Our Thanksgiving company has gone home, so I had a chance to
work on a few things yesterday.
I de-rusted, painted and padded the two styles of brackets
that help guide and rattle-proof the quarter window movement when it’s in the
open position. The shorter leg of the L-shaped brackets was padded from the
factory with some type of rubber material that looked like the same thing that
is sold to dip-coat tool handles. I didn’t have any of that product handy, so I
substituted gasket making material which should do the job. I know it won’t
come off without being cut off, as I discovered trying to clean up some minor
spillage that had dried.
Next I installed the track that guides the quarter windows when
raised and lowered. This proved difficult as the lower end of the track fits
deep into the corner where the sheet metal, floor panel, and inner rocker panels
intersect. Due to the extreme rust in that area during repair, it was
impossible to get accurate ,measurements to perfectly fit those pieces together,
so the track is jammed pretty hard into the corner. I should have caught that
during disassembly. I don’t foresee it creating a problem with the window
installation, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
Once I got the torque converter to seat it didn’t take long
to get the transmission mounted, but I ran into another unusual situation. The mounting
bracket for the dipstick tube didn’t fit properly, and had to be re-bent quite
a lot! I somehow missed taking a photo of the dipstick area during disassembly,
so I have no idea what happened.
I
bought the engine and transmission still bolted together and I was the one who tore down
everything, so have no one else to blame. Where is a good scapegoat when I need
one??
I’ll try to get the engine and transmission installed this
week, but I think I’ll pick up a lightweight starter first to make sure there
are no fit issues with it.
What was the problem getting the converter into the front pump dogs?
ReplyDeleteWish I knew. I've never experienced that problem in the past, but I took time to get it visually aligned as close as possible and it finally went in. I've never taken the time to intimately learn transmissions and torque converters, so it's my fault.
ReplyDeleteHi Gary
ReplyDeleteYou may have a problem finding a lightweight starter for that engine; if its the pre-1962 version (which it probably is, connected to a PowerFlite) it's my understanding that the newer type Dakota and later model gear reduction starters won't fit.
It's a '66 engine and 727, so I got a starter from Mancini and already have it installed. Since I bought the body without a drivetrain, the compatibility with more modern parts and accessories was one of the main reasons I chose the later engine and transmission.
ReplyDeleteI read the rest of your blog and realized I should have done that before I commented!
ReplyDeleteI'll be following it now, until you're finished. Nice work, I think its going to look great! And I'm picking up tips that will help me with my two Plymouth builds.
Glenn