Another Day Of Work - 10/29/2005

Well, since the car now runs, it's time to do more work to it to get it finished up. First order of business: get that headlight fixed!



Since no one reproduces this unique little piece, we have to make our own. Drill the holes in the same spots as the factory in a bracket (using the original as a mock-up).



Weld a 1/4" fine thread nut on it.



Looks pretty good when installed.



Well now, it stays in just like it should.



Good as new. No one will ever know either.



And all 4 work just like they should! Not bad for 38 year old bulbs.



Looking very sharp now.



Because we care about the environment and having a full tank of coolant, an overflow bottle is added. No charcoal cannister from the factory on this car, so it fits here very nicely and looks almost like a stock piece ($9.95 from NAPA).



Some biscuit head cut the horn juice, so we tied it straight to the battery. Probably not the best thing to do, once the factory service manual arrives in the mail I will find out the way it *should* be routed and fix it. Right now this works fine, and the horns even sound good too (both notes work).



Engine coming together nicely. AC bracket needs to be wire brushed and painted, then an AC compressor installed (I can dream as that stuff is expensive). That stupid water pump to intake point leaked slightly on first startup, but then never leaked again. The water coming out was cold and not hot, so maybe there is a *slight* leak only when under pressure due to the thermostat being closed...



Other side. The power steering leaked EVERYWHERE when the car was turned off (and when it sat). The fluid was not red, it was pinkish congealment (almost like melted strawberry ice cream). Probably junk and air in the system. Steve and I bled the thing forever and cycled quite a bit of fluid through the pump before it stopped coming out pink and stopped gurgling. Afterwards, the pump didn't squeal or gurgle and it doesn't appear to leak fluid like mad out the steering column entry point on the steering box.

Yesterday I went to the DMV. One $234 bill later, I had a title and registration in my name (along with getting to keep the California black plates) for the car. I then called up my insurance company and got the car insured. Since it was now legal and everything, I took it for it's initial drive. Manual drum brakes are quite an experience. It's almost like VERY poorly adjusted power brakes with no vacuum, but not as hard. The brakes stop the car quite well (all new pads and whatnot) but it's still very different. Unfortunately the homemade throttle bracket was binding on the road. Steve thought I was riding the gas pedal causing it to run high, but I am a better two-footed driver than that. He then drove it and realized that, yes, the gas pedal was sticking down and keeping the throttle open, making it that much more difficult to stop the car. Not really sure why it was binding, it appeared maybe the spark plug wires were getting caught. The car doesn't like moving up big hills from a standstill too much (4300lb car with 2.56 gears? Makes sense to me). Bit of a wobble due to the alignment being off, but not too badly off. Very close to being done with the major parts of this project. A power disc brake conversion is definitely in the future.

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Last updated October 29th, 2005