Cleaning Up

Well - after one week the machine shop still thought they could provide the valves.  After two weeks they admitted defeat.  Time to call Jack Lawrence in NY. . .

In the meantime, there is still much to do.  The oil pan had seen some pretty heavy abuse, with several large 1/2" deep dents and a series of deep gouges.

A little pounding, cleaning, filler work, and paint, and it looks (and will drain) a lot better!

The valve covers got similar treatment (sans the filler).

And the hard pipe water hoses. . .

Remember that trip to SA I mentioned last blog?  Well, on a tip there was a parts car in a junk yard, I went down to see what all I could scrounge.  The best find was this:  a factory air conditioning under-dash unit, hoses, bracketry, and controls.  The compressor and radiator were already gone, and the drier kaput, but I've got an idea on how to procure those cheap.  Both of the pulley bearings were also toast and will need replacement.

(and yes, I've already torn down, tested, and reassembled the unit)

Adding the A/C will mean the original cooling fan will not be up to the task, so I cut off the fan bearing shaft, drove in a freeze plug, and gave it the same cleaning and paint treatment as the oil pan and valve covers.
The replacement will be a double electric fan unit strapped to the back of the radiator.

The clutch pressure plate was a pretty rusty mess.

A little disassembly, shows the component parts - all still in good shape under the rust and grime.

Here it is cleaned up and reassembled.

The alternator just took a little cleaning and touch up on the fan/pulley.

I also finally got the trunk paint finished and the gas tank back in the car.  The vibration pads on the straps were gone, so I cut some thick roll roofing in strips, and attached it with spray adhesive to the straps.  A brand new battery went in under the revamped battery hold down bar, and the filler/vent hoses went back on.

Can you tell where I patched the trunk?

( I didn't realize till I downloaded these photos how dirty the car is.  I blew out the garage with a leaf blower yesterday, which made the shop (in general) a lot cleaner, but which apparently left a pretty thick coat of dust in it's wake - Ah well . . .)

A new steel gas line to the front competed the bulk of the fuel system.

FYI:  At the top of the photo you can see a trail of leaking brake fluid.  Apparently the rubber hoses between the fill tank and the master cylinder didn't like being woken from their slumber.  They've been slowly "sweating " for several months and leaked down along the firewall and floor pan.  Although this was unfortunate, it was a great test of the POR paint applied earlier.  You can see the fluid ate off the paint over the seam sealer, but the sealer itself, and the undercoat paint have no lasting damage other than a slight discoloration.  A new topcoat and it'll be good as new again.  If this stuff can handle long exposure to brake fluid, it should stay rust free for a very long time!