Couldn't get much done after that axle debaucle... Thatll get dropped off this morning along with a new tube of K-Y jelly LOL...Ya never get used to surprises with old cars... Did get the LAST fender started and am now in the home stretch; well, ready to slide into third base anyway... Bill in TR
Just dropped the axle off at CARQUEST and the owner said he'd eat the job and order and install the correct seal. Will be ready around 0900hrs tomorrow. There was .100"+ difference between the 2142 and 712142 seals and he'd never seen an install where the seal actually maintained the lateral position of the bearing on the shaft. Bill in TR... Off to glassland!
Bill: Things are really coming together. Where I'm staying has no WiFi, so I've been out of touch. Went to the library today to catch up. I saw an ad in the Tampa - paint any car $275 - guess prices have gone up since Earl's $29.95. Stay warm and keep posting. UticaGeoff
Yeah... snow white for Utica Geoff seems to be en vogue.... 'bought ready to hurl chunks from the fumes in the shop, but, Its a done deal. Except for some small detail oriented stuff, the welding, bondo, and dust and fumes are D-U-N-N. Being true to form, each piece is turning out better than the previous. The Bad Lad is no trailer queen at all, but it sure gets looks and thumbs up :TU::TU::TU: Hope Geoff is enjoying that Tampa weather... take a run over to Ybor City for some adult fun and a stogie on me! YOU are a BUM! Other than that, still waiting for O.J. to show up; first he was tired, now he's sick, poor kid.... Axle should be ready tomorrow so I can get my fat ass back under the car and finish where the kid left off! TOODLES.................. Bill in TR
Thanks James, and thanks for looking in too! I gotta feeling theres a lot of closet lookers here, but don't ever be afraid to say howdee! Bill in TR
SUCCESS!!! The shop got me the axle by noon and got it in with about .015" of end play. No Charge BTW. Got a bunch of other stuff done since O.J. was here. Gramma Pat got to watch the 12 month old progeny and now shes' wooped. Im glad she don't have any kids. Its actually worse... shes got adults LOL... ou:ou:ou:ou:ou: Anyways, got the fender insides painted, and re-tapped all the fastener threads on the cowl and inner fender. As soon as the paint dries, we gonna start assembly... I hope! Bill in TR
Missed a few days in the shop... getting old sure sucks, but still beats the alternative. Been on alprazolam (Xanax) for about 3 years due to insomnia and garage rage (!). Doctor wants me off so he prescribes (a) new anti-depressant taken at bedtime, and (B) a stupid cholesterol drug (atorvastatin) for "marginally" above normal LDL levels. He gave me a 7% chance of a heart attack in the next 10 years otherwise. Hmmm. So far I slept about 2 broken hours last night and couldn't get the motor started on the kick starter today. Wanted to snooze all day but stared at the TV instead. I guess younger doctors feel the need to keep trying to fix what aint broken until it is. Hope tomorrow is more fruitful than the last two days were... Last time out, got the drivers side fender assembled, and started to align the door, but gave up on that and remounted the rear skins and put the car on the ground so gravity is with me and not aggin' me. The wife said she'll run the ratchet tomorrow while I twist the door around. I cant lift, align and tighten bolts at the same time... damned old man! Bill in TR Even adding some stainless steel fender washers; why not eh???
So after a 300 mile ride cross country in a deuce and a half, the G.I.s were gettin' kinda cranky... "Sarge, my ass is killing me. When are we gonna get there?" "Ahhh, kwitcher belly aching, or Ill take them seat pads away from ya..." Anyone remember these? Its from WWII and stenciled "ALL purpose, convoy, bottom. This one is out in my green house (smoking shed) and frozen solid. Id hate to sit on it without first warming it up. At minus 20 right now (windchill) I felt like Robert Byrd hiking to the pole... Betcha he was wishing he had a real heater with him after a month of frozen bottoms... Bill in TR And now, back to our regularly scheduled program...
Finally manned up and hacked the rotten inner fender end off with the cut off grinder today. A million measurements and they were all different. Hmmm. Slid the new piece over the old one and scribed a line. Pulled it off and scribed another parallel line 1-1/2" below it for an overlap. Clamped it and adjusted it for a 90% fit. Screwed it for now to check the fit on the car. Once its welded its too darn permanent. Cleaned some bolts and painted them for next time. Ready to Hangem' High next time out. Bill in TR
I enjoy watching your progress And reading your blog Be careful with that Xanax. My Dad got addicted to the stuff.
Thanks James, and thanks for your concern... being a child of the sixties, Ive seen addicts come and go. Had several monkey's of my own on my back. The Dr. is concerned (!) about the same thing, and what he prescribed was even worse. I told him that being 60 and addicted to something that works is my burden to deal with. I also added that Id rather have a prescription, be under a Dr.s supervision, and have my expensive insurance pay for it instead of going over to the south side of town and seeing the man in the Escalade for the same thing. He didn't get the punchline. Poor guy is pretty dry. I always try to inject some levity in our conversations; life is only as serious as you make it. I find the insomnia and road rage way more difficult to deal with than popping a little blue pill twice a day. I haven't had a drink in 25 years but now find that I am addicted to a locally brewed dark beer. Its called Moon Man from a New Glarus Wi. brewery. I hate beer, but with this stuff they use the flowers from the hopps with the mix and it tastes like springtime. Weird huh? Time for that pill, and a beer that's been in the freezer for 14 minutes and a frozen mug made from boiling water 24 hours ago. Shower and lounge for the rest of tonight. Retirement is really tuff, ya know??? ;-)) Bill in TR
Boy... that went over like a turd in a punch bowl... too many doctors here?? LOL... Anyhow, the wife has agreed to get me a pair of new door handles for this winters project before the interior panels go etc etc... Nows the time! Anyone have a good lead (don't even mention TPP Please!). Ive seen several sets that run the gamut from $40-150.00 on edog regularly. These appear to be 2 complete replacements with gaskets and hardware etc. One set has the STRAIGHT pins on the thumb button that push on the paddle activator inside the door. Ive had both of mine apart for service; they both have bent rods, with the passenger side opening with a silky smooth "touch" with the thumb, yet the drivers side still needs a hammer and a center punch to open, then a karate chop to pop the button back out. I figure if I hafta get another 10 stitches, new handles are going on. SUGGESTIONS PLEASE! Bill in TR http://www.ebay.com/itm/271558561986?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT http://www.ebay.com/itm/150979961791?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT http://www.ebay.com/itm/271772043943?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chevelle-Ca...B3q%2BYcsfB%2FHourEDU%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc
Come On !!! Anyone had good, bad or ugly experiences with replacement door handle? Im ready to order... Bill in TR
A bit testy this AM Bill? OK...I haven't bought repro handles for my 70. but I have done a lot of research on them. First...I might suggest that your sticking problem may actually be due to the door latch, and not the handle. The handles are pretty simple. and unless they are really worn, they work. There should be an oring on the handle button, it's only 1/8" or something, but will cut the distance the button travels and keep the button further back in the handle where it's supported better. OK...GS handles are a different animal than Chevelle, GTO, Corvette, Nova, etc. Many peeps think a GM handle is a GM handle and it's not true. Some handles won't sit horizontal or fit right on a GS car. Also...this is complicated by by GM superceding the handle # like 6 times with the newest numbers being like universal handles to reduce inventory. The first handles were "fat" handles and those have been replaced by skinnier handles. That said...be careful what you buy. There seem to be 2 types, a cheaper repro and a better repro. The better repro is made by Trim Parts, includes the buttons with bent rods, etc. Expect to pay at least high 80's up for those. The cheaper ones will be a lot less, if you are not paying at least 90.00, you are probably getting the cheap ones. How they fit and work I can't say. The general consensus is to have originals re-chromed at a cost of 65.-150. depending on who does them, how much work they need, if you do the buttons, etc. That's for one. Finally... you need to consider that GSX stripe...something about the stripe and the handle and how the lines + angles interact...I don't know, but I know Duane has mentioned this before. It's all food for thought and you can think it over. Jeez' Bill...try to have a good day, OK???
HEY MAN... MY TESTES ARE JUST FINE! Actually having a pretty good day after those bad meds earlier this week. It felt like a nightmare on 9th street. Thanks for that valuable input Frank. That's exactly what I am looking for. I had the handles off and serviced them and they both glide like silk drawers. The o-rings (weather seals) around the buttons are new, but the retainer that you push in and give 1/4 turn to release the assembly seems a bit worn. In yer hand they are both really smooth, but installed that drivers side feels like its binding. Off the car, I can stick my finger in the hole (!) and push the tab with about 5 lbs of pressure and the door pops open. Its gotta be the handle. If somebody can direct me to a good replacement, Id really appreciate it. Im in the home stretch and hate to send a worn unit out for chrome and be out for 6 months. I have 2 spares off some other doors, but they are pitted even for my standards. I should try one, but getting a size 15 hand up in that hole is a nightmare! So now both front fenders are hung on the core support with care, in hopes that some alignment will fit by a hair. The wife (heart) gave me a hand this morning, and a few "hip bumps" shifted the core support and put the stuff pretty close. Got most of the bolts in loose, and after some shimming, it looks like the doors will need to go in at the front. That's the easy one; the height is good on the cowl. Ran outa time as we have a benefit dinner tonite at 5pm. The PO had piles of rusty washers/shims to make it before, and now it looks like the shimming will be cut in half. Im in on that one! The core support stuff I made appears to actually line up and a minimal amount of force has found all the bolts running down by finger. Just a matter of some tweaking and we'll be in the game. Bill in TR
Bill: I was able to catch up today. Looking like a car again. You should be proud of your work. Stay warm! Going to be 39 degrees here one night this week. Ugh!! I was able to convince the Mrs to go to a car show this past Sun in downtown Clearwater. Saw one 72 GS455 vert owned by "John Wheeler", but never saw him near the car. He left before I could talk to him. On Sat saw a 72 Suncoupe with a GS hood in a hotel parking lot in Dunedin, but never saw that owner either. UticaGeoff
Hey Geoff... STAY WARM!! Got a pal that's a body guy gonna come over and align this bastard! I guess with all the core support stuff I did and new hinges too, that a dry run was worth it. Now the doors need to slide forward 3/16" and theres a special wrench to access the cowl bolts for the hinges. It easier to pop the fenders off.. all new oiled bolts etc. Bill in TR http://www.ebay.com/itm/KENT-MOORE-...1474600395&pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&vxp=mtr
So what a practice run between friends? Got the front fenders back off... all new oilded and tapped holes really helped and kept them itemized per side. BUT... since the fenders are off theres no better time to replace the mud flaps on the inners. The old ones are very much like a FIBROUS asphalt shingle that were de-composing. That, plus them damn spring steel staples were a PAIN to remove... saved one and used it for a template and cut new ones outa some rubber sheeting I had. Laid them out and used stainless steel pop rivets I had left over from the boat jobs... TOO BAD JUDGES LOL...:bla::bla: Bill in TR
