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Bought new 1/4 window seals for my 72 Supreme last summer but was a little intimidated about replacing them for fear of breaking the glass or causing some other damage.
So today in between the short periods of rain I decided to give it a shot. Boy, was I worried for nothing.
For those that have this on their "to do" list, it'll take about 5 minutes. Simply grab the bottom of the seal and gently pull out and up at the same time. The seal will just "peel" out of the chrome strip without much effort. Then you just line up the groove in the new seal with the chrome strip and slide it up. I didn't need anything to "lube" the new seal to make it slide easier, but that's up to you.
Managed to get a full 8h of work in my '41 Dynamic Cruiser 78. Removed the old and crusty fuel line and tank, removed most of the brake lines in the front, removed the front and rear bumpers, removed the fuel pump, and some other random stuff. It's gonna take me a long *** time to get this thing on the road.
It was a nice day, in the 70's so my wife asked to go grab some ice cream while the kids were in school. Just as soon as I closed her door at the ice cream shop, coolant started gushing from the bottom of the water pump. Uber'd home, grabbed a new lower radiator hose, some new hose clamps, distilled water and coolant. Drove back (in our Honda), swapped out the lower hose (it had expanded a bunch at the water pump), added water/coolant and got it home. New water pump next week. Silver lining- found out the idiot light still works even though my mechanic said it didn't.
I had a short day at work today, and the weather was gorgeous (hard to believe we were having snow flurries two days ago) so I came home and after I ate lunch, I pulled the 'vert out of the garage, carefully hosed her down (didn't want a trunk full of water) and wiped off the pollen with damp microfiber cloths. Of course once that was completed, she needed a blow dry so I dropped the top set off down my favorite country road. No mechanical mishaps, just a pleasant hour behind the wheel.
Woke the 442 up from its Winter's Slumber. Pulled the radiator out a few weeks ago to get checked out & it needed to be recored. We have a local old school radiator guy so went with a high efficiency core reusing my tanks. Was warming up in traffic at the end of last season so I swapped the fan clutch. Its not hot here yet but early returns were positive. Hardly getting to 180 degrees. Was working in my crappy one car garage which is always a PITA. Get everything together, go to rehook the battery & the terminal cracks. Never had that happen before. Battery cable was the last thing done to it before I put it away last November.
I'm going to pick up a bench console very soon. They serve a great purpose. It's tough maneuvering w/ coffee & drinks w/o a place to put them. Yours looks very nice.
I decided to put a Pertronix back in my 54 Olds so I undertook the project yesterday in the garage since it was raining. It is a lot easier to take the points and condenser out than put them back in. I tied the distributor cap the air cleaner stud to keep it out of the way. I crank the car up and it is running on 7 cylinders. Crap. I check the wiring about 10 times and nothing is wrong. So, I pull the distributor and put the points and condenser back in. Still running on 7 cylinders. Then I pull the plugs out of the right side and #6 is wet and has not been firing. Since the car was running fine before I started it has to be a plug wire. Although the wires on there are only a few years old, I ordered a new set from Rock Auto. I checked the compression today on the #6 and it has a little over 100 PSI. Granted a little low but it is an old engine and probably has leaky rings and a old timing chain that probably a little stretched. The car was running good but I just had to fool with it. Now I will put the Pertronix backc in when I get the new plug wire and make sure it runs okay.
One pump to set the choke, five more pumps and turn the key on the 66 Toronado. Motor started. Warmed up the motor an we were "off to the races". I took it for a test drive with a couple 0 to 80 mph runs to confirm the overhaul and TH425 shift kit is functioning correctly. Life is good.
Replaced pan, valve covers, and intake gaskets, reinstalled the engine with a solid engine mount on drivers side. Just a few incidentals and will fire it back up tomorrow.
Replaced cam lifters chain and valve springs retainers on the "Mule" 8:1 350 for the wagon on the engine stand. It got some good road time last year or two but had a ticky lifter that would not clear up but otherwise a pretty good engine. Low mile rebuilt 70 350 with the mega dish speed pro cast pistons and some #4 330 heads to recover some of that compression back from the ditch. Got some slightly longer push rods 080 wall moly 8.25" to go on 3/8 - 5/16 studs and some 1.6 roller tips on the way.
Im so totally bored of waiting to get my engine from machineries ( over a year now, was under month at home around christmas time to just go again..) that yesterday i mixed 2 part metal epoxy to fill few dents i made to oil-fill tube i removed. From spare engine, original got damaged beyond repair. Sanded it down today, and did a Small refill. Tomorrow its perfectly round..
This past week I've been plugging holes in the firewall. The MAWs got me. I pulled the motor to put in the 455 and thought I should go ahead and get the firewall prepped for the Vintage Air unit.
Not quite at the beginning. One patched and part of the big hole patch in place to be welded. Near the end of the process for me. I went back and forth but decided that the firewall had high and low spots from the factory and when I get through it will still have some.
Rebuilt my carburetor. 1971 CS 350 sbo had no working choke - stove pipe tubing broken, rusted and inoperative - car was running very good (I did an R&R on the intake manifold gasket, rebuilt the distributor, R&R oil pump, etc.) in January, 2019.
I have a Rochester Quad 7041251 (1971 4bbl 455 carburetor) installed on car - the correct carburetor should be a 7041250 (1971 4bbl 350). There are some subtle differences in design between these carbs but no real biggies. It was idling far too high so I removed the choke housing, examined where I had it set. The Rich/Lean scribe on the choke housing is nearly illegible from 48 years of usage. I actually had it set FAR too lean when I installed the choke. Applied a fine line of Ivory Cream paint w/ a brush from my Indian motorcycle touch-up paint to the scribe position. Adjusted carburetor choke plate to a position of ~1/8"-1/4" open (cold engine). Reinstalled choke cover housing w/ choke spring established at this position. Hooked up a T-Coupler & vacuum gauge into the AT modulator line from the intake manifold. Adjusted both A/F mixture needles to maximum vacuum. I was able to achieve 18.5" Hg. Adjusted fast idle cam. Adjusted slow idle set screw. Adjusted accelerator linkage diaphragm pull-off thing-a-ma-bob. Took for test drive. Absolutely screams. Cruising @ 65mph I punched it & the secondaries screamed opening it up until I backed off @ 95mph w/ plenty more overhead remaining. I don't plan to ever 'get-on' this vehicle as I did in my youth. I know all too well how 'getting-it-on' works on rear ends, propeller shafts & timing chains. None-the-less, very impressive for a 2.56 cruising rear end. Life's little pleasures.
Last edited by Vintage Chief; April 12th, 2019 at 04:01 PM.
Spring work is done. Repaired armrest courtesy lights, tore out old carpet, cleaned and painted floor pan, added sound deadener, added rear seatbelts, reinstalled front and rear seats, installed new carpet, reconditioned console with new repo base, repainted console chrome, repaired performance gauge with new wiring, bulb and vacuum hose, installed new floor mats, new sill plates and replaced a lot of fasteners. She looks much better now. Thanks to all that helped.
Wayne
Last edited by 35tac; April 12th, 2019 at 05:28 PM.
Spring work is done. Repaired armrest courtesy lights, tore out old carpet, cleaned and painted floor pan, added sound deadener, added rear seatbelts, reinstalled front and rear seats, installed new carpet, reconditioned console with new repo base, repainted console chrome, repaired performance gauge with new wiring, bulb and vacuum hose, installed new floor mats, new sill plates and replaced a lot of fasteners. She looks much better now. Thanks to all that helped.
Wayne
Wow,Wayne you took it to the next level. Looks great
Finally took the plunge and ordered a Holley 770 Street Avenger for my 72 U code Supreme....and yesterday I picked up a set of mufflers😀. Let the fun begin!
1) swapped my aftermarket tranny cooler for a better one, and on the process, replaced the lines (looks like I fixed that pesky tranny fluid leak too...the lines were split where they were clamped onto the fittings).
2) Replaced my fan shroud with an OEM (old one had a chip on the topside).
3) Changed my oil.
4) Swapped out the Holley 670 Street Avenger for a 770 Street Avenger. Took a little trial and error, but it's pretty close to dialed in...just gotta tweak the air bleeders so I don't have hesitation at idle.
5) Swapped my aftermarket horn relay for am OEM Delco Remy (scored it on eBay for 20 bucks).😀
6). Swapped my dome light lens with an OEM. (Old one was deteriorated and crumbling apart).
But...no good deed goes unpunished...it was hot here in SE VA today, so when I was all done, I went to roll the windows down so I could take it out for a cruise, and the pass side quarter window roller broke...arg! Oh well, at least I know what to do..been there done that on the driver side.
I finally got all the parts and pieces together as the block and crank returned from the machine shop. I put all of the freeze plugs, cam plug and oil galley plugs in, installed the crank and main bearings, and the cam today. The pistons are ready to go in when I locate the ring tool and ring compressor. I have to find my book too because memory is not anywhere as good as the books in order of installation. So far I have not had to uninstall and reinstall anything yet when I find an errant part. By the end of the week I hope to have it all together, and then I have to buy the intake and exhaust manifolds. Thanks for the tax refund sir!
Been itching to post something of substance on this thread for a long time. Here is the 4 bbl I got with the 350 procured last year. The numbers so far: 7040250 (350-455m, 1970, nonCA, Olds, autotrans). How can I narrow down the application? It's going on the 350 (w31 cam and heads) and I'd like to know if 455 jets and rods are the right size. I think this has been rebuilt before. There is a heli coil at the fuel filter inlet, I don't think the factory put that there. After a soak I'll get back to this little honey.
Last edited by Orlando 1; May 5th, 2019 at 08:06 PM.
Reason: more deets
I've "very slowly" been rebuilding my front end. Pulled the arms. Blasted and pressed in new ball joints and bushings. Painted then pinstriped them for fun, and finally put them back on the car along with some 4 inch drop springs. Sway bar and tie rod ends next. Planned on cleaning and painting the front drum but I'm running out of time before my first show of the season so they will have to come off later .
Last edited by 64DetroitJetstar88; May 6th, 2019 at 11:06 PM.
Been itching to post something of substance on this thread for a long time. Here is the 4 bbl I got with the 350 procured last year. The numbers so far: 7040250 (350-455m, 1970, nonCA, Olds, autotrans). How can I narrow down the application? It's going on the 350 (w31 cam and heads) and I'd like to know if 455 jets and rods are the right size. I think this has been rebuilt before. There is a heli coil at the fuel filter inlet, I don't think the factory put that there. After a soak I'll get back to this little honey.
I believe the original application of your carb is a 1970 350 non-W31, but the original application really doesn't matter. It can be built & tuned to how you will be using it
Yesterday afternoon I made some 3" bumper bolts for the rear bumper on my 54. I think I searched the entire internet for 3" long 1/2" bumper bolts and found none. So I took some short ones I had and bought a 10" piece of 1/2" threaded rod that I bought at Home Depot for like $1.48. I Mig welded a bolt to each end of the rod and then ground the welds down and cut them to 3" lengths. Worked perfect. I wish I had taken pictures. The bolts I had on the car were carriage bolts I had painted the heads of with chrome paint. They really didn't stand out and nobody ever commented on them but it is amazing what a difference the real chrome headed bumper bolts make.
My non-AC dash for the 68 Cutlass Supreme was nasty with cracks all over. I got a used replacement and dyed it black. Two posts were missing off the back and yesterday I repaired them with Bondo Bumper Repair 2 part epoxy.
Well after about a year under cover... I got a new battery for my 68 Toronado, poured a little gas in the carburetor, and fired right up... Then gave her a hot soapy hand washing, and towel off... It big block roar and her sparkle again... Maybe if the weekend turns out nice, she might get a good waxing...
I found my piston ring tools! As my Mom used to point out, they were exactly where I put them. I have no memory of putting them there, or of then putting them in a box and then covering that box with 6 other boxes, but there they were! Happy Mother's Day Mom! So I finally installed the rings and the pistons are soaking in 30 Wt oil. Tomorrow will be installing them and rod bearings, the timing chain and gears, the oil pump and oil splashers, timing cover and harmonic balancer. It is looking a lot like an engine again. It will be ready for the heads, intake and carb soon. The fuel pump and oil filler will close it up and then I buy the exhaust manifold, I'm a little behind schedule but better to get it right than have a problem and redo! I am taking pics but you've seen a SBO go together before, nothing to see here. PROGRESS IS VERY NICE!
Have had more time than usual lately and trying to finish a few small jobs. I got the 8 track case from W70442 several years. I have had the radio installed a while but just now finishing the fake front I made. W70442 supplied the plastic front and I installed pad, wood grain, ***** and fabricated the chrome piece for the tape opening. The door is a piece of brushed aluminum I sourced. I like that I can have modern tunes with a close to stock look. Also installed new end links and sway bar bushings. Progress, a rare thing at my garage.
Have had more time than usual lately and trying to finish a few small jobs. I got the 8 track case from W70442 several years. I have had the radio installed a while but just now finishing the fake front I made. W70442 supplied the plastic front and I installed pad, wood grain, ***** and fabricated the chrome piece for the tape opening. The door is a piece of brushed aluminum I sourced. I like that I can have modern tunes with a close to stock look. Also installed new end links and sway bar bushings. Progress, a rare thing at my garage.
Yesterday was beautiful out so I got the pollen washed off of the vert. I followed that up today by getting the rear struts replaced so it no longer rides like a buckboard. I honestly didn't realize just how bad it was until I got it fixed. I took it for a short ride after I left the shop and couldn't believe the difference. It doesn't exactly ride like a Cadillac but it's definitely night and day from what it was. Fortunately for my bank account, the front struts are fine. In tearing things down to do that, the shop discovered it needed rear brakes, both pads and rotors, which is now the next thing on the list. I asked them if they had checked the front brakes while they had it in the air but they hadn't so that can be done when I take it in for the rear brakes. I did get to see underneath the car for the first time and while there is a small amount of rust, it isn't nearly as bad as I thought it might be, considering it spent its first 23 years in Pennsylvania. They also spotted a leak in the rack and pinion system, which will eventually need attention. Once the brake pads and rotors are done, the next steps will be the air conditioner compressor and the ABS system to put the car to rights.
Speedminder speedo installed (but has to come back out for internal bulb replacements :/ )
New firewall grommet for tach, hood lock, and an amp wire
Hood lock installed
I also replaced the upper vent control cable since I broke the last one
Thanks to everyone who helped me find the two hole locations
I also replaced the speedometer cable and driven gear at the transmission. I’m counting down the number of project left to do.... I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Last edited by BSiegPaint; May 17th, 2019 at 06:41 AM.
Hand made dual snorkels to increase airflow a little. The lower air Cleaner had the original snorkel cut off and that made a noticeable difference in power. I fabbed some custom dual snorkels to really let it breath. Trying to make it all look somewhat original. The tag is just a fun conversation starter. 1961 Dynamic 88. Last edited by 61Bat; Today at 03:39 AM.
March 31st, 2019, 01:04 PM
full carb number 7040250 NF 3159
