Fixing up a '71 Grand Safari

Thanks for the update Brandon. As an "older" guy I can relate to "slow",haha! But I believe in just not doing something until I have the time to do it right, bet this guy is the same way. Experience has taught me with complicated things like cars/trucks, the turtle usually wins the race.

 

It most likely has the steel clips for the window trim that slide over rivets welded to the body so you'll need a trim clip tool. You slide it down between the glass and trim then slide the pointy end under the clip then pry the tool against the body to pull the clip up enough to get the trim off. The clip just pinches the trim between it and the body to hold it. Best to tape up the trim tool blades with a layer of duct tape to keep them from scratching the glass or chipping the paint where you pry against it. You can buy the tool at any parts store.

 

Thanks for the help everyone. I went out of town the Shades of the Past show in Pigeon Forge, TN. It's always a good time with an entire city full of cars.

I got a call from the machine shop today. Somehow he measured wrong and the engine has been bored .30 already, so I had to call Summit today and order new pistons and rings. When those get here I'll be able to send the others back for a refund. I was expecting a call to say it's finished, so this is exceptionally frustrating.

brandon

 

Patience Grasshopper! (You're too young to know where that comes from I bet?)

 

Well, I'm young, but I am 31 years old. Also, my parents had me late in life so most of my pop culture comes from a few generations before the one I was forced to go to school with.

Just don't ask me too much about Mike Hammer and Quincy, I only have vague memories of them.

hehe.


Brandon

 

More bad news. I've found out that if the 455 is bored .60 over like the machinist wants to do it may cause it to run hot. I'm hoping I can call him tomorrow and see if he can bore it .40 over instead, but even then I'll have to order MORE pistons and rings, and that's even if they make .40 over for that engine.

This is frustrating, but what I've come to expect when dealing with older cars and not being able to do all the work myself. That's why I've been trying to do as much work myself on my cars as I can.


Brandon

 

Brandon: It sounds like maybe it is time to do one of two things with that engine. Either sleeve it, or start over with a new engine. Either way, a major disappointment for you, I know. Good luck, and keep us up to date. We're all pulling for you.

 

The 455 in my Pontiac is 60 over and does not run any hotter now than it did when it was standard bore. I did happen to change to an aluminum radiator when I did the swap but that was just because the old radiator was looking pretty sad at that time and the rads were on sale for $230. I'd already added a pusher electric fan as we tow trailers with the wagon and in the mountains that added cooling was helpful. But I can't say that the engine runs any hotter today than it did when it was new. This is not the first 455 I've had in the car and all of them, standard bore and overbore be it 30 or 60 over, have run at the same temp.

Yes - I've had a few engines in the old girl - over 31 years of use and abuse with heavy emphasis on the latter in the early years I was getting too darned good at rebuilding and swapping engines

 

shipped out the weatherstrips today.
they were tight fit in the box so dont use any sharp objects to open it, you could slice'em.

just do it with your bare hands like a real man.... a real man that drives a huge car.

 

measured wrong? the pistons should have .030 right on em!

 

I agree on that i have a brand new 4 core rad in mine standard bore and i run at about i am guessing just under 210 all the time how acurate my guage is i do not know. i do have a direct drive 7 blade fan also ponchos LOVE heat they are like chryslers

 

Hey Yuk, the seals came in. Thanks again, I appreciate it! I had a very busy weekend but I got a call from the machine shop and managed to run over there and pick up the parts to the engine. Unfortunately he had to sleeve one cylinder, but he said everything else is fine.

From what I've looked up the engine, after being bored .060 , is now a 470 cubic inch. At the advice from the man helping me put the engine back together and went ahead and ordered an MSD conversion kit. I'm hoping ot be able to put the engine back together this coming weekend but it depends on what Gary's schedule looks like.

I'm going to detail the engine bay this week and take a lot of the parts to where I used to work to use the sand blaster. I plan to get the car running then start working as quickly as possible on getting some of the body work done. I'm hoping I can get all the body work done, take the doors, fenders hood and tail gate off, take the windshield and back windows out and have it shot and painted.

 

cool, glad you got them.

 

LOL have fun with that tailgate! And why MSD? i'll put my money on a factory HEI ANY DAY over anything else!

 

I would have used a factory HEI, but I was already ordering parts from Summit and I didn't know that one was better than the other and I didn't know about what years interchange or what to order or look for with a factory HEI.


Brandon