Got the LCA's and battery tray POR'd today. Product says 2-6 hours to dry. Try 10 hours in this cool weather. I'll put on the second coat tommorrow. 1st coat looks amazing. The prep work really paid off. I think POR is self leveling and fills in small scratches because the finish is absolutely smooth.

Got all the wiring and grounds out of the way on the DS rad support area. It was rough. Wire wheeled it for about 1/2 hour, then put on a primer coat of POR without using metal prep or marine solution. Mostly because I don't want a big mess under the car from rinsing, and I don't know how long it would take to get 'bone dry' even with compressed air.

Packed all the bearings with grease and put them into a double baggie for safe keeping till they're ready to go in. All the caps, spring doey thingys, washers and cottler pins went into another baggie so they don't get losted.

Then I went back to work on the remaining rotor. Got all the crap off it and it was looking ready for paint. Sprayed it with brake clean, compressed air and called it ready for paint prep. Decided I wanted the other caliper to be NAPA cast also. Found out that if you overspray brake cleaner on the silver caliper paint it dissolves it like crazy. So I sprayed down the rotor and it came clean. Called IT ready for paint prep too.

So to mask off the spindle hole and the circle around the rotor surface, I used that new "FROG" tape. Works like a charm. Easy to apply, it sticks well, cuts easily, and lifts perfectly with no bleeding around the edges. So now both of my rotors are NAPA cast. Just remember when you're cleaning your rotors to spray onto a shop rag and then run it around the rotor or you'll have a BIG mess on your hands.

Brought the LCAs and battery tray into the garage for overnight 'curing' Hope they will be dry enough to scuff for the second coat in the morning.

Here's before. I used an old shower curtain to contain any drippings. Used gloves and wore my coveralls. If the POR gets on you, you're going to wear it for several weeks


First coat applied. In real life this looks like it is fresh from powder coating; it's that good!


The area under the battery tray on the rad support. Can you say UGLY??? Take all the wire harnessess and grounds out of the way (there are 2 grounds on the front of the rad support)


After 1/2 hour of wire wheeling, it looks like this


I didn't expect miracles with the POR and with the coldness in the garage the first coat looks kinda wimpy. But tommorrow I'll get another coat on and it should be a lot better. After 1 light coat the transformation started. For some reason it's hard to get good details in low light...

 

Looks good to me (better than mine below anyway). Most metal I have seen in that area under the battery is all rotted out.

 

So here's the step by step transformation:

Remember what the rotor rotor and hub looks like when you start. Hard to believe that I was ok with that at one time


Spend massive amounts of time cleaning the rotors and prepping them for paint. Honest to God, I must have spent a day in time alone just on these 2 rotors. Tape off the areas not to be painted. The bright green tape is the Frog tape. Expensive but really nice to use


Nice light coats of NAPA cast. This stuff dries in about 5 minutes or less. I'll let it cure for several days though. I've got parts on order from ILT again and I won't be ready to install for about 2 weeks or more. Shipping is always slow....


Peel away the tape, and these rotors look like they're almost new. There's a little of the silver caliper paint on the rotor that I'll take off with some 600 wet sandpaper.


So now, my garage is filled with parts to go back on the car. New almost everything including:
- cutout bumper,
- stone shield,
- 442 grills,
- package shelf tray,
- power windows,
- NOS Cruise package,
- Tilt steering,
- Power trunk,
- Power seat,
- Power door locks,
- mirror map light,
- accessory lighting,
- electric defog on glass,
- rallye pac gauges,
- twilight sentinel,
- T44 hood lock,
- low coolant sensor,
- Bench seat with fold down armrest,
- FE2 suspension,
- posi 3:23
- W27 carrier cover.
- AM/FM Stereo c/w rear speakers
- 8 Track stereo

I'm sure there's something I missed. My goal is to make this a highly optioned 72 Cutlass S with W29 appearance package. I had TK65 make up a window sticker that shows what the car would have listed for if it had been built with the options I'm putting in. It will be properly stated that the car was NOT produced like that, it is done solely as an owner preference.


When my care package from San Diego gets here, Houston we're ready for launch. I decided I'm not going to paint my steering linkages since they look cool just the way they are. From production they have a light film of something greasy on them that I think is designed to protect against corrosion.

In the meantime, I can go ahead with the steering intermediate shaft and replacing the steering column with a tilt one. Found the page in the Assembly manual that shows how to thread the Cruise control wiring through the bowl. Yahoo! I can do that in my living room where it's nice and cozy. Just have to rig up a simple fishtape and I'm off to the races.

 

Thx! The thread wouldn't mean much without the help and comments from all the folks who have encouraged (sometimes pestered = shades of Do the CA bushings!....) me as it goes. It's been a lot of fun and a great learning experience. You are getting a LOW of 68?? I only wish....

I did think about changing the front springs but they are in excellent condition and aren't worn or providing problems with ride or steering geometry. I would definitely have changed them if my dreams for the 455 hadn't been dashed earlier this year. I checked the Assembly manual and the fender braces you mention are only installed on vehicles that have a 455. I don't really understand why? Maybe you could help out with that....

Well, my first coat of POR is dry and it's pretty much rock hard after finishing the dry overnight in the garage. I'll give them another coat this afternoon when it warms up. Right now its 39° here. I'm thinking that I may as well POR the top of the rad support too. It's in good shape and will probably only need about an hour or so of prep time. Next week is starting to look uglier for weather. Where's that darn Indian summer that's supposed to be so nice? C'mon Squanto and Pocohantas! Bring it on.

BTW, Happy Columbus Day!

 

Painted parts look good! Look familiar, too.

Having done POR15 in the past, it always said to give the second coat when the first is still a slight bit tacky. I have always done it this way, but let me know how it works out being applied over a dry surface. Do one item and see how it goes. It might be too smooth and fisheyes may occure. If so, a light sanding with 300 grit might be needed.

My steering parts looked good out of the box, but that light corrosion inhibitors will wear / wash off in no time. After then they turn rusty like the originals. The ones on my Ford did that.

Frog tape? Fly paper for frogs? Looks like you pay the extra for the green color.
All you had to go was lay cardboard on the back side, cut out the big holes, flip the boards to the front, and paint! I was amazed at how well that went...

The extra braces on 455 cars were for additional strength due to the extra torque.
Yes, FE2 springs were easier to get in.

With all those options, you are forgetting the most fun one - the DROP TOP!

 

Well I did the rad support with straight POR. It did fisheye. Now it's totally dry. My instructions said to let it dry and then lightly scuff the surface. So I'll do that. I think it's going to look great

NO NO NO. It will not! Not allowed to. Ok, so degrease and paint it is!

Actually it's called Frog tape. Designed to prevent bleed on the edge of the tape - like baseboards. I think we've all seen the results of that!! Have a look: http://www.frogtape.com/How%20FrogTape%20Works.aspx I could have cut out the carboard, but I felt like trying the tape thing.... It's also less junk to throw away after too..



I feel a presence as if thousands of A bodies cried out in terror and were suddenly 'crushed'. A drop top you say??? What the heck, I MIGHT AS WELL But that would involve letting Jackie Gleason's 'son' drive under a semi to get the full effect! (Smokey & the Bandit) Either that or I could feel another project coming on.

 

That's why you shoulda went the cardboard route. Save 'em for the next project (like I did)!

 

I think you're a candidate for the show "Hoarders". Do you read chinese? Saw your newspapers on the floor were in chinese. Wait, that' gotta be your lady friend. You should save all those papers too. Never know when there will be a shortage of newprint

Just finished re-coating the CA's with the second coat of POR. Scuff a little with 220 and paint. Goes on just as smooth as the original coat - looks awesome. Won't be any rust on these babies!!

Know anyone with a 'restored clone 442' vert they want to get rid of cheap? Must have heated seats for driving around in the chilly climes up here...and a bonger instead of the nasty buzzer I'd take any color, but prefer white with tan interior. Must be 'turn key'

 

Alan,

the fender braces just added stabability to the car as well with the rear braces the run from the rear lower control arms to the upper arms. (great investments for handling and adding the FE2 package correctly

My w31's have the FE2 springs and they are shorter than the springs that you have. As a matter of fact the FE2 on 350 cars are the same as the 455 cars.

You would notice a big handling difference. Maybe Rob still has the part numberfor the springs as I recall he ordered new springs.

Your current springs are long and you will need a spring compressor to install them and the FE2 springs go in with no compressor.

Then you will need boxed control arms a rear sway bar...

 

Handling as in stiffer ride or more controlled in cornering, probably both. I love the way my car rides right now. It makes all the new stuff feel like junk. The A body Cutlass has always been an impressive handling and riding car IMO. The spring number is listed in Robs thread "Lady Gets a Frontend Job - easy to reference. Wanna buy a spiffy set of reconditioned regular springs??? I'm not saying yes right now, but I'm not saying no either....

With due respects I don't think so. When I took them out the LCA was as far down as it could go. There was absolutely no compression left in the spring and it came out with a small tug. I expect it to go back the same. Just that I'll use some plastic shielding coated with a bit of grease and a size 10 foot kick to 'slip' it into the CA. Once it's in it will rotate to the proper seating position. I do understand what you are saying though. Generally it would be easier to use a spring compressor. I can still do that if necessary. Partsource up here has free tool loan program like autozone in your area.

Boxed control arms - got 'em - just have to redo the bushings and paint them.
rear sway bar + mounting kit - got em brand spanking new 1"
Control arm braces - got em - already cleaned up, just need paint.
Series 3 posi carrier - got it - Courtesy of Monzaz - *Jim* great guy BTW
3:23 ring/pinion - got em - courtesy of fleabay. also have a set of 3:42's I was hoping to put in when I started tearing down a 455. (see https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...at-anchor.html )
W27 diff cover - got it. Still NIB wrapped in plastic c/w gasket and bolts. 10 bolt corp app.

Sounds like you've done this before. Any hints or suggestions on ripping out old stuff and installing the new stuff? I have the frame up about 14 inches on the rear and I can 'sort of' get under there without too much rubbing. I already scoped out where the braces go. kjr442 posted some pics of his body off showing me the locaton details. Now it's just a question of doing it without the axle falling on my head. Got an extra set of jack stands to hold everything in place.

 

When you pull the rear out, then, that would be the time to replace all of your bushings.

Changing the bushings on the rear conrtol arms is like changing the bushings in the front lower control arms.

Find a mint set of used rear upper control arms, and change the bushings in those. You can find a mint set next to nothing. You can also find a find a set of 455 rear upper control arms.

Changing the bushings in the rear end housing was a bit more challenging since my car has the all alluminum w27 rear. What ever you do, do not beat it with a hammer... I have heard of harror stories.

Also, a nice set of FE2 rear springs would be nice...

 

Ah Hah! I knew it. Another bushings ploy!! You and that Rob guy!! Why would I need to replace the upper control arms? Mine are 'mint'. If changing the bushings in the rear CA's was anything like the fronts, there will be a few choice words floating in the air while it's being done. What's the difference between reg rear upper control arms and 455 ones? I'm guessing they are beefier or use different bushings? On a practical side, I understand the value of the changeout.
I hadn't planned to pull the rear, just change some components.

Say whaaat? FE2 rear springs? You guys don't give up easy, do you?? While I'm at it I suppose I could get some FE2 rear shocks....

 

Get Hotchkis 1" drop springs w/ Bilstein shocks.

 

8 REAR BUSHINGS
FE2 FRT SPRINGS
REAR BRAKE HOSE
There. I started a grocery list for you.

You must have missed this one a couple years ago. I still need to finish it.
https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...ancements.html
I would not recommend the HD rear springs. The regular Moog rear replacements have the same rate as the FE2 springs. The HD are stiffer like for SMT cars.
I recently bought the regular set to swap with the HDs when i finish up back there.


BTW, you will have to rotate the front springs to the approximate correct orientation before kick-in, or they are NOT going in...

 

re:
8 REAR BUSHINGS - You have a real sadistic streak my friend. Bad enough you got me to buy in on the front ones. Did you do all 8 of yours? Hmmmmmm????
FE2 FRT SPRINGS - Maybe, already have the rear insulators....Don't know if I want to 'mix' spring types
REAR BRAKE HOSE - Yes, + new bleeder, rear wheel cylinders, and brake part hold down kit. I bought an old spring tool for 5.00 on ebay just for doing drum brakes. I'll finish the drums in Cast to match the front rotors. Right now theyve been sprayed with that black ugly rustproofing junk. Lots to clean. I'll check to see if the there's enough meat on them. Might be easier and faster just to buy a new set of drums.


Rob, I'm a little slow and a little old, but.....I'm not
BLIND
Do you know how much I had to manipulate the fonts to post this? When I hit the 'quote' button, everything in your font changed to 7. Then I had to track down the hidden returns and blast them all back to 2.

I had planned to reinstall the front springs. I'll line them up. Based on how easy they came out - even with all the crud and rust holding them - I think they'll go back fairly easy. I have one of the old flat tire irons I can use to help guide it. The iron has bevelled ends and is about 2' long. It will give great leverage.

Thx for the link. Looks to be fairly straight forward and it's got the info I was looking for. Crap! More bushings. Who did you buy your rear control arms from? They look cherry. Good tip on the bolts.

Since my car is up on jacks already it might be easier, plus I hlso have to install those body braces from the RCA to the body. When I checked under the car today, the factory had put bolts in there to 'seal' it up I guess. So now all I have to do is bust them loose.

I have all the hardware except the wheel cylinders to do the rear drums. Another add on to the list.

I've decided that unless Pocohantas blesses me with warm weather for the next month, this car will likely be up on stands all winter. The good part is...crap, there is no good part. I'm screwed out of using my garage for other stuff for the next 7 months. Yah! Outside oil changes.... Nothing better go wrong on our 2 drivers until spring...

 

For the rear upper control arms some people think that they beefier for a 455 car since they used a different part number, but they are identical. They have a different code stamped on them as they used a different bushing.

And yes, there was FE2 shocks... The new bushings and springs would be great! The rear FE2 springs are shorter than the regular springs. I have not compared automatic rear springs to stick shift rear springs as my cars stick shift. The FE2 suspension was a complete package that included many different components. Even the bushings were different...

I remember the boxed arms were cheaper to buy than they were to service. They use to cost me about $30.00 each with the bushings. Who wants to clean them, paint them, and install new bushings at that price!

Don't forget you will need new parking brake cables...

 

Hey Joe,
Tell me where I can find NIB boxed control arms for 30.00!! I've got the cash in my other hand as I type!!! Haven't seen a deal like that ever. I bought a set from Eric (jensenracing77) 2 years ago. They are a little rough but will clean up nice. If I could get new ones CHEAP with bushings already in, I'd do it. Who want's to do the cleaning??? Not that it's what I live for, but I don't mind getting dirty doing the work.

Why do I need new parking brake cables? I was just under the car today checking the rear CAs, springs and brake cables. The bottom of the car looks fantastic. Still shows shiny black paint (with minor mud splats) all the way from back to front. The cables look excellent - no fraying or wear or rust! They are nice and tight + there is free movement where it should be. Something you know that you've not posted??

 

Looks like Pocohantas and Squanto were listening and came through today. Nice - 60° and no wind. Beautiful fall day.

Opened the garage door for ventilation and started working on the PS frame rail. Have to remove the brake line bolts and shift the line to get some work done.

This is messy messy work. After about an hour I had the frame down to this


I had to use wire wheel, angle grinder and rotary sander to get most of the crap off.


This is the brake line that had to be moved. Wanna bet this sucker is going to give me all kinds of grief taking it apart? It looks and feels like one welded together unit. I think it's going to take some heat to release. It will also be interesting to see if the hose clip will release. I'm relplacing both brake hoses and all the fasteners. I might put a coat of silver on the brake line....


there were all kinds of SHARP welding slag bits all over the top of the frame. No way in hell was that part of quality control. I used my angle grinder to get the stuff that I could. The rest of it I had to settle for sanding to round off those little prickles


front frame area


Now everything on this side is ready for metal prep, then painting. I had to stop 2x while doing this job to vacuum all the dirt/debris that was getting all over the place. And I mean all over.....when I came in I looked like a coal miner!! Now I can start working on the DS tommorrow!

 

Needed to do something else after the grinding. I remembered after I put stuff away I still have to grind the LCA mounts.... oh the joy to look forward to.

Anyway, I pulled the front signal lights and decided they were in sad need of reconditioning. They work, and yes no one will know they've been done - except me and you guys. But when it comes time for appraisal? I will have a fully documented account of the work done to the car - including the stuff that can't be seen.


I decided to test my skills on just one - hoping it would reveal any secrets for the second one. After a degreaser bath and scrub, it looked like this


So now out comes the secret weapon: My wire wheels and W/D 600 sandpaper. Took quite a bit of time. Turns out the connection at the back is copper (dang - no copper paint). Even says "Made in USA" on the back. Like I was expecting it to be Chinesium???

The lens is NOS so it cleaned up like NEW.... ok. The gasket was a little on the dirty side. I soaked it with degreaser, I'm going to put it in hot water and boil it a bit to get rid of the gunge. My wife will probably kill me when she finds out....

So now I've got the whole shebang ready for paint. Decided the outside would be Cast.


The inside had a little bit of corrosion starting. Some sanding, shot of rust check primer, and shoot it with KRYLON Ivory rust paint. Looks better than the factory did it
Before:


After:

 

It's getting late now.
Took the charcoal cannister out and had a look. It has seen better days. Right now I'd call it butt ugly. I have plans for it's cleanup.


Used degreaser - not much effect. Then I used some 600 W/D sandpaper. It cleaned up really nicely. The problem with this kind of cleaning is it scuffs the plastic. Like the rust didn't already make it's mark. After CAREFULLY and gently sanding, all the rust came off, but it did leave some dullness on the container. I rinsed it and it looked fabulous. So now I'm making up my mind whether to polish it with MacGuires plastic finish (labor intensive) or just shoot it with some engine bright clear lacquer. I'm leaning to the latter. I'll post the result tommorrow. Right now I have to make supper for my son.

 

My God... The flashbacks are haunting me..............................

While you go through this, I have to go out to the garage and convince myself that mine is OVER!

I still have the front clip to do this winter/spring, but will not be as intense.

Those brake hoses will come off. Put a wrench on the hose and a LINE WRENCH on the flare fitting after a WD4 soak. Might help if the braket was bolted on the frame again.

I left the sloppy welds for that factory look! Getting to the backs of the frame rails and under the engine were difficult, but I did it.
Eastwood's PRE or mineral spirits / laquer thinner worked great for degreasing the remaining surfaces. DO note that it disolves the original paint, so your rags will always be black until bare metal shows! Viva paper towels or Scotts rags on a roll are great for this work!

The charcoal can - try oven cleaner as last resort before paint. The bottom rust can be scraped and sanded, as it will not be visible in the holder. Plug the line fittings first.

Nice work on the park lights. they will be brighter now! I refinished the insides of mine and it made a BIG difference! Of course mine were all rusty...

Long way to go - keep it up!

 

The only way to avoid recurring nightmares is to hop the redeye and help me get this done sooner . No worries my friend, it's a labor of love we all share with our cars.
I know the hoses will come undone from the line. I've done them before. Not sure if the penetrating oil will be able to get in there though... we'll see

The sloppy welds really bug me because they're sharp! I can get away with just doing the top, bottom and side of the frame for now. When the engine comes out, there will be tons of room to do the areas I miss now.


I actually got the rust off with 600 w/d sandpaper (wet). I'll post a pic tommorrow showing the results.

Thx for the kind words and encouragement.

 

Well it was unseasonably nice today; the kind of fall day you can take advantage of working with just a pair of sweats under your coveralls.

So, the steering shaft, bushings, oh heck - all the steering shaft parts got cleaned and painted today. All the grease was removed and the parts cleaned in the varsol tray. A trip to my 'agent orange' degreaser and rinse and they were ready for cleanup. I'm really happy with the way they came out. Got the rag joint done too. It was easier to take it apart, wire wheel the crud and mask off the rag. I was originally going to use the aluminum foil trick to mask the rag, but it was sooo easy with everything apart. Only took about 20 minutes to mask it off. Then it was off to the paint.

I know the shaft is supposed to be satin black, but I really like this cast color better; and it won't show dirt as badly either. All the bolts / nuts were wire wheeled and painted caliper silver.


The 'other side"


This is just a dry fit to see what it will look like



Then it was time for the PS gearbox to come out. I didn't want to take the hoses off the gearbox or pump until after if was out. The gearbox bolts came out nicely and I lowered the pump down onto an old milk crate. So far so good.


The 3 bolts and washers got wire wheeled and painted. So this is what nut and bolt resto feels like....


Now for the pump. I undid the front nut so I could slide the pump over and take off the belt. NO SUCH LUCK. The car must still have its original PS belt because there's no way it will come off short of taking the whole pump bracket off. The hose line is routed so retarded! It runs interference with the pump; only allowing the pump to move about 3/4". So I started taking the pump mounting brackets off. Some are 1/2", others are 9/16" and most of them require you to wrench one side while holding the other from moving. It's amazing that workers didn't make more mistakes building these cars!!!


I know there's a little dent in the top of the PS reservoir, but I don't care. It will add 'character' to the assembly. I'm really worried about that bolt on the exhaust manifold. Anyone have any suggestions other than what I'm doing right now - penetrating oil and wait overnight? Will probably have to use a breaker bar to get it loose. You can actually see the problem with the hose line better in the 4th pic BTW. Hopefully it doesn't look like that when I've finished installing the new lines.

 

Why not just loosen the pressure hose so it can rotate down and pump can swing to the side? :P
Then snug it up again to remove the system intact.
The lines were supposed to be braced like that to help keep the pressure from flexing the metal line as much.
Assy manual even says to move that line after the belt is adjusted...

You might try your impact wrench on that bolt, as long as you have a well fitting 6 point socket on it.

PS - that front bracket might not come off untill the pulley is removed from the pump. At least my A/C varient was like that.
Pulley is as skuzzy as the bracket anyway. Pull the pulley and repaint them all, along with the pump!

Steery shaft looks good! Do you remember the orientation it goes in for reassy? hehe...

 

I'll give it a go in the morning Rob. I think I'll have better luck using a breaker bar on that bolt. It will let me control the force a little better than an impact wrench. The plan is to take out the pump and gearbox as an assembly so I don't have fluid leaking around all over the place. Once it's out, I'll drain the PS fluid from the gearbox and pump, cap the open lines and clean the units up. When the new lines get here, I'll dry fit them and reinstall the assembly before adding fluid. BTW, that gearbox didn't feel like 30 lbs. Maybe all this wrench pulling is building my arm strength.

IIRC you pulled all your brackets when you did your pump and gearbox, didn't you?

Oh yeah, when you pulled the rag joint - did you notice that the 12 point clamp bolt was a metric #12? I tried everything on that sucker and metric was the only thing that worked.

 

No, do not remove that hose. Just loosen it a little with a 5/8 line wrench, pull the hose down, and snug her back up. Hold a paper towel under the hose to catch the drip.

Yep, all my brackets were done. Chip at Power Steering services pulled the pulley and painted it and the captive bracket. I did the rest with the same paint.

Gearbox is 30 lbs packed in a box.
Install everything then fill pump. Run engine a few seconds and refill. Repeat a few times. Then slowly turn the wheels back and forth until it growls. Shut it off and refill. Do a couple more times. It should hold 1.3 qts of fluid when dry.

 

Dude!
You keep editing your post making my job harder.....
There is no hole in the pulley to help with getting it off. My neighbor lent me a special tool to take off the pulley when the pump comes off. You wrap this chain around the pulley and snug down (I'll get a pic of it in action) while wrenching the nut off.

I agree the pulley and brackets look scuzzy.

Orientation for reassembly?? You're $hitting me right? No I didn't.
All I have are these pics

Steering shaft assembly prior to teardown


Ragjoint to shaft assembly


Upper clamp still on


Oh, I almost forgot
Looked at the engine stamping pad today and the last 6 numbers match the VIN. 32M208783 A Lansing built car just like it's supposed to be. Only complaint? Could they make those numbers any smaller??? Us old guys have a hard time tilting bifocals that high to make them out

 

Those pics will be fine. Actually i found out in the end that it is all pretty much keyed to where it will only go together one way as long as you do not turn the gearbox or column shaft.

What? No holes in pulley? Mine did. Must be an A/C thing...

 

Good to know. I plan to leave the gearbox spline and pitman alone. No movement. And right now the steering column is locked in place where it was when the shaft came out.

What's the build date on your car?? Either the AC pulley is different - for whatever reason I don't know - or mine is earlier? production before GM started to find ways to cheap out with minimal metal?

Actually, what I can see different is that the AC cars have a 2 belt pulley on the PS pump. That pulley has 3 holes. My car doesnt have AC or HD cooling and uses only a single belt pulley with no holes. ref AM: pg 211. I am adding a HD water pump/fan clutch but I don't think it will affect the PS pump. If it does then I also need John to send me a 2 belt pulley.

 

Yea, I forgot about the 1 vs two grooves. The A/C models required the PS belt be tightened prior to the ALT belt, so the holes are probably there to facilitate belt adjustment in a tight area.

 

Allan, the non-a/c cars have a hard to find p/s pulley. If the shaft is not leaking, then, I would leave the pulley on. The nut would have to come off, and then there is a key that holds the pulley in pulley in place.

Now for adding the a/c heavy duty water pump. You will need to change the water pump pulley. The pulley you will need is for the OAI cars from 70 to 72. And Fusick automotive sells that pulley.

Next, the A/c water pump would be to long. You will need a water pump for the 71-72 OAI cars with 3.42 gears with no A/C. Your local parts store should have the water pump.

 

Hi Joe! Been a while.
The PS pulley is, well, different. The shaft is not leaking but you know that if there's a way to do it I'm going to find it and do it. I took off the PS brackets as part of getting the PS pump out. The brackets were ugly... in fact everything was ugly.
To get the PS pulley off I used a chain grip tool designed just for this type of thing. Only thing I did wrong was I didn't put a cushion under the tensioner to pad the pressure going onto the pulley. Bent the inner flange a bit, but it straightened out really quick in the vise.
Pretty slick little tool. I'll have to use it again to put the pulley back on.


Yup, I'm ahead of the game. I actually have 2 of the pulleys in the garage just waiting to get cleaned up. That pulley should be the same one that fits AC cars too.


Hmmmm, I have a HD water pump I bought a couple years ago. Hope it's the right one. It's supposed to be for HD cooling without AC. What's the difference in pump shaft length? If you know the shaft length, I could check and see if the one I have will work

 

Allan,

I don't know the shaft lengths off hand. I will measure an extra water pump that I have and let you know. I would still leave the p/s alone LOL...

 

Today was perfect!
First on the agenda: get the PS pump and gearbox out as a unit. Yesterday had no trouble getting the gearbox out, but the pump was being stubborn. Well it came out of there inside of 15 minutes. The bolts I was worried about came out really nicely with the use of my torque wrench (2 ft - great leverage). The brackets holding the pump were in sad shape. Needless to say there was some cleaning required.
This is one of the brackets (from backside)


Here's what the general condition of most were, can you say...Yuuuchhh!


After using a flat scraper to get most of the gunge off, it was into the varsol for a quick bath, then to the 'agent orange' degreaser and wash. They actually cleaned up really well. I thought, "That looks good enough for a guy with a Ford, but not for a guy with an Olds".


So back to the garage, wire wheel, sand, dremel until all the gunk was gone. Then back to the 'bathing area'. Spray with POR metal ready and wait 20 minutes. Ooops, no black paint left. Off to the store to buy another bomb. Back in 20.... and the timing was perfect. Complete rinse and blow dry - ready for paint. Love the fast drying enamels.... So anyway here's what the PS pump mounting bracket look like now. Oh, also did the charcoal cannister. It was pretty rusty inside - took almost 1/2 hour just to prep for paint. The cannister itself got a small dose of black too after taping off the 2 vents.



Nope, not done yet. With all the PS stuff out of the way, I can get to the frame with my grinder and sanders. So to avoid the 'black lung' disease that I seem to get every time I do this I 'suited up'. Full respirator, and safety gear. I'm wearing a set of sweat pants and shirt under the coveralls to keep from getting cold on the floor of the garage. Steel toe boots DO get cold BTW. My wife took this pic just minutes before I started grinding away. By the time I was finished my coveralls were the same color as my hat. Look like a raccoon now. Everywhere I wasn't covered is black. Only thing I don't like about all this is when you gotta go ... especially if you need to go in a hurry!!!


Supposed to be nice tomolla too! If it is, the frame gets a bath of metal ready and spends the rest of the day drying. While it's doing that I'll work on the gearbox and pump. I dumped the PS fluid from the pump already, it looked like .... oil!! Seems to have accumulated a fair bit of dirt in there over the years. I don't think it's supposed to be that color..good thing everything is getting changed.

 

Got all the new steering parts - inner/outer tie rods, idler, center link painted. Then it was off to the races with the PS pump and gearbox.

Getting the hoses off the gearbox was childs play compared to getting them off the pump. The pressure hose would not undo from the coupling even after multi shots of penetrating oil. Glad I didn't have to do this while it was on the car! Finally it broke loose - NO, it didn't really. The big fitting on the back of the pump did. So I bent the pressure hose enough that it would fit around the filler on the reservoir without hitting and wound it off. (Don't fret about the hose - it's junk and being replaced) When the union comes out, so does the shaft, control valve and flow control spring! Not what I had in mind. So now the union is put into the vice, and a 5/8 box applied to the hose nut. FINALLY it breaks loose. Put the shaft parts back into the pump and screw the union back in. PITA

The PS gearbox has not been a problem. It's just dirty. So for the rest of the day, I spent hours cleaning it. My faithfull Makita 3/8" variable speed drill with speed adjustment finally decided enough was enough. After 18 years of faithful service, and 2 brush replacements the motor burnt out. Went on line and found a replacement RIGID at Home Depot. While I was looking at the selection on site, I found a Ryobi 1/2" hammer driver on sale for 50.00. That's less than the RIGID I had in my hands, so I thought WTH and bought it. Good strong drill! Really like the handle attachment.

Plug the pressure and return lines so nothing gets in the gearbox.

Finally after about 3 hours of careful nitpicking cleaning I got the gearbox down to bare metal. To do it the way I wanted it was necessary to start by painting the bolts and adjustment bolt. Then tape them off and spray the side cover, stub shaft and end cover. Finally tape off the now silver/black parts and all splines. I don't care what the splines look like, they will get a coating of anti seize when they go back onto the rag joint. Coat with cast and it looks like this.









Now for the pump. It's still in the death throws of puking out the last of the steering fluid. I don't know how to get the return metal line off so I can detail the reservoir properly. I have a feeling it's the large bolt at the top left in the pic. I think if I take that out, the pump assembly will only be held in by the front O ring. If I screw it up, I can get a replacement pump with or without reservoir. Just that I don't want to screw it up. Anyone got any helpful hints on doing this? Would be really helpful if you've gone through this messy work yourself you will know exactly what I'm dealing with. The CSM shows great shots of rebuild, but the back of the pump looks different than mine!

 

Nice work! Your brackets were as grungy as mine. I let the sandblaster take care of those. Where did you get the varsol? I think it is hard to find now.

Nice halloween costume you had on - I dare you to wear all that in a 100* garage!
I think I did well by using the shop vac to suck away the dust as it was coming from the brushes. Cumbersome, but it worked...

Return line on pump is part of the reservoir. Do not try to remove it. The bolt at the back holds the whole thing together. Still wanna remove it?? hehe....
Just drain the remaining blood, cork it up, clean it and paint.
You could dump some fresh fluid in it, shake well, and drain again - would not hurt...

Your gearbox turned out wonderfully. Does the date code match your car?
If you got any paint in the pitman arm hole, get it out so the center link will tighten correctly.

BTW, is that your overflow tank there in the background of the pump picture? I have one just like that. Wonder what the history is on those...

 

Yup, when I took them off the engine I also did some spot cleaning on the side/front of the block where they will be remounted. It was sooooo tempting to pull the water pump and pulleys to have a look at the timing chain/gears. There's so much stuff out of the way...you know how these thoughts are terminally self destructive. And I wasn't wearing my metal foil helmet to ward off the evil voices either...my mastery of the Force is almost complete, my Master.

Varsol is really easy to get up here. Check your local home depot or hardware. Are you sure you're not referring to Acetone?

I was thinking the same things. 1. Leave well enough alone. 2. Same thing, but if I turn the pulley shaft I should get a bit more fresh stuff circulating in there too. Worth a try. I haven't moved the pitman arm on the gearbox so it's still full of old fluid.

Date code, date code....oh yeah date code...I just went down and checked it. It's 4272 which would be April 2, 72. Coincidence? My car was built on April 7, 72. I'll run a light 220 sandpaper around the inside of the pitman to clean any overspray. Didn't think of plugging it when I was spraying. It makes that much of a difference?

Yes, that's my overflow reservoir. It used to be full before I let the drain line fall to the floor....remember??? FWIW the reservoir is NOT a GM part. I got this from ebay for about 10 bucks. Year One sells them for 40, but you can likely pick one up at Otterzone or Walmart for around 15.00 The real overflow tank costs around 200.00 at just about all the aftermarket suppliers. This one works just fine.
The history? Olds had to run into overheating concerns with the BB in 70-72. To counteract this they installed overflow jugs in 455's that also had HD cooling. The jugs were available (free) from the dealer if you complained that your car was running hot and puking coolant, no matter whether you had a 455 or 350.

 

The voices are telling you to pull the motor...
It is SO EASY now! If you cannot pull it intact, pull it in pieces!
Just think, whatever you do now, is less you have to do later.

I know the overflow tank is not GM - it is a cheapo add-on. Mine looks pretty old and you say they still make em just like that? Must be popular and non-special... I will keep it since it came with the car and does the job....

Any of the holes that the tapered studs go in must be free of all paint.
If not, you will torque the nut and the paint will compress. Over time, and with forces exerted on it, the paint would finally squeeze out and the stud will become loose. Loose studs are bad things, in all ways!

 

The voices are telling me you're yanking my left leg. Actually I'm pretty much aware as you are of the benefits of doing it now. I have to laugh at your comment about 'when it warms up'. That would be....let's see now... April around this joint.

I will make sure the holes are cleaned out properly. Would hate to run into steering failure on my drive down to Texas or Oregon.

BTW, your comment about: whatever you do now, is less you have to do later would never be understood by my wife. She believes that if you have less to do later, she'll find something for you.....

 

Time flies when you're having fun! Thurs was butt ugly weather, so nothing got done. Friday was my buddy's grad as a police officer, so it was with great pride that I attended. I really hope being a police officer is as rewarding a career as he thinks it is. Really cool ceremony - too many speechs though. 22 grads after 5 months of theory and practical training. Now they're off to start their work hardening on the streets with partners.

I was going to paint the frame rails yesterday but the darn can of DOM16 wouldn't open. I tried EVERYTHING short of punching a hole in it. Took it back this morning and even the guys at NAPA couldn't open it. So they gave me a new can. I asked them to open it first . So today the frame rails will get their first coat of paint. This stuff can be used in temperatures down to 35° and still work. Way less expensive than POR15 and guaranteed to have a bulletproof finish.

In the meantime, here's what happened yesterday evening. Finally got the PS pump done. Drained it and corked it. Then I spent the better part of 2 hours prepping for paint. Lots of places on the back of the pump that are hard to get to. Found out the return line is actually brazed onto the back of the pump. Decided NOT to undo the pump from the reservoir. I'll only do that if it starts leaking and I need to install a new O ring.

Before, there was plenty of grease and fluid to clean off. the top of the reservoir had seen better days and the paint had been chipped off over time, starting minor surface rust spots


After cleaning (and this took some time to do, including many degreasings) it looked like this. Note Molotov plug in reservoir to soak up any leftover fluid... I cut the old pressure hose and return lines and put plugs in the lines to keep away drips. Both lines were probably good, there was absolutely no deterioration in the sidewalls of the pressure line. Oh well, better safe than sorry. After a bit the pressure line got in the way so I took it off and just plugged the connection with a shop rag. By then just about all the fluid was out anyway. The new return line will not get a factory looking clamp, they are a PITA to find and to remove.


Backside of pump will not be seen by anyone really. After cleaning it comes out looking like this: BTW you can clearly see the return line brazing on the connections to the pump in this picture.


All painted and purty lookin'. The shaft was taped off to prevent paint on it and the keyway. Same on the pulley. These need to fit tight without paint on them.


Backside. Pressure line removed after cleaning and a wad of shop rag packed into union. Turned out really nice. Can't wait for the new hoses to arrive so the pump and gearbox can go back together. I think it will work better to install the pressure line before I put the lower mounting bracket on. Then I don't have to worry about wrenching in a tight spot.