Progress Reports
Hi again. Its been a while. A lot has happened! A lot of cars. A lot of work and a lot of fun.
I have been working on all sorts of fun projects that have been keeping me in the garage and not at the computer. I will be posting more updates!
1972 Pontiac Station Wagon. Turbo, Fuel Injection and Tremec TKO-600. This kind of fun.
A lot sure has happened since the last time I posted. I began a long term restoration project on a 1964 Chevelle, Malibu SS Convertible. Its a southern car with Factory Air Conditioning, Power Windows, Power Top, Power Steering and Power Brakes. It took me most of the winter to get all the original components, found, installed and operational. Its a fairly rare car as a true SS convertible (only 9,640) with Factory Air and Power Windows (only 2,494) . Chevrolet built 370,834 Chevelles in 1964.
Then I took some time to clean the garage, work on 1956 Buick (see the pics I added on that page here) and get ready for my next big project.
It has been a busy summer in the shop. We worked with a local customer that bought a '64 Corvette roadster that had been in a barn for 20 years. The cooling system and brakes were in pretty poor condition after sitting for so long. We went through the brakes from front to back. New master cylinder, calipers, rotors, bearings, rubber lines all were replaced. Then the cooling system was overhauled with a new water pump, hoses, thermostat yet the radiator and heater core seemed in reasonable condition. Its been fun driving and tuning.
Sorry been busy in the shop. A lot of projects at the moment. Rich had his '62 Nova in the shop for a summer driving event. We updated the cooling system with an expansion system and new Derale cooling fan assembly. We are working to optimize the existing cooling system. If the car needs a bigger radiator then the have to cut into the previous owners pretty decent fabrication. Since the car is so nice we are trying to avoid disturbing the chassis too much.
Helping in the cooling department is a 200-4R overdrive transmission. This will reduce the running RPM and help the cooling system load. This was a seriously built 200-4R to take the horsepower of the 462cid BBC.
Just took the car for a drive today to confirm the transmission operation. The pressures look good and the TV Cable appears to right on the money.
Next up is a update of a 64 Corvette that hasn't driven in years. Should be fun!
Well the '55 Chevy BelAir and the '58 Chevy Biscayne have been delivered to their new owners. The cars turned out great and we had a ball doing the builds. As always the last few days were pretty harried, but it all worked out and with time to spare.
Now - time to work on my '56 Buick!
Ray has a 1972 Pontiac station wagon that he wanted low. He bought a complete RideTech kit for the 69 - 72 A Bodies. No problem - just a day install... We cleaned up the bag mounting in the frame, added a cross member skid plate and plumbed the system. Very nice kit well developed.
The project was a lot of fun - and the car looks like a picnic table when lowered.
ON the hoist, wheels off, ready for work.
Unpacking the RideTech kit. Nicely built brackets and well thought out kit.
Air bags and springs in the Right Rear.
Hi - Its been some long days in the garage working on the second of the old Chevy's. The '55 Four Door Sedan BelAir has been undergoing a resto-mod transformation. New power disc brakes, 700R4 Trans with a GM Crate 350. It has been a hectic couple of weeks getting this together so the body shop team has time to finish body and paint work in time for the car to be the graduation present. Some present...
I have the grill out and the hood off during diagnostic work. But now that we are rolling the hood and grill will go back in.
The suspension on the 1955 Chevy is progressing well. New control arm cross shafts with 2 degrees of caster to help these old manual steering cars. They would use negative caster to help the cars turn at slow speed, but this makes them unstable at our highway speeds. So dialing in positive caster really helps the highway speed stability. Makes the cars much more comfortable at 70 mph. Of course new ball joints, shocks and new sway bars keep the wheels planted and under control.
Rack and Pinion kit fits into the stock steering box and idler mounting holes. This is a nice upgrade for these cars when the entire steering system would need to be overhauled. If your car already has decent idler, centerlink and tie rods then updating the steering box to a 605 style is a nice way to go. This car would have needed everything replaced, so a R&P kit is a good choice.
It was a day of elbow grease. The kind that feels crappy when you are doing it, but oh so sweet when its done. Then engine is orange and the rear axle is black. Huh?
Another very cool preserved old Chevy. This one is a nice, but old, '55 Bel Air. Its 235 six cylinder had seen better days and the 3 speed (with overdrive!) trans was completely covered in grime. The leaf springs are broken (yes they are really broken) and the front control arm bushings are nearly gone. This one needs a modern freshening to return it to driver status. The goal with this car is to rehab it into a cool old reliable driver. Update the engine, brakes, steering and suspension - even adding seat belts - so it can be driven regularly. This project just might take me awhile...
Check out the original engine bay
