My Limited Four Door Project

[Smartin]

I am guessing it's somewhere between 300-350lbs. It's much heavier than I thought it would be.

Funny thing, I was able to drag it onto the trailer by myself, but it took 3 of us to get it back off tonight. The front end weighs a bit more than the rear. I had the heavy end, and saw one on my neighbors pull into his driveway...so I went and recruited him to help out.

[dvonk]

yeah, i suppose dragging it wasnt an option after you had it all blasted and primed!

[Smartin]

Ok, photo time!

Who ever thought a bare frame could look pretty?:D






Front shock towers installed...




Fuel line clips - check!




Shift linkage bracket installed....

[chadboyle2000]

Looks amazing - I love to see someone with attention to detail like that - hey on a side note Eastwood sells that zinc plating kit - it works great on the front end bolts with the square head's - I did it on my Century - i'll post photos soon

[Smartin]

I left for Vegas for 2 days, and when I came back, there were 4 boxes waiting on my porch. It's an early Christmas at the Martin house!

Green engine paint
Transmission seal kit
Head gasket kit
Oil pan gasket
Engine mounts
Trans mount
Brake shoes
Wheel cylinders
Brake hoses
Sway bar bushings
Panhard bar bushings
Rear axle bushings
Dashpot
Carb kit
Coil spring insulators
Front end suspension kit
Plug wire looms
Exhaust manifold french locks
Frame mount pads
Body mount bushings

I think that's it...

[Smartin]

I replaced the upper and lower ball joints, and replaced the control arm "bushings"....(absolute nightmare!) and painted said control arms. The lower ball joints had been replaced at one point, but the uppers were still riveted to the arms. It took me 2 hours to remove them.

The uppers are mounted on the frame, but have left the lowers off until tomorrow when I hope to tackle the springs.

I realized this evening when I tried to fit the new brake lines to the frame that they sent me the wrong front lines! It's not worth sending them back, so I used one of the old lines that is still good, and altered the new one to fit where it should go. I have to go to the parts store in the morning to flare the end I cut. I bought the lines from Right Stuff. Everything else appears to be correct.

Sigh...tomorrow's another day!

[Smartin]

I ended up using all new lines on the front, as opposed to using one of the old ones that LOOKED good. It gave me a reason to buy another tool (double flare tool!). So, some decent progress was made today.

I used a combination of 3 compression methods to get the front springs in. Ratchet strap wrapped around the control arms, my homemade spring compressor, and the store-bought compressor. At any given time, I had at least 2 of those items on the chassis to prevent sudden explosion of the control arms. The drivers side was simple, but the passenger side spring didn't want to seat in the lower arm correctly. It kept spinning out of the sweet spot. I finally got it done, though.

I was able to get the passenger side backing plate, wheel cylinder, and brake hose hooked up before I had to go to dinner tonight. It's starting to look like something, now!

[skalman]

Very nice work. I'm working on a two door limited my self and I enjoy to see the progress you make on your car. I have tryed to post some pictures on my car but I can't find out how to do it.
Thanks. Jörgen in Sweden

[Smartin]

The rear end is going to be a pain. I started on it this evening, and gave up after I pulled the drums and realized I (think) I installed the rear shoes on the front. I have yet to confirm this, but I'm fairly certain that's the case. So....it was a good quitting point, rather than lodge a box end wrench into the wall.

The front suspension is virtually complete, with the exception of the brake shoes and drums. :rolleyes: Tomrrow, I am picking up one front drum, and I believe I have one good drum in the basement. I just need to blast it clean.

Pay no attention to the wrong shoes..




I've been dreading this job...

[dvonk]

looking good! are those NOS Delco Pleasurizers i see?

[Smartin]

Yep, fresh out of the vacuum sealed box!

[Smartin]

Ok, now the only thing left before I can all 4 wheels back on this chassis, is to get the two front aluminum drums blasted and turned! All of the brake lines are installed, as well as the hoses, and the emergency brake cables.

Those upper rear shock mounts are a TERRIBLE design. I spent quite a bit of time massaging them to get the holes to line back up where they should be.

The rear drums fit really tight on the new brake shoes...hopefully they will loosen up when I roll it around a bit.

Shiny brake bits..




It looks like I have some dusting to do. I had the whole chassis covered the entire time I was working on the rear end...I guess dust has a way of getting everywhere. Nothing a little compressed air won't fix! I had to wrap a small towel around the torque tube so it didn't rub on the frame. I really hate that design. The only thing that is holding the rear end from moving forward or backward is the transmission so it's just swingin' in the breeze...




One more shot for fun...

[Smartin]

Front drums are finally finished and installed!

[ceejay]

Hey how about some new photos of your project ?

[Smartin]

I wish I had photos to show. I've been saving money to rebuild the engine. After that, I can get it installed on the chassis, and finish the underside of the body...then drop it back on the chassis. Then the body work starts!