The New Project: Part Deux!

[Xplantdad]

I need one of those [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]

[njsteve]

I just got a heads up from the Performance Years site. The car took first place in its class (which I can only imagine is the 25 footer, and beyond, paint class).

That was quite the shock! I guess the paint looks so bad, people think it is original. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]

[njsteve]

Here's a couple shots someone took at the show and posted in the event album on PY:

You can even see the textured &quot;gravel guard&quot; that was applied back in the early 1980s - look at the lower 8 inches of the front fender.

[njsteve]

Today's question involves the factory trim clips for the body side moldings. These are the moldings that run along the middle of the fender, door and quarter to deflect other car doors.

I was lucky enough to pick up an NOS fender piece off ebay and it actually had the factory clips in the package! Now I need to find some duplicates for the rest of the car since someone, along the way replaced them with push in plastic clips that don't hold the trim securely enough against the body.

Here's some close ups of the NOS factory clip:









The shiny gold clip is close but not close enough to work properly. When mounted into the back of the trim piece, you can see that because the retaining wire is not mounted in the same spot, it moves the stud off of center where it needs to be to mount correctly on the car:





Does anyone have an idea of where I can get some more of the correct clips?

[VintageMusclecar]

http://www.amkproducts.com/

[njsteve]

I think I found them:
http://stores.restorationspecialties...%29/Detail.bok

[njsteve]

My daughter recently asked for lessons on how to drive a manual transmission. Today was the day for the &quot;road test.&quot;

It was a rather hysterical time. It was as if Mel Brooks directed the whole thing. Everywhere we went some strange animal would pop out. It included two completely unrelated flocks of turkeys with a dozen chicks, deer that climbed up trees, groundhogs, flying squirrels, blind joggers, and a dead skunk.

She actually did very well, only stalled a couple times, and remembered to press in the clutch when she got to a stop, most of the time.

Now it's time to go take the car apart and replace the clutch, again.

Here's a shot of one of the turkey flocks impeding her travel and forcing a down shift.

[njsteve]

I spoke to the guys at Restoration Specialties and they commented that I had the clips installed wrong. The attached wire is supposed to be bent back upon itself to serve as a retaining spring. Once you do that, the shiny replacement clip does in fact work properly. I bought 30 of them and the accompanying nuts.

[njsteve]

Took the daughter out on another driving lesson. She did much better. This time it was rabbits. On our 20 mile drive, four different bunnies (well, maybe it could have been the same rabbit stalking us) ran alongside us and then tried to dart out in front of the car.

We even tempted fate and drove past a local ranch where they raise bison and cattle. I fully expected Alex Karris A.K.A. &quot;Mongo&quot; to be blocking the road riding on the back of a Brahma Bull.

[njsteve]

Thanks to Tom (Tom406) and Rick (SS427) and the &quot;Pay It Forward&quot; classified section, I have a nice, date code correct 5470409 Delco dual bleeder, master cylinder that just happened to come off of another 1972 Firebird. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbt...der#Post531958

I took it apart and tried honing it myself but the bore was a bit too pitted. I ended up sending it to Whitepost Restorations to have it sleeved. It was $175. It took about a week. I got it yesterday and I installed it today.

It was not an uneventful day. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/rolleyes.gif[/img]

They say timing is everything. When I took the repro dual bleeder master cylinder off I noticed that the rear reservoir was rather low. Very strange since not a lot leaked out when I removed it. I didn't think much of it at the time. I then bench-bled the new master cylinder and installed it. I then bled all the brakes. Twice, starting at the farthest rear cylinder. I had the car on jack stands so I could get to everything and eventually do a running test.

I started the car to check the brakes with the wheels spinning. I put it in gear. I then stepped on the brakes and the rear wheels kept spinning - no braking at all. Very strange since I just bled the brakes and I thought I bled them enough. The front brakes were holding tight but the rears were not doing much of anything. I bled the rears again and then they worked properly...for a few minutes.

I went and refilled the master cylinder and then tested the brakes again...no rear brakes. Really, very strange now. I thought maybe it was the combination/metering valve had activated but the pin was in the correct neutral position.

So I pulled the rear wheels and the drums and saw that the driver's side rear wheel cylinder had just started leaking inside the drum. Great timing for a complete part failure! Luckily the autoparts store was open and had a pair of rear wheel, brake cylinders in stock so I threw them on and everything works fine now.





Thanks again, Tom and Rick. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif[/img] I owe you a frosty, cold mug of DOT 3.