Status Overview Update

Status overview

Engine is in

This weekend we installed the new centerforce dual action clutch, bolted the tranny up to the engine and put it in the new engine bay, all without a scratch to the new paint.

Body is almost ready!

I’m guessing he is almost ready to paint the entire car, he has the hinges and engine bay done.

 

 

 

 

 

Frame rails

As seen in an earlier post I cut out a large section of the frame rail, and there was a small section on the other frame rail that need to be cut out and welded up.

 

 

 

 

 

Body Shop

The auto body shop, Radical Rods in Columbia IL, has had my car for quite some time. Here are some pictures of the rehab process. Lots of metal cutting and patching going on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My engine needs a home

I’ve got the long block together and there are only a few things I can do from here without a completed body to put the stuff in.

 

 

Head Rebuild

 I had originally planned on getting a brand new aftermarket head with stainless steel valves and the works which would have set me back nealy $1000. I was looking for ways to reduce the cost and speed up completion and it occured to me that I already had a perfectly fine head with welded up jet valves, why replace something that isn’t broken. So I stripped down the head and stopped by the local machine shop to have it cleaned, resurfaced and inspected. I also had the rocker arm shafts professionaly cleaned since I saw some metal shavings inside the oil supply holes.

 

Before

During

I would have been done today, but it suddenly occured to me that I ordered everything except auto lash adjusters. I got half way done putting all the valve springs on when I noticed that the springs where not semetric, they are more compressed on one end. So I checked the service manual and it says the side with enamal goes up, well the aftermarket ones I bought are not marked at all and the old ones were also not stock. After some soul searching on the internets I have come to the conclusion that the more compressed end faces the head. This matches my vauge notion of how it was when removing the old ones. So now I must wait for the auto lash adjusters to come in.

Sanding

I spent the better part of yesterday and 4 hours today sanding this car and I am still not done. I’m using an air powered dual action sander and I have a 25 gallon compressor, it’s just hard to believe how long this takes even with this equipment. I bought a box of 100 sanding discs for the DA and I will probably use every one of them.

 

It’s been a while

I sent two batches off to get baking soda blasted and glass blasted. Here is a picture of one of those batches after the blasting.

 

 

And here they after some primer and engine paint. Just need to protect them against rust, of course making them look pretty is good too.

 

And here is the entire rear subframe assembly ready to be installed, hopefully the car doesn’t fall on my like it did when I took it out.

 

I’m stripping the car down getting it ready to get painted. I need to get the suspension back together so I can get it rolling to the body shop.