Brian,

Has it been flushed and pressure tested by chance? What are you asking for it?

Sean

 

It has not been pressure tested but was very clean when removed. It was not flushed but also looks very clean inside. Asking $50 plus shipping. I can post a few photos later today if you would like to see it.

Brian

 

Sean,

(insert testimonial here) Brian's a great guy and would only sell parts that he's confident will be good. The 69 442 project he finished was basically a concourse resto, so it got pretty much all new parts. I bought a rebuilt brake booster from him because it had slight scratching on it - not good enough for his resto, but otherwise looking and performing like new!!

Brian, any chance of doing a static pressure test to be sure? You're a whizz at making test jigs.

You're lucky - shipping an evaporator to my address from MD would cost almost as much or more than the evaporator. In the US the rates are way more reasonable.

 

Brian,

I am definately interested in the evap. I am sending alot of the stuff to Classic Air to get restored but I was hoping to avoid buying a new evaporator. DM with some photos when you have a chance.

Thanks
Sean

 

Sean,

Here's a few pictures of the evaporator. I used steel wool on the main inlet and outlet lines to clean them up a little a couple of years ago when I was close to using this one. The only reason I didn't was I bought a case that had an evaporator with mint plating on the nut that connects to the POA valve. I can see if I can rig something to test it if you want but not sure if I can or not.

I dealt with Classic Auto Air and they were nice to work with. Are you going with R134A or back to R12. If 134, they can recalibrate your POA for it but it must be spotless inside. If not they will want to cut it open to rebuild it which alters the appearance. I have a clean POA if you need one. I also had them make me new AC lines using my original fittings and the original muffler. The replacement mufflers are different that they use on their repop lines.

Allan, thanks for the positive comments.

Brian

 

Brian,

I will take it. Thanks. I think I will stick with R12 as it will require less to get running. DM me with the payment process and any photos of the POA if it is in good shape.

Sean

 

The restoration may be delayed for a while now that we just welcomed out second daughter into the world. We are excited to have a new member of the family.

The last things I was able to do with the car were fully remove the rear diff, pull all rear control arms, shocks and springs.

I pressure washed the diff housing and will now wire wheel the exterior and sand to as smooth as surface as possible. Then a couple coatings of POR-15 to finish it off. I want to eventually replace the gears (currently 2.90:1) to probable 3.73 or similar but, since I dont have a press, I will farm this out later in the build.

The car is finally a frame and body shell only so the next step is to lift the body off. I am probably going to use the method suggested in other posts where I slowly jack the body up until I can slide a 4x4 or steel tube stock under the floor pans and rear wheel wells.

Stay tuned....

 

I would consider using an engine hoist ( or two) to take the body off, I put chains through the access holes in the trunk tied to a spreader bar and used another hoist in the front ( when I put it back on) I had to pretty much do it by myself and some help from the missus but felt this way was pretty safe there are pics in my ( slacking) build thread.

Congrats on the new addition to the family

 

Any idea what the body shell weighs? Assuming it is completely gutted of course. The hoist I have is a nice Pittsburgh (from Harbor Frieght) and it is a 2 Ton. I dont have access to another one so I probably will have to do what you said but in stages (front then back and so on).

Sean

 

Regards your question on the rear window repair, I just cut, bent, and welded the pieces together to replace what for me was the entire rear lower window channel and support. 7 pieces of steel, contoured as per the glass curves, filed, sanded and painted. Looks original. No bondo.

 

Sounds like a good option. I may have someone with better welding skills help however. I dont claim to be an expert.

Thanks
Sean

 

Hi Sean, Im Steve I live in College Station, not too far from you.
Curious who is doing your engine work. Another member here whos not on much anymore AH64Pilot, who is also in Houston recomended Dennis Faerman Racing to me, there in Houston.
He is a really good guy. He will bend over backwards to be sure your happy with the job. So anyway he did my motor, still not running yet but its built and waiting. Now they did replace the block plugs in the oil galleys and put an undrilled plug in where the distributor gets its oil. I had to go back, they couldnt find the plug but he did drill the plug .040 that they had put in the block. He took me on a tour of his shop, so far I am very pleased with him. He also has Varsol which i havnt seen in years, he sold me five gallons for my parts cleaner at his cost.
Steve

 

First car was that color. Good find! Look forward to the project. Welcome!

 

So I have spent the past couple of days tidying up my garage and cataloging all of the parts. Also, I finally sent out the AC components to Classic Auto Air in Tampa.

The below parts went out today:

Compressor
Condenser
Hoses
Drier
POA Valve
Expansion Valve

I got another Evaporator from a fellow CO member that will replace the original that had signs of leakage.

I have also been busy using the Die Grinder with a stiff wire wheel attachment on the frame in preparation for the POR-15 that I will apply soon.

I will post some photos shortly.

Sean

 

Sean,
Could you please tell me what part number is on your alternator.From the pix it looks like an int.regulated which everyone has the external regulated listed[1100777] but I can't find the number for internal.

Thanks,
Paul

 

Joe,

I spoke with Westside and Faerman today and both were pretty similar in price to build oilpan to intake with mild performance upgrades (roller timing, bigger cam and roller rockers), about $3000-3500. However Westside is really backed up liked 3-4 months while Faerman is only 6-8 weeks.

I will probably go with Faerman when it is all said and done.

Sean

 

Sean,
Missed a lot of posts on the project as I've been away for a bit.

Congratulations on the new baby! You and your family must be stoked. uhhh, getting much sleep lately?

 

Joe

I was gonna have them do the whole motor pan to intake. I wish i could build the motor but for time and space reasons i am subbing it out.

Sean

 

Allan

Thanks! Sleep is a thing i dont have much of anyway. I am proud with the pace at this point. Will post more shortly.

Sean

 

If you are looking to get your engine rebuilt how about giving Stroggins Machine Shop a call. Their price is going to be in the same neighborhood as your other two shops,but they will send someone out to pick the engine up from your house/shop and also bring it back. They are located on the corner of McGowen and HWY 288. Talk with Tom. They did mine on my 72 and I am going to use the again on my 68. It took about 2 weeks to get it back. I was refered to them by my neighbor they had rebuilt his engine on his Corvette and his Z28.

 

The guys at Scroggins sound good and I spoke with them about picking the motor up and they seem pretty reasonable.

Thanks
Sean

 

While I had plans of patching and painting the floor pans this weekend, I instead got sidetracked.

I decided that it would be a good idea to pull the entire dash, steering column and everything up to the firewall. I got pretty far except I struggled to get to the final 2-3 nuts holding the dash and pad in place. I did however get the 8-track off as well as the radio and tried my best at cleaning them up but, I will probably send these out to get checked over. Anyone have a good classic radio shop in mind?

The steering column was disassembled rather seamlessly and I cleaned and repacked the lower bearing with grease and stowed it away for later.

More to come shortly...

 

Sean,
Here are a few more vendors I used and plan on using again here in town. Just trying to help out since I have gone thru this before.

DC Bumper Exchange who did my bumpers 713 921 1113,now it took about 2 months to get the bumpers back but I was not in a hurry so it did not matter. One of the bumpers was bent and you cant tell it was.

Auto Chrome Plating redid all my stainless moldings 713 921 6295.I thought their price was high but they were cheaper than the other two companies I had visited, but I was satisfied with the work.

Texas Inspections Stickers, sells year correct license plates and year correct window stickers. Guy name is Larry 936 441 8209 he is located in Conroe but he attends local car shows. I met him at the Corvette Expo here.

I recently just met a guy, name Rick whose company name is Zepada Carbs/Performance Systems. His # is 281 229 9555. I know not a thing about his work but I have seen him and talked with him about rebuilding my carburetor. He had a few Holly Carburetors he was showing when I was out a the Lowe's in Pearland. Every Friday night there are guys gathering showing off their cars and there are some really nice ones, not many OLDS. I had used Sparky's to rebuild my other carburetor on my 72 but this guy is local and I think I am going to try him on the 68.

I used another upholstery shop to recover my dash. I just cant find their number,but they are located over by the old SHARPSTOWN SHOPPING CENTER on the Bellaire. Lot better price than JUST DASH would charge.

I have already given you Saladana's #

hope this helps

 

Do you remember what they charged to re-chrome the bumpers? Considering a 2 month turn around, I might drop them off to free up space.

Sean

 

it was a little over 600.00 for both. I first took the rear just to see how it would turn out and it cost about 325.00. The rear was bent. after I got it back then I took the front which cost 294.00.

 

Sean not sure of the weight completely stripped but the 2 ton hoist is fine remember it lifts less the further the arm is extended but you will be fine to lift the back and jack up the front .

 

Today was a huge day for me with the car. Had a day off work which is always productive.

I finally got both the motor and trans dropped off for full rebuild.

The motor went to Faerman Racing in Houston. The guys are super cool and down to earth and Dennis asked his son to come over to my place to help pick the engine up. They do a lot of racing motors for drag and circle track cars but also have extensive experience working on restoration cars as well. They even have an in-house guy that does carb rebuilds (too bad mine is already out at Sparkys). I told them I am in no hurry and so 6-8 weeks until I get it back. As far as motor specs, I am going with a step above stock Comp Cam with roller tip rocker arms and full roller timing setup. All in all I should be getting about 360hp when it is all said and done. They can do dyno testing for about $600 which I may do to get the piece of mind that the motor is ready to drop in.

I dropped the trans as Circle D in Houston. Again, great guys and Glenn the Shop Manager was a good straight shooter. I may be stepping up the stall slightly +300RPM over stock to match the cam power band. The turn around is probably about the same as the engine.

Lastly, I decided to work on the differential by stripping it down and prepping with POR-15 Marine Clean and Metal Ready. I will let it dry fully overnight and then start hitting it with the POR coating tomorrow.

Photos of the rear to come tomorrow...

Sean

 

Sean:
Keep us posted on your engine build and your experience with Faerman. I've got a 350 sbo to build and haven't yet decided who I will use. I've talked with Westside and a semi-retired guy at Custom Auto Machining who built my last engine (20 years ago). Circle D is the best for the trans and they build great convertors too. I've used them several times over the years - very "stand-up" operation. They built the TH350 in my last car exactly as I wanted: quick, firm shifts but not too harsh until you stepped into it, then it would chirp the tires nicely on the 1-2 and the 2-3 shift. I miss that car - LOL.


Gary,
Did you ever find the phone number of the dash place in Sharpstown? That would be a good number to have as Just Dashed charges an arm and a leg for restoration. And who is Saladana? Is this another local upholstery shop? Thanks for sharing so many local companies. I hate sending parts off across the country, for months at a time, paying shipping and worrying if the final product will be worth all the effort.


Thanks!
Rodney

 

Rodney,

I will go over there today to the shop, who did my dash. I could not find the invoice with the information on it. Once I get their # I will post it here. Saldana is the upholstery shop I used to redo my seats. He is located on Hwy 6 west of 288 # is 281 489 2580. Does excellent work. They redid my seats in the 72 in leather and duplicated the original pattern. Last night I was out at the Lowe's in Pearland and several guys wanted to know who had done the seats and I passed along Saldana's #. There was over 150 cars out there only 3 Olds. But just some really awesome cars out there especially a couple of 72 Stage 1 GSX Buicks Convertibles. Maybe you Houston guys can come out there some time and show off our Olds. LOL. I agree with you about not having to send our cars parts to another city to get rebuilt/fixed. I found their are a lot of places right here in our own city we can use. Also I forgot to list Apple Glass 713 680 1400. They will come out and install Glass to your home. I also use Scott-Day Paint for my painting supplies. Located on Bissonet across from Sharpstown High School. 713 981 4184, lady who own's it name is Peggy.

Gary

 

The name of the shop who did my dash is Sharpstown Auto Upholstery, located on Dashwood and their # is 713 271 9445.

 

Here are a couple photos of the rear with 2 coats of POR15. I will hit it with a top coat later today but so far I am happy with the coverage. While I was waiting to apply the second coat I finished with the steering column. I took apart most of the upper section down to the key cylinder. I then sanded with 600 emery cloth and painted the exterior with Hamertite Satin Black. This stuff is really good and much better than the stuff at HD or Lowes. I found it at a local hardware store (Berings). All stainless and chrome got buffed clean before going back together.

One question for you guys is the steering lower splined shaft that slid back inside the column itself. This happened when I was pressing and bolting things together. I am hoping this is not a big deal but if you have ever experienced this please let me know.

Thanks
Sean

 

Paul,

Sorry for the delay but, I put the Alternator in storage with other parts to clear up space. Went by and snapped a photo for you with the number. From the looks of it the number is: 1100928 55A

Hope this helps!

Sean

 

Joe,

I plan on later once it is mounted back in the car. I cannot seem to find many gear sets for this rear (O-type). Any idea who sells gears that will swap out without changing the differential itself?

Sean

 

The rear is posi but I could not find the ratio stamp on the axle tubes so I am going on a little trial and error. When I spin the axle 1 full revolution, the pinion spins just under 3 times. So I am going to assume maybe 2.78:1. This is strange however because the seller stated the car had 3.91:1 gears. Well I may just have to crack the case and count the teeth to be sure. In any event until I can locate a new set of gears, the rear will stay stock.

Sean

 

It is much more accurate to spin it ten times. Unless it is a turnpike cruiser, it shouldn't have 2.78's, of course over the years it could have been changed. What kind of rpm's do you turn on the highway?

 

So I spoke with the previous owner and he informed me that the original rear had been swapped out for the current rear which came out of a 69 Vista Cruiser. Hence the 2.78:1 gears. This has created a larger set of issues now as the rear brakes I have parts for will not mounted up. Does anyone have experience with VC rears in 442 or Cutlass? I believe the drum diameter and depth are different as well as the shoes and backing plates.

Sean

 

I dug up the spec sheets on the 442 and the Vista Cruiser to compare rear specs.

See below...

 

I recall the station wagon drums and shoes being a half inch wider, but same diameter.

 

The last week has been a little slow with the car as I haven't had much time to work on things. I did find the rear drums on the VC rear to be 2-1/2" deep as noted and they are on order as well as the shoes and hardware. Considering the lack of availability of gears I am considering a new carrier (Eaton, Detroit or Auburn). Any recommendations?

I received the transmission back from Circle D. They did a great job and turned it around in about a week. Although the damage was around $2100, they build the best transmissions around and considering I got a mild shift kit and higher stall converter built, I am happy with the results. The only question is I would like to spray the case with an aluminum finish, does anyone recommend a particular product?

I hope to finish assembling the rear and stash it away to finish working on the frame in the next week.

Sean

 

Sean, if you are wanting to make it look OE, you might want to try doing a test patch on you trans case using the Eagle 1 heavy duty aluminum wheel cleaner and see if you like the way it looks. Be careful using that stuff.

Joe