Easing Back into Harness

The steering column parts went to the machine shop this morning. They are busy as usual, but estimated the work should be done in about two weeks. I'm not in a real hurry, but installing the steering column would be more interesting than some of the tasks remaining, so will be glad when it's ready to pick up.

Ray, I decided to go with pinning the splined shafts to the main shafts. The machinist said they've never had a problem with welded steering parts passing the state inspection, but after I'm gone, whoever gets the car may move it to another state that doesn't accept welding, so it's no use passing on a unnecessary headache to another owner.

Work continues on the headliner buck. I applied the last can of foam and have been working on rough shaping. I also picked up two bags of plaster of paris this morning to use for the finer shaping.

I'm Back

I’m finally back after two weeks of living out of a suitcase and surviving on mostly fast food, to find a stack of monthly bills waiting, lawn weeds a foot tall, and the ground too wet to mow due to the unseasonable rains. With Harvey lurking nearby, the wet weather may not end soon.

I scheduled the trip so I could attend three car shows and was fortunate that the weather was perfect for all three. The annual Mopars at the Mall in Centennial, Colorado was held on the first weekend of my trip and the WPC national meeting and Tacoma Mopars Unlimited events the following weekend.

I met several Mopar-club friends from more than twenty ago, and also some Colorado Internet friends whose help was invaluable during my novel research.  Between car shows I was able spend quality time with  my kids and grandkids in the Seattle area, so when you include a larger-than-average finned-car representation at all the shows, it was a fun trip despite the usual drudgery of travel,.

There were so many nice Mopars, it would be impossible to list all of my favorites, but the ’56 Fury and the one-of-none ’59 golden Fury received most of my attention, and I was able to visit with the owners for quite a while. I’ll post a couple of pictures here and a few more on the Forward Look website.

Leaving Tomorrow...Back in About Two Weeks

If I survive two weeks of motels and fast food, I'll have lots to do on the car when I get home. The headliner mold is progressing slowly, but I'm learning more every day I've had time to work on it.

This morning UPS delivered the rebuilt steering box from Lares, so it can take it in to be welded. I think I've decided which steering wheel and how it will be trimmed, so I can begin that and have it ready to install on the steering column when needed.

I'm tired of stumbling over big sheet metal parts every time I move things around in the shop, so I'm  going to install the trunk when I get back, and then after the steering column and dash are in place I can install the fenderwells and radiator support. That will give me a lot more room to work.

Hate to leave the yard needing much TLC and some of my favorite shrubs in bloom. The Crepe Myrtles are just beginning to show their second crop of blossoms and I'll miss the showiest days. At least I got to see the Texas Sage after the last rain made it break out in the biggest mass of flowers I've seen on that particular plant. When I went outside just after dawn, I could hear the hundreds of honey bees all the way across the patio. Three other plants were nice, but not quite as full of flowers.

Upcoming Trip

Finally got a call from the Lares Corporation with the news that my steering gear box is rebuilt and ready to ship, and all they needed was payment...a big payment! I imagine it will arrive right after I leave on my trip to the Pacific NW. I was hoping it would arrive earlier and I could bring the parts and pieces for the modified steering column into the welding shop so it would be ready to install when I got back.

I'm leaving next Friday morning and will be in Denver to attend the Mopars at the Mall car show on Saturday, the 12th. I will stay in Denver a day or so and then continue on to Washington state. Schedules worked out better this trip, as I'll be in Kasey Kahne's hometown of Enumclaw for my daughter's and one granddaughter's birthday,  and two Mopar shows in Tacoma on the same weekend.

The first show, on Saturday the 19th will be the WP Chrysler national meet in Tacoma, and then on Sunday the 20th, the Tacoma chapter of Mopars Unlimited will be hosting their 32nd annual Sunbust show in Graham. I don't suppose there will be many original members of the old Sunbust organizers after all these years, but since I attended the first eleven shows, and one more since, I might see a few folks I know.
 I am hoping to see the one-of-none '59 Plymouth shown on the flier that suggests what they should have done with Fury in '59 to continue the legacy instead of downgrading the model.

Since this will be my last road trip to the NW, I'll  be taking my time and if I'm not totally worn out I might swing through North Dakota on my way back to have one last look at the land my grandparents homesteaded and where I grew up.

Learning Something New

I finally found a YouTube video that had some detail about a project similar to what I started when I decided to make a plug for a fiberglass headliner shell. It’s been a slow and unsure process, but it’s beginning to look like what I envisioned. It has also been educational, so I’ll mention a couple of things I discovered.

First, don’t skimp on the foam. It tends to expand unequally, and cutting away the excess is faster than applying a second layer to fill low spots and voids.

Second, when pouring a thick layer, let it dry twice as long as suggested. After 24 hours, the insides are still soft and cutting them open makes the insides collapse like a cake, which means you will have to add a second layer.

The more cardboard bones in the skeleton, the easier and faster  it is to work the proper contour.

The video says to use a sharp knife to trim the excess foam, but I found a serrated breadknife works much better.

At least it has been fun learning another new process. The results don't look too neat yet, but after trimming and filling with casting plaster, it should look better.

I've used pressurized cans of foam, but it can be purchased in powder form and mixed by the user. If I had any idea how much it would take, I would have further researched the user-mixed version as I'm sure it would be much less expensive. To get to the point in the picture, I've used about 10 cans, and will need at least 6 or 7 more so it will cost nearly $100 for materials.

Now if I can come up with a flexible, colored plastic molding to replace the fabric covered windlace.