A Taste of Spring

While my old home town is mired in winter and paralyzed by record snowfall and blizzard conditions, it was short-sleeve weather here…sunny, light breeze from the SW, and 70F. What a perfect day to work on the car!

I had to do some shopping this morning, so I couldn't get a full day in in the workshop, but I did finish making an adapter and installing the transmission mount. The adapter worked okay so I didn’t have to modify the cross-member, though I did have to slightly modify the mount itself. If anyone has to replace the mount and sees the modification, they might have some choice words for me, but I’ll be long gone by the time it wears out so I don’t care!

I was also able to dispense with my doctor-prescribed cardio exercise, as I worked up a real sweat crawling under and climbing out from under the car a couple of dozen times. I’m sure my muscles will remind me that I got far more exercise doing that than I would have walking a couple of miles on the treadmill.

Unfortunately, all did not go well when I made another attempt to install the stainless trim above the back window. The problem that plagued the glass installer is also causing my grief, and I can’t think of an easy fix. I can’t even think of a difficult fix!   I do know there is no way I can accomplish it alone, and I’m going to have to design and make a tool to tuck the rubber inside the trim, no matter how much help I have. I’ve researched commercial glass installing tools, but so far I haven’t found one that looks like it will do the job.

After two hours of frustration, I dug deep into my memory banks for some long-unused cuss words, repeated them a few times, picked up my tools and locked the shop. I definitely need some serious think-time before I try it again.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

1958 Chrysler Christmas Car

Sill Plates from Santa

Santa did it again, but this Christmas he was driving a UPS truck instead of a sleigh!

The sill plates I ordered a couple of months ago were sitting by the front door when I got home this afternoon. Naturally I put aside the household chores I had planned so I could check out the new parts.

First impression was that they were packaged to be safe from that one uncaring gorilla that seems to work for every delivery service. They were individually wrapped and sealed in heavy poly-plastic, then inserted into a close fit plastic tube, and finally placed inside a snug fitting cardboard box.

After assuring that they were undamaged, I dug out an old plate so I could take pictures of the two together and report on the fitment and quality.

First, the concourse restorer would have some issues, but I have none at all. The most apparent difference is that the originals were stamped and these are machined, so the Plymouth name is milled slightly below the surface, while the original is slightly raised. The same is true of a couple of other areas around the engraved lines, and also the welt notches.

The mounting-hole locations are a perfect match, as are all the engraved lines. The external dimensions are also exactly the same. The only dimensional differences are the inner corners that are cut at 90*on the new parts, while my originals are rounded.

The short ends are also bent down on the OEM part, while the new ones are not. It would take a stamping process to make that bend without the corner looking a mess, so that is understandable.

The finish is beautifully smooth, without any scuff marks or nicks. I don’t know if either the OEM or the new parts are/were anodized.

Overall, I’m very happy with the parts, especially since the price was right. I originally ordered one set, but called back a few days later and asked if they could add another set to my order. They did, and even discounted the second set.

Once my car is on the road, I might put that second set up for sale, along with all the leftover parts from the Fury.

Christmas Eve

Whether or not the season holds religious significance to you, it’s a magical time that promotes good will between most of us who share this earth. In spite of over-commercialization and hectic schedules, there is an underlying feeling of peace that prevails, and I have only good memories.

As a child in North Dakota we could expect snowy and cold weather every Christmas. On Christmas Eve, two extended families would gather at our paternal grandparent’s farm house, built on the land my grandmother homesteaded as a nineteen-year-old Norwegian immigrant at the turn of the last century.  She always prepared a traditional meal that was half-American and half Norwegian, and the best of both cultures. Real candles in metal holders decorated the small fir Christmas tree, and were only lit when it was time to open the mountain of gifts that threatened to overwhelm the tree. Most of the colored wrappers contained inexpensive toys and practical clothing, but my favorite gift was always the one from my grandparents…and it was the same every year…a carton of Winchester Super X .22 long rifle cartridges wrapped in a pair of wool socks.

While in the Air Force, Christmases were spent in the blockhouse at our missile site in Germany. We single airmen volunteered to work on Christmas and Hanukah so the married guys could celebrate special holidays with their families, and the favor was always returned in some way. Those little gifts of time were so important to the camaraderie that binds the military.

On Christmas Eve, there was almost no live programming on either the Armed Forces Network, or German radio, and as today it was mostly pre-recorded Christmas music. Winter in the ancient Hunsruck mountains is snow, snow, and more snow, and in my mind I can still see the huge flakes drifting slowly downward, covering the missiles and ground support equipment. Later we would have to sweep and de-ice the missiles, but for the moment the heavy snow muffled every sound and for a short time it did indeed become a “Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht”.

This Vienna Boys Choir version of that old song seemed to be the favorite of everyone in the German speaking countries, and it’s beautiful in any language. Merry Christmas Everyone!

Please Come Home For Christmas

As long as I'm still busy taking care of Christmas things and not working on cars, I'll just promote another local talent who has done quite well for herself.

1956 AUTO TRANSISTOR RADIO COMMERCIAL

How far we've come! Seeing the parts from an old tube radio sure conjure up nostalgic thoughts. I remember tube testers in hardware stores, drug stores, appliance stores, service stations, but especially the one in my grandparents general store in a tiny North Dakota town. I couldn't begin to count the number of times I pulled the radio from one of my cars, put the tubes in a paper sack and took them to my uncle to be tested. He was a self-taught radio and TV repairman who worked in a little nook in the back of the store, and he was always busy keeping the old tubes glowing for his customers. Visiting with him while he worked on a radio, listening to the hum of a vibrator and smelling the distinctive odor of hot tubes are memories I'll never forget.

I almost feel bad replacing the original with the modern version, but my old, arthritic neck will appreciate the backup camera, and I've learned to love GPS navigation.

Quarter Window Temporary Install

Before making a decision about the roof rail gasket, I decided to install one quarter window and check fit the upper trim channel.

Nothing has been adjusted or tightened, but It looks as if it will work. The window cranks up and down and follows the track fine, and the potential bind between the glass frame and the upper channel doesn't seem to be a problem, at least with everything loose.

Here's a picture of the cat whiskers pre-bent to install in the other channel. It's a slow process to keep it from kinking, but at least it bends enough to fit. It would have been nice to find a way to un-crimp the moulding and make it like the original, but this way works too.

The temperature has dropped 29 degrees since my earlier post, so it's time to close the shop before I have to start the heater.

Roof Rail Gasket

Does anyone recall, or know where there is a picture of the roof rail gasket installation. Nothing in the service manual shows it.

The shape is such that it really doesn't fit well any way it's positioned, and the only part of the shape that looks like it might be meant to match is the curved side. It about fits the stainless channel trim, but if installed that way, the inside edge falls very close to the screw holes. If flipped, the curve doesn't match the nearly 90* bend in the metal, but the holes are centered on the rubber. Maybe it's designed to wedge against the tight angle so it seals better, but nothing looks right either way I put it.

Not helping matters is the fact that both the Belvedere and Fury parts car had what looks like white bathtub calk instead of a gasket. The way the stainless channel trim and headliner meet in that area looks like it could easily develop leaks, and I'm guessing that's why both cars appear to have been repaired with sealer.  I suppose I could also go that route, but since I already bought the parts I'd prefer to assemble everything as originally built.

We're expecting what locals refer to as a "Blue Norther" to hit this afternoon. The temperature now is about 70F at 11AM, but by sunset it's forecast to be freezing, and in the low teens by morning, with strong NW winds. I made a big pot of vegetable soup the other day, so I think I'll hibernate for a couple of days.

Comments, email, and other frustrations

I wish I better understood the world of computers and the Internet, but this old dog has a hard time learning new tricks. Either that, or someone is plotting against me.

For some reason, my settings page is no longer alerting me when comments are received, so several have been awaiting moderation and publication. I only reject those that are spam, and have never blocked one sent by a reader. This morning I finally found that "dead letter office" containing the comments I had never seen. I apologize for that, and will make a point of checking the site more often.

Email is another issue that has me scratching my head. I received an email from a reader and replied, but it was refused as undeliverable. I had simply used reply, and didn't make any changes to the address, so have no idea why it was rejected!

Two weeks ago, I sent two forms in separate messages to my wife's public email address, but only one made it to her. The other has been sitting in my outbox and will not send, so I sent another copy and it went right through. Go figure! Of course, that doesn't compare to what happened about a year ago. I had received complaints that I wasn't responding to emails that I swore had never been received. They seemed to have disappeared in cyberspace. Then one day I received 35 emails at one time. Some had been sent up to six months earlier and were from different people...some who mail often. Where had they been sitting for those many months? Why did they arrive in one group? No one has offered a reasonable explanation so far.

Computer software and hardware keep changing at a pace I can't keep up with. Everything is faster, does more, and looks prettier, but something as basic as email remains problematic for decades. Ditto for setting up Internet connections. Other programs, like Quicken are full of new and amazing tricks, but the same old reliability problems remain, and user friendliness suffers.

Still not feeling well this morning, so I'll be spending more time on the couch with a book than under the car.

Quarter Window Progress

I received the cat whiskers that will be used on the upper stainless steel quarter window channel.  It’s a decent fit and at least it bends to follow the curvature of the glass, unlike the material used on the straight pieces.  I couldn’t find an easy and inexpensive way to straighten the OEM clinches in stainless that secured the original material, so these are glued in place. Since longevity under service won’t be an issue, I trust it will work. The only thing that concerns me is the fuzz is a little bit heavier than stock and the .5” thick window frame might fit tighter than desired until it breaks in.

If anyone is interested, the part number of the bendable channel I got from Restoration Specialties is: M141P-96-WIN

$26 per 8ft length, and because of the long package, freight was $35.

As usual, parts never expected to cause a problem do. The quarter window lower adjusting mechanism showed almost no rust, just a dusting of white corrosion, but some of the special locking-type adjustment screws are immovable. I soaked and scrubbed them with lacquer thinner, followed by brake cleaner, and then hit the threads with PB Blaster. After several applications and soaking for two days, two of them broke free, but others are still frozen.  They can soak a couple more before I need them, but I might have to resort to a Vice Grip and replace with some from the parts car…if they can be removed!

I couldn't get a good picture of the cat whisker channel installed, but this sort of shows the black bead fitting against the edge of the stainless.

Got a call from the door sill folks to request final payment. She said they are ahead of schedule and will be done in about two weeks. If their reputation is accurate, they will probably be the best reproduction parts I put on the old Plymouth.

I've been sort of under the weather and haven't felt like crawling on cold concrete, but If I feel better tomorrow, I'll to get the transmission mount attached.

Winter

Winter arrived and there is not much going on with the car. Between household chores and trying to resolve the renter issue, I've only had time to sneak in a small job now and then.

Just as I feared when trying determine where to locate the cross-member without having an assembled engine and transmission to measure,  the location of the transmission mount was far enough off to require a simple plate adapter. I got it made and am only waiting for paint to dry so it can be installed and the mount bolted in place. Then I can begin work on the shifter installation.

For what it's worth,  this blog has recently experienced heavy traffic from Russia. There have always been a few Russian visits, but in the past few days there have been more than twice as many hits as from the US and Canada combined! I really doubt there are that many Forward Look fans in Russia, so I'm curious if it's a bot searching for something interesting to hack. There are always a few random visits from France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Ukraine, India, and Pakistan, in addition to the usually predictable ones from the Scandinavian countries and North America. However, the sudden increase in Russian traffic makes me wonder if perhaps Siberia is snowed in and all they have to do is read blogs!

Another Surprise!

I decided to see if I could get the engine installed before I'm immersed in the eviction problem. This was another job that would have been much easier with a second set of eyes and hands, but I did manage to set the engine in place and the front mounts fit great. I do have a problem with the transmission mount, but working that issue will have to wait a few days.

When the belt mouldings I ordered arrive, I'll be switching back to the quarter window install mode.  At least now it looks like progress has been made, and there is much more room in the shop.

A Few Small things...plus Marty Robbins

Not much to photograph, but a few little things completed. I spent a couple of hours installing cat whiskers on all the stainless steel pieces that surround the quarter windows, but had to order a different style for the upper window channels.

I finished fabricating the new plastic guides that protect the fuzzy surfaces on the lower quarter window frames when operating the windows. I used Lexan, so these should last much longer than I will! The material was about a half-inch shorter than the original part, but I wasn’t  about to order more Lexan, and they look like they will work fine.

I finally installed the last brake parts and made some suspension and steering adjustments that I’ve been putting off.

The new mini-starter I ordered arrived today, so I’m about ready to see if the engine and transmission will fit. Unfortunately, I doubt I’ll have time to do that this week, as I have the unenviable task of evicting the people who were buying our house in East Texas.  We were going to finance their purchase for five years so they could build up their credit, but in two years they are already four months behind in payments and have let the house and landscape deteriorate badly. Seems like every time we do someone a favor, it backfires. Merry Christmas to them….

On a happier note, here's Mopar racer Marty Robbins with an old Roy Orbison Christmas hit. Big surprise to learn that the song was written by Willie Nelson.