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With the weather being insanely cold to work in the garage, I changed out the steering wheel cover. I never had the original cover off. Surprisingly, the steering wheel was in very good shape under the cover. I was partially tempted just to leave it alone. I did get one of the leather wrap kits that you have to sew up. It took me a few loops to get the hang of it, although my stitchwork would definitely not earn me an "A" in Home Economics. Stitching up a leather wrap is about as exciting as watching paint dry. After about an hour or so of stitching, I only had about a third of the wheel done. At least this is something I could do while watching TV...
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SaxMan's Winter 2014/15 Project Thread
- Thread starter SaxMan
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I got a chance to spend about three hours on the car tonight and got a lot knocked out: Finished buttoning up the dash and radio box, changed the tranny oil, reattached the water temperature probe, refilled the car with antifreeze, attached the new choke cable to the carb, put new brake and clutch pedal pads on and cleaned the interior one more time before putting the seats back in.
The most encouraging aspect of the evening was changing the oil in the tranny. When the oil came out, it was still golden brown in color...almost the same color that it was going in, and checking the oil, there was little, if any, metal particles. That seems to be telling my that the tranny is in pretty good shape, which is good news.
Slowly, but surely, the car is coming back together again.
The most encouraging aspect of the evening was changing the oil in the tranny. When the oil came out, it was still golden brown in color...almost the same color that it was going in, and checking the oil, there was little, if any, metal particles. That seems to be telling my that the tranny is in pretty good shape, which is good news.
Slowly, but surely, the car is coming back together again.
Put gas into the new gas tank and fired up Baby Blue for the first time in almost two months. It took a little bit of cranking, but she fired up. Love the new choke cable. I can really "dial in" the idle now instead of just finding a spot where the friction stop grabs. The more significant change was replacing the vacuum line from the distributor to the carb. At the end of the season, I discovered it was leaking...badly. I can't believe how much smoother the idle is with that line replaced, and I haven't even done any other tweaking to make the engine run smoothly.
All the electrics worked -- turn signals, dash lights, blower motor...which given my adventures behind the dashboard is probably nothing short of a miracle. The only object of concern was that the temperature gauge never budged off the "C" after about 10 minutes of idling. Granted, the fact that it is 23 degrees may have something to do with it.
All the electrics worked -- turn signals, dash lights, blower motor...which given my adventures behind the dashboard is probably nothing short of a miracle. The only object of concern was that the temperature gauge never budged off the "C" after about 10 minutes of idling. Granted, the fact that it is 23 degrees may have something to do with it.
Oh, I'm still not done yet. Seats and steering wheel still have to go in. Then it's off to the mechanicals: valve adjustments, cap, rotor, wires & plugs, carb adjustments, lube and oil change, and a general front to back once over of everything. After that, it's cosmetic time...some touch up and rust repairs followed by a cleaning, polishing and waxing. Then the car should be done. I figure I have a few more weeks to go.
Once the car is done, then I have to overhaul the bicycles, although those are easier and faster.
Time for another photo update / catch up:
New gas tank!
DSC_1601 by onyxsax, on Flickr
Gas tank installed.
DSC_1603 by onyxsax, on Flickr
Filler tube reinstalled. I also cleaned up the filler neck end. I will address the rust issues in the trunk when the weather gets warmer and I can paint outside.
DSC_1608 by onyxsax, on Flickr
...and yes, now I have a proper plug for the U-Joint access hole.
DSC_1613 by onyxsax, on Flickr
New choke cable:
DSC_1615 by onyxsax, on Flickr
Steering wheel once I cut off the original cover. I was a little bit more than blown away that the steering wheel was in as nice of a shape as it was:
DSC_1617 by onyxsax, on Flickr
New gas tank!
DSC_1601 by onyxsax, on FlickrGas tank installed.
DSC_1603 by onyxsax, on FlickrFiller tube reinstalled. I also cleaned up the filler neck end. I will address the rust issues in the trunk when the weather gets warmer and I can paint outside.
DSC_1608 by onyxsax, on Flickr...and yes, now I have a proper plug for the U-Joint access hole.
DSC_1613 by onyxsax, on FlickrNew choke cable:
DSC_1615 by onyxsax, on FlickrSteering wheel once I cut off the original cover. I was a little bit more than blown away that the steering wheel was in as nice of a shape as it was:
DSC_1617 by onyxsax, on FlickrStarting to cover the steering wheel with the new leather wrap:
DSC_1619 by onyxsax, on Flickr
New choke cable hooked up:
DSC_1622 by onyxsax, on Flickr
New clutch and brake pedal pads installed. I will repaint the firewall in the Spring.
DSC_1623 by onyxsax, on Flickr
Steering wheel almost done:
DSC_1628 by onyxsax, on Flickr
DSC_1619 by onyxsax, on FlickrNew choke cable hooked up:
DSC_1622 by onyxsax, on FlickrNew clutch and brake pedal pads installed. I will repaint the firewall in the Spring.
DSC_1623 by onyxsax, on FlickrSteering wheel almost done:
DSC_1628 by onyxsax, on FlickrI finished the interior tonight with the reinstallation of the seats. I decided just to install the seat bottoms first, as I figured it would be too unwieldy to try to line up the entire seat into the holes. It turned out to be a good decision. When I sat down in the seats....WOW. I simply can't believe the difference. I feel like I'm three inches taller. Before, I used to have to crane my head to see the fenders. Now they are right in front of me. And, the seats are far more comfortable. I can't wait to get the headrests back and installed...I farmed that part of the work out to an upholstery shop. I sat in the car for a few minutes like I was a kid, just sitting in the seat, working the pedals, throwing the shifter around. The only thing missing were the engine sound effects that I would make as a 7 year old.
This also marked the debut of a Milwaukee cordless impact wrench. It has just enough power to get things on pretty snug without stripping them. To get the clearance I needed to access the seat holes, I had to put the car entirely up on jack stands. I figured that was as good a time as any to rotate the tires. The impact wrench made the tire rotation a snap.
This also marked the debut of a Milwaukee cordless impact wrench. It has just enough power to get things on pretty snug without stripping them. To get the clearance I needed to access the seat holes, I had to put the car entirely up on jack stands. I figured that was as good a time as any to rotate the tires. The impact wrench made the tire rotation a snap.
On the home stretch! Replaced the cap, rotor, wires & plugs. Adjusted the valves Redid the valve cover gasket. Ran compression tests and leakdown tests. Compression (cold) before the valve adjustments were 150 / 140 / 150 / 165. After the valve adjustments, leakdown testing was consistent across all four cylinders - 35 to 37%. Still in the "good" range, but just barely. I'm guessing at some point down the road, I'm going to have to dive into the bottom half of the motor.
Other than the cosmetic touch up work and detailing, all that's left is the oil change and lubing all the grease zerks. Looks like Baby Blue may be ready for some test drives by the weekend.
Other than the cosmetic touch up work and detailing, all that's left is the oil change and lubing all the grease zerks. Looks like Baby Blue may be ready for some test drives by the weekend.
Jim_Gruber
Yoda
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Hey warmer weather coming your way. 49 in Dayton and Sunny for Saturday. Garage time with Bugsy.
Jim_Gruber
Yoda
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And you've been able to stay on task all winter. I get Sat or Sun mornings only and I need to make sure I am organized and work planned in advance and I roll my butt out of bed. Cutting and bending up and welding in a reinforcement panel on RR bulkhead by spring mount is on the agenda. SWMBO is thinking Christmas Decirations need to go. Sunny and 49 tomorrow.
I managed to squeeze in a test drive today. I had a few squawks, starting with the car's refusal to start. First, I forgot to reconnect the negative battery cable, then the coil wire had popped out of the coil. Once past that, a few minor issues: Carbs were out of synch, one of the valves that I adjusted is too loose and is tapping, I needed to tighten up one of the hose clamps, steering wheel is not quite "on center" when I put it back on and the turn signals were inexplicably not working. After I stopped to fill the car with gas, they started working again. Temperature gauge worked fine, which was something I was worried about. The tapping valve is probably the worst of the issues.
At least the car is back together and running!
At least the car is back together and running!
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well done! and glad you have some niggles now so you don't have to hibernate the rest of the winter!
longbridgehealey
Obi Wan
Offline
David, if memory serves me correctly (a rare occurrence), check the turn signals wiring under the left corner of the dash. There used to be a troublesome splice there.
I think that was the case. Generally, when something stops working, I just reach a hand under the dash and jiggle things until they do start working again. So far, that repair technique has had a 100% success rate.
When are you leaving for Florida? I'd like to bring the car by before you take off.
Time for some more pics to catch up:
Test fit of the seat rails:
DSC_1701 by onyxsax, on Flickr
Attaching the seat rail hardware to the bottom of the seat.
DSC_1702 by onyxsax, on Flickr
Seat bottoms installed:
DSC_1706 by onyxsax, on Flickr
Finished sewing up the steering wheel:
DSC_1709 by onyxsax, on Flickr
Steering wheel back where it belongs:
DSC_1712 by onyxsax, on Flickr
Driver's seatback installed. I couldn't figure out what the two bolts at the bottom of the seatback were for...that's how you adjust the angle of the seatback. I'm pretty sure the more threads exposed, the more the seat "reclines"...or is it vice versa?
DSC_1715 by onyxsax, on Flickr
Both seatbacks in. Still waiting on the headrests to come back from the upholstery shop. They should hopefully be done this week:
DSC_1716 by onyxsax, on Flickr
Test fit of the seat rails:
DSC_1701 by onyxsax, on FlickrAttaching the seat rail hardware to the bottom of the seat.
DSC_1702 by onyxsax, on FlickrSeat bottoms installed:
DSC_1706 by onyxsax, on FlickrFinished sewing up the steering wheel:
DSC_1709 by onyxsax, on FlickrSteering wheel back where it belongs:
DSC_1712 by onyxsax, on FlickrDriver's seatback installed. I couldn't figure out what the two bolts at the bottom of the seatback were for...that's how you adjust the angle of the seatback. I'm pretty sure the more threads exposed, the more the seat "reclines"...or is it vice versa?
DSC_1715 by onyxsax, on FlickrBoth seatbacks in. Still waiting on the headrests to come back from the upholstery shop. They should hopefully be done this week:
DSC_1716 by onyxsax, on FlickrI got most of the squawks addressed over the last couple of days and started with the cosmetic work. I had a couple of rust bubbles on the forward site of the left wheel arch that had "bloomed". As I ground them down, I quickly learned something that I'm sure everyone else knows: Rust bubbles not only bubble up, but also bubble "down" into the metal. I was left with a couple of small craters. I know I could fill them in with a small amount of Bondo, but I didn't have any in the garage, so I pushed on ahead and primed the area.
When I opened up the touch up paint order, the white paint bottle had shattered during delivery. Fortunately, I still had some model paint to mix in. The current paint job on Baby Blue is a shade or two lighter than the stock "Glacier Blue" color. By mixing in a little bit of white paint to lighten it up, I got a pretty decent match. It's not perfect, but I'd say it's a good "10 foot" match, to go along with the car's "8 foot" paint job, and I haven't even done any blending or clear coating to match up the areas.
I have another area of rust bubbles in bloom at the bottom of the back side of the passenger side front wheel arch. This area is a bit larger and I'm thinking I definitely will use some bondo to fill in the craters on that side.
While waiting between coats, I did some other work like detailing the interior. I've got "Daddy Duty" tomorrow as the schools are closed for a Professional Day. I may go ahead and take my daughter out in the car for a little spin (top up, of course).
When I opened up the touch up paint order, the white paint bottle had shattered during delivery. Fortunately, I still had some model paint to mix in. The current paint job on Baby Blue is a shade or two lighter than the stock "Glacier Blue" color. By mixing in a little bit of white paint to lighten it up, I got a pretty decent match. It's not perfect, but I'd say it's a good "10 foot" match, to go along with the car's "8 foot" paint job, and I haven't even done any blending or clear coating to match up the areas.
I have another area of rust bubbles in bloom at the bottom of the back side of the passenger side front wheel arch. This area is a bit larger and I'm thinking I definitely will use some bondo to fill in the craters on that side.
While waiting between coats, I did some other work like detailing the interior. I've got "Daddy Duty" tomorrow as the schools are closed for a Professional Day. I may go ahead and take my daughter out in the car for a little spin (top up, of course).