That car is in the 13's?? wow...maybe I should be doing a stock-appearing build on mine:laugh: Alan, I thought I told you not to let the cat outta the bag.:rant:
Today, I took a stick of dynamite to the car. Some parts came off without a struggle, others...didn't. Ya think the radiator had a leak? I hope my guy can at least use the tanks to recore it. I talked to a glass guy a few days ago, and he gave me some pointers on how the front and rear windows come out. So...I took the plunge and went for it. The front windshield was already cracked, so I did it first to get an idea of how exactly they are installed. Of course, I made a mess of it. The garbage man now owns it. It's only $500, right? I cut the rubber gasket out around the outside of the rear window, and it came out pretty easily. Thank God.. Question 1: Is this insulation in the balancer pulley supposed to be there?? Question 2: What is the AC box made of? It appears to be some sort of plastic/styrofoam/crap. I will need to figure out how to repair it, since it's nicked up pretty good. Question 3: Are all heater boxes covered in this worthless fiberglass insulation shell??
You kind of have to wonder if that fiberglass is really asbestos. Back then they insulated everything with it. Dont feel bad about the front shield. Once they're cracked, its imposssible to remove them intact. The rear glass should be tempered, so its way harder to break it!
O the humanity! It's a good thing us sprinkler men make so much money we can afford projects like that! You, my friend, are a brave man. Frank
Hopefully, the industrial and government/school projects will keep the money flowing, because the residential install market has vaporized here as of last August. :shock: Lots of ball fields and right-of-ways getting irrigated this year:laugh:
After what seems like forever, I was able to get in the garage today. I rejetted the carburetor for the Centurion and tuned it before I did any work on the 58. I'm close to being happy with that car now I started pulling a few random parts off the engine and cleaned/painted them before I stored them in the basement. I made some decent progress, although looking at the car as it sits, I've only scratched the "complete" surface.
Unfortunately, no. I am currently trying to find someone local I can become good buddies with:laugh: One of the few "Mr. 58"'s, Gene Reynolds, has guided me through some areas with this car that will help me out with managing such a project. He was gracious enough to find the best taillight louvers in his stash and send them to me for a VERY reasonable price. So I actually have something decent to work with now, instead of the horrible pot metal this car came with. He's also trying to hunt down a couple nice rear door panel ashtrays, as mine are really bad. I have come to expect that just the bumpers alone will run close to $2k. If I can polish my own stainless, I think I can keep the chrome bill around the $5-7k mark. Maybe it's time to put the 71 on ebay:laugh: I forgot to say: Since I managed to save my rear winshield and put it safely in the basement on a carpeted floor...somehow, it just spontaneously exploded. I wnet downstairs early last week, and walked into a pile of tempered glass, shaped in the curve of a back window. There is no indication of why it broke, but I have to imagine it was in a bind on the carpet or something. I'm really bummed about that.
Adam repeat after me, "Lord if you will just get me through this, I promise I will never do this again!!!"
Ask anyone who has had to chrome a 58, and they'll tell you the same thing:laugh: I got a trunk lid, speedometer, and a power steering reservoir cap today. But I didn't get anywhere with the car itself.
On eaby now with three days left check; http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1958...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories
I have seen these... I can't pay $175 for a pair of ashtrays. I'll sand and paint mine before I pay that:laugh: Thanks for the lead, though. I always have my eyes open!
Alex, glad to see you aboard! Adam, keep up the good work. You can't turn back now so just keep going!!!
Adam, I am glad you finally got your dream car project! Looks like its coming along nicely! I cant wait to see the finished results! Keep up the good work! Those door panels are amazing too!
Well, at least you got the good glass out without breakage! Great job! I have to have the front windshield removed in my '72 Caprice wagon (same window as your '71 Centurion) to have it resealed and I am afraid that even the glass shop may crack it... I am hoping to save the original windshield.
Shaffer, the rear windshield broke when it was sitting in the basement, so I no longer have any good front or rear glass. I can't believe it's been almost a month since I posted an update. I've been working some insane hours lately. I'm trying to get the body ready to come off the frame, so I've been cutting an welding today. I got the rear passenger side rocker panel repaired, but the front is going to be another fun job. I also need to get the passenger side floors repaired. Then I'll be ready to pull it off the frame.
