A little help here guys ( Need a mid year!)

[Piet]

Yayyyyy Pictures!

Love the look of the hard top!.

So... Long term plans for the front end?
Original Metal?

(this is a '67 front end never wrecked with headlight assemblies and motors, grill all clips, brackets, harness, core spt etc. -$6,900 )

Fiberglass?

 

[vettedoc]

Great Pix Mike. She really does look a lot better in the Calif. sun.
Keep them coming as the work progresses and have fun!

 

[JohnZ]

Great shots! Feels good to check each item off as you work your way through your list, doesn't it?

I'd add one more thing to your "reliable driver" list - that would be to get an all-metal fuel system between the tank and the carb; would hate to see all your work go up in a "car-b-cue" 'cuz some piece of rubber/plastic/glass let go.

Keep at it, and thanx for the pics!

 

[Tom Bryant]

Wanna hear something scarey? That front end is starting to grow on me. :eek Doesn't look half bad in this picture. I'm with John, please fix the fuel line next. Remember what happened to Rick's blue '69.

Tom

 

[vigman]

DISASTER

Today was a total WASTE...

Bright eyed & bushy tailed.. at 8:30am I started moving cars for the morning adventure ( after posting )

By 10:30 I knew things were not going well..

The 75 rear end would not fit in the car.. the input yoke was 4 & 1/4 " with a 30 spline shaft.. The 64 was a 3.5 so I thought to my self... Hey I'll just swap em.. NO DEAL the 64 had a 20 ish spline shaft. Spent 3 hours cleaning, thread chasing & de rusting a rear end that I'm going to return !!!!

I also painted the 75 new X member.. thinking to myself how nice that would look.

The 1/2 shafts look like they were run with the rear end jacked up.. the inside area's where the U joints slide in were pretty chewed.. salvagable but not pretty on the inside. I have 1 half shaft repaired ( with NEW U joints) and the other 1/2 way done.

The Cross member that the Diff bolts into came out... but left the rubber doughnuts UP on the frame... ( still pondering that ) and for the life of me I cant figgure out what to do next to get em to drop out!!!

The Strut rods rubber is SHOT.

None of the hardware was correct.. or installed backwards.. or grade 5's instead of 8's

The Diff nose bolt assy was totally WRONG..

AND to add insult to injury.. I went to make a parts run in the new Honda beater mobile.

The electric fuel pump DIED!

I forgot my cell phone..

the X had the phone lines tied up
( When I called via pay phone).

So hungry, tired, POed , my son & I trudged home 3 miles.. to get the neighbor to have Auto Club haul the Honda home.., Since the pink is still in his name!!!!

7:30 pm.. still slimy.. I enjoyed the last morsel of my double double and the dog was having his share of the fries...

The Vette has it's ass end hanging in the air.

The Honda is parked out front.

The garage is a total mess.

Off to the shower I go.. worse for wear.. but still determined to give it heck tomorrow.


Vig~

 

[IH2LOSE]

Re: DISASTER

Today was a total WASTE...

So how can I help?

What do you need?

The pictures look cool BUT!!!

Make it a priority to replace all rubber fuel lines on the pressure side of the fuel system. Good luck!

PS let this thread disapeer and update us on your progress on a new post

 

[SPANISHVETTS]

Vig,
It is days like today that make tomorrow look so good.

Thanks for the pictures.

You can get free hosting for your pics here.

 

[LEEJANDZ]

So hungry, tired, POed , my son & I trudged home 3 miles.. to get the neighbor to have Auto Club haul the Honda home.., Since the pink is still in his name!!!!

FYI - You dont have to own a car you have towed through AAA

 

[Mac]

Apparently, this thread has been blessed.... the last page limit has been extended, so you're breaking new ground. Sounds like you had one of those days yesterday. Hopefully, things will look better today.

That front end will never grow on me. It's too much.

 

[Tom Bryant]

Apparently, this thread has been blessed.... the last page limit has been extended, so you're breaking new ground. Sounds like you had one of those days yesterday. Hopefully, things will look better today.

That front end will never grow on me. It's too much.

Maybe I meant grow like a fungus. :L

 

[vigman]

Today was a push

Starting with the Honda....

The screw holding the rotor on the shaft FELL out... 10 min fix.. which I took as a good sign!

So In the AM I went to the local parts store with Yokes in hand.. And Doug @ Bouquet Auto SWEARS that an early 70's GM ( Chevelle or camaro or Nova or station wagon) Has the small U joint 3.5 yolk with the FINE spline setup.. He will get back to me Monday.. If not.. the I'll hit up Stingray for his 3:08 gears... and start a WHOLE NEW adventure Pumpkin 101...

So today was CLEANING PARTS & scrubbing the undercarrige..

Gee it's very nice to see the natural beige fiberglass on the underside where the pumpkin goes.

And there was just about 39 years of crud that washed away today... and that was from the doors back

I FINALLLY got the rear member doughnuts off the frame( 2 hrs of beating, cursing, howling, prying, lubing)

And the new X member fits in nice.

Now the BAD NEWS

While doing the last U joint on the drivers side 1/2 shaft.. I bent the flange.. well that 1/2 shaft needed replacing anyway..

So 6 hrs later we cleaned up all the FILTH and called it a day.

I paid the kids for there help...

And I for one will sleep like a rock.

Day 27 of ownership day 10 of wrenching.

I feel it getting closer...

Vig~

 

[markiemyster]

Vig,
I've kept up reading about all your repairs and frankly I'm exhausted just reading what you've done.
I thought I had a busy winter on my car but I can't hold a candle to you.
Keep up the good work.

Mark

 

[impala]

Vig,

Thanks for posting your ongoing efforts.

Your energy level and determination are outstanding.

Eugene

 

[vigman]

Ok I NOW know a new secret ( yoke)

A GM 1/2 ton truck ( circa 1972 ) has the SHORT ( 3.5") Yoke with the fine spline.

NEW from GM $75.00

This is the part you need to turn a 1974 on up Pumpkin into a C-2 style.

It's a strap style not a U bolt to the U joint.

This MIGHT be a bit of a challange to get this back together.

I'm but all & all VERY happy now...

I got later model 1/2 shafts as well
( $50.00 each with new U joints)
Since mine were CHEWED on the inside.

Other parts I have snaked....
A new front seal
Crush sleeve on the way tomorrow.

New rubber for trailing arms ( after market )
New rear gasket ( to repair Old diff )
Got my brake shoes in today
( 35 for fronts 29 for rears.. Bendix)

My cig lighter showed up today from Mid America... YEAH!

Still waiting on the front shocks.

AND hopefully the weather will hold for the weekend.. I cant get the 73 out of the garage.. and I cant NOW move the 64..YIKES!!!

Now I have to find a LOCAL machine shop with a sand blaster.....

Is BBQ black the factory frame color?
( joke )

I will have a LOT of good spare parts up for sale soon...
And my poor 88 sits waiting for a tune up..

Vig~

 

[vigman]

3 steps foward.. 2 steps back

So I got the 3 rd member in today.. with some help.. My right wrist is still weak.. and I cant develop any real torque.. So I hired a temp assistant.. A buddy of one of the part store guys.. 18 year old.. pretty good with tools.. very careful.. so we got the rear end in today..

But OH NO the GINK-A-TRON struck again..

There was NO PROBLEM putting the new yolk on or the seal.. or any of that stuff...BUT

1) When I used the X member to support the car.. I used some wood to help spread the load.. I now have a wood grain X member.. the paint had not 100% cured.. oh well.

2) The 75 rear end was set up for CAPS not U bolts on the output shafts of the diff.. so I now have to go back & get some caps & hardware... DOH!

3) The Strut rods are NOT the same.. one IS for a 64 ( 63-74 same)...smaller hole BUT the drivers side is BIGGER and the new bushings just slop about...OUCH!

4) One of the shock mounts ( drivers side) was a duplicate passengers side with a 2nd flat filed..... BOINK!!!

So that's todays progress..
I have the rest of the week off AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA!

So now I'm MOTIVATED to finish this aspect of the car... and drive it once again!

8:00am tomorrow.. back to Sport Imports to plunder more goodies.

By 5:00pm the car SHOULD be running & driving again!


Vig~

 

[vettefinderjim]

this is a test !!!

Oh Vigman,

I can't wait for the next Bloomington Gold school on suspension. I hear you are the instructor on how to master " First time for practice, Second time for speed, Third time for accuracy"

I look forward to seeing this car on the road at the next cruz night.
Keep up the good work. This is how America got great !!
Jim

 

[Tom Bryant]

You're making progress but I don't know about that wooden crossmember. :L :eyerole

 

[vigman]

Well Jim

What about the 4th time's a charm...

LOL

Vig~
( hey Tom I could say it was the first wood mockup.. a reject from the GM design studio do you think people would buy it?)

 

[Tom Bryant]

Probably not for cash.

 

[SPANISHVETTS]

the drivers side is BIGGER and the new bushings just slop about...OUCH!

Timken has a complete line of bushings in both alloy and composite. They might have an off the shelf bushing that will fill up the ¨slop¨.

I now have a wood grain X member

My English uncle had a Morgan +4 with a real wood grain crossmember. :duh
I helped him glue it back together once.
None of that imitation stuff for our British relatives. :nono :L :L :L

Great work, thanks for the photos.