Going Private

Due to the number of purists and busybodies who insist on dictating their demands to do things their way, I've decided to take this blog private. It will be a historical journal only, not meant to entertain, educate, or inform anyone but me, but I may occasionally open it to previous readers when the time is right.

More Sanding and Polishing

Still below normal temps and not much improvement for at least a week, so cleaning and polishing is all there is to do. Got all the window glass frames done except for final polishing that is waiting for my ultra-fine sandpaper order to arrive.

Also got one door trim to that point. I had thought I might have to scrap the stainless steel parts because of their deep pitting, but they will be useable, if not beautiful.

The part on the right that is nearly complete looked even worse than the one on the left before I began. You cans still see a few small pits that won't go away after the final sanding and buffing, but I don't dare cut them any deeper or the parts will bend and deform too easily.

Restoration on Pause

Got my order from Gary Goers yesterday and I thought it was going to be like Christmas with goodies to unwrap and play with, and light snow expected last night. The forecast was for about 1" of snow, but as of this evening it's 6" deep and rising, so all restoration work is on hold. There are lots of small jobs I could be working, but along with the snow we have 23F and wind, and the small shop heater can't keep it comfortable when it's that cold so I spent the day getting ready for tax time.

As complicated as tax laws have become, I'd almost rather work outside in the snow!

2-21-15

The up and down weather conditions have not allowed much time to work outside, so when I do have some time I clean, polish and paint the dozens of smaller items that eventually must be restored before they can be reassembled.

The stainless steel side window frames have been the most time consuming. I worked four hours Friday just to complete one side of one window. On the plus side, seeing once pitted, rusty parts gleaming is encouragement to do more.

I had been expecting some rigid window channels to arrive any day, as they had been shipped a couple of weeks ago from a Canadian company. Turns out the package was severely damaged in shipment and returned to the sender. They wrote and said they now had to wait for one of the parts to arrive from the manufacturer to refill the order. Fortunately I don't need them yet, as they were not now sure of the ship date.

I'm also waiting for a shipment of seals and weatherstrip from Gary Goers. My check has been cashed, so I'm expecting that order to arrive soon.

I've located a set of motor mount saddles in a nearby wrecking yard, but they are in a truck and except for the saddle part that supports the mount bolt the configuration is far different than those found in cars. Since the car version is proving difficult to find, I suppose I will have to get the ones from the truck and plan on doing a lot more cutting and welding. The mounts are the only thing stopping me from sending the engine block to the machine shop as I'd like to do a fit check before the block is freshly machined and subject to damage.

Little Stuff

It’s back to searching and waiting for parts so I can establish motor and transmission mount locations. However, there’s never a shortage of jobs to keep me occupied.

First things first.  I had to cut down last year’s lanatana dead growth, but  my self-propelled Husqvarna mower refused to start.  A shot of starter fluid got it to fire, but when that burned up it quit, so I knew it was a fuel problem. I verified there was no water in the fuel system and when I removed the carb I found it clean as new, but flushed everything with carb cleaner anyway. Still wouldn’t start. I removed the carb again and used more carb cleaner and compressed air on everything. Still wouldn’t start. It took a third time and a thin wire to remove a tiny gob of sticky, tan material from deep inside and partially plugging one of the ports. I have no idea what it was, but no solvent would cut it. Now it runs like a champ, but I wasted two hours.

After my mowing job I finally got back to the car. The first project was cleaning and painting the damper and several engine brackets. Now they are sitting on the shelf, out of the way and waiting for installation. While I was painting, I touched up the frame that has been sitting outside, painted and exposed to the elements for more than two years. Then I scraped decades old greasy, dirty crud from the transmission housing and various engine parts and covers.

 

 

Since the weather was nice and I could work outside, I decided to clean, de-rust, sand and polish the stainless steel surrounding the door and quarter window glass. The pitting was deep, so it was a slow, tedious process. I got one window finished and another nearly done, but it took the better part of two days. I’ll still have to disassemble them and replace the bedding channel when it arrives, but at least the stainless looks decent, if not perfect.

Pulley Sketch

 

For anyone interested in the triple groove pulley on my ’66 engine, here are the dimensions. The sketch was made in MS Publisher and is not drawn to scale, so use it a rough reference only.

 

Flipper Springs

David Nielson sent me some aftermarket torsion springs to test for possible use on the window seal flippers.

The size difference is obvious, but it was the closest fit from the manufacturers list of stocked parts.

I installed two of the new springs on one flipper and while the mechanism does operate, the spring action is noticeably weaker and I doubt they would hold the seal against the glass tight enough to prevent wind and water from passing through.

I guess it's time to come up with a plan B, but parts to match the OEM dimensions would be a special order, and the manufacturer's sales rep stated that they were not insured to make springs that will be used on autos. Yet another example of our overly-litigious society's good intentions and pathetic common sense.

The Day the Music Died

Not a February goes by that the loss of Buddy Holly, doesn't come to mind. Just as the beauty of the classic cars from my generation will live forever, so will the music. That bitterly cold day in 1959 when a small plane crash took the lives of three young pop music stars has been called the day the music died...and I suppose it did for some. Now it's almost as if it was a predestined exclamation point on the demise of a unique and innocent era that gave way to wars, strife, drugs, irresponsibility and vanishing civility.

Getting old is not something I relish until I realize how lucky I am to have been alive to see and experience those good times when tailfins ruled the road and songs were about love and happiness, not anger, hate and vulgarity.

Buddy Holly gained his fame to the beat of rock and roll, but songs like this proved that even without the feverish thunder of drums, the twang of a guitar, or the wailing of a saxophone, he made the music, and the world loved it any way he did it.

Damper Location Help Needed

Here's the damper/pulley combination I have to work with. The damper diameter is 7", while the front pulley is 8".

As you can see, the size might create a clearance problem and can't find a clear picture anywhere that shows how far forward the engine is mounted, but with the rear mounted distributor, there isn't any room to move the engine back, or raise it much, so at this point I'm flying blind.

Any photos or measurements that might give me a better idea of the engine location would be greatly appreciated.

1-31-15

Finished tearing down the engine and the only problems I found were the previously mentioned pushrods, and the skirts of pistons 1 and 3 scuffed. The rings were also carbon-stuck in those two cylinders, so that area must have had a cooling issue at some time. Probably another result of a teenage hot-rodding session.

The bearings and journals all looked excellent for an engine that age. The oil pump has Chrysler markings and appears to be original. Ditto for the timing chain, and while there was slop, the gears were steel so there were no pieces of nylon to chase. Every part I removed had Chrysler markings, even the alternator, so the owner either had all his repairs done at a dealership, or everything performed remarkably well to last this long.

All in all, I'm pleased with what can be seen visually, so I'll be interested to see what they find in the machine shop.