1958 Country Sedan project

Not a ton to report other than the car has run flawlessly since January. (other than the SNAFU with the speedo cable.)
But.... the Radiator I purchased and installed on January 18th has sprung a leak.

The top tank seal on the opposite side of the hose neck started squirting fluid in the middle of rush hour traffic yesterday. With CCR on the 8-track playing a bluesy tune I remember thinking that "somebody in this mess must have a coolant leak". And... since I HAVE A NEW RADIATOR it can't be me!!!!

Didn't figure it out till the long drive home from Albany that it was probably ME. (sh*t)
Arriving home the clues were clear and calling U.S. Radiator told me that I need to get it fixed and request a refund from them against their "Lifetime Warrenty". Which could get expensive since I plan to own this car for the rest of my life... hahahaha

(But, I do hate things that fail...)

On a positive note however, the new door window glass is on order and should be ready soon!

 

Sorry this happened to ya, but my radiator did the same thing recently. It sprung a leak on one of the seams. I had to have it repaired and so far so good. We'll see how long it lasts this time.

 

This would be an appropriate CCR tune, in the company of hot, steamy radiators, Sir: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESLFpr-ymPU

 

Interestingly enough... "Bayou Country" was indeed the album, and the exact song was "Graveyard Train" when I caught of wiff of antifreeze.

If anyone likes the blues, this is a MUST HAVE album, CD and/or 8-track to own!


Got an appointment to take the car in Monday morning where they will pull the radiator and re-seal the top tank.

 

The morning on the 4th of July 2013, I got the garage to myself. Sooo... got busy with a few repairs I'd been holding off on.

The first was an easy one which I needed to get my mind right.
I swapped out the 55 year old dome light which had seen better days...

... for a repop in much better shape. Easy fix, but pretty likely the most expensive item I did today.


Second in line was to install was the recently repaired 6 month old radiator. Some of you will remember that I installed a BRAND NEW radiator from U.S. Radiator back in the second week of January. THAT sprung a leak last week and I had to have the local shop fix the top tank at the princely sum of $101.42. Since U.S. Radiator has a lifetime warranty, the customer service rep said get it fixed and submit an invoice and I would be refunded.

Plan to do that Friday morning.
In the mean time... the engine is up to operating temp and no leaks.
Fingers crossed.

Third fix of the day was a small weepy leak in the fuel tank that only showed itself when the tank was over 3/4 full. The source was the fuel line fitting at the lower end of the tank which only barely got wet and rarely dripped. Hardly a problem if it were not for the smell!
I had fixed this once before and can only assume that I failed to prep the surface since the patch peeled away with no effort. :banghead3:

This time I wire brushed the surface with a die grinder and wire wheel prior to spraying 1/4 can of brake cleaner all over the area prior to mixing up the patch material.
Only time will tell.

Fourth fix, while the left side was up in the air was to replace the rear axle shakle bushings which were making thumping noises around turns and were pretty much wore out.

Anyone can clearly see the 55 year old bushings just couldn't last another 10 minutes.


Now THAT is a beautiful sight!!!!!:2_thumbs_up_-_anima

Well, the temp in the garage has hit 87 and after working for 6 and a half hours my back is sore and time for a beer and a nap.
Back at it in the morning... ciao

 

A great day at the garage, Jairus!

 

Is that considered blues music? I know they have their own original style. But, I'd say it's closer to rock.
Did you have to chase Clint Eastwood to get his poncho? That's a first. I'd expect to see something like that in a low-rider. Well, I guess if you flip the car, you'll have a comfortable place to sleep on, before the ambulance arrives



That's a first. We used to simply pull the tanks, fill them with water and then braze the leak shut. How wonderful modern technology can be

 

Nice work J! I see you're still stopping on the OE single phase master cylinder. Any plans to upgrade to a dual channel master? :confused:

 

Brazing the tank is the last resort if this fails again. But I'll probably pull the tank and have a professional welder do the work.

As for the brakes... of course that is on the list. It only takes money!

 

CHUCKLE!!!

So did we UNTIL:
I was brazing up an MGB tank. Filled it with water and completed the work. Drilled a small hole in the corner to drain all the water. Put a can of HEET in the tank and sloshed it around to remove residual water. Set the tank outside for the rest of the day to dry out completely.

That afternoon, brought it back inside to solder the hole up and reinstall the tank. Had it between my legs and hit the hole with a propane torch. WHOOOMMM The 10 gallon tank immediately became a 15 gallon tank. After that, we started sending them to the radiator shop for repair. The bad part was my employees kept getting the metal garbage can, sneaking up behind me. and banging it on the ground.

I also knew shops who would start the car, run an exhaust hose from the tailpipe to the gas fill neck and weld on the tank while it was still in the car. I never had the nuts to try that.

 

Think I'll stick with the epoxy.

Poncho... that's classic!

 

That headliner looks like a blanket my friend brought up from Zacatejas, Mexico. The bad thing about cotton blankets is that varmints will munch on those first. I kept ours in the garden house and it wasn't long until it was full of holes. When I had to do mine, in the '56 Chevy, I simply mail ordered one from J.C.Whitney's. It was unpleasant work, for a teenager. But, it looked original, at least, since my buddy who put one in his '66 Nova took over when I lost patience by the second row. He had a knack for such things like trim and headliners.

I would have lost mine too, if a 10 gallon gas tank were to blow up between my legs.
The exhaust gas pumped into the tank makes sense. However, when you're igniting natural gas, it only takes a small percentage of it to get the entire room to explode. Gasoline vapors should be about as volatile. If you had a bottle of carbon dioxide to pump your tank with, the odds would be way better.
As much as it would tick someone off though, I'd play it safe by filling the tank up with water again. Leaving it to dry in the hot sun for an hour is good enough, because there's always some water in your tank, no matter what. Even if you fill it full at the station, the water will sit on the bottom and will not have a chance to evaporate.
Best to braze in a drain plug like they used to do at the factory in the '50s

 

Mine has a drain plug.
Not that I am like to use it with the price of fuel...
But nice to know it's there.

 

Been on my back on the floor of the car fixing electrical and speedo problems for the last 6 hours.
Back hurts and I need a drink... but getting close to having a working speedometer for the first time in 2 damn years! And it feels good!!! :banana:

Pics soon.

 

Please remember this the first time you get a speeding ticket...



Must feel good getting this stuff done.