Thats exactly the plan, I just got it up on stands today, I'm gonna drop the gas tank and get a new one, inspect the rear end and order new rubber brake lines (metals too if need be), also ordering new shocks and whatever else poses a problem. I'll update you guys with my progress, as usual.

 

That's awesome! The only downside now is that you'll have to fight yourself to take her apart, what with it being a running vehicle. :P

As you said, "whatever else poses a problem" is now the priority. Don't install anything unless it's either new or renovated. Having to take off the same part later is a waste of time.

Enjoy yourself - now you know it isn't wasted work!

 

Very very true, I'm nitpicky about that kinda stuff. If I take it off and its not in good shape it gets tossed and more money spent Luckily I saved up a good amount of money before starting this project so I can afford to do all that is needed to get it to driver status even assuming I need a whole new brake system and various other parts.

 

Just don't spend money you don't need to spend. :P Enjoy driving it; these cars are a bundle of charm and fun.

 

Not much new progress today, the the bolts that hold the tank in are not gonna come out with PB and a wrench. Maybe if I had my impact gun but all that would do is shake 40 years of dirt and rust into my face. So, I'm waiting on a Dremel tool and I'm gonna cut the bolts and the clip nuts and drop the tank. Its a pain in the *** working in a gravel driveway at a rental house with 1/2 your tools and supplies and parts back in your -garage- 700 miles away.

 

So I sorta broke the don't spend uneeded money rule today and bought myself some air shocks. I need shocks anyway but these are a good $30 more expensive than regular ones, but totally worth it because they give a better ride and I can air em up enough to give me the extra inch I need to fit my vintage Grand Am Superwide GT drag radials on original Cragar SS's on the rear of the car . I also picked up a set of tail light bulbs and a brake bleeder kit. They didn't have rubber brake lines in stock but I'm gonna order em along with a brake light switch, this all will get me a few steps closer to putting it on the road. still working on the gas tank situation, I'm gonna have to dremel out the bolts which wouldn't be bad if it wasn't under a dirty crusty old car.

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Great job. It's so good to see a young guy like you messing with a old car. Looks like it will be a great project and a lot of fun!

 

Air shocks serve for what you are doing, but the ride is terrible IMO. I removed a new set after 2 weeks. However, back in the 70's they seemed fine.

 

Thanks! Yeah its not my first, I've had about 8 VW's, a 1969 Lincoln, a 1955 ****** CJ 5, my current DD 1976 Datsun 280Z, and a another project I have now, a Fiero based Ferrari kit car

Eh, I'm really not picky at all about ride comfort, I had a lowered VW Bug that had no rear shocks and sat on bump stops. It cornered awesome though. That ride was horrible though, my 280Z is comfy yet stiff, handles and rides great, all I ask out of the cutlass is to not have back problems by age 30


General update: I got one air shock in today, but ran out of daylight before I could get the passenger side shock out (one of the top bolts is giving me problems) The metal fuel line is in the way so I can't get a wrench on the nut. Pain in the ****! Why couldn't there be nuts welded to the top of the shock mount from the factory? I also got my new rear bulbs in and got all the lights working

 

I am not big on air shocks as they always leaked. I like to go the spring route and HD shocks. Glad your making progress.

 

That was a dirty, crusty aweful job full of stuck bolts and unreachable spots but it is done, and those air shocks are finally in. I understand the controversy over them, and the risks, but I'm gonna run em and if it poses a problem I'll just pick up a new set of shocks. I'm tempted to get the drag tires and cragars on the back but I don't wanna get it back on the ground until I'm done being under it (long story short, the jack I have is... downright dangerous). I'm dreading dropping the tank, I'm gonna need to cut the bolts (all of them) and the clip nuts to get it out, pain in the ****!

 

Why not just block up the frame after you jack it up with cement blocks or 6x6's or the sort. A lot safer. I never depend on just the jack whatever it is. Dropping the tank after being safer is easy.

 

Oh dear god no I'm not COMPLETELY retarded My jack is a pain in the *** to get the car IN the air but I have two jack stands under the axle AND the back tires are sitting on ramps. I don't take risks with 4000 pounds of car over me. The jack is only about 5 inches wide wheel to wheel and the cup is about 2 inches wide, and it just can't lift the car without tipping, thats where the jack is dangerous. And with ancient bias ply rear tires and an open diff, it doesn't want to drive up the ramps, one tire just spins.

 

I used to fight with one of those jacks also. Now, I just keep it in the trunk only to change a tire if needed. I won't use my bumper jack. They are even worse. As long as you are on ramps and with stands, I wouldn't worry. It just sounded like you were working with just the jack. I also agree with you about the rear upper shock bolts. They can be a pain.

 

Yeah its solid as can be right now, but today I'm pulling the stock wheels and ramps off and putting my drag radials on but I'm worried about if its just sitting on jack stands on the axle, and the front wheels roll freely it may roll forward, tip the stands, fall and kill me. Oh and put a nice big dent in the bumper of my dads van

 

Put a chock in front of the front wheels.

 

Well yeah thats the easy solution, problem is, like everything else I need, my wheel chock is in NC. I have -A- single 2x4 to chock the wheel with. Goddamn autozone didn't have any more wheel nuts. neither did carquest, or advance auto..... so no progress on anything today. I ordered the nuts n washers and all new rubber brake lines and should have them in tomorrow.

 

How about a big rock??? Lets keep the language family oriented, please.

 

huh? you mean "goddamn?" ughhh you guys are killin' me here. I'm not THAT bad, I make an effort not to throw around the "F" word or anything like that but jeez

 

I thought George Carlin eliminated the fear of foul language in the 70s, but I must be mistaken.

Possibly also a generational gap. :P

 

It upsets some people, just letting ya know in advance. I personally don't care, but... don't shoot the messenger. Now shove a rock in front of the tire and get back to work.

 

Ah, of course. I, for one, appreciate the heads-up.

 

I'm actually about to leave for autozone in a few minutes, pick up more lug nuts and all new rubber brake hoses, so we'll see how that goes. I wanna get the back off jack stands and get the front on em so I can change the oil and and brake hoses.

 

It looks so.... devious. and evil. I love it.

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Man, if you lose an airshock you are going to shred a tire. Looks good though!

 

Yeah, good thing they were.... wait for it.... FREE. Their on vintage Cragar SS's but the chrome is coming off in some spots on the wheels and the tires are pretty low on tread in the middle. They'll be fun for a while and ya can't beat the price. I have more bullethole rims to match the front but the rears don't have tires yet. I picked up some white primer and started sanding yesterday but today it rained all day so no progress there

 

Yesterday it rained and stormed horribly, but today I got the surface rust cleaned up and painted over with white primer, and got it down on the ground with the tires and air shocks all done and air'ed up. Looks gooooooooood. It really needs a powerwashing though, especially on the passenger side (I'm hiding it hahaha). Here ya go:
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That looks good, doesn't look too jacked up to clear the tires

 

Thanks! Yeah it actually sits almost level with the front, it looks badass but not overstated. Most of the money I put into this car is going into go fast parts I want an 11 second car that looks like an old weathered A body with big tires . I've got two other cars to sell, and I'm planning a big block build. one of the magazines built a 454 chevy on NOS pushing 736 HP for under $2500. Thats my plan! Of course, it'll never hook up and I'm sure things'll break, but hey, it'd be fun

 

I put big tires on mine once just for pics. Just keep the big girls out of the back seat and you will be ok.

 

What about two skinny girls?

 

Let me tell you why cars are better than girl friends. When a car gives you trouble you can turn it off and fix the offending issue and press on, you can't do that with a girl friend.

 

Not only that, but cars are cheaper!

BTW, my brake pedal isn't springing back all the way, especially with power brakes. Does anyone know if theres a return spring supposed to be somewhere? Either way, one is going in. The brakes work fine other than being a bit sticky

 

I wonder if there is a problem on the brakes themselves. Drum?

 

That would have no effect on pedal return. Have you sprayed the pivot with some WD40 or equivalent? I sat for a long time so things need to work back in.

 

Exactly right, the pedal itself is the problem in having. The oedal was stuck when I got the car, I sprayed it heavily with PB a couple times and its still a bit sticky. Ill keep applying it I suppose. Can't hurt anything except my wallet. PB Blaster is $6 a can! Best stuff I've come across though

 

You can temporarily rig a spring until it works itself loose.

 

I know there are springs on the brakes. What is it that returns the pedal?

 

My main problem was the pedal would return to a point where it didn't put pressure on the brakes, so that was fine, but it wouldn't go back any further so the brake lights would stay on. I went in there and pb blasted everything and adjusted the brake light switch forward a bit, hopefully that works. I really need to take it down the road and get a feel for how the brakes are, sadly all I have is a gravel road. The concrete road in front of my house is Route 32 with a speedlimit of 55 and the NY Thruway is about a mile down the road. eek.

 

Love those 10" Cragars with what? 50 series bias tires? I cannot tell much from the pics but Cragars usually crack and peel from the spokes and lug areas. I once took a grinder and sander to the spokes of a set like this and sanded them down and shot them with dark gray paint. Shined up the chrome in the rim and they looked really good. kind of like the TQ's on Eric's car. Looks like you are having fun. By the way hit that brake linkage with some WD40 now the the PB has done its thing.