Bill: Fine work as usual. I replaced mine with repops as mine were missing all together, but used stainless staplegun staples to attach them. It wasn't easy, but they haven't fallen off yet! UticaGeoff
I feel sorry for the guys at the factory that had to use the staple gun on them steel inners... mustve been like a HILTY .20 caliber with some kind of head that wrapped them staples back into themselves. I had to get under the ends and pry them up with a screw driver, then straighten with vise grips. Then came the part of pulling them through the holes. They were definitely "shot" in. Pop rivets are swell! Bill in TR
Just hanging out in the shop cleaning house and doing some stoopid work. Read something about batteries today and found this DELCO job to fit perfectly into the tray. Spent a while cleaning some stuff, painting hood springs etc. waiting for the spine surgeon to show up Monday to cure the scoliosis fenderitis. Marked the damper at 1-3/4 and 2" respectively. Should be able to see these guys with a timing light, no? Big indoor swap meet at West Bend, Wi. Sunday. Going with a Model T pal for something different to do... Bill in TR
You know the winter doldrums are settling in when ya gotta cruise Craigs List in obscure (?) place, like Alpharetta, Ga. These aint mine, but it is the story of my life!... Just passing it along. http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/pts/4863454321.html http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/pts/4863309387.html http://asheville.craigslist.org/pts/4893371627.html http://asheville.craigslist.org/pts/4893135802.html http://chattanooga.craigslist.org/pts/4866281098.html Ho-Hummmmm Taking today off and the fed-ups guy shows up with a box full of VIAGGER... Its like Christmas and my birthday combined; now where did I put those chain mail meat slicing gloves???? Bill in TR
So the surgeon (!) showed up yesterday, and he and I spent almost 9 hours together aligning the sheet metal stuff, along with the four side windows and changed the new door handles out too. Id hafta say that a "tutorial" would be an understatement. This guy does everything from home brew projects like mine to some pretty high end collectors stuff like Ply. Superbirds, 50's Porsche stuff and even a GT 500 Shelby tossed in for good measure. At 58 YO, the guys spry and has been around the block. Didn't quit until I dropped the last wrench on the floor at 5:30 last nite. So this is what we found... The PO had done a rear 1/4 and trunk job in the early 90's of the last millennium LOL... The drivers side is BACK about 1/8 and the passenger side is FOWARD about 3/16" Who ever did the work should've started at the cowl bolts (hinges) and worked back as they are the "constant" measuring point. So now we have to live with what we've got. It all looks good except we had to spilt that 5/16 difference between the L&R sides of the hood. I can live with that. That same difference is evident on the trunk lid too. On the door handles... the new ones from Summit came outa the box looking like new (duh!) A few very minor issues but all small in the "big picture" realm. The length, finish and heft are indistinguishable from the OEM handles that came off. I cannot even verify the old ones were original except the slight amount of OEM color that was on the gasket edges. Still, that could've been from a repaint in a galaxy far, far away... The angle of the new ones are 5 deg. greater than the old; meaning the old ones were "flat" and on the door curve actually leaned "up". The new ones are actually perfectly level to the ground. I think it looks better and as long as the judges don't pull out that damn door handle mounting gage block set ( J-836454-74755-1283274645-A ) no one will be the wiser. Only installed the drivers side so far but that door is now silky smooth... Cien por Ciento! (100%!) The following pics show the slight camber difference, but as long as I fess up to the judges they may overlook it Hahahaha. The only negative feedback Im gonna give on the handle is the hardware. The OEM bolts are 1/4-20s with a 5/16 head body bolt with a built in washer. The new ones are also 1/4-20s, BUT have an 10mm (!) wrench size which only makes a tedious job a bit tuffer getting a wrench to seat on the bolt (at the button end) due to the larger diameter. I tried using an old bolt, but with new gaskets was about 1 thread short of getting a good start, and pulled the first thred off. Went with the new bolts and all is well. Gotta pile of tools to pick up today off the floor, and start from there with some trim work etc... Bill in TR The NEW handle lays flat and looks great! The OEM (old) handle was pointed at the sky... looks stupid
Hi there Bill, another lurker first time poster guy to this tread. Are you sure about those handles you removed being OEM? They sure don't look like it. I remember buying some repops for my '67 when I restored it a couple of years ago and they sat on the door at an angle just like your "OEM" handles do. I couldn't deal with that so, I had my originals re-chromed. The originals have the proper angled backside to look level when viewed from the side. Just like you the pic you posted of the summit handles. Anyway, those look real nice mounted up. Keep up the good work! :TU: Nick
X2...I would agree, your "original" handles don't look like they are sitting right, you can even see a space at the bottom. Like I said before, there were MANY different handles, they DO interchange somewhat, but they will not work right. They will work if tweaked, but the angles and depth of the plunger differ. So....how they hit the release lever (the angle) on the latch differs. New ones look good. Glad you got body help!
Thanks guys! A little encouragement goes a long way!! Im just glad I stopped where I did, cauze' the energy level is waning in a hurry LOL. Just spent a few more hours solo today tweaking the hood. It has to lay with the placement of the rear quarters. According to the book, theres a spot if measured diagonally between the upper and lower hinge holes on the cowl that is the datum point. The PO was off "just a little" which exaggerates everything from there forward exponentially... I am also guessing the hood was maybe smacked once and fixed, so nothing is "book perfect" anymore. Still a blast to drive tho... I am pretty happy with the handles so far... still need to install the passenger side. The surgeon made an adjustment on the paddle in the drivers door and now that side glides like a pair of silk pan.... never mind! The flat look is superior also; looks like its supposed to! Nick... do you live over around 57th an Massasoit? Your pics look a lot like the Garfield Ridge 'hood! Ask me how I know! Bill in TR
Damn Bill, Your good! I live in Garfield Ridge at 5700 south but a little further west. Closer to Narragansett. You must of spent some quality time around here.
HAH! Yeah I was from LaGrange as a kid, then started buying houses etc around Willowbrook, Darien and Lemont areas. I worked for 30+ years at Crawford Generating Station at 3501 Pulaski and across the river at 43rd and Ridgeland, and knew several guys that lived in GFR. Most of them went to Kennedy HS in the early 70's (Baselski's, Muscallino's, LePore's, Bilat's etc. I rented a house at 5101 S. Mulligan for a while in between sales. Really miss hitting Webbers Bakery in the morning.. always took Archer in in the morning instead of I-55... Did a lot of motorcycle racing at 3 a.m. after the bars closed down Archer... we were the 151 Club LOL.... Bill in TR
Wow, it's a small world for sure! I went to Kennedy, class of '74. I know Nick Lepore and knew Ronnie Muscolino. Ron's older brother Tom is a neighbor of a good friend of mine that lives a block away. Tom still has his '74 Ford LTD he bought new. We all still hang out on Archer in the summertime with all of our old iron. Stop by Dunkin' Donuts on a Friday or Saturday night if your ever in the hood this summer.
OK...heres some dirt...So I started at Com Ed and met Jack Baselski (RIP 2013) lived at 58th and Nashville, who introduced me to Nick LePore. Jack meets Sandy Devivo and has a kid. They split up and Nick marries Sandy. I knew Ronnie Muscolino, but his kid brother Randy (?) hung around with us. We hanged out heavily at the Leaning post bar at 44th and Central. Seriously, on a Saturday nite there'd ' be 50 of us on Harleys blasting up and down Archer TT racing (tavern to tavern) from Ashland to Harlem... we'd make that trip 2-3 times and stop at every gin mill for a shot. All these guys were HRF's (Hog Ridin' Fools) and we all hung out at Munch Choppers 3923 Archer (at Tallman)... there were a LOT of nights we should've all been killed, but Ive managed to live to tell the story... Thanks for the flashback! Bill in TR
I'll bet my brother in law Harry probably was one of them. He had a big inch Sporty built by Ray's Place.
I bought some parts from Ray in about '76, but when Jack Baselski started with me at ComEd, he turned me on to the Norkus Bros. at Munch Choppers. A lot of water over that dam for sure! So today was a futz day... Futzed around putting tools away, as usual, then attached the headlight doors and grill studs. Of course all that stuff needed cleaning and oiling and repaired a few minor cracks in the grill. Hope it makes it a few more years until they start making repops. No doubt, that's the weakest link in the GS chain. A few weeks ago, when doing the doors, I had installed all new rubber seals which had to come off for the alignment. That all got re-installed today in situ laying on the floor... BRRRRR. Made a plate to re-enforce the pass side mirror mount which was just sheet metal screws into the door skin. Like this thing is a DODGE or something??? Cemented the plate in place and pulled it up with some tech screws. The glue is hard as a rock now and Ill be mounting the mirrors in a few days... still hafta wrestle trim pcs. around and don't want to fix any more scratches... Bill in TR
I guess if you live around 30N latitude it wont matter, but up here at the 45th, winter is really starting to suck. So what could be better than this??? Bill in TR Turn it up nice and loud https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4lnREXjSbw&feature=youtu.be
'Only two vices I have... the rest are by prescription LOL...You never commented on the advanced timing marks; am I getting warm yet?? Bill in TR
Hard to tell with the picture. My best advice is to make the marks as thin as possible, and as precise as possible, because less than 6/100's of an inch = 1*
Yeah... that was a trial run. Would you believe it, the markers were frozen when I attempted that! I just happened to be going down there and thought Id give it a try. Poor lighting added to the problem as well. Accuracy being what it is, should the new marks be from the center of the original, or lead or trail it? I used a 1-1/2" starrett mini square, but holding the light and doing the marking really didn't turn out as nice as I wanted it to. A re-do is definitely on the agenda... Bill in TR
