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I removed the steering box for a rebuild. Need to clean the grunge off the pittman arm and re finish the bolts in some shade of black. Got new rag joint and hoses on their way for future assembly. Still haven't installed the dual sport mirrors yet. I'm on a tight schedule, I've given my self to finish by super bowl Sunday. or some other random day.
Just like Norm, I ordered and received my UMI rear upper and lower round tubular (Norm went with the square lowers) control arms, and a new 1" solid sway bar. I also received my locker from monzaz. Unlike Norm, I haven't started the install yet but did take the car out for a ride and backed it in place in the garage to start. Hopefully this week.
Sounds like you're getting ready to tackle the rear-end, Eric. Unlike yourself, it will be some time before I'm able to appreciate the new rear suspension I installed w/ UMI components. I'm definitely looking forward to it. This will be my first time replacing the entire front-end suspension on a vehicle. I've removed both front coil springs & both LCAs. Today I extracted the ball joint, both bushings from the front RH LCA then cleaned & wire-wheeled. A small amount left to address in the coil spring pocket. They look in pretty fair shape for 47 yrs. of age. Looking forward to following your new locker installation.
Based on the lack of interest in my for sale ads I may not have any choice!
If I weren't up to my Adams apple in the never-ending GBody El Camino/Olds engine swap I would jump at it! They simply are no longer seen in the PNW! I hope you find a reason to keep it!
I removed the steering box for a rebuild. Need to clean the grunge off the pittman arm and re finish the bolts in some shade of black. Got new rag joint and hoses on their way for future assembly. Still haven't installed the dual sport mirrors yet. I'm on a tight schedule, I've given my self to finish by super bowl Sunday. or some other random day.
I got my power steering pump measured up to the block for mounting and got the large bracket on. At the same time I put on the new lines from the pump to the steering rack. Once I put the pump on firm, meaning the pulleys must align, I will start the filling and purging air. This represents the first part of this entire project where what I wanted to get done, I did, with no surprises or ill-fitting parts. I also routed the fuel pump to carb line. Another "fits your car" pipe which was not even close. The label said Olds V-8 350. But unless Olds has a side inlet on some model, it was just simply wrong! ********! It took me several hours and a trip to O'Reilley's. The 68 Olds 350 Fuel pump I got, with inlet and outlet, no 3rd return vent, had the wrong size outlet thread, smaller! I had the 1980 version with the return vent, so I installed it but the pipe was no better. For now to make progress toward starting it, it has a two inch rubber hose in the middle where I cut it to align the two ends and the middle. 180 degrees out! It is getting closer each day I spend with it, but there are so many tedious little details with wiring, vacuum hoses, emissions, the starter, distributor, and oh yes...after weeks of sitting without a drop on the floor, the trans pan pretty much emptied itself, 3 quarts installed once I had it "Buttoned-up"? It is the first time since February that it is sitting on its tires, and I am guessing there is something not on right or missing on the trans that sent the fluid onto the floor in slow 3 weeks of drips. Luckily I know the quality of my work so a 50# bag of litter takes it up quickly. At least tranny fluid is not like engine oil for cleanup! That is not a step back, but it changed what is next on the never ending list of debacles this car has placed in front of me. Next is to get the the antifreeze in it and pray that none seeps into my oil! My theory is to get it sealed before trying anything else. One day I hope to be hooking up the battery with no doubts all fluids are where they should be...Yeah!
...after weeks of sitting without a drop on the floor, the trans pan pretty much emptied itself, 3 quarts installed once I had it "Buttoned-up"? It is the first time since February that it is sitting on its tires, and I am guessing there is something not on right or missing on the trans that sent the fluid onto the floor in slow 3 weeks of drips.
Are you sure you didn't overfill the transmission? That's often an indication of too much ATF - it slowly seeps out the vent.
Maybe Norm, but I have always put in 3 quarts to fill the pan and then the other 3-5 quarts once the transmission gets circulating. It was empty after I changed the filter, so I just assumed the usual 3 quarts to start. Did I overfill?
The only true way to accurately tell if the trans is full at this point is with the engine running in park or neutral.
One thing is that the kickdown cable broke on the first attempt at installing it, and I noted a few drips from it when tilted just right. Let's assume it needs no more fluid until I get it running and circulating. It does have a functioning dipstick to help figure it out. I will know more about where it is exiting when I get it up to put the rear brakeline on I nicked with my cutting wheel cutting off the exhaust almost 10 inches away! Don't ask!
I would call today a huge success. I unpacked my 1" rear sway bar, jacked up the car, slid under it, and in about a half hour I had it in place. It fit like a glove. WOW, now that's a rarity for me. OPGI had there free shipping deal recently and knowing they charged $50 to ship one I ordered it. Now, hopefully I'll get a day of sunshine and I can take it for a test run and hopefully feel an improvement. I have replaced the steering box, went through the front and rear suspension, and put in new shocks. After this I would think some performance tires may be the only thing left.
Oh Happy Day!
Steve
The only true way to accurately tell if the trans is full at this point is with the engine running in park or neutral.
Originally Posted by Phoenix8990
I would call today a huge success. I unpacked my 1" rear sway bar, jacked up the car, slid under it, and in about a half hour I had it in place. It fit like a glove. WOW, now that's a rarity for me. OPGI had there free shipping deal recently and knowing they charged $50 to ship one I ordered it. Now, hopefully I'll get a day of sunshine and I can take it for a test run and hopefully feel an improvement. I have replaced the steering box, went through the front and rear suspension, and put in new shocks. After this I would think some performance tires may be the only thing left.
Oh Happy Day!
Steve
Steve we will all hope it is the ONLY thing left because any of us can say we've been there. Some of us were that lucky but most of us got a long revised list of more things to do. I have a short list, a longer list and the hit the lottery list for mine, The short list seems to stay the same length as I find and sometimes do more damage to mine. When I have a completely new car, I will be done!
Steve we will all hope it is the ONLY thing left because any of us can say we've been there. Some of us were that lucky but most of us got a long revised list of more things to do. I have a short list, a longer list and the hit the lottery list for mine, The short list seems to stay the same length as I find and sometimes do more damage to mine. When I have a completely new car, I will be done!
^^^x2..it seems like you always find "one more thing.". I'm just happy to be at the point now where I'm driving more than I'm working on it.😀
^^^x2..it seems like you always find "one more thing.". I'm just happy to be at the point now where I'm driving more than I'm working on it.😀
I look forward to that feeling. For now I would be happy to hear it running after more than a year of machine work and thousands of bucks. I cannot remember the sound of a W-31 anymore!
Steve we will all hope it is the ONLY thing left because any of us can say we've been there. Some of us were that lucky but most of us got a long revised list of more things to do. I have a short list, a longer list and the hit the lottery list for mine, The short list seems to stay the same length as I find and sometimes do more damage to mine. When I have a completely new car, I will be done!
No you won't, it will start the cycle all over again, LOL.
Finally got the seat switch part from Fkstick parts and got it all working again. Still have many things to do to get it where I'd like it to be.
Now I need to get a manual so I can replace the fuel sender and the turn signal light on the dash.
Ordered a washer pump and motor from rock auto. Of course I forgot to see if there was a current discount code here.
I would call today a huge success. I unpacked my 1" rear sway bar, jacked up the car, slid under it, and in about a half hour I had it in place. It fit like a glove. WOW, now that's a rarity for me. OPGI had there free shipping deal recently and knowing they charged $50 to ship one I ordered it. Now, hopefully I'll get a day of sunshine and I can take it for a test run and hopefully feel an improvement. I have replaced the steering box, went through the front and rear suspension, and put in new shocks. After this I would think some performance tires may be the only thing left.
Oh Happy Day!
Steve
I saw your post and took advantage of the same deal for my '72 Supreme 😀. Question though.. what are the the 4 black hollow pieces for? I haven't installed the sway bar yet, but I can't picture what I would do with those.
I saw your post and took advantage of the same deal for my '72 Supreme 😀. Question though.. what are the the 4 black hollow pieces for? I haven't installed the sway bar yet, but I can't picture what I would do with those.
Are you talking about the spacers that would go inside the control arms to keep them from crushing in a non boxed set?
Yep, those spacers go between the inner faces of the control arms, with the bolt(s) going through them. These prevent lateral crushing of the "unboxed" CAs when the nuts/bolts are tightened down. You won't need them if you have boxed control arms.
Yep, those spacers go between the inner faces of the control arms, with the bolt(s) going through them. These prevent lateral crushing of the "unboxed" CAs when the nuts/bolts are tightened down. You won't need them if you have boxed control arms.
During the holidays, I had lots of time, but zero help so the list remained longer than I would like, but some progress was actually made! I nicked the brake line in front of the differential when savagely cutting off the exhaust. My cutting wheel usually saves me time when I finally bring it out, but in this case, the follow-through after the cut made ever so slight contact with the hard brake line and there was an instant drip. NO I DON'T LOVE THE SMELL OF BRAKE FLUID IN THE MORNING! 5 minutes of hacksaw was replaced by cutting wheel and 4 hours of installing a new brake line! So I got the preformed line, from the proportioning valve to the rear split hose. Mostly it fit right, but as usual, there was some significant re-calibration needed. I am not sure if there are slight differences from Chevelles to El Caminos, but this is the 2nd line I have replaced and both times it was like the distant end connection was out by almost 180 degrees. Still with my magical touch and sledge hammer temper, I was able to match up both ends, and secure it along the frame, with a minimum of cussing out the GM design engineers and their ancestors! Now...who broke my rear bleeder? It was fine less than a month ago. It is still holding pressure but I cannot use it to bleed, it must be replaced? Thanks Rock Auto! So on Saturday I will bleed the brakes and hope that my pedal firms up! I am using the gravity method, which has always worked well for an old fart working alone.
The second thing I did, which can be listed as progress is to get the power steering pump nearly right. I am having to make some shims to get the alignment right, but finally I have all the pieces and parts and it is close; about a half-pulley off which is close!! I was so pleased that all I really need is a washer or two and a slightly longer bolt for the water pump. The spacer I found in my can of bolts when I was taking it apart. If you have never taken this bracket apart or put in a Steering Pump, please no comments. This bracket is a nightmare of adjustments and alignment, once you can get everything tightened up and solid, the pulley may be aligned, or not. Since I bought the engine as a "complete engine", you would think that the bolts and brackets would all be there. Not so fast pilgrim! I have now spent over $100 on grade 5 and 8 bolts for the block engine mounts, exhaust manifolds, intake, water pump, alternator, and power steering brackets. As you probably know, GM had in between length bolts that are not "standard". In some cases I personalized the bolt to the correct length, and sometimes I shimmed them. Sometimes they even fit perfectly! As soon as I get the 3rd motor mount bolt to hold the lower PS bracket to the block I will be ready for the final fitting! It is damn close now!
While celebrating the inevitable victory, I decided to put the radiator hoses on. Au contraire mon amis! The Buick V-6 radiator is sufficient enough to work except the fan shroud is 4-5 inches wider, and the upper radiator inlet is completely ..well... SHROUDED! I am not cutting a hole in the shroud for the hose. Instead I have a new radiator from Rock Auto to fit the Olds engine...you know from a Cutlass instead of a Chevy/Buick/ Corporate engine application! It better fit or I will be fit to be tied! So now the hoses I bought will not even come close and so the hoses will be fitted once I have the damn thing in. Yes another two steps forward and one step back...and yet...I am getting more into it again because...it is close! I still have a lot of things yet to do; distributor, vacuum hoses, and connecting the gas line to the carb, but I have less parts to work from every week. The bigger part is closing the giant hole on the firewall. I'm on it....fiberglass is tedious work done by itself with nothing else to do. By next weekend I hope to have coolant sealed inside the engine, brake fluid sealed in the lines, wiring (of sorts) plugged in. Still awaiting the guy in Spokane to send me pics of his 3 sets of buckets...now over a month...so the interior still awaits its renovation. Adam has my floor shift and console, but No need to have them until I have seats to work around, right????????
Finally, I plan to hold on to the V-6 parts until I finish this project, but the list is getting longer of stuff I have; Complete 3.8 Buick engine, air cleaner, TH 250-C, El Camino Single Exhaust, and now an aluminum radiator with 2 new hoses! I will sell them now or later. Shipping from 98252...All of them worked but I would recommend at least minimum rebuilds. As soon as I can drive the El Camino, it is all bound for the scrap yard!
Last edited by Chuck Cole; Feb 7, 2020 at 03:22 PM.
Yes planning has been some of the best parts of this project Jonny! My original timeline was 6 months and it is over a year now and I am months away from driving it. The better part is that there are very few parts left to replace, most of which I would have said did not need replacing at the start! If you can't laugh at silliness, what can you laugh at?
Yes planning has been some of the best parts of this project Jonny! My original timeline was 6 months and it is over a year now and I am months away from driving it. The better part is that there are very few parts left to replace, most of which I would have said did not need replacing at the start! If you can't laugh at silliness, what can you laugh at?
I thought I'd have everything done on my 'tornado' by now...lmao!
Here's the best one I've seen in a long time! My best friend is in my office talking to his wife on his cell phone about an hour ago. Goes outside and finishes talking to her-I guess. Then he comes back in with the phone still to his ear and says, " Where the heck is my phone!"
HAHAHAHA!
I'm serious-he actually did that! still laughing my *** off...
I thought I'd have everything done on my 'tornado' by now...lmao!
Here's the best one I've seen in a long time! My best friend is in my office talking to his wife on his cell phone about an hour ago. Goes outside and finishes talking to her-I guess. Then he comes back in with the phone still to his ear and says, " Where the heck is my phone!"
HAHAHAHA!
I'm serious-he actually did that! still laughing my *** off...
I am getting onto that stage. I can lose a wrench in 14 seconds...and not find it for days. Senior moments, you gotta love em!
Went and picked up the 69 from having the front buckets redone. They look good. The wife has Parkinson so I had the guy put 1 inch blocks under the carpet to get the seats a bit higher. She doesn't come along a lot, but has trouble getting in and out. Hopefully this will help.
That is a good cause for sure. My wife actually likes riding in the El Camino and now we raise her keester up a few inches with pillows, but I have always been a little concerned about the seat belt s and headrests if there is huge impact. The bucket seats give me so much more flexibility because as you have done, the seat can be made to work and does not affect the driver! So for now I drive the car when she is with, like it is made out of china. I think you are required to post pics of reupholstered seats or face sarcasm and snide remarks.
Last edited by Chuck Cole; Jan 6, 2020 at 12:52 PM.
Reason: omission
Did a little painting today. Needed something to do while I’m waiting for the last piece of the ac puzzle to come in so I can finish putting that back together
Installed a new carburetor choke pull-off in my '70 "Tornado". WOO HOO! Big difference.
I got the gas line installed and added a strap to secure the transmission mount, I believe that the bolt holes are stripped since I cannot find a bolt that threads in and snugs down. It is a temp fix until I can get it to a trans shop. I will also have the kick down cable installed since I am clueless about that as well. I also turned my crank to 8 degrees BTDC so I can get the distributor in right.and the rotor pointed at #1 Then the plugs! The starter is something I have been putting off, but it is the final step before filling the coolant . I am filling it with water wetter and water only for the cam break in, then I will check for leaks and drain and fill it with coolant. The fluids seem to be staying where they are supposed to as it sat for a couple months. I need the vacuum hooked up, and the PCV hoses. Finally the accelerator cable. The brakes need to be bled and there may be some noise in my garage very soon. Any advice on the starter? I'm still searching for seats and I need to do some fabricating on the heater and firewall, but this is getting closer!
I got the gas line installed and added a strap to secure the transmission mount, I believe that the bolt holes are stripped since I cannot find a bolt that threads in and snugs down. It is a temp fix until I can get it to a trans shop. I will also have the kick down cable installed since I am clueless about that as well. I also turned my crank to 8 degrees BTDC so I can get the distributor in right.and the rotor pointed at #1 Then the plugs! The starter is something I have been putting off, but it is the final step before filling the coolant . I am filling it with water wetter and water only for the cam break in, then I will check for leaks and drain and fill it with coolant. The fluids seem to be staying where they are supposed to as it sat for a couple months. I need the vacuum hooked up, and the PCV hoses. Finally the accelerator cable. The brakes need to be bled and there may be some noise in my garage very soon. Any advice on the starter? I'm still searching for seats and I need to do some fabricating on the heater and firewall, but this is getting closer!
Installed the horizontal shocks made of "unobtanium"...
...on my '70 Toronado. Bit the bullet and bought what Fusick sells for $70 each since I couldn't find another source. Last Fusick purchase was
I used open end wrenches and sockets to get the first three rusty and crusty bolts out after soaking with WD. Then the mechanic ( my friend and guy who owns the shop ) says
why don't ya use the power tools? Awe &*!! Great. /s
He got the nut off the bolt. But the bolt won't break free of the shock! Just spins. JUST HAD TO "HELP" didn't ya!? Finally used a bushing remover clamp and a socket to get it out and chiseled off the shock sleeve.
ANYWAY...it's done.
I've seen guys ask what do those horizontal shocks actually do, anyway? I can tell you it has stopped a lot of the horrendous chassis "slam" ( if not all-only took on short ride to Costco for one of their rotisserie " baby turkeys" ). Sounded quite nasty-seemed like you could almost feel it in your teeth ). I still have to replace the rear chassis mounts. Right one completely busted off and left is crushed and little cushioning left.
Just need to find the installation instructions somewhere.
It was a snow day. I couldn't leave the house and I pre-staged most of it. Days of big progress have helped me stay at it. The best part is I am no longer creating new work. The list is actually shortening!
It was a snow day. I couldn't leave the house and I pre-staged most of it. Days of big progress have helped me stay at it. The best part is I am no longer creating new work. The list is actually shortening!
I know the feeling of the list growing shorter, and it's a great place to be, isn't it?😀
or some other random day. 
We seem to be following the same plan!
Optimism is a skill!
Still assembling
). I still have to replace the rear chassis mounts. Right one completely busted off and left is crushed and little cushioning left.
