Located an older shop that still has an Amco brake lathe so now I can get the front Buick drums turned. Yesterday I pulled the drums and hubs off. I am using the full Buick brake system where the hubs were originally pinned or riveted to the drums. Since mine are not I am going to pin them so we can spin the entire piece without compromise. Pulled them off for the zillionth time Drilled the hub out to 1/4 for a countersunk bolt Now I need to source some correct bolts and bolt these together. Tomorrow we will turn these and see how that turns out. Then I can put the new shoes on and finally get the brakes adjusted on the front.
I'm so cheap that I used the old shoes from the Buick and didn't even turn the drums. New wheel cylinders, though.
Ha, I am using one used set that are in good shape. These are the 2 1/2 inch shoes that apparently you can't source anymore. I have access to an old brake rivet machine with plenty of rivets if I could find the linings I would be in good shape.
A little update on what has been happening with this inspection crap. After multiple calls and a lot of wasted time to the state it appeared that DMV is going to drag it's feet regarding establishing a new SR inspection facility near me. It now appeared that I was left using a rollback to a distant station at considerable cost. Yesterday I spoke to one of the brothers that runs the body shop where the inspections are done. Being a hotrodder himself with three rods he offered to come to me to do the inspection for a much smaller fee which I jumped on with both feet. So, this Friday John is coming at 9 am to do the inspection and after that I should be able to get this thing plated. Finally! Cudos to John who was willing to drive 3 hours round trip to help out an old hotrodder.
The inspector showed up and passed the car without any issues. With the signed doc's in hand I moved on now to get to the DMV, not as easy as one would like. Appt only basis and the earliest appt was Tuesday the 31st. More waiting!! Actually went pretty smooth once I showed up for my appt. Took about ten minutes, all the doc's were in order and we sailed thru effortlessly. And the agent went with low retail as a value which was surprising and saved me some valuable coin. Now with plate and reg in hand I started the insurance game that afternoon. Almost as bad as the DMV. Back and forth with doc's and signatures and then more back and forth. Finally get it all sent up to the underwriter and then more waiting. Gues Grundy was down to one underwriter who was overworked a bit delaying things further. Yesterday I received the conformation and binder so it was now time to see this thing move inder it own power down the road. That being said, threw some 91 octane in it and fired it up. Ran it up to my buddy's shop to check the toe and take him for a ride. Engine performed well, ride a bit stiff though and the steering is a bit of a disaster. Back to the shop and adjust the lash. Still a wild ride. Way too much free play in the wheel on the road. Constantly steering left and right to keep it going straight. Might be the mystery Mopar box that I had given to me years ago. It came from a race car so who knows the history. Going to speak to Lares this morning about it. Gauges are acting funky, no gas or temp but oil working fine. Took the gas sender out and it checks out fine but at full position it only reads half on the gauge but if you ground the sender it will go to full. Research last night on the Ford truck forum would indicate that the ICVR might be suspect. It is an original 68 Ford unit. Might just replace that first to see if there is any improvement. Then there is the oil leak that showed up dripping on the floor under the starter. It appears it is coming from the rear corner of the valve cover. Will look into that today when I get into the shop. Pavers are coming to do the driveway today so it is going to be busy here for a bit. Pulled some plugs, they look a bit lean. For now running in economy mode with one 97 that has 48 jets. Might have to move up a notch or two....we will see. All in all it went fairly well. Biggest concern is that steering mess right now. She is a bit scary to drive, correction..a lot scary to drive perhaps
So, been trying to sort out some issues. Taken a couple of breakdown rides and still having steering issues. have tightened up the lash on the box but still plagued with steering issues. Upon further review with the assistance of a friend we found that the axle is flexing when steering the car. We noticed that while turning the wheel in the garage that the left wheel starts to move but the connecting tie rod to the right barely moves. Looking close at this you can see the axle at the top of the king pin is flexing up to 1/8-3/16" in either direction. This axle came with the project car when I bought it. It is one of those shorter custom axles that usually is intended for fendered A's to set the tires inside more to avoid tire scrub I am told. It's point of origin was never known although the PO thought that it was a Socal but it has no manufacturing marks. I suspect it is junk and am not ar all comfortable with it certianly in light of the "flex". Now I am going to grab a dropped Henry piece from Andy over in Williamsport which means a longer spring and a longer connecting rod and more delays! Ha, fun with hot rods. More later......
Keep the reports coming. Seems we keep beating our heads against the wall because it feels good when we stop.
Spoke with Andy at Kohler Customs. He is out with Covid for the week. I am going to send him a good A axle that he will drop and ship back to me but it will most likely be 2-3 weeks before that happens. In the meantime I will order a new spring.
Axle got to Andy last Wednesday. Waiting on word from him. In the meantime, I have had to make a longer pitman arm to get it parallel with the wishbone in an effort to minimize my bump steer. It seems very long now and I am not very happy with it. I may raise the steering arm and inch and a half and shorten the pitman by the same to see if it looks better. I have not driven the car yet. This week I am stuck in the garage as the town is relacing the walks and my driveway entrance is under construction. Yesterday I changed the mounting of the rear shocks and changed the rear spring. Was way too tight. Seems to be smoother now. We will see how it goes as soon as I can get out of the garage. I noticed that the pilot light on the directional is not bright enough to see while driving so I disconnected the "L" lead from the flasher and ran a 18 ga wire up thru the windshield post to a red signal light that fit in the header gap. Now it clearly signals me when the flasher is in use since my eye level is pretty dam close to the top of the header! I may have been a bit aggressive with the chop. Could drop the seat but I will have to eliminate my hidden cup holder from under the seat first. Thinking on this one.
Update! My axle is still in hot rod jail at Kohler's. For a multitude of reasons Andy cannot get the time to drop it so I am waiting as the summer driving time slides by. Ordered a new Posies spring for the front. It has been setting here for a month waiting on the axle along with me. In the meantime, I have been chasing a water leak with the intake. I believe that the intake which I purchased from another member has been cut for another application as it appears to be leaking or seeping slightly along the lower portion of the intake where it seals against the heads. Perhaps it needs some machining to get it square with the heads. I have already replaced the gaskets, but it still seeps about a 1/4 cup of antifreeze each time the engine is run up to temps. I have a 4x2 intake as a backup and about a dozen 97's that are ready to use so I could switch intakes if necessary, but I would rather not at this time. Will keep you updated as we progress.
Andy sent me a text this morning. Says he is shipping my axle to me on Thursday, so things are looking up. I made a new higher steering arm yesterday that is 3 inches higher so I can shorten my pitman arm. That should help the steering effort. Seems there is a lot of varying degrees of thought depending on who you are speaking with regard to the radius rod and drag link set up. Many say it needs to be parallel, others not so much. It is all about the angle and arcs which i know need to be the same in their travel. It requires a lot of thought and trial and error and even then, it will never be perfect I suspect but I have to try before making a major change in steering.
I haven't been to a NSRA show in years. Used to go to all that we could attend but that was back in the 80's. Been to OK, MN, TN, SC, KY, OH but stopped going in the 90's. I think in Oct we have to be in Ky visiting my son so I bet that will coincide with the show.
Update! My axle showed up, so I tore the front end off the car in preparation for the changeover. Threw the axle in a citrus bath for 2 days to clean the old rust off. Actually, worked quite well. Then hit it with a quick pass of black beauty to get the pin holes clean, primed it and shot some black on. Installed my new Posies spring and the bones. Put it all back on the car and set the spindle height at the previous ride height. Top of the spindle boss had 11 degrees of caster with the rear at ride height. Pulled it all apart first to add a spacer for a bit more lift since the frame was hitting the spring on deflection. Then reinstalled the axle to check it again. Frame does not hit but again way too much caster. Raised the bones to get an idea of what it would take to get the caster improved. It took 3 inches of travel to correct the caster which also took a lot of bind out of the spring. Removed the bones and made up a jig that held the perch bolt attached to the bone. Marked the center of the long end position then rotated the bone to a position 3 inches away. Then using a straight edge the width of the bone by the perch I followed the same arc to determine the size of the pie cut (1/4"). Taped off the bone and scribed the arc on the tape then cut the pie out on my band saw. Tacked the mouth shut and checked them on the car. Caster now at 5.3 degrees according to my cheap ass digital Crafstman level. Then had to make up longer drag links and a pan hard bar but finally got it all back together this past Tuesday. Set the toe and took it out for a test ride. It is like a new car. Steers effortlessly, tracks as you would expect and amazingly, I felt no bump steer, although I am certain it is still there. But it seems manageable for the short term. Brought the car back to the shop and pulled the diff out. Yanked the 290 out and put the 350 in but now I am waiting for a silly o ring for the pinion retainer. That won't be here until Tuesday. At least I now know that the diff is out of a 57 Ford as it uses the large pinion yoke seal unlike the newer versions. And so it goes. More progress and we are gaining in small steps. Hope to be back on the road Wed/Thursday.
Well, driving season has come to a screeching halt so I have been preparing for the "redo" of this project. First on the list is changing over to cross steering eliminating the cowl steering that has been the subject of much conversation. I rounded up a Saginaw 525 box from a Jeep at a very reasonable price on that auction site. Tore it apart to inspect it, cleaned all the internals and bead blasted the other parts while I was at it. Replaced the two seals and bearings and reassembled it. Box was a "bit" cruddy but it all cleaned up well I have removed all the existing pieces including the pedals to gain some room to work. Picked up a chunk of 1 3/4 exhaust pipe that I will use as the new mast along with a couple new sealed bearings. Also purchased a length of 3/4 cold rolled. Bought one of those Vega box mounts which will make it a bit easier to mount the box on the side of the frame. Looks to be pretty tight as it needs to share space with my motor mount but it will have to do. Spent a lot of time trying to get all the angles right for connecting the shaft to the box and still have a comfortable feel with the steering wheel. Compromised a little here as I have a straight front firewall and an angled floorboard so I have to go thru two sections to place the steering rod into the engine bay. Decided it would be best to just cut out a section of the angled floorboard to get an accurate idea of where to make the exit hole for the shaft in the firewall. Holding pattern for now until my shaft joints come in then I should be able to mock all of it up.
Snuck out to the shop this morning and got a few things done. I test fit the column with a temporary column drop to get the appropriate angle that should allow the shaft to run to the box thru two ujoints without binding. Then I had to enlarge the hole in the floor in order to drill a test hole thru the firewall Made up a template for the size of the hole I feel I would need. It appears to allow the shaft enough room at the angle that it is at (39*) to pass thru the firewall unhindered I center punched where the new hole needs to go and drilled a test hole. Then ran a 1 1/8 hole saw thru there and ended up with this Mocked up the box again and doubled check the angles. it appears it will all come together once I get my new ujoints. That is it for today. Switching gears now and working on "the honey do list" for the remainder of the day
The column bearing came this morning, so I inserted that and picked up a couple of collar locks to go on each end. Spent a lot of time looking things over and measuring. Decided to cut a larger section out of the floor and to remove all the wiring. It was just too close to the shaft and on the wrong side, so I disconnected all the wiring which of course meant removing the grill and the headlights. Then I pulled all the wiring back into the cab which allowed me to square up that floor hole in preparation for making a new insert that will incorporate a hole for the column and a new hole for the wiring which will move the wiring more to the right and out of the way of the new column. Pic above is a test fit but does not have the hole for the wiring or speedo cable. I am now waiting for my ujoints to come so I can fit up everything before tacking anything in place. Forecast calling for 4 inches of the fluffy white stuff. First snow of the season so I most likely won't get much done for the next couple days.
Further delays as Speedway decided that they cannot ship to my PP address so all my orders were canceled and they did not send me a notice. So, I wasted a few days this week due to this snafu. Supposedly, PP had several addresses in my file and somehow the POBox address was used on two of my orders but not the third. Go figure. Maybe I did something wrong but regardless it is frustrating. In the meantime, I made a couple of holes in the new floor plate for the wiring and the speedo cable. Appears all will clear each other without any interference. I also fabbed up a column clamp which will bolt to the floor but have not installed it yet until I am certain I have the right position on the column. While waiting around I mounted the DS exhaust manifold to see what space is left for the exhaust pipe. It is going to be tight. I have a mandrel bent U coming to play with. Hoping I can make it work without cutting the port apart on the header. Time will tell... I removed the radiator and all of the engine attachments in preperation for pulling the engine. Need to see why I have a small oil leak near the rear main and the flywheel needs to be turned as I have been experiencing some clutch chatter when releasing the clutch. And lastly, I will need to look inside the Buick tranny to see why she is jumping out of second gear when coasting. Lots on the list for this winter!
The snowstorm out in western NY delayed my shipment so the package arrived at 5pm Saturday. Now that I have the pieces I need I finished the mockup of the steering shaft. Pulled it all apart and sent the shaft off to get machined to fit my Ford wheel. My PS spindle had the second eye removed in its previous life which I now need for the cross connection. Difficult to buy just one spindle so i opted for an outer tie rod that has the eye cast into it. I think Ford used these back in the day in their truck line but I found this one over at Speedway. I shortened up the drag link accordingly and it appears that it will function fine. I shortened up the steering link and sent it off to my machinist to get the tube tapped for 11/16. While waiting I pulled off the starter, the intake, the driveshaft, the emergency brake handle and hydraulic clutch slave assembly and bracket in prep for removing the engine. That will allow me access to the box and frame to attach the steering box bracket.
Yesterday the goal was to remove the engine. This is a tight fit with not a lot of play especially trying to maneuver everything alone. For starters I had to remove the tranny crossmember and the crossmember center plate in order to get enough rear drop with the tail of the Buick trans. I had rollers on all four tires which made it fairly easy to roll the car backwards in small increments while lifting the engine. In the end it slid out without any interference issues. I tacked the floor plate in and cut the mast to what I feel is the right length that allows enough room for my knees to operate the pedals without hitting the steering wheel. Added the lower column mount and attached it with 1/4 bolts that are welded to the plate from below.. As soon as I get the box attached to the frame and the shafts completed, I will finish welding the floor plate. This is how the new column looks with the wheel attached. Now I need to make a new column drop. Will be off for a while now for the holiday. Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving.
The fellow that does my machine work and his wife have both contracted Covid which has put the brakes on the project. He did rethread a shorter drag link for me but that was all he could do. Still waiting for him to machine the end of my steering shaft. In the meantime, I managed to get the steering box mount bracket welded to the frame as well as a threaded bung welded into the frame for the top bolt of the box. I felt a bit more at ease with the top bolt passing thru the mounting plate and being threaded into a bung that was welded into the frame. Then I welded the bracket to the frame and added two support gussets from the box bracket onto the frame to support the lower portion which protrudes below the frame. Cleaned up the area and applied a bit of bondo. I made two different column mounts and didn't like either one, so I picked up a 1 3/4 clamping collar and welded a piece of 1/8 inch plate to it which bolts to the original spot on the 50 dash. Seems solid enough and after a coat of black paint should blend in. Finished welding in the new floor plate and added the lower column bracket. Now I can reinstall the sound deadener and the carpet. After that I need to put the engine back, mount the steering box and then figure out what to do with the left exhaust header as I bet there is going to be some interference issues with the Noxious Custom header. Might as well work that out while i am waiting for my steering shaft. That's it for this week. More to come as we move along.
I like the column drop Walt. It should definitely drive better with cross steer. I’m curious what you find with the oil leak; I also used the “best” rubber rear main seal & mine drips a little when parked.
Been a while since I have had much to add. My machinist was down with Covid for over a week. He said he would try to get to small stuff over the Christmas holiday. Then with my luck I picked up an intestinal virus that kept me close to the facilities for almost a week. Actually had to go to the Dr. which is a rare situation for me. She put me on a liquid diet which did not include my usual beverages. Anyhow, got thru the holiday and am back working on the project. Put the engine back in so that I could work around the DS exhaust pipe now that the steering box is right in the way. I did not want to mess with the headers so I picked up a 2 inch mandrel bent U and started making a new exhaust header pipe. It is tight but after a lot of massaging I managed to build a new pipe that fits around the box but leaves enough room for the new steering shaft. Smoothed off the welds and will hit it with high temp ceramic black. Built the steering shaft and set that in place. Tomorrow I will pull the engine back out, then prep the area and parts for some fresh paint. Machinist has my steering shaft done so I will pick that up and finish building out the column. So, we are making headway although it seems like it has been very slow.
Sure am hoping it drives better. Have not pulled the engine apart yet. That will follow after getting the steering done. I will let you know what I find.
I just looked thru the photo's and text. It seems you're doing a fine job with your coupe! Age doesn't seem to be holding you back!
I just reread the whole thread, what a nice car, great work and a great thread. I hope this round of changes will make it more drivable when spring gets here. It should. I had the machine shop guy assemble my short block while I recovered from heart surgery. He specializes in vintage engines and we went with the stock rope seal per his recommendation. He’s got all those crazy old tools that they show in the photos in the repair manuals. I’ve got my fingers crossed that mine doesn’t leak.
Well, I will soon be 77. Don't move as fast as when I started this project and have learned to pace myself more now than in the past. My good friend is 82 and he still builds a hot rod each year! His fortitude keeps me motivated
The Jalopy Journal
