2017 - Could this be the year

Since I injured my shoulder, and consequently had surgery, work slowed and then halted all together.  I have been rehabbing since August and things have been going very well. I have been progressing, but I am still unable to complete the rest of the repairs on my own.

Through the wonders of social media, a casual post put, me in contact with a person who has experience with restorations. He showed me several of his personal cars and his work is very detail oriented.

If things go as planned, he will begin the process of finishing the remaining mechanical repairs in January. 2017 may be the year the 55 hits the road. (Fingers crossed)

Lefty

Its been an adventure learning how to do everything with my left arm. I started PT a few weeks ago and it has helped. I decided to tackle a few easy items, no heavy lifting.

I detailed the inner and outer tie rods and the drag link. I have been using a paint I found at a local tri five parts shop. It's a cast iron gray paint. Not sure when I will be up to getting back to work on the 55, only time will tell.

It has been a year since I started to re restore my dad's 55, and while I originally wanted to be driving it by now, I am very proud of the progress I have made. I am hoping that 2017 will be the year it roars back to life.

Shouldering the Responsibility

It has been a while.... since my last post.

All work has stopped on the 55. In May I injured my shoulder lifting the rear end of the car. I ironically, it was the one time I had help lifting the unit. I felt something "POP" in my right shoulder while I was setting my end down on a set of jack stands.  I continued to work and by the end of the day, I couldn't lift anything with my right arm.

The pain persisted and got progressively worse over the next two months, so I had it checked.  The MRI showed I had two tears and my bicep tendon was partially detached and flipped.

I had rotator cuff surgery the last week in July and I have been recovering ever since. Post surgery, I found out the damage to my shoulder was more significant than originally diagnosed. I could be looking at a 6 to 12 month recovery time.

All work has stopped, considering I can't  lift my arm to shake hands!!!!!  I am not sure where this leaves the restoration, there are items left to complete, but I am in no condition to complete them. I really wanted to be driving the 55 by now, I really had my heart set on it. 

I am very happy and proud that so many people have visited this blog, it has been viewed 2,341 times and I picked up two followers who have left supportive comments... Thank you "Jessica" and "Madonna Gentry"

Not sure if this will play, but here is a quick video of the car being moved so I could begin working on it. The car had not seen sunlight in 15+ years. It was towed from a smaller garage to a larger garage (way more room to work).

Missed Deadline

I was hoping to have the 55 all buttoned up and running by July, but some additional mechanical work has made that impossible.  I wasn't counting on replacing steering components or pre bent brake lines that didn't line up.

I hadn't paid enough attention to the steering, i glanced over the fact that i had oil leaking from the steering box. Once i spent some time looking at the steering, i noticed that the box was leaking and the bushings were bad in the idler arm.

As i was installing the front brake lines, i realized that the rear line that runs along the front of the engine, then connects to the line that runs to the rear brakes, was three to four inches too long. That will need cut a flared.

My whole mantra on this project was to do as much myself, do it once and do it right.  When the car fires up, i want to be confident that the car will essentially be new again and i wont have to worry about anything breaking down.  If it takes me another year to get it running, then so be it.

My new goal is to have ALL mechanical work completed, engine painted, old engine out, so all i am paying for is the physical engine install into the car and any tuning.

I will be the first to admit that their is a good and bad side to working on the 55. The good is that i feel more of a connection with my dad and a great sense of accomplishment, that i have worked very hard and didn't just throw someone a ton of cash to finish the car.  The down side is that it is very exhaustive working by myself. Having an extra set of hands would have come in VERY handy many times. It would have made the project go a lot quicker as well. 

I shouldn't complain, really i am not. Easy or hard, working on the 55 is always enjoyable.  The day i hear that engine roar to life is going to be a dream come true, but surreal at the same time.  The last time i drove the 55, my Dad was alive. I can still remember each time i asked him if i could take it to the local burger joint.. "Jerry's Curb Service". He never told me no, i think i drove that car more than he did.  I really hope he approves of the work i have been doing and the changes i have made, and i hope he joins me for a drive the first time it hits the road.

More than that, i can not wait to share the car with my wife and daughter. All three of us in the 55 cruising to a car show, or the local ice cream shop will be awesome. But before that, my mother deserves to take a cruise with "locomotion" playing, my fathers favorite song.

Four hands are better than two.

I was fortunate to have a friend help me out recently. Lifting the rear end by myself was getting old! We accomplished a lot.. Installing the rear end, shocks, leaf springs, calipers and pads, removing old brake lines, mounting parking brake assembly to the differential. When we were done, it looked like a complete car again.

I have been detailing parts as i go. I changed the color of the transmission and shifter, color filled the "HURST" on the shifter, and touched up the fan, and went back to color matching the calipers.

 

 

One thing i am really excited to do is upgrade to power brakes.

 

 

 

 

 



 



Brakes don’t stop me now!!

I am now making progress on the brake system. I ordered a complete set of stainless brake lines and a master cylinder. I originally thought the motor would not produce enough vacuum to support power brakes, but now I find out it will.  I can always get the booster later.

I purposely kept the rear end out of the car so installing the rear brake lines along the axle would be easier.  It wasn’t as easy as I thought. The lines are pre bent for a disc brake conversion, but they didn’t seems to fit as well as I would like. The assembly manual shows how to run the lines for factory drum brakes so I had to take some creative control.  After many attempts to fit them, I realized I needed to modify the bends.  With a little coaxing, I got them in a shape that fit well, but not perfect.  I also bought two kits from CCP which had band clamps and clips to mount the rubber lines to the axle as well at the T-fitting. I did have to shave the mounting hardware, where the hard line meets the rubber line; it was too thick to allow the clip to be installed. A few passes with the grinder and that was taken care of. I think it came out well; I may need to adjust them once the rear end is back in the 55 to make sure nothing hits.

I am hoping that the front lines to both front wheels and the rear line that runs outside the frame to the axle go it easier. Those runs were not modified, so all the factory attachment points should work with the factory bends on the new lines.

Rear end version 2.0

In a previous post, I detailed the rear end, using KBS to coat the carrier and axle housing. I liked it but I felt it was too glossy; I was after a flat black appearance. I did some more research and landed on a 2K paint system from the Eastwood Company. This product has a cylinder inside the paint can that contains the activator, so it essentially acts as a 2 part paint sprayed from a spay gun, but in an aerosol can.  The can has a red button that you take off and place on the underside of the can, you press down and it breakers the inner cartridge that hold the activator. The only down side it that it has a shelf life of 48 hours once the cartridge is punctured. You also have to shake the can and clear the nozzle between coats.  I choose their “under hood black” it has a nice low gloss / dull finish.  I think it came out well.

I also detailed all the rear end hardware and sway bar hardware. 

Mock up

The rear end needed to be mocked up so I could check fit of the longer sway bar end links.I also needed to see if the sway bar mounts would affect running the brake lines along the axle housing.  when the lines were run during the first restoration they were run along the drivers side frame rail and down to the brakes.  After getting things in place, everything looks good to run the rear lines along the axles housing.

SWAY BAR MOUNTED

LONGER END LINKS WORKING OUT

I also took the opportunity to get the brakes put back together, big difference

BEFORE

AFTER

Classic Performance Parts (CCP) has some real trick band clamp clips to secure the hard line to the flex hose connections for the rear calipers.  I will use the below to connect the axle lines to the calipers and another set to connect the rear line to the T connector, since the sway bar runs behind the factory T clip attached to the axle.

Drive Shaft

Continuing with the detailing process, i tackled the drive shaft. Being selective with the colors i change, will really bring out the character of the car. 

The material i have on now is a rust barrier, i am waiting on the KBS Black Top to arrive today. It acts as a cover, curing to a rock hard yet flexible finish.  I decided to go OEM satin black, as it would have been from the factory, so the gloss black parts will have that cool satin black look. 

I recommend this product to anyone who wants to create an impenetrable finish on parts.  This product covers well, a little goes a long way.  Since i will have left over material, i plan to coat the inside of mower decks to my push and riding lawnmower.