Give me a brake

Regrouping from the setback with the new brake parts, I continued with my decision to put everything back together and clean the calipers. The grease in the rotor bearings had turned really thick, so I replaced in inner and outer bearings and grease seals on both front wheels. I started by installing a new outer bearing race on the driver's front rotor using a bearing race set tool.

Next, I packed the new inner and outer bearings, for both front calipers, with grease

After the inner bearing was installed, next came the grease seal.

Fresh bearings and grease.

I still need to flush the calipers, but that didn't stop me from installing the rotors, washers, castle nuts, and cotter pins.

In order to button up the brakes I still need to flush the calipers, install new hard lines, and get a power brake booster/master cylinder. I may shift that towards the end, when I have the rear end, tranny, and engine out. With those items out, I will have more room to work.

I took the fuel filter apart to get the size of the filter element. I expected to see a dirty filter, as I still expected to see varnished gas. There is no way fuel stabilizer kept 15 year old gas in good condition.... Wrong again, the filter element looked brand new and the inside of the filter case was spotless.

With such great results, I know the fuel pump is in as good a shape as the filter

One step forward – Two steps back – One step forward

“THE GREAT ROTOR RECOVERY”

I was very excited to get back to work on the ’55 this past Saturday the 12^th targeting the brakes. Here is a back story on the brakes.  The fluid is bad, developing a lot of particulates that has infiltrated everything… master cylinder, hard lines, all the way down to the calipers.

 

 

I decided to replace everything in order to start fresh. I sourced all the parts with the exception of the hard lines and master cylinder, I can do them later. Most recently I got new rotors going off the information that the other front brake hardware was from a ’72 Camaro. So Saturday, I sit down all excited ready to put everything on and.......

NOTHING FITS!  The rotor hits the backing plate, the caliper pins are on an angle as they slide through the mounting holes, and the stock grease seal is smaller.

The calipers shocked me, because the originals have the GM casting numbers and those numbers were used to get the new ones.

As I sit there completely deflated, I immediately think… “What’s plan B?”  I say to myself, lets try and put the original rotor back on and see if the new caliper clears the rotor……CRAP!!!!!! I left the original rotors at Advanced so they could dispose of them!!!!  To put this all in perspective… the braking system only has 4,500 miles on it and all the components are mechanically sound.  The calipers have the particulates in them from the fluid; the rotors have 15 year old grease in the bearings.  I have new bearings and grease, and I just found out yesterday that I can clean out the calipers.

What it all boils down to is, if I had the old rotors, I could just put new bearings and grease in them and then I could flush out the original calipers.  I can return all the new parts and get my money back…. Oh no, I don’t have the original rotors, I left them for scrap.  Now the other options are,       1) keep going back again and again returning and re-buying new calipers and rotors until I stumble across a match or 2) spend another 1,500 dollars a buy a new disc brake conversion kit and start fresh.

I decide to call Advanced and see if they still have the rotors, praying for a miracle, asking my dad to help me out….. I call and they said that the guy that scraps them is out on parts run and they will ask him when he gets back, then call me.  20 minutes later they call and say the rotors are not there…. My heart drops!!!  15 minutes later they call again and say another employee may have them and she will be back in non on  Sunday afternoon.  I was feeling a little better; there is still a chance I won’t have to drop 1,500 bucks!  To my amazement and relief, at 12:05 on Sunday the 13^th, I got the rotors back!

What went from a very expensive mess up on my part,  has changed to replaced four bearings and flushing out four calipers. Also on a bright note, the money I’ll be getting back on the parts can go to other items.  My Budget says THANK YOU!!

 

Since I couldn’t go forward with the brakes, I decided to turn my attention to the fuel system.  When I drained the gas tank a few weeks ago, the gas was still good even though it was over fifteen years old – thank fuel stabilizer.  When the car was restored in ’97 we installed an external fuel filter and electric fuel pump. 

 

 

Since both of these are outside the tank, I expected the gas in them to be bad.

 

 

 

 

 As I lay under the car, ready to disconnect the fuel line and see black tar pour out, I was amazed to see clear, good smelling gas drain out of both. My dad must have put fuel stabilizer in the tank while the motor was still running and not after the motor blew and it sat in the garage.  Safely, I did a burn test on the gas, it passed. This is a great help since a fuel pump and fuel filter are around $150 to $200 each.This also means I do not have to replace the stainless steel fuel line.

 

In order to get the fuel filter out, i had to pull the trunk carpet up to get to the bolt heads (something i need to change). In order to do that i needed to remove everything from the trunk. I took the opportunity to organise everything that went back in.

 

 

 

I was able to get the heater box reinstalled. I also installed new control cables, the original ones were sticking and binding.  The upgraded control cables are inside a plastic jacket that is lubricated, they slide very nicely now.

 



 

Starting her off right!!

I was looking at some older pictures and came across this, a picture of my daughter at her first car cruise. My family and I go to a car cruise every year,  held in Wexford Pa on rt. 19.  It always draws a large crowd.

Gemma, as you can see, is enjoying herself.  This was taken as a car drove by with a loud exhaust.  She loved it, but had to cover her ears!

Every time we go, we play a game where we guess how many '55s we will see, so far Gemma is in the lead. She is starting to get better at telling cars apart.  For example, she can tell us which cars are Mustangs and Corvettes. I have been teaching her the differences between the Trifives, she is catching on. 

Not car related, but she is developing a love for 80's music.  She loves to sing along to Bon Jovi, Huey Lewis, and Guns n Roses, especially when we are driving.

If that weren't cool enough, she is completely addicted to STAR WARS and Ghostbusters. At least once or twice a week she wants to have "Star Wars" night, where she pics from my collection and we watch one of the movies.  She also loves to look at my star wars bible, "The Vault"

We also have a separate Christmas tree dedicated to Hallmark ornaments, she loves to press the buttons and listed to the sounds...especially all the movie related ones.  Star Wars is represented.


MERRY CHRISTMAS

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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Main Man

I have to give a shout out to Dean at Advanced Auto, he came through again. This time I needed a rear seal for the front rotors, a $4 item. I go into Advanced and get assisted by another employee, not to throw her under the bus, but after all of five minutes, she gave up. Telling me that there were way too many boxes to look through, she said good day. I knew I had an ace in the hole, so I pulled it out.... " is Dean working?". She said sure, go to the back of the store and see him. 

If you have been following my posts, you know he is a parts guru who was able to identify all my brake parts after over an hour of detective work. 

I see Dean and show him the part, no surprise, he finds the correct part after only a few minutes. This time the part is to a 69 Chevy II. He says to me "come on, you got to make this harder for me" I LOVE THIS GUY!!!!!!!

I plan to do some work on the 55 Sunday. 

• Install radiator
• Install heater core and heater box
• Rebuild front rotors
• Install calipers and hydraulic hoses
• Install new climate control cables.

That should get me up to date on everything that is torn apart. I will need to run new stainless steel brake lines and install a new Master cylinder to complete the brake work.

It's been a while

I haven't had the opportunity to do any work on the 55 lately. It seems every weekend is booked and finding time during the week is impossible. I have spent the time researching items needed, prioritising, and determining the order of the remaining repairs in order to maximise my time and minimize the budget

I spoke to my engine builder, to let him know what my needs are. He is going to work up three options. We settled on a 454, punched out to a 496 with a little stroke. I explained that i am not going to race the car, it is going to be a cruiser that will live between idle and 3,000 rpm, but it needs to be torquey so I can have some fun when I want to. I have always loved and respected the car, so I would never beat it or dump the clutch out of respect for my dad, who I miss every day.

I have been thinking of ways to incorporate his memory into the build. Currently the 55 has a black shift knob, my idea is to change that to a white knob with his nickname in turquoise Belair font "Jaggers". 

I picked up some EZ slider control cables for the climate controls. The factory ones are binding. These are covered in plastic with a lubricant inside.

My dad's birthday is this Thursday December 3rd, this will be the first since he passed last year, I wish he was here. I miss him not being here to talk to. I miss him not spending time with my daughter and wife, my daughter loved his PIGGY back rides! I also wish he could be here to make this restoration and father son project.

I have to mention again that all of this would be impossible without the love and support of my wonderful wife and amazing mother.

Don't jinks me!

I am pleasantly surprised with the progress so far. Every second I spend wrenching on the '55 brings me closer to my dad, I just wish he was here so we could work on it together. Also, it has been years since I had a car that was this easy to work on. I am really getting back to my roots. As a teenager, adjusting points on a distributor, adjusting timing, and packing bearings was a normal weekend for me.

Finding all of the brake hardware, thanks to Dean at Advance Auto on rt 8 in Gibsonia, was a seriuos hurdle to clear. I picked up the new calipers, hoses, and bearings. I will need to get new hard lines and a master cylinder to make sure no more particles are in the system. Still thinking of going to power brakes..... Thinking.

The radiator and heater core were inspected, pressure tested, and passed with flying colors. Another smart move my dad made was to add a fourth core to the radiator. I will have no issues with cooling. A fresh coat of black paint makes them so pretty! The radiator is going to look so bad ass against the turquoise.

None of this would be possible without the love and support of my wife and my mom. I can't wait to get the car done so I can share it with them and take my mom for a ride!

I get by with a little help from my friends - at Advanced Auto.

I can not sing the praises of Dean from my Advanced Auto, it was like CSI Automotive. I walk in with a box full of calipers and hoses from a four wheel disk brake conversion kit from the 90's, with no real idea what year and make the parts fit. He dug his heals in and spent 45 minutes using every trick in his arsenal to figure it all out.

First set back, it won't BRAKE me.

Before I get to the brakes, let just tell you how overjoyed I am that my five year old daughter is just as excited as me to work on "Grandpa's car" as I am. Before we started we took a few minutes to talk to Grandpa up I heaven and let him know what a good job we would do fixing his car. My daughter is in charge of making all the shiny parts shine. She took to it like a pro, buffing the front pumper - 15 years since it had been polished.

Now to the brakes. I was expecting to see dark fluid, boy was I surprised when I took the cap off the master cylinder and found this. It looked like bacon grease. The amount of material that settled out was shocking. It was even under the edge of the master cylinder where the cap sits. I have no idea what caused it.

 

 

 I moved onto the rotors and calipers. Once I got the them off and inspected them I was pleasantly surprised. The rotors look fine, I also removed the wheel bearings. The grease had solidified. No biggy, I was more concerned about their condition and the condition of the spindle. New bearings won't set me back much. 

I found a lot of the sediment in the calipers, which means it is also in the brake lines. I am not sure how to clear the lines and get rid of it. I am thinking I may need to replace the brake lines. Since I need to replace the master cylinder and need new lines, it may make sense to upgrade to power brakes.

I drained the gas tank next, my dad helped me out on this one. Thanks to gas sablizer, he added, the 5 gallons of 15 year old gas, looked and smelled new. Once I get the tank out I am hoping for no varnish. 

Also, got word on the radiator and heater core I had checked out, clean bill of health!!

Can't stop me now:

Brakes brakes brakes, have been on my mind.  I need to make sure they are in good shape. I have been doing a lot of research to try and determine what the correct replacement parts are for the disc brake conversion kit we used and I am getting close. When I inspect the system I will need to know what parts I need to order.

Thanks to a lot of advice from members of several 55 chevy facebook groups, I have decided that instead of buying new calipers, which really aren't that expensive, less than $30 a pop, it makes more sense to rebuild each caliper for around $9 each.  Also I will be replacing all the wheel bearings as well as the master cylinder and the hydraulic hoses. Bearings and hoses are around $6 to $8 each.  This is definitely a value added task, minimal cost for a great deal of safety and security.  The last thing I need to do is have a braking system that could fail.

Changing to power brakes isn't a hard job to do, kits are out there that just bolt in. The only drawback is the expense.  They can range from $250 to $350.  The nice thing is that I can do that down the road, having manual disc brakes instead of drums, does help stop the car better than stock.

I mentioned before, the more hands on I am with the car, the closer it brings me to my dad. When I was younger, we would do these types of repairs on the family cars and my own.  I can remember my dad helping me pack wheel bearings with grease, make sure I didn't over tighten bolts, bleed brakes...... This will bring back so many more memories.

Relax, this won't hurt:

Today the goal was to drain and remove the radiator, drain the gas tank, and remove the heater core. 

Radiator:
Surprisingly, there was little fluid left in the radiator, the hard part was removing the hoses. The lower hose needed more persuasion to come off.

Heater core:
The heater core took considerably longer. The firewall had to be modified so the big blocks valve covers would fit. This pushed back the firewall making the heater box a tight fit.

 After two hours, the heater box came out and when I pulled the heater core...... Guess what..... It looks brand new. I then realized that the car was only driven in the summer, so the heater was never used. I plan on having both the radiator and heater core checked and pressure tested.

Gas tank:
I don't know if it is good or bad, but it seems that their may be no gas in the tank. What little gas was there smelled OK and was not discolored, so I may not have to deal with a varnished tank. I will know more when I drop the tank.