1-16-15

The weather is improving so I can finally work in the garage without having to heat it. Not enough energy to start another big job, but accomplished lots of small part cleaning, straightening, polishing and painting.

Sent out request for quotes for custom made flipper springs, as I couldn't find a standard spring close enough to match. Murphy Spring gave me a quick brush-off and said they had nothing in stock to match and didn't even bother to respond with a price for a custom spring. The email rejection was written by someone who didn't speak English well...or didn't give a damn...or who was yet another product of our pathetic education system.

W.B. Jones claims to be interested in small custom orders, but we shall see. So far I've found only two manufacturers willing to work with the end user.

Ordered all door and window seals from Gary Goers. Beltline weather-strip has been shipped from Surry, BC company. Flipper seals were not available from Goers, so decided to go with a substitute version from the Canadian supplier. It isn't stock looking, but appears to be the correct dimension to do the job, so I ordered all the oversized weather-strip pieces together to save shipping cost. I may regret not ordering everything from Goers.

Still looking for embossed aluminum for the side trim. I found one Internet source that offered a pattern that looked somewhat similar to stock, but it was not gold colored. I decided I could color it, but then I saw the price. They only offered a 4x8 sheet and it was $1,400.00 plus freight! A company in the UK had a product that looked like it might be close, but they don't have a North American supplier.

Checked with a local sign company to see if they could create a gold vinyl decal with a pattern to simulate the stock embossing, but they said it wasn't available from their supplier, and couldn't be done by printing on the vinyl. The only solid gold vinyl they could get was nowhere near a match for the OEM color, and the only metallic vinyl product looked like the old 60s gaudy metal flake, so I'm back to square one. I'm beginning to think I'll have to go with gold paint. Yet another project moved to the back burner.

Memo to Self....

...even if the chemical strip shop says that all bolted-on parts must be removed before bringing in for stripping, don't remove the trunk hinges!

Nearly three hours to install, including time to figure out what kind of special tool was needed, making the tool, then installing the parts.

Alternate plan would be to find someone to assist, since three hands are required.

Hood Springs

Some info for David.

I cleaned up and measured the pull strength of three different hood springs. Not the most precise measuring tools were used, but I pulled them the 1-1/4" distance that is their full travel when opening and closing the hood, and noted the maximum reading. Measurements were taken with a digital luggage scale.

The best spring, no rust and heavily painted gray, measured in excess of 110 lb, as that's the limit of the scale. It had nearly reached the full stretch before it went over scale so I'm sure it's somewhere close to 110. The next best, also no rust and heavily painted, was 108 lb. The last had some surface rust that was beginning to etch the surface of the entire spring. It measured 87 lb.

I have two more springs still attached to the hinges that I will measure when I get around to removing and cleaning them, but they too have some rust, so I'm guessing they will also be weaker. They are still on the parts car and the hood sags somewhat.

Christmas Break

Still haven't recovered entirely from my cold, so not much energy, and too many holiday chores with priority for much to be happening on the '56. Spent a few hours stripping, cleaning and sanding the Cordoba alloy wheels. After cleaning, sprayed wheels with one coat of Por clear sealer. Instructions with can said to not thin, but mixture was too thick to spray evenly. Internet post said to use Xylene to thin if necessary, and yes, it is necessary. Had to re-sand uneven areas and now waiting for Xylene to arrive. None to be found in Denton County, so ordered online. Should be here on the 29th.

Don't see much happening until the new year.

The U.S. Air Force Band at the Smithsonian

With the crappy cold ruining my restoration efforts, I'll just relax with some fond memories of the twenty-three years I wore Air Force blue.

12/6/14

Picked up a '66 engine and transmission from East Texas and started disassembly. Hope to get the block, heads and crankshaft into the machine shop before Christmas. The plan is to buy new rods, but pistons might be a problem. Also not sure what to do about a camshaft.

Before bringing it in for a rebuild I'll play with the transmission to see if I can get the pushbuttons to shift without requiring excessive pressure.

Also started cleaning up the Cordoba wheels so I can clear coat them and get tires mounted. Ordered P215-70-R15 Cooper narrow whitewalls from Discount tire and they already arrived. They were the only whitewalls available in the size I needed, and I don't want to go with wide whites just to get the brand I prefer. I spent too many years trying to keep them looking nice, and I'm done with

 A winter cold is limiting my enthusiasm to do anything.

11-25-14

Finished repairing driver's side door and temporarily installed it for a fit check, but without fenders I can't do much adjusting.

 

Wish I could get a decent day to shoot the body with epoxy primer outside, but wind and cold won't permit. The self-etching primer coat will not do much to resist moisture when the high humidity rainy days arrive in a few weeks.

Arranged to pick up the '66 Poly and transmission next week, but forecast is for rain and I don't want to drive that far and haul parts back in foul weather.

Sent out a request for quotes for custom made hood springs, but so far there is little interest from other owners. Set up fee will be around $400 and that is too much for a couple of buyers to absorb. I might have to get by with old springs.

11-18-14

Just an update for those still following my progress.

Global warming has slowed down progress considerably. The plan was to prime the body with epoxy primer before joining it to the frame, but the weather isn't cooperating. Temperatures have been 10 to 30 degrees below normal for about two weeks, and only slight moderating is expected in the next ten days. Average high for this part of the state on this date is 67F, but yesterday's high was only 38F with strong NW winds. The previous night's snow didn't even melt in the shade. Today is a bit warmer, but very windy. The leaves didn't even get a chance to change colors, so many of the trees are covered with frozen green leaves that have now turned black.

Since I can't paint and proceed with the body-joining plan, I've started repairing doors. The complexity of forming small metal patches makes it a very time consuming job and the cold floors in the workshop have dampened my enthusiasm for spending a lot of time out there. That means there will be no photos to post anytime soon.

To top it off, my welding helmet is no longer darkening automatically. I pulled the electronics module out and placed the solar panels in a bright area to see if the batteries will recharge. If not, it looks like I'll have to buy a replacement before I can weld any more patches in place.

Door Repair

 

Swiss cheese door bottom that required another complicated corner patch.

 

 

 

 

 

11-1-14

License plate bracket received and temporarily installed.

 

 

My old Washington truck license covers filler cap except from a direct side view.