Let's get to the core of it

I was able to squeeze in a few hours on Sunday, but wasn't able to get as much done as i would have liked.

I First on my list was the radiator and overflow tank.  They went back in as easily as they came out, just a few bolts.  Here is a before and after, as i mentioned in an earlier post, the vendor that pressure checked it for me, put on a fresh coat of black paint.

                         Before                                       After

 

The heater box was another animal all together. Getting the core back inside and putting the box together around it wasn't that hard, stuffing it back under the dash was the issue. It took several hours. I was able to get it in place and get one of the two bolts installed, that hold it in place. The second bolt is a two person job, so i will need to find an extra set of hands.I also took the opportunity to upgrade the control cables for the heater, i installed a set that has internal lubricant so the controls slide real nice .

 

Next were the brakes. i was going to install new bearings and repack everything with fresh grease, but i noticed that the inside lip of the rotor, that holds the bearing race, was chipped. Looks like the guys that installed the disk brake conversion kit, buggered it all up. That makes the rotor a lost cause and it will need to be replaced.

 

Since that was a bust and i was already under the front end, i decided to shoot some new grease - upper and lower ball joints, steering linkage, etc. I hope that once the car is running, those areas will function properly.  I have noticed that the grease is thick, to be expected after sitting 15+ years, but might begin to loosen up after some suspension travel. 

 

I am having a wonderful time doing this, getting my wrenching MOJO back. It is also helping me to keep my fathers memory alive. I feel like he is by my side helping and guiding me.  I actually asked out load for his help when the heater box did not want to go back in, IT WORKED!

 

Even though this is not a cheap project i am saving 70.00 an hour doing the work myself and spreading the work out over the winter months, helps. I have to say thank you again to my wife who is behind me, supporting me all the way. She understands just how much this means to me and just how much enjoyment we will all have cruising in the 55. She truly is a wonderful wife, mother, and support system.

 

My mother, a wonder person, has amazed me more over the past 12 months than i ever thought was possible.  Her strength and generosity is truly inspiring. When the car is done, one of the first things i want to do is pick her up and drive around her town, blasting "locomotion" by Little Eva, my dad's favorite song! The story his cousin told at my fathers viewing, of my dad cruising his 55 around  town blaring "Locomotion", was so funny!