I've owned my 1977 Chevy Impala station wagon since September 2008. It was purchased used (I believe I'm the third owner), with the 5-digit odometer reading 87,000 miles. No clue whether that's 87k original miles, but I'm beginning to wonder if it hadn't already turned over at least once. The transmission went out around what I thought was the 101,000 mile mark, and it just hasn't been the same since. The wagon sat from November 2010 until mid-May 2011, when we began to replace the transmission. After a few false starts and mishaps, it was finally running again on May 24. I put around 300 miles on it before the starter went out. On August 19, 2011, the wagon was once again set aside until we could afford repairs. In October, my dad attempted to replace the starter, but couldn't get it off the car for some reason, and gave up with it still partially disconnected. Over the last few months, we have slowly started repairing it again with the help of a friend, who was able to remove the starter and replace it. Last night, we finally got it to start and run with its own fuel. I'll try and detail that more in the next post. When I have some time, I'll do my best to take any pictures I can to help illustrate the project from here on.
All right, here goes... I mentioned that the starter went out in 2011. The car had stalled in my driveway, and in my attempts to re-start it, I accidentally hit the ignition too quickly after the previous attempt and it skipped a few teeth. After that, every time I tried to start it, it made a loud grinding sort of noise and, of course, wouldn't start. Hence the need for replacing the starter. It turns out that the reason the car stalled in the first place was that the rear rubber fuel line had gone bad, and there was no fuel delivery from the tank. We discovered that yesterday after spending nearly an hour (and quite a bit of fuel) cranking the engine only to have it fail when the gas in the carb was gone. After replacing that fuel line, it starts and runs with no problem. Of course, with the car having sat so long between repairs, there were bound to be other problems. The reverse gear is very sluggish, only engaging when you mash the pedal. The tires will need replaced, as signs of dry rot are beginning to show. Because of a big leak in the rear window, the interior is moldy and the carpeting on the floor is nearly gone. And most of the door and window seals are on their way out as well. It's still a major work in progress, but I'm glad to know that it's almost ready to be my daily driver once again!
Cool. Any plans for it? I lived in Renton/Skyway for a while. Back when your car was new... Did you check the fluid level in the transmission?
I did, and have been meaning to post an update. The transmission fluid was indeed low. We put a gallon of fluid in, and now it shifts into any gear much more smoothly. Right now I'm trying to save up to buy new tires and pay for new tabs for the license plates.
Been meaning to post another update for a while and kept forgetting until now: The Beastie is once again running and driving, after sitting since August with a bad brake master cylinder. I had put another 2 or 300 miles on it this past summer, and on the way home from Tacoma one night, I noticed that there was very little brake pressure. I filled up the reservoirs and limped it home, but decided to park it until I could afford to replace the master cylinder. In mid-November, a friend helped me replace it and bleed the brake lines. A few weeks ago I renewed the tabs, and as an early Christmas present, my dad paid to have it re-insured (It had previously been insured as moving storage). Still a ways to go, but making some progress. Sorry about the crappy phone pic, but it's a bit too cold and dark out to take a good one now. This was taken the day we replaced the master cylinder.
Yeah... Snail's pace right now. I'm just glad to be able to drive it, even if it is only every once in a while.
