Hi all, as most of you might have experienced 50 year old wagons need some work done to them, my current project as above, has had to be refurbished with new drivetrain ( ongoing ) the original 1972 350 2bbl was swapped at some point and replaced with a 1994 350 4bbl from a truck centre bolt valve covers.. mexican production. This one has now been redone and stroked out to 383, a stage 2 cam and new lifters for good measure. heads are rubbish but flow for low end torque. new heads probably in V 2.0 The 350 autobox has also been redone with stronger clutches and shift kit and a 2200 stall B&M converter. Stock leaf springs and shocks replaced and brakes overhauled. good year new rubber aswell. The renovation didnt go as smooth as most TV shows projects, caused mainly by thinner wallet !! And lack of knowledge at engineering works....part store and spanner guy. The drivetrain should be ready for install month end August 2023, where all the parts come together.....this is my hope at least, Ive put one week ,5 days for all the parts and cables to be reconnected. small cosmetic things are always a hassle to get or repair so any tips or help is welcomed: door weatherstrips, door bump stops, window guides and mechanism upgrades etc. My goal with this restoration is to relive a little the time back in high school and just to have cool cruiser like no one else, drive to the beach or the mountains and enjoy the car with friends and family making some moments. I will update once engine is fitted and car is running again and share (if any) issues. thanks for reading my post Safariguy
If you want it like high school, don't touch those 'small cosmetic things;' invariably, most of the cars at my high school were falling apart, either no one's parents wanted to front the money, or the kids earned money but spent it on dates and having a good time.
All the small stuff you mention is probably in stock here. You may have to visually match some of the parts. GM Automobile Fasteners - Auto Hardware for General Motors Vehicles (clipsandfasteners.com)
Thanks guys, much appreciated, @ silvertwinkiehobo yeah I guess so there was always a rattle somewhere and a little bird chirp while riding in the back....
update on my 72 kingswood, since last year the engine rebuild failed totally (in the process of building the 383 again) small things like brake system updated, dash board redone, holley efi2 installed but not working caused by cam and lifter failure km 200in total now rebuild. more constructive improvments are door rubbers done and led lights, next is removing the clamshell glas ans renovating/servicing, found a detailed how to by forum member bretho, I will attempt to find the closest to standard rubbers/seals for the tailgate. picture of me and car on one of only beach cruises in january from Grotto Beach Hermanus, western cape,ZA Safariguy signing off
I usually run zinc additive in all of my cars with flat tappet lifters. Current oil has little to none in it. Other option is to switch to roller lifters, but that can be expensive.
STP contains the required additives to keep your cam from going flat. Also, first time start can wipe a cam lobe in nothing flat if you don't have cam lube on it; and prefill your oil filter so you get pressure faster.
Hi, thanks for the tip I will add zinc after the initial break in oil change to eliminate any further problems like this, I had to dig quite deep to find the correct oil at the parts store and they recomended Ravenol Yellow tin 20w 50 with zinc znd phosfate additives, at a price of course. Im installing a comp cam kit with lifters and supplied install lube this time....
