Allan R

The frame got its first coat of paint yesterday. Just finished the second coat today. I'm planning to wait for a few days to let it cure before the re-assembly starts. While I was there I decided to put a coat on the lower cowl area too.

I'm not really worried about not getting the very front of the frame or the cradle under the motor. That all becomes very accessible when I pull the motor next year.

PS


DS


I got some drops of DOM16 on the floor of the garage. I got my scraper and it chiseled off nicely. Guess the concrete didn't provide the necessary 'biting' surface. On the other hand, it sticks to skin quite well

The whole compartment will get a thorough cleaning when I'm done. I decided to leave the rad in for now and pull it with the engine. It looks like it might need a re-core there's evidence on the fins of coolant from somewhere. The rad top plate and support will get cleaned and painted when the rad comes out. For right now though I also gave the lower rad support a new coat of protection. I'll do the front bumper support and braced when the bumper comes off.

While I'm waiting for the paint to cure, I'll be cleaning up the bolts/nuts and pressing in my ball joints and bushings. Ha ha ha ha, that will be soooo much fun. I'm hoping that this car will be back together by Early Nov. Looks attainable now...One thing I've learned is that you don't rush these builds or you end up screwing something up.

Lady72nRob71

Good progress so far, but early November is next week!

Put the steery pump in with the pressure hose snug but movable and the return line clamped on. After the belt is tightened, position the pres hose and tighten it. It is not too bad with the fenderwell off. Then install the box and connect the lines to it as shown in the assy manual.

Remember those brake lines!

Allan R

I know it's pushing, but I really need this done soon. My wife really wants to park in the garage over the winter, and I might need to use the space to do minor things like oil changes too.

Time should work in my favor - remember I'm retired now. That's why some days I can spend the whole day on this site when the weather is ugly.

I haven't forgotten the brake hoses, or the gas lines either. The brake lines will get a coat of paint a little later - probably after I get the new hoses installed. The mounting clips also need cleanup before they get bolted back to the frame.

The major thing for me is to get the control arm bushings and lower ball joints pressed in so the reconstruction can start. I have a feeling that once it starts happening, the car will be off the jacks inside of 2 days. There are still some parts en route from ILT. Hopefully they get here by Wed. Forecast is for decent weather up till the end of Oct.

How did things turn out with correcting the steery wheel position on Lady? Haven't been to that thread for a while. I'll be glad when this part of the front end is done. But I know there's more to do in the spring. I think I'll have my rad support done before you - weather permitting. I'll be taking the rad out, stone shield and grills, headlights and front bumper off c/w mounting brackets and braces. That will give full access to the support.

joesw31

Allan, great progress. Are you going to change the seals on the power steering pump? Now is the time to change them. The large o-ring is the one that likes to leak after sitting.

Allan R

Joe, I seriously thought about that. The pump has been in service every year and as recently as August with no signs of leakage. The front shaft seal was also in great shape. I decided not to mess with a good thing. I think the PS fluid has kept the seals in good shape since the reservoir was full when I removed it.

I looked at some new PS pumps and noticed that the return line is routed differently on the replacement pumps than the OEMs. The OEM is brazed to the back of the pump. The new style ones route the return to the top alongside the reservoir. The new hoses should be here on Wed so I'll get a chance to see if the 2' return line could actually have been routed there. FWIW, if the darn thing starts leaking after install, I know I can get it out really easy now that I've got hoses/ and reconditioned the bolts and nuts holding it in place. I don't think changing the O ring is that big a job, just messy if you have steery fluid all over the place.

Allan R

Well since my last post, I took a 'leave of absence' from C.O. for a week. Then I got lucky with some warm weather and have been able to get a whack of stuff done.

POWER STEERING
Installed the reconditioned gearbox. Not a big deal. Did forget that the pressure line will still push fluid if you turn the rag gear connection (which you have to do to get the darn rag gear bolts done up). Squirted fluid about 5 feet! Bit of a mess to clean up, but ok it's in and done.
Next I tried to fit the intermediate shaft in place. It wouldn't go in for the love of trying. So I went to the CSM and looked up the install. You know, that book paid for itself many times this week. Note to self: Don't assume you know what you're doing. Check it in the book first.

Turns out the rag joint gets attached to the gearbox first, then you push the intermediate shaft coupling onto the steering spline. It does make a ''glitching' noise just like Rob said. Then pull the shaft down a bit and fit it onto the rag. Tighten bolts, clamps and attach spring clips as indicated. Done. It looks great!

LINKAGES
Painted and assembled the inner/outer tie rods, center link, and idler. Measured the old assembly very carefully. Measure each side from the center of the ball to center of next ball. One side was exactly 18" ; the other was 18 1/2". Loosely bolted the whole thing together and take it to the garage. Install the idler to the frame. (neat trick for not losing bolts or nuts? Put a small chunk of shop towel over the socket and then stick in the bolt. Fits tight and is easy to feed through the frame hole) The rest of the linkages will be double checked before attaching to the pitman, idler and steering arms.

CONTROL ARMS
All control arm bushings installed. It took a bit of time and I found that the upper shaft bushings were the worst. Ended up using a bushing press kit. Man, that makes everything easy. If you have to do bushings, rent a BUSHING PRESS KIT, not the ball joint kit. The bushing press kit even has the C clips needed to press the old bushings out.

LCA and UCA bolts installed loosely. They get torqued when the car is sitting on them.

SPRINGS
Wow, I went through hell and back getting them in. Tried using a spring compressor, but all that did was get in the way and scratch up my new paint on the springs. So it turns out the trick is to put the spring in the upper seat first (duhhhh). Then push with your feet agains the LCA. It will give a fair bit. Jam the spring in as far as it will go. It'll stay in place. Then with one hand holding the spring, take a 3 foot pry and wedge it between the spring and the shock hole. Give it a lift and POP! the spring goes into the pocket. Now get a trolley jack under the spring pocket and lift it till you can connect the upper/lower ball joints to the spindle. Now that I've done it, I'm way more confident on how to do it again. Doing things helps you learn

BRAKES
Ok, now the spindle is back on and it's time to put on the backing plate and caliper bracket. Easy. Just that I don't understand why the steering knuckle bolt needs 120 ft/lbs and the bolt needs 90. Kind of wierd, but ok.
Install the new rubber seal on the backing plate. I used vaseline to hold it in place.
Put a big dollup of grease in the hub and smear it around. Add another and repeat. Install rear bearings and grease boot, flip over the rotor and install the front bearings. Carefully feed the rotor onto the spindle. Line up the keeper washer on the front bearings and tighten down the castle nuts. New cotter pin gets twisted over the front of the spindle. Install dust boot.

Attach new brake hose to caliper and tighten. Install new caliper bolt bushings. Install brake pads and slip caliper over rotor. Clunk! Fit's perfecto! New caliper bolts installed and tightened. Repeat for the next side.

BRAKE LINES/HOSES
The old brake hoses are being turfed, that's why they have vice grips holding them from leaking. The big concern is getting the flare nut loose from the hose connection. I've had the connections soaking in penetrating fluid for the last day. My package from ILT came today so I can also install new mounting brackets.

STABILIZER
New link kits and new bushings for the stabilzer. Decided to repaint it to a cast color. Looks good and should be factory correct. Still think I'll put the link kit in upside down. It's such a PITA working with the tight clearances the way it should be.

It was a good day. Tommorrow I'll try the brake hose connection. If it comes loose I'll attach the new brake hose and put in the new mounting hardware. The bleed the brakes. I think I want to put a clear hose on the brake bleeder when I do the bleed. The way the bleeder is positioned, it will shoot fluid up all over the place, and I don't want that because it is highly destructive to paint.
Then the car is ready to put on it's dancing shoes again.

Once those darn springs were in, the build is going really fast.

DS Spring and Control arms. This was before torquing the BJ nuts. I shot a little touch up black onto the CA and springs where they got scratched from the install.


Passenger side assembly. Note; BJs not torqued yet because I was waiting for my frame bumper and control arm bumper from ILT. They arrived today.


These are the welded shock nuts/clips from ILT. They fit really well. I put them in place for now till I install the shocks.


I had also ordered new lens gaskets from ILT. They are not the quality I had hoped for - they are foam instead of rubber. But, at least they are thick like the originals. Bought a set of these from Millenium industries and they were crap. Threw them out without using them.


So when the lens is screwd back on, the restored assembly looks like this from the front.

Allan R

here is the new steering linkage assembly beside the old one. Note the outer tie rod ball joint on the old one (RS) is completely missing its boot


Now we're starting to get some where. It's taking shape. Backing plate to spindle 95 ft/lbs. Other 2 120 ft/lbs. Remember to bend over the tabs on backing plate against the large bolt. That's a new rubber gasket at the back of the spindle on the backing plate. I think it's there to absorb vibration. I held it in place with Vaseline.


Same assembly looking from the backside. Oh, there's the new CA bumper! This does NOT look anything like the junk I started working on.


Rotor/hub installed, ready for the caliper to go on. First punch out the old caliper bearings and attach the new brake hose.


Here we go! All ready for wheels to go on - almost. All done except for the brake hose. Also will wait to grease the ball joints till the car comes down.

oldzy

Rubber? I thought the front/rear light lens gaskets were all foam. Now I am curious and will go have a look see at a few of my originals. I got all mine from ILT as well.

The one issue I recall though is 'white' vs 'gray' and which goes where, etc. IIRC, white on the front (or 'clear' lenses), and gray on the rear (or 'non-clear' lenses).

oldzy

?? Spindle gasket goes in between backing plate and spindle. Unless I am seeing things wrong.

Allan R

Aw crap, yer $hitting me right? So if I leave it where it is what will happen to it? Does it get shredded?

oldzy

oldzy

Nope.

I imagine it will fly off reeel good where it is now, or just flop around like a floppy dog ear.

If it makes you feel any better, I had to take my spindle and backing plate off several times to adjust things, change bolts, get the spindle gasket to stay in place while mounting (I used bearing grease), etc. (plus you are wayyy ahead of me)

Allan R

DS assembly starts


Assembly ready for steering linkages


One more brake hose to attach


I painted the green back on like it was on the back of the spindles. When I was cleaning them up I wire brushed the markings off. So I just happened to have some green tremclad lying around. It should be ok.

Allan R

Ok, I guess tomorrow I'll go out and take it apart and do it right. I could not find the picture in the assembly manual that showed where it goes. I know its there but where???? Man I hate doing things twice because of a brain fart.

On the other hand, THANK YOU for finding that blunder on my part. I'd rather take it apart and redo it than wonder what's causing that burning smell... Fortunately the rotor hasn't gone around even once yet.

BTW, your pic of the spindle is fantastic! Helps when you have all new parts. I just reconditioned mine. Bought new stuff only when I needed to, except for this really nice guy named Ken who sent me these gaskets. A very fair trade for a donation to the Cancer Society.

oldzy

I was going to recondition the 3 bolts, but ended up getting new ones. Everything else in my disc brake setup (except for new rotors and those rubber gasket thingies) are 2blu4uu parts (ie. backing plates, spindles, caliper brackets, steering arms, etc.)

I was really fussy on the bolts, especially being 'gold' and all. I ended up finding a new 'black' repro big shorty top bolt from AMK, but it does not have 'L8' stamped on it.

As for the two bottom bolts, I had to settle for the gold ones. It bugs me a bit and I have horrible dreams occasionally (dancing/talking gold bolts ) but I have to live with it for now I guess.

Perhaps I can redo/plate the 3 original bolts I got from 2blu, as they looked ok, better than my rusted ones anyway.

Lady72nRob71

Holy crap - you ARE joking right?

My new parking light gaskets were foam, too. In fact they compressed so easily that the screws tightened down before making a good seal! I had to replace the shouldered screws with regular SS screws...

Looking good though overall. Are you going to paint your exh manifolds now or when you pull the engine?

Allan R

Yup.

The OEM parking light gaskets are not foam. They are actually a silicone rubber material. Completely different material than the repro and compress differently too. The ILT ones are thicker than the ones from Millenium and are the right color. But, like you say they compress pretty easy. I took my time compressing the gasket and the shoulder screws still fit perfect and the seal is very good.

Exhaust manifolds and engine will get done together. However I'll have to pull the starter for rebuild and cleanup also. I will be replacing the stock 350 oil pan with the one I got off my 455 block. It has the 'anti surge' baffle at the front for those 'quick stops' and has no damage on the bottom.

Oldzy, I found the reference to the seal. It was on 3-26 of the CSM. Kind of hidden away in the BC car brake details.

EDIT: Just as ref, the lens seals on the rear are white too. In fact so are the backup light seals. The gray ones you're referring to? I got those from Millenium and they are cheezy thin gray JUNK. You would need 3 or 4 of them stacked to make a good seal.

Allan R

So you got the parts from John in Medford? Did you send them out for plating or something? They look really nice. Mine were just wire brushed and painted with silver/gold caliper paint.

The cad plated bolts don't look that bad. I don't know why you don't like them. Mine were in good shape and a soak in apple cider vinegar, wire wheel and cast paint on the heads was all I did. They work fine. One thing I am glad to hear is that you've taken the backing plate off a few times. I was kind of worried about torquing those things several times. But I guess they should be able to take it being grade 8. I really don't like stressing those ears on the backing plate by unfolding it and folding it several times.

You need more entertainment in your life if you dream of dancing cad plated bolts

Allan R

Well, while waiting for it to warm up a bit (I think it's time to head out in the next few minutes) I was surfing though the site and also web searching the spindle/backing plate gasket on the web. Turns out that most drum to disc conversion kits don't include one, nor do they show the seal installation on their how to videos. How important is that sucker? I'm still going to fix my error, but thought I'd ask that question. Back to you Ken.

FWIW, I'm going to time how long it takes to do it right without screwing up. TTYL

oldzy

Yes, all those parts are from the John. I had the caliper brackets and backing plates re-plated by Steve Gregori @ brakeboosters.com. Spindles/arms I had bead blasted and I then painted them Seymour Cast Blast. I might add that green color thingie on the spindles like you did as well, since they had a faded green color on them when I got them.

I will likely send out the original style Delco Moraine calipers I got from him as well to get rebuilt/painted/powdercoated.

oldzy

I would still put them on, but that is me. Mine came with those gaskets originally though. They were really pancaked out when I took the backing plates off, and even survived blasting (b/c I did not even know they were on there until after blasting - had to really scrape them off).

They are a bit of a pain to install though, as they like to keep going 'off-center' once you start to tighten things. Grease/Vaseline, glue or whatever should work.

Allan R

Just finished a quick lunch and was heading out when this came in.
ref: green paint - check this out: https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums/chassis-body-frame/33383-lady-gets-front-end-job-2.html#post290235 permalink 50 paragraph 2. Brian probably has this right. I've seen on line restos where they do the same thing. I'm not high end, but thought I'd do it just for kicks.


My seals were also pancaked and I didn't see them till I started cleaning. They came off without much trouble, but I could swear they were on the insde of the backing plate because they were on the rotor inside hub and were a little greasy. They came off easy, but I thought they were made of gasket material not rubber. You must have some serious money into that car of yours to get all that detail work done by pros. I'm particular, and not quite that fussy, but it HAS to be SAFE! I don't like seeing work done sloppy either, hence my tools are warmed up and I'm off to the races (bearings and races that is) grease goobers and seals, ya.....smells like fun .

oldzy

I added up 90 or so percent of expenses over the past few years... and I will not even post here how much b/c it is disgusting. I look at a basically bare frame and say WTF is this?? Reminds me of the Long Gun Registry. Oh ya... bye bye LGR!

Allan R

Just so long as you're not saying bye bye to your Cutlass. If you do, I will personally hunt you down and buy it off you for some outrageous amount I can't put it on this site .

Allan R

Well, I'm getting to the point where I can almost take the front end apart without looking at it. Both sides off, seal repositioned and back together in about 26.6593 minutes

So now the front rotors are good to go with the exception of the brake hose. I bolted the hose bracket back to the frame and tried to loosen the 7/16 flare fitting. It doesn't want to budge. So I shot it with some more penetrating oil and will let it sit overnight. Hope it breaks loose. I just hope it's not rusted. So I have an alternate plan. If it won't break loose, I will unbolt the frame bracket and hold the brake line away from the new paint and torch it. (Of course I'll let the vise grip off so the hose doesn't explode). Most of the time that I've had trouble with flare nuts, heat seems to work.

Next, in went the reconditioned park lights and new fender braces. I even got a new set of hardware from ILT and it worked out perfectly.

Now for the shocks. I bought the 8pc shock nut/bolt set from ILT. They were popped into the LCA yesterday so all I had to do was unscrew the bolt and put the shock in. Top mount was (as usually is) a piece of cake. Then the bottoms - what a PITA. Now I know why most people just put gr8 bolts and nuts. They are MUCH EASIER to work with. These clips with the welded nut are sooooo frustrating. Just when you think you've got it, no you don't. I even tried bracing the bottom of the shock but that didn't help much either. Has anyone who worked with these found an easy way to install the bottoms? I gave up on them tonight before I lost my patience.

Battery tray is back in and I've temporarily connected all the lighting hardware and run the + wire along side the inside of the fender - supported with the front wire loom and plastic zip fasteners.

TO DO LIST
Install shocks
Install front steering linkage. I torqued the centerlink to idler connections.
Install front stabilizer bar
Torque LCA and UCA to specs
Bleed brakes
Refill POwer steering reservoir and test for leaks (BTW there is an interesting write up in CSM about this. They say to turn wheels full left - not lock - when filling the reservoir. Start car. Turn side to side about 4 times - stop short of full lock - then check fluid level. How hard is that???
Re-install front liners with their new splash shields.
Dust/clean paint and cover for winter....


Been toying with the idea of going to Princess Auto and picking up some floor dolleys for the car. Need 4 - that runs about 100.00. But it would be so convenient to be able to push the car to the best storage area of the garage, and back out in the spring. IMO it might be a really good way to go because otherwise I have to angle the car in to give space on the right side for my Mrs.

Gonna change my name toooo JAMES BROWN! I feeeeel good, na na na na na .... I can see daylight at the end of the tunnel. No, wait that's just another lightbulb idea for another 'might as well' project.

Lady72nRob71

PS bleeding:
Fill steering pump to full line (about 1/2 qt).
Crank her up and shut down when you hear the steering pump moan (a matter of seconds). Add another ½ qt of fluid. Repeat again and add another 4-6oz. Now it should read full cold.

When it stays on full cold, turn wheels side to side 4 times while stationary. Recheck fluid. should be okay now.

Tightening the tops of the shocks were my pains - bottoms were easier.

Are you going to do the alighnment yourself with the SPC gauge?

Allan R

I don't think so. I'll probably take it to a shop. Won't be this year anyway. Whoever gets to do it will probably appreciate all the new parts though.

Allan R

What a difference a day makes. I woke up this morning and there was snow! Crap. Oh well I decided to wear extra stuff under my coveralls and it was ok.

First, those shocks needed to get done. I managed to get the bolt threaded into the nuts and tightened them up. So far so good. The I checked the CSM and the torque specs said lower shock bolts 70ft/lbs. So I cranked on them. One is good, the other I think stripped the threads. I don't think its safe to have it left like that. For now I'll leave it but I am not ordering another set of those stupid welded nut clips. I'll just get some Gr 8 bolts and nuts.

The steering assembly was next. I had torqued the center link to idler last night, so the only ones left were the ones for the idler, pitman and steering knuckles. They are in place right now, but not torqued (for a reason)

BRAKES. Have any of you installed, or tried to install those stupid rubber O rings that are 'supposed to fit' between the caliper ear and the bushing? It just wouldn't work. I took the caliper off to see if I could get them to fit, but in the end I just gave up and left them out. I don't remember seeing any fall out when I took them off the first time.

Rob, I sent you a pm about the main power feed tube connection to the frame. Disregard, I found the anwer on P145 of the AM. Popped right back into place - loose for now because brake line connection is not bolted in yet (for a reason)

So here's the BRAKES problem. The line flare nut doesn't want to come out of the brake hose fitting. I doused the fitting with penetrating oil and let it sit for a day. Used a box end 7/16" on the flare nut, and I clamped the hose with a vice grip (I'm not reusing the old hose so I don't care if I wreck it). I tried tapping the wrench with a hammer - nothing. Tried a bit of force - nothing.

Then I fired up my propane torch. Put a block of wood behind the line to keep from torching all that new paint on the frame and blasted the fittings with heat. Now try to break free - nuthin! This fitting is the only thing that's keeping the build from going back on the ground! It's also why I didn't torque the steering linkage to steering knuckles. I want to be able to rotate the hub around for max access to the area. I'm kind of stumped on how to proceed. Any suggestions?

Here's a shot of the drivers side. Oh yeah, the stabilizer bar is not torqued down. I can't remember what direction the bushing is supposed face, front or back. Have to look it up - I know it's in Ladys thread, and in the AM. The stabilizer links I put in the opposite way to the AM. Just a personal preference. The power steering gearbox looks almost like new. We'll see how it works when we go to pressurize the system.


Here's a look at the PS. You can see the upside down stab link kit better here. Now if you can look past the dirty engine/engine mounts and inner frame that would be grand. Next year the engine comes out for rebuild and when it goes back in the frame and firewall will have all been properly detailed. I was rushed getting this all done considering the weather we have up here. This is not going to be a show car, just a nice car to drive and remember the past.


Let's see, what's missing here? Just the wheel, inner liner and reconditioned charcoal cannister. BTW, see those 2 holes in the side of the frame, close to the front? That's how you take out and put in the idler bolt/washer. If it falls, you are $hit out of luck unless you have a really strong magnet. Here's a trick to make it simple. Out: Loosen the bolt. The take the socket and push a small amount of shop towel in and across the top. Insert until it touches the bolt head, then push the bolt into the socket from the idler arm side. The extra thickness of the shop towel will seat the bolt into the socket and it won't fall out as you withdraw it. Reverse the process going back in. You can see I still have a small piece of towel to pull out of the frame


DS from front. Kind of looks like there's no fender doesn't it? BTW, the upper control arm shaft bolts are WIDE OPEN right now. I tightened them down a bit, but did not torque them as per CSM. I would suggest that installation of the inner liner will wait till the UCA shaft bolts and LCA bolts have been torqued. It's just so accesible without the liners, even by the intermediate steering shaft.


There's the + wire tube that was giving me some issues. Finally found out where it goes thanks to the CSM. The red wire is a little (ok a lot) on the grungy side. Last night when I was cleaning up, I took the shop towel that was soaked with GOJO over to the cable and slid it along the cable to see if it would clean up. Believe it or not that cable is about 200% cleaner than it was. I'll give it another go with some oven cleaner on the shop towel next. Lessseee now, who was it who taught me the oven cleaner trick???

Lady72nRob71

70lbs?
My CSM says 20 lbs... Theres the problem.

I replaced mine and was easy. I used the cheap harbor freight hook and pick set, but some some small screwdrivers can extract the old and help you push in the new. They will not fall out, you have to yank them. You need them in there, either the old or new.



Crap - already sent the pics...

Slots to the front...



Blue tie rod end boots?

oldzy

Yep, 20 sounds aboot right for front lower shock bolts. I have those stupid clip/thread things as well (from ILT of course) and they absolutely suck trying to tighten as mentioned. I had a big flat screwdriver to try to keep them somewhat straight, but did not help much.

Allan R

Ok, 20 lbs it is. Now, if I've stripped that sucker, and likely have I'll just get some bolts from Rona. I had a bad feeling about tightening them that much. Oh, and I found out the MAJOR error re torquing lower shock nuts. Look on the right line of the CSM. I feel so ashamed.. Wonder how easy it will be to get that bolt out?? FWIW the other side is ok and I'm going to leave the one that's tight alone. Just replace the one that's spinning loosely. Oh! the upper shock nuts? Piece 'o cake! Deep 9/16" and they spun on really nice. 10 ft/lbs is snug by hand. 45 seconds to do each side.

So the O rings actually fit in those ears?? Hard to believe. I left the old ones in and just replaced the bushings.

Thanks for sending the pics. I kept looking at the tube and mount and it seemed out of place. Then I went to the AM and found it close to the end of the book. Talk about needing an index... Upon close inspection of the protective heat wrap, I could clearly see where the tube had previously sat. BTW, is that dust I see on your intermediate steery shaft?? tsk tsk, should have stayed with silver or cast. I like cast more now, mostly cause mine is done that way

Ok, I think I put the stab bushings to the rear for some reason. That's why they aren't tightened down. Thx Rob! Saves me looking it up on your thread. I know it's somewhere in the AM, but everytime I go through, it seems to evade. I'm putting a little anti seize on those self tappers when they go back in.

Yeah those clip/nuts are choice for learning new words under the car! They are too flimsy to hold in place by themselves. when they go on, they spread and the nut is at a different angle than the bolt. %*#&#%# !! And my fingers are too durned fat to reach through the spring.. I used a big long flatblade too. The best way to get it lined up is with a small jack holding the bottom of the shock on one side. Start the bolt, then take out the jack. Position the other clip by hand and hold the shock ear even with the clip while you snug up the side that is started. Worked better that way.

Lady72nRob71

Actually, there is a chart somewhere in those manuals that give a "general torque" range versus bolt size. A 5/16" would have a max of 30 or so...

Allan R

AA Milne got it right when he gave Pooh that famous line: "Oh bother". So I guess I'll just have to follow in his footsteps.

It was only 25°F this morning and the high was forecast for 0. "O bother". Snow (lots of it in the forecast) "Oh bother, Christopher Robin" So I got my outside Christmas lights up before the snow. The wind was howling about 20 mph which made life cold. I have one of those 'stair' ladders that really helps when you're working on an incline. Got'r done in about an hour. Froze my hiney though.

I have a small propane heater in the garage so I had that going while I did the lights. When I got into the garage, it was a balmy 47°. Felt like a tropical paradise.

First things first, the brake line flare nut was on the old hose fitting tight and wouldnt break loose. Didn't want to wreck the line by over wrenching it. I had put some heat on it yesterday but it still wouldn't budge. Today? I put the 7/16 on the flare, 11/16 on the hose and gave a tentative pull. POP! it was loose. So I quickly bolted up my new hose bracket and transferred the brake line to the new hose and tightened it down. Put in the new spring lock and it was good to go - no leaks. While I was on this side, I carefully masked off the brake line and painted it silver. (just for you Rob - I know it would bug you if I left it 'icky'.)

The DS was also tight. Took my sacrificial wood block and torched the flare nut and hose fittings. Had to blow out 2 fires that started on the wood. But it worked, POP and the DS flare nut was loose too. Fit in the new parts and it's good to go to.

So now I thought I'd try the brake pedal and check for leaks. First I topped up the master cylinder reservoirs. Pressed the brake pedal - it feels A LOT BETTER even without the engine running. CRAP!! {"OH BOTHER"} I forgot to put the MC cover back on. Brake fluid squirted out over the cowl. Quicker than a speeding bullet I was wiping it up with a shop rag. That stuff is super corrosive on paint. I think I got all of it. Put the cover on and tried again. The DS banjo bolt looked like it was leaking so I tightened it a little more (new crush washers installed) and tried again. Good. Then I see brake fluid dripping from the brake booster. ????? It had got onto the backside crimp from earlier and was dripping from there. Fresh shop towel and clean up. Looks like it's ok now. For good measure I gave the 2 master cylinder bolts a check to see if they might be a little loose. 1/16 of a turn was all they needed.

So now, my brakes just need to be bled. I'll get my son to help with that tomorrow.

Passenger side: all new / refurbished and looking decent. A far cry from when I started this project. Even the bolts that hold the brake line were wire wheeled and painted. The blue bleeder cap doesn't fit aftermarket bleeders very well so I capped it with a spare rubber one.


Drivers side. When I took off the old brake hoses they actually looked to be in good shape. But they got replaced on general principle. It's like new again


After I got the brake hoses off, I took the old brake hose mounting brackets and decided to clean them. I was going to turf them, but decided not to. Good thing to hang onto in case of emergency. When I cleaned them up (wire wheel, sand, and oven cleaner) I found they are also stamped 710RT for the right side and 711LT for the left side!! Painted them caliper silver. Tony might need these if his are rusted too bad.


It looks like these were made from a punch and then a tab was folded over the hose attachment point, then stamped with a hex pattern. There are no welds anywhere that I can see. Complex engineering at it's best.

Painted and ready for use.

Lady72nRob71

Cool! You did not need new brackets afterall! I was amazed at what mine transformed into...
You know I would have given you heck over grundgy brake lines... Glad I can motivate.

Allan R

I put the wheels on the car, then noticed something was horribly wrong. They are not pointing the same direction!! I have a theory but don't know if it's right.

Now when I put the steering linkages together I measured the old linkage and found one idler set to be 18" from center of the ball to the center ball of the center link. The other side was 18 1/2". The CSM says to put the Inner and Outer tie rods into the sleeves the same amount (I did that to the best of my ability) but made sure the linkages were proportioned exactly as the old ones were. So now if I tried to drive this car, one wheel would scrub horribly!!
Take a look - the angle of the rotor on the PS has a greater turnout than the DS. Look at the rotor fins, not the backing plates - the rotors will show the true angle of the steering.


The DS has less turnout by about 2 or 3° I think.


So, here's my theory. I haven't torqued the ball joints yet. Should I make both of the tie rods exactly the same length in an attempt to correct the wonky steering angles? The next question would be: Do I make them both 18 or both 18 1/2"???

I put the wheels on to see how much out of whack this is, and it's enough that I want to change the linkages before the car comes down. They are not bolted on, just held on by friction but they are pointing slightly different directions. The shop rag on the brake booser is there to catch any leftover drips from my earlier mistake. BTW I took some over cleaner to the + battery cable and it cleaned up like new! Wiped down with water to get rid of residue.



Now here's the idiot in me asking this next question. Will the steering linkages 'self correct' for this deficiency when the ball joints are torqued? I'm thinking NO. The next idiot question: will the steering self adjust when the weight of the car is put on the suspension? My gut says NO way you hoser!

Your thoughts and opinions please?

Lady72nRob71

Now way in heck will they self adjust...
You now see how I ended up with 1.6" of toe error even when I measured both sets of linkages.

The fix - Do a toe adjustment when the car comes down! You do not need the costly guage I bought.
If you plan on taking it to a shop for alignment, just measure the toe from the edge of the back of the tires and make the front match. Do this by turning BOTH adjustment sleeves to get the same amount of toe on the front of the tires and the back.

If you are going for precision, fix up a jig that mount on the wheels like I did with scrap metal and bungee cords...

Allan R

Didn't think they would. So even with the measurements taken from the Original linkages in the car, yours also had the wheels pointing in slightly different directions?

I'm not going to align it this year. We just got about 3" of snow. Now, I have to ask, cause I'm not a mechanical genius. Don't both wheels have to be at the same angle to start with to do a toe in/out alignment?
Also, when you say to adjust both sleeves, do they go in opposite rotations to achieve the toe in? How difficult is it to rotate the sleeves when the weight of the car is on the suspension? I'm a little heebie jeebie about going under the front of the car without something to keep it from falling. My buddy's brother was just killed last Friday when his truck fell on him while he was under it. Don't know the whole story yet, but its so fresh and scary.

Tony72Cutlass'S'

Allan,

Your front end looks AWESOME. This is giving me some good motivation as to tentatively what my suspension could look like. (minus the disk brakes since i'm going to be keeping mine stock drums). And as always, i have new brake/rubber/spring hardware ready to go in.

I took a little bit of a detour today to take a look into my transmission leak. Turns out it's coming form the shift shaft seal. Rob posted earlier today that it shouldnt' be too bad of a job once i have the oil pan off. I went to canadian tire earlier today and picked up the seal. They had it in stock! So this is my adventure for the day whilst my suspension hardware dries from the 2nd coat of paint.

Cheers,

Tony

Allan R

Thanks Tony!
shift shaft seal. Hmmmmm say that 3 times real fast...
Glad you have it under control. My tranny's not leaking (knock on wood) but it's going to be overhauled at the same time I do the engine. That's also when the rear carrier gets changed to a series 3 with posi and 3:23's. I have a set of 3:42s but decided not to use them for now. When it's all back in, the engine bay will look more like new. I'll do the inside of the frame and firewall while the engine's out. Might pull the starter and overhaul it during the winter.

Got your message about the control arms. Scott will get you good stuff. I know you're only planning maybe on the ball joints, but be prepared to do the bushings too. It's an adventure in itself, but worth it. When you get the control arms, let us know how they look, and yes that's a great price. Go back in this thread to the section where I took out my control arms and compare the bushings to what you get. They may be ok, but it's worth changing them now while you have the suspension apart. They don't cost a lot. Just on general age, the ones you get will likely need replacing. We'll be here to help when you need us.

I checked RockAuto's site and you could probably get all 8 bushings including shipping for around 48.00 (get all from mevotech -warehouse A or all Raybestos - warehouse B.) Only use 1 warehouse or they increase the shipping costs. I used a Michigan zip for shipping estimate. Man that's less than 1/2 of what I paid wholesale out here. No wonder people like shopping in the U.S.

I saw on the news that you are enjoying a heat wave compared to us. Hope the weather holds up for you. Probably still riding your motorbike huh? Take Care, Al

Tony72Cutlass'S'

Hey Allan,

I have all new bushings ready to go! Whethere or not those will be good, i will change them for new ones. I plan on digging up my suspension excel spreadsheet and posting it in my thread so as to give people an idea of what i've spend on it. I think i paid in the range of 200 dollars for all suspension parts (balljoints, bushings, link kit, shocks)

We were getting a very weird heat wave earlier this week! But now it's dropping back down to normal autumn temperatures.

Last year i was out for work on the west coast, and it was nice to have a mild winter compared to the hell we get out here with -40.

I'm sure your engine bay is going to look awesome, are you doing your engine yourself or getting it done by a shop? I would love to rebuild my block after having it hot tanked and inspected. But i'm a little bit worried as it seems quiet complicated..