What did you do to your car today?

[Mister 4x4]

Roller, okay. Just wanted to make sure you went into cam break in after firing it there if it was flat tappet.

Probably will still want to do a little bit of "break in" and then change the oil and filter before you start putting your first driving miles on it, but you got it handled.

Oh trust me - it's still SO not ready for any driving miles. I wanted to get all the sheet metal [structural] replacement, electrics, and mechanicals done first. Now it's time to finish making it fit to drive.

Oddly enough, the concept of actually 'driving' this thing is going to take some getting used to... since I've had it, it's been nothing but a project and exercise in reconstruction, and until yesterday had lost a lot of its identity as an actual 'car.' Made a huge step in the right direction when it fired up and actually ran.

I'm sure once I get the transmission and brakes squared away, there will most likely be a burn-out or two in the compound... but no meaningful 'miles' until after the paint's done and it's ready for tags.

Today, I got the electric choke wired up, timed it, set the idle, and discovered that I really was not very far off when I adjusted it 'by feel' during the first few minutes of running. Seems like 18 degrees advance [w/o vacuum advance] is pretty close to the sweet spot with this set-up. I might go a couple degrees higher before it's all said and done - I haven't found much online regarding where this cam and set-up like to live. Temp is spot-on at 180 at the thermostat housing and radiator inlet, and exhaust temps right at the junction of the headers and heads on each cylinder are averaging 205 (at idle with ceramic-coated Hooker Competition headers) - no "hot spots" anywhere.

Tomorrow, I'll try and get the brake system filled up and bled (all new from the master cylinder to each corner - including lines and everything). Hopefully, the brake booster is still good - if not, I guess I'll hafta pull the one off the parts car to send off as a core for a new one.

Hey, thanks for 'watching my back' [as it were] and checking up on these things. It's too easy to get wrapped up in the moment and forget the important things (like cam break-in). Just another reason I love this site - we all got each other covered. It's almost like having everybody there each step along the way. ::thumb::

 

[Don65Stang]

This is before we took off the hood and front fenders so as not to scratch them. I have them wrapped in blankets and said something to my wife about using the hood as a headboard. Anyone want to guess how that went over. Of course I could not stop myself from saying "it is the safest place in the house, nothing exciting ever happens...

Wow. If I would have said that I'm sure my wife would have said something profound and meaningful like "it never will again since you appear to be undewhelmed with my efforts". Lol

On a different note...

Congrats Eric! Major milestone even though no miles were actually traversed. Jk that's awesome progress!

 

[mach71351c]

What did I do today? Oh nothing special... just fired it up for the first time in 33 years!

[video=youtube]

Congrats Eric on your firer up!!

 

[Mister 4x4]

Thanks guys! This gives me even more motivation to get it done sooner than later. Next April will be here before we know it, and I definitely want to have some "shakedown" miles on it before heading to Charlotte!

 

[droptop73]

I had a great time at the Lane show. Met Adam and Don with their "survivor" Boss 351 and invited them to join us.

 

[mach71351c]

I spent the morning in the garage watching the 500 and putting some duraglass on the outer wheelhouse patches. I'm pleased how the right wheel well came out. Spray some under coat in the wheel well and I think it will look pretty good.

 

[luxstang]

Gotta take the car for technical inspection today, so I had to "undo" a few things.

Swapped the 18 inch rims for the original Magnum 500s, removed the sport lamps from the grille, covered up the hood pins and sprayed some undercoating to the area where the left front wheel rubs the frame. I left the lowering blocks and the cut coil springs. Hope they don't mind those.

Wish me luck guys!

 

[droptop73]

That sounds like a butt pain... good luck Mike!

 

[luxstang]

Ok, the car has passed inspection, now we´re good for another two years of fun.

Only thing they found was a little oil leak on the rear axle where the drive shaft goes into the rear axle housing... Can´t remember the correct term now.

Put the sport lamps back in, gonna swap the wheels in the next days.

Geez, the car looks so cheesy with those rims, when you´re used to the other look.

 

[Mister 4x4]

Pinion Seal. Shouldn't be too big of a deal to swap it out. Glad to hear you passed inspection! ::thumb::

 

[jeremycfr]

Spent the day getting the front drums off the car and preparing the spindles and discs from the donor car. Made a lot of progress, now were on hold until some new parts arrive.

 

[luxstang]

Pinion Seal. Shouldn't be too big of a deal to swap it out. Glad to hear you passed inspection! ::thumb::

"Pinion seal", yes. That´s what I was trying to remember.

Swapping that out will be a job for next winter.

 

[whitesoc]

Pinion Seal. Shouldn't be too big of a deal to swap it out. Glad to hear you passed inspection! ::thumb::

"Pinion seal", yes. That´s what I was trying to remember.

Swapping that out will be a job for next winter.

Mike

Why do you have to take the sport lamps out?

I guess the rims need to be stock for the car?

 

[rutkak]

Today I started up my 72 after letting the Black RTV set for 24 hours. I had a leak that was getting worse daily on the back on the intake manifold. Yesterday I pulled the intake manifold, cleaned it, painted it and sealed her back in. Today was the start up, warm up, test drive, turn off and retorque the bolts. All worked out well and she is dry so far.

Oh yeah, the previous owner of the engine (from a 66 Galaxie) used the cork end gaskets. Yeah...when I took them off they felt apart in my hands...junk.

Before anyone asks...the coil wire isn't yellow for any reason. I used a wire set off of an previous HEI system and it didn't have a coil wire b/c the coil is built in so I bought a set of wires and only made 1 so far (it's a total pain).

 

[luxstang]

Why do you have to take the sport lamps out?

I guess the rims need to be stock for the car?

The sport lamps are yellow and no yellow light may stay on continuously except for fog lights. But they are too high to pass for fog lamps and they would need their own switch to turn them on and off and they'd need to go out when the high beams come on.

Turn signals are basically the only lights that may be yellow.

I thought of wiring the sport lamps as turn signals but they are too far from the edge of the car, so that would not be allowed either.

By the way, if you take a close look at my car you'll notice that it has white lenses on the turn signals in the lower valance. That is because they are also the parking lights so they mustn't be yellow. Same thing.

Now, why didn't I simply remove the bulbs? Well, this is where it gets funny.

A light that is on the car has to work, otherwise the car will not pass inspection. If the light works and is illegal, it won't pass either.

So I simply removed the sport lamps, cut two pieces of cardboard, sprayed them black and put them into the holes in the grille. That was just for myself because I didn't want to have holes in the grille but the inspectors would not have cared about them.

As for the wheels, it doesn't matter whether they are original or not. I could even pass inspection with the 18 inch rims but we are not allowed to have two different widths of tires on a car. Except of course for those that came from the factory like most super sport cars. I'm thinking Ferrari, Lamborghini, corvettes, Porsche 911 and such.

Plus I have those big adapters to make the rims fit. Adapters and spacers will make you fail immediately, even with the original rims.

Those are some pretty silly rules but if you know them, you can play your way around them and that's it.

That way everybody is happy.

It took 2 minutes to put the sport lamps back in but it saved me a lot of trouble.

That's every two years. It's a little inconvenience but it makes live much easier.

After the inspection I talked a little to the guys and I told them what rims it usually have and they wanted to see a picture and they liked it but that was off the record. It's kinda "live and let live".

 

[Qcode351mach]

Finished the rough filler work on the entire left side..shot it in epoxy..yesterday...on to the hood & roof

Been a long process basically the way I'm doing this takes a ton more time..& work...bare metal..2 coats of epoxy..filler work on TOP of the epoxy..1 more coat of epoxy to seal the filler work sand throughs etc.Then sprayable body filler (polyester) block..Then 2k primer...block... I also got the underside of the hood done too..

 

[whitesoc]

Why do you have to take the sport lamps out?

I guess the rims need to be stock for the car?

The sport lamps are yellow and no yellow light may stay on continuously except for fog lights. But they are too high to pass for fog lamps and they would need their own switch to turn them on and off and they'd need to go out when the high beams come on.

Turn signals are basically the only lights that may be yellow.

I thought of wiring the sport lamps as turn signals but they are too far from the edge of the car, so that would not be allowed either.

By the way, if you take a close look at my car you'll notice that it has white lenses on the turn signals in the lower valance. That is because they are also the parking lights so they mustn't be yellow. Same thing.

Now, why didn't I simply remove the bulbs? Well, this is where it gets funny.

A light that is on the car has to work, otherwise the car will not pass inspection. If the light works and is illegal, it won't pass either.

So I simply removed the sport lamps, cut two pieces of cardboard, sprayed them black and put them into the holes in the grille. That was just for myself because I didn't want to have holes in the grille but the inspectors would not have cared about them.

As for the wheels, it doesn't matter whether they are original or not. I could even pass inspection with the 18 inch rims but we are not allowed to have two different widths of tires on a car. Except of course for those that came from the factory like most super sport cars. I'm thinking Ferrari, Lamborghini, corvettes, Porsche 911 and such.

Plus I have those big adapters to make the rims fit. Adapters and spacers will make you fail immediately, even with the original rims.

Those are some pretty silly rules but if you know them, you can play your way around them and that's it.

That way everybody is happy.

It took 2 minutes to put the sport lamps back in but it saved me a lot of trouble.

That's every two years. It's a little inconvenience but it makes live much easier.

After the inspection I talked a little to the guys and I told them what rims it usually have and they wanted to see a picture and they liked it but that was off the record. It's kinda "live and let live".

Interesting to say the least!

Thanks for the info Mike.

Finished the rough filler work on the entire left side..shot it in epoxy..yesterday...on to the hood & roof

Been a long process basically the way I'm doing this takes a ton more time..& work...bare metal..2 coats of epoxy..filler work on TOP of the epoxy..1 more coat of epoxy to seal the filler work sand throughs etc.Then sprayable body filler (polyester) block..Then 2k primer...block... I also got the underside of the hood done too..

Looks great Scott....welcome back!


Damaged fender removed

 

[Doug The Dog]

Got my steering gear back from Lee's Manufacturing today. The steering linkage is now complete! Check that one off of the list!

 

[Qcode351mach]

Looks great Scott....welcome back!

Thanks Ken ! Notice the bottom of the hood ...No holes ! filled smoothed out all the holes

 

[71JCode]

I've been way too busy on the car to post much. This Saturday night is the bi-annual Forest Lane Cruise-In Reunion here in Dallas and our goal since we got her out of mothballs back in February was to be in attendance as we've been in GM products for the past few and I can't stand that.

So, in the past week and a half we pulled all the trim and hardware from the quarters back+the passenger door, jerked some depression dents from the top of the trunk lid, cleared some minor rust issues, hammer/dollied some minor stuff in the quarters, sanded off the bad paint from two old repairs in the back, putty-glazed a billion imperfections back there, and primed and painted all of that with fresh 2214 AE (last two coats this afternoon).

So all we have to do between now and Saturday night is:

Color-sand and buff out new paint (hope it hardens up enough by Friday so it will take that).

Re-stripe fresh painted sections

Re-install all the removed trim/trunk lid/bumper/valance, etc

Install new LED 1157s in taillights (done)

Install interior (to some driveable degree)

Get some race gas

Try to clear the intake runners of the varnish/molasses from the bad gas that makes it misfire from time to time when some of it gets sucked in.

and, if there's time, do some other little chores like the package tray, speakers and some tunage. Such as adjusting the slapper bars, dressing up the valve covers, soda blast some engine pieces, etc.

Some fresh pics posted at:

http://www.flickr.com/71jcode

Busy, busy, busy