Projects 1955 Pontiac Star Chief: ChiefResurrection

Very wise advice.

 

It would have been a crime to crush that car as it did not create the hard feelings. I'm sure it would not have been the first old car destroyed for the same reason. You are really lucky they had a change of heart (congrats) and do her justice.

 

Thanks so much Sisco Kid, yes indeed I am sure many have gone to the crusher due to bitter feelings. Really lucky that at least one of the family members thought to give it to me instead of scrapping it.

 

Update

No introductions, the old warrior speaks:

The Old Warrior Wakes! by Bishop Schulz posted Jun 29, 2019 at 4:15 PM

 

Good for you.

 

Fantastic, you have proven persistence pays off ,plus help from the HAMB.

 

Totally agree that the HAMB was instrumental for a health wake-up for the old warrior.

Now to list out the next steps before a good first drive!

 

Purrs like a Pontiac

 

Hails and Updates!

Yes @loudbang it purrs, its amazing, only similar sounding quiet was a 52 chevy 210 with a blue flame, purring...never expected that out of a V8.

Next steps, brakes!

Rear passenger drum has a deep score, was fairly easy to pull off...looks like the shoes are ready for a change but not imploded.

20190630_111759.rear_drum by Bishop Schulz posted Jun 30, 2019 at 12:23 PM

20190630_111804.rear_innerds by Bishop Schulz posted Jun 30, 2019 at 12:23 PM

Adjuster looks okay but is rusted into one solid piece.

20190630_111819.drum_adjuster by Bishop Schulz posted Jun 30, 2019 at 12:23 PM

Innards of the cylinder and spring assembly

20190630_111823.drum_upper_innards by Bishop Schulz posted Jun 30, 2019 at 12:23 PM

20190630_112009.coming_apart01 by Bishop Schulz posted Jun 30, 2019 at 12:23 PM

20190630_112018.cylinder_close by Bishop Schulz posted Jun 30, 2019 at 12:23 PM

....well the inside of the cylinder is questionable and will be replaced.

20190630_112359.trashed_cylinder by Bishop Schulz posted Jun 30, 2019 at 12:23 PM

 

I bet I could just add the autoadjuster fiddly bits from a newer car to this old setup and it would adjust and work fine...hmm...

...i do not relish the idea of adjusting the brakes every 10k miles or less by hand.

 

Um the master cylinder is a nightmare to get to? I only see trying to squeeze my big mits in from the engine compartment, no way in heck i can see how to get a wrench on the cap...wth?

 

Get the service manual!

 

"I bet I could just add the autoadjuster fiddly bits from a newer car to this old setup and it would adjust and work fine...hmm..."
63,64 Pontiac & Olds for sure. Likely Chebby & Buick as well. Threads here on da HAMB.

 

hey what was the answer to the no start?

 

Hails @poncho catalina, the no start was a bad ignition wire, the start wire had +, but in the normal run position it was dead.

I believe it may have been my fault, wrecking the ignition switch by hooking up the battery backwards, and jumping the coil from the proper pole but then basically grounding out the system using the ignition switch as an accidental fuse.

I'll run a spare wire and use it to ignite the coil while running, it will give a theft deter ant step to starting right? hehe.

 

Update

All the brake parts in the world are coming, new hoses, cylinders, fiddly bits, and shoes.

Once the brakes are done, and I struggle to fill the master cylinder...ill bleed it and it should be good to stop.

So that covers go and stop.

Oh and by the way, after starting it and letting it come to running heat and good action from the thermostat, no leaks anywhere except some spitting from the water pump...it will need a replace (SpeedWay motors has them for under a hundred bucks).

Once I did let it come to speed, I could NOT resist, placed it in drive and poped into gear nicely and moved forward, ran it through all the gears in my long driveway as well as reverse to put it back to where I started.

Power steering works great and doesn't leak!

So go, stop, move, and steer are all good here in a day or two!!!

 

Update, pre-shake down drive

Things on the agenda next now that we are mostly mobile, the goal is to do this then put in a good solid drive or drives and tick the odometer about 100 miles:

• Set the timing
• Bleed the brakes
• Lube the emergency brake lines
• Check/repack front bearings
• Check/repack rear bearings
• Replace the shocks
• Replace the tires (including spare)
• Actually wash the Chief, I have not done this and its got a coat at least 30 years old of moss/dust/dirt

Needs: Drivers mirror is broken off its pedestal, so ill need another

 

Update

Happy 4th to those that celebrate it, our Chief was center stage and hasnt been loved this much in far too long, a part of the family the Chief is! About 20 of us on the 4th, we all listened to the Chiefs 8 cylinder heart, marveled at the cool glowing hood light, and raised a pint to his resurrection!

20190704_225054.part_of_family by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 5, 2019 at 8:32 AM

!

 

Update

Today, brake shenanigans begin!!!

20190706_121636.brake Parts Arrive by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 7, 2019 at 9:24 AM

 

Update

Today working on replacing the rear brakes, wheel cylinders, springs, hold downs, all the bits with a new adjuster too.

Overall I was surprised that it went as easy as it did, not one seized bold or bit, notoriously when changing all this gear out, invariably the brake lines are rusted solid and unbolting them results in a twisted and useless brake line.

Not in this case, lucky so for, this went well!

20190630_111759.rear_drum by Bishop Schulz posted Jun 30, 2019 at 12:23 PM

20190630_111804.rear_innerds by Bishop Schulz posted Jun 30, 2019 at 12:23 PM

20190630_111823.drum_upper_innards by Bishop Schulz posted Jun 30, 2019 at 12:23 PM

And now for assembly, cleaning, scrubbing, and hope for a low threshold of four letter word work!

First peak from behind, needs a steel brush to clean some things, but not bad.

20190706_122146.old_view_cylinder by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 7, 2019 at 9:24 AM

The cylinder is really rotted in the bores

20190630_112359.trashed_cylinder by Bishop Schulz posted Jun 30, 2019 at 12:23 PM

New cylinder in place after a couple 1/2 inch bolts and a 7/16 brake line nut

20190706_130234.cylinder_in by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 7, 2019 at 9:24 AM

ALWAYS check the brake pads before installing, the holes should line up, be the same size and the pads themselves, check the width. Sometimes on older rigs, one shoe had more material or a longer wrap around the shoe, this is the leading shoe and belongs on the front facing side of the install.

20190706_130703.old And New Shoes by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 7, 2019 at 9:24 AM

New sparkly gear in place, surprised that only two cup spring hold downs are used in the install...ive always seen four used but with the clamping power of the hold down and two purple springs, I don't fear anything going sideways here....if it was good in 55, it should still be okay if used the same way.

20190706_133310.dressed With New. by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 7, 2019 at 9:24 AM

And with the refreshed drum in place

20190706_135828.dressed With Drum by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 7, 2019 at 9:24 AM

Drivers side was equally easy to disassemble. A shame so many spiders and bugs have lost their old home, but it does need to go back together somewhat cleaned.

20190706_152426.cylinder2 Remove Line by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 7, 2019 at 9:24 AM

All bare and ready for new gear. I took the option of not cleaning these 100% and painting, I want the car to be pristine in its coat of age, i'd rather not shine up part of the undercarriage without doing it all.

20190706_152440.side 2 Dismantled by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 7, 2019 at 9:24 AM

And with all the sparkles in place

20190706_155851.side2 Dressed by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 7, 2019 at 9:24 AM

Thanks all for coming along on these rear brakes, next up, the fronts! Next week.

 

Update

Since I am a bagpiper, at times one must season their bag. I use an elk hide bag, somewhat old fashioned but rugged indeed.

20190707_094623.seasoning by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 7, 2019 at 9:48 AM

 

Nice work! I've been following along and appreciate your restraint. Preservation is not a bad thing, sometimes.
A minor suggestion when you do the front brakes, a plain straw whisk broom does wonders on the inside and outside of those backing plates before you reload them, and doesn't blow asbestos dust all over the room.
Carry on!

 

Great idea, i have a nice whisk for this. Since it has only 42k miles, I would suspect that the brakes were changed only once...and probably back in the 60's so theres no telling whats in those shoes.

Today the gear for the fronts should arrive, I hope to get to these soon! Cheers!

 

Update

Friday night Shenanigans! Brakes!

Laying out the surgical table.

20190712_152631.brake_shenanigans by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 12, 2019 at 10:30 PM

Nice hub caps!

20190712_153052.wheel by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 12, 2019 at 10:30 PM

Rim is dirty, hasnt been removed since 1975.

20190712_153236.dirty_rim by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 12, 2019 at 10:30 PM

Heres what collects under a wheel after a LOT of years.

20190712_153243.dirty_drum by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 12, 2019 at 10:30 PM

Check out that sway bar linkage and its crumbling rubber.

20190712_153247.dirty_drum by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 12, 2019 at 10:30 PM

Hose has been scrubbed and sprayed with PB blaster to loosen and persuade the nuts to loosen.

20190712_154623.scrubbed_hose by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 12, 2019 at 10:30 PM

 

Update

A bit more front brake shenanigans!

Cap off and bearings look okay, the old grease is more like thin pudding, not chunky and still decent.

20190712_154626.bearings by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 12, 2019 at 10:30 PM

Pulled the drum

20190712_155432.drumOff by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 12, 2019 at 10:30 PM

Pins will need to be reused after a really thorough cleaning.

20190712_160258.cylinder_pins by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 12, 2019 at 10:30 PM

Cylinder gets to come out next

20190712_160331.hardware_off by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 12, 2019 at 10:30 PM

Backside of the cylinder is a bit spidery and messy.

20190712_160403.back_look by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 12, 2019 at 10:34 PM

Scrubbed and sprayed with PB blaster to loosen and persuade it to be nice to me.

20190712_160735.pb_blaster_magic by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 12, 2019 at 10:34 PM

Ooo the insides are awful, glad I have new ones in hand.

20190712_160813.crumbly_cylinder by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 12, 2019 at 10:34 PM

Ack that is a mess, they don't move...what a surprise.

20190712_160902.inside_cylinder by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 12, 2019 at 10:34 PM

Hose is off with a little coaxing.

20190712_172130.hose_off by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 12, 2019 at 10:34 PM

Rebuildable? naw.

20190712_172344.yuck by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 12, 2019 at 10:34 PM

You can hear it here too, ew!

Hose is split and will be replaced with new. Rockauto had new ones for 6 bucks each, made here in the US, nice!

20190712_172347.old_hose by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 12, 2019 at 10:34 PM

Bare and ready to be scrubbed.

20190712_172404.bare_plate by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 12, 2019 at 10:34 PM

Sway bar will get some love since I am here anyway. A new set of polyurethane bushings will help keep the tires in bumpy harmony.

20190712_174119.old_new_sway by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 12, 2019 at 10:34 PM

Good trick, make sure you always grease these things before assembly unless you love the chorus of squeaks to announce your arrival or fly by.

20190712_174311.no_squeek by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 12, 2019 at 10:36 PM

 

Update

Stuck, dead, beyond me...really frustrating.

Take a look, the yellow arrow points to the rusted solid cap of the brake master cylinder. Its a power brake unit so it sits pretty far forward compared to a normal one...so far forward that there is only 1 inch of clearance above the nue and it is directly under the steering column...so no sockets will get in there.

20190714_105033.wayDownThere by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 14, 2019 at 12:41 PM

Underneath i could get a crescent wrench on it, but only two fingers can reach into the narrow space to the amount of effort to turn the rusty bolt would take the magic of Moses to move.

I'm going to have to call in the cavalry for this, my pals at Mad Max Cars who build cars for hollywood and enthusiasts should be able to provide the rescue I need. https://www.facebook.com/MadMaxCars/

 

Update

Drivers front side brake shenanigans and they sadly, the STOP, the master cylinder filler cap that is not turnable and barely reachable.

20190713_143337driversFrontStart. by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 14, 2019 at 2:06 PM

20190713_143455.firstPeak by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 14, 2019 at 2:06 PM

First time in about 50 years that this tire has been off let alone the brake drum!

20190713_143938.LargeViewWithHose by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 14, 2019 at 2:06 PM

20190713_143930.drumBackside by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 14, 2019 at 2:06 PM

Sway bar link is a little crusty

20190713_143942.swayBarLink by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 14, 2019 at 2:06 PM

Cleaning up the old plate

20190713_144616.wetdownCleaning by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 14, 2019 at 2:06 PM

The old wheel cylinder was a mess, just as the others were...pebbly dirt, rust and some oozing fluid.

20190713_144817.rustyCylinder by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 14, 2019 at 2:06 PM

20190713_144832.rustyCylinder by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 14, 2019 at 2:06 PM

Well the brake line was weak, it twisted off inside the boxed frame. Lucky this was the shortest and easiest to replace of all of the lines.

20190713_163915.twistedBits by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 14, 2019 at 2:10 PM

Bought a 20 inch, cut it to 16, gave it two bends and matched it up as best as i could to the original.

20190713_163915.twistedBits by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 14, 2019 at 2:10 PM

20190713_190039.newLineBent by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 14, 2019 at 2:10 PM

The new line had to be thread through the boxed car frame and then flipped around so the end could come out the tiny hole to attach to the rubber hose that goes to the wheel cylinder.

20190713_190235.tightSpace by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 14, 2019 at 2:10 PM

20190713_191722.newLineIn by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 14, 2019 at 2:10 PM

20190713_195218.allTight by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 14, 2019 at 2:10 PM

Splitter for the fluid (manifold), you can see the new hose up on top there.

20190713_192650.newLine by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 14, 2019 at 2:10 PM

New hose at the plate.

20190713_195225.blackPlateNew by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 14, 2019 at 2:10 PM

 

Update

More front brake details

Broken brake line, twisted up nicely, and its fix:


New cylinder in

20190713_195232.frontNew by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 14, 2019 at 2:10 PM

New shoes on, slick!

20190713_195926.frontNew by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 14, 2019 at 2:10 PM

All buttoned up

20190713_200355.allinnerdsDone by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 14, 2019 at 2:12 PM

About to clean the drum! A glove over the bearings keeps bits from getting inside.

20190713_201314.aboutToClean by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 14, 2019 at 2:12 PM

Drum clean! Freash coat of whatever color I had spare.

20190713_202802.drumRollPlease by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 14, 2019 at 2:12 PM

Packed with grease, need a washer and but and cap.

20190713_203305.drumOn by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 14, 2019 at 2:12 PM

Done! Onto the master cylinder flush and bleed.

20190713_203844.done by Bishop Schulz posted Jul 14, 2019 at 2:12 PM

 

Don't you intend to replace the master cylinder also? Now is the time to do that and the rest of the brake lines, so you know it will stop when you need it to! You're doing a good job of taking care of the important stuff, no time to short cut the build.

 

Great job so far! Thank you for documenting all of this, I will be doing the same to my 56 olds super 88. Did that come with factory power brakes? I wonder if that master and booster will work on my olds?