I had a mini version of this when I picked up my 67 - only 2 states but mine did not end up as well as yours! Still good memories
A couple weeks after getting it home to Michigan I started working on it. Under hood stuff, tune up, belts, hoses, normal maintenance. I found the engine was a reman, not original. Can't imagine what happened to it to need an engine with only 63K miles on it. I started collecting parts it needed and GS specific items as it is getting the clone treatment. Pretty easy on a 73 as it was just an option after 72. One stop shopping at RV's garage, Thanks again. After washing it I found there was significant leakage around the rear window that would need to be addressed. As much as I liked the white vinyl top it would have to go. Late December I started refreshing the interior. Well, mission creep set in and I ended up with the thing gutted except the headliner and carpet. It appeared the interior was out of this car before as much of it was not re-assembled correctly. Hardware incorrect and clips missing everywhere. Like it was strip searched at a border crossing. This car has a story to tell if it could talk. Strange items were found by both me and the last owner. With a blank slate I started by adding Kilmat to deaden sound. The dash was reassembled paying attention to things that could squeak or rattle. Lots of cable ties in there. A Custom Auto sound radio replaced the dead am unit. Everything else was cleaned and reinstalled along with new A pillar trims, package tray and console wood grain stickers. Since no one reproduces seat covers I took a used passenger seat and installed the cover on the driver seat. All the plastic headliner and quarter window trim was salvaged with several coats of SEM interior paint/dye. Anyone who has worked on one of these knows how the interior plastics turn to dust and the only part reproduced is the A pillar trims. It ended up looking really nice. More tomorrow.
Wow Steve, I thought it looked clean and original when it was listed for sale, especially the white interior. Too bad abt the reman eng. Those low miles can fool anyone. You'll get it all shaped up to snuff!
So in March I bit the bullet and ripped off the white top. Hoped to find nice blue paint underneath but it was not to be. It had some surfacer/primer of some sort. Had to strip the roof to bare metal and after making the needed repairs to the rear window channel, paint it.
Last fall while tuning it up I see there is no oil sender screwed into the block. It's got a pipe plug in the hole. Oil light would go out when started, it runs fine with no lifter noise. We ran for hours at 80mph (about 3600RPM) and even up to 100 at Bonneville. So this spring I added oil pressure and temp gauges to see what is going on under the hood. The oil pressure would peak at about 22lbs. Would not go any higher. I tried another gauge I had with the same results. I finally got the interior together enough to drive it around June. It never went over 20 PSI. At hot idle it has about 9PSI which is not uncommon. The engine has the newer style front cover. The oil pump appears stock. I found the pressure relief spring had no preload on it. The bolt had no pressure on it when I broke it loose. I also cut apart the oil filter to look for junk and it was actually pretty clean. No metal that I could see. I think where this went sideways was that the oil filter adapter on the car matches neither what they are calling housing A or housing B in the instructions for the oil pump. I can see how someone was confused and put in the red spring. I installed the plain or black spring that should be used with housing A and I got 45PSI cold. I don't know how long this car has been running like this as I just bought it last October. I could not get over 22PSI at any engine speed the way it was and there appears to been no harm done. Makes me wonder if 60PSI is really necessary. Just shows how overbuilt cars used to be.
The 350 doesn’t need as much oil pressure as the 455. It doesn’t have 3.25” mains. 10 psi/1000 RPM is the recommended pressure but I guess your engine survived with a lot less. Great looking car. I believe John Csordas had one like that back in the day, might have been the same color.
Followed 1973gs lead and modified the front bumper for nicer looking fit. I kept the rubber strip look by using a rear strip from a 73 wagon. Just had to rebend it and drill a few new holes. ]
Great story and a happy ending. Tucking the bumpers makes such an improvement on the colonnade cars. Especially the '73s with the slender bumper.
Exactly what I was thinking. Maybe one day I'll type up those stories. Both involved one way tickets, '69 Sportwagon 400's, and another board member who can chime in if he's inclined. Fun times and priceless memories, even the more eventful of the two which I'll leave @ I've only been to Arkansas once.
Starc and Steve, two cool cats with some unique (and often times under appreciated) cars. I have seen both of these machines in person and they are top notch!
