River or Ididit with a Mopar spline, so steering wheel choices would have been aftermarket or GM.
I like your idea of making a car that never was. I enjoy taking my cars to a show and having people question if some feature was stock from the factory.
The Fury parts car was beyond repair. It has an E-body rear end and the original automatic parts have been replaced by a cobbled-together manual transmission setup. Nearly all the sheet metal has crash damage and was poorly repaired. The only Fury-unique interior parts I could save were the dash and stainless window frames .The hulk sits behind my workshop where it serves as a reference when I forget how some parts went together.
The Plodge owner has posted a comment below!
Plaza 55, what do you need pictures of, I'm not very Facebook smart so email me, books 1 @ telus . net (no spaces). Ray.
DeleteGlad that you are up and around and working on the car. Good on ya mate!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ray...so far so good, but I'm taking it slow.
DeleteHi Ray
ReplyDeleteI am a owner of a 55 Plaza Suburban,as you've probably read from my comments,it is in rough shape.Trying to make some replacement sheet metal bits,but it so rusted out,figuring out how it should look like is difficult.
What I could need are some pictures of some areas,but as I understand,your's is a 56 ? Not shure if my troubled areas are the same on the 55 and 56 though..
Thanks.
Geir
Guys, you are welcome to post pictures and info on this blog at any time. You are also invited to be a guest blogger if you have a story or info that would be of interest to other '55-'56 owners. Just let me know and I'll post it.
ReplyDeleteHmm,could post a couple of pictures of my wagon,but just can't find out how to do it here...quess I need some guiding Gary..getting to old for computers..
ReplyDeleteGeir
If you have a Google account, I can authorize you to make a direct post to the blog. If not, just send pictures or a guest blog post to my email address: Fury56@horizons13.com and I will post them for you.
ReplyDelete