What have you done to your wagon lately? (Let's keep the thread going!)

I assume that you are referring to my 1962 Chevy ambulance wagon. The one that is going to find a new home is my 1995 Mercedes E320 wagon. Seems that every car that I own is giving me problems this week. Things are going so badly that I have been reduced to borrowing a neighbors car just to go into town to get parts.

 

I made a feeble attempt to salvage the paint on the hood and was met with complete and utter failure. Guess i'm going to have another flat black wagon!

 

Sorry to hear that. One thing I have learned about paint is it's not the quality of the paint or the application. It's the prep. Clean, clean, clean or the paint won't stick, may fisheye and a host of other problems.

I got the '58 Surf Rat in the garage with the door panels off. Pulling all the door lock mechanisms and greasing the working parts. I am also installing new lock cylinders so the car can finally be locked up when left out in the street.
Had one rear door that barely latches for some reason. Swung open while turning a corner of all things....
THAT won't happen again!

 

With regard to painting, the weather is really important too.
Hafta watch the barometer for the right humidity.

 

Picked up two NOS license plates lights for my '67 Ranch Wagon
There is a place not to far from me that has thousands of NOS stuff, the majority are Ford parts. I don't think anything is computerised, they will find the part number and then look for the part. One was wrapped in the original paper and the second was in the original box and on $35 each which I ain't complaining about.

 

That is correct. Ah, I see. I have been there as well, but without a neighbor to borrow a car from. My wife and I caved and got her a new car in the spring, so at least I have a reliable parts getter! Hope you manage to get one of them straightened out at least soon.

 

Installed a new keyless entry module, now I have working powerful door locks, tailgate window release, and illuminated entry.
Also changed out the oil pressure sending unit, takes a set of 12" channelocks to get the old one out, no special socket works, took the special socket back to the parts store and got my 15 bucks back. Now the gauge needle doesn't peg all the way to the right and bounce around anymore, have real good pressure.
Installed a new stereo, found a new 1.5 DIN unit and it fits nice, no adapters and it fills the hole, sound good too.
Touched up all the stone chips on the hood, after about a hundred of them I was thinking that maybe I should of just has the hood repainted?, I think I'm going to name the car "Chip" too.
Did the old pinstriping over, glad I bought the 150 foot roll because by the time I got done screwing up a few times I needed it.
Have a vista window shade coming, can't wait to install it, I'm running out of stuff to do on the car and if I don't line up useless projects like that and the keyless entry I'll go nuts, hate raking leaves.

Saving detailing the engine comparment, underbody, and frame to get me through this winter's cabin fever, can't wait.

 

Got my roofrack nuts replaced and the roofrack reinstalled. Last weekend I got my carpeting and front seats reinstalled. I seem to have mislocated one of the bolts for attaching the seat belts to the floor under the passenger seat. Not entirely sure how I managed that but a quick trip to the wrecking yard got me a replacement.

Pictures here:
http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=144398&postcount=211

 

Nice job Cyber and how cool is it that it's watertight! Congrats.

 

I replaced the timing set on the Bonneville before we went on vacation. When we returned earlier this week, I installed the freshly rebuilt carb.

CRAP...problem not fixed. Engine ran, but not very well. As soon as I tried to accelerate it would sputter and pop. I figured I must have been off one tooth when I installed the cam gear. Timing checks out and the electronic advance appears to be working correctly.

This afternoon I went to check all the basics one more time before tearing everything apart again.

Hmmmm...looks like I switched the #5 and #7 spark plug wires at the distributor. Swapped them back to the proper positions and voila! - runs like a top!

After all these years, I can't believe I can still make such a dumb mistake.

 

And then there are the consecutively firing cylinders where you can't run the plug wires side by side in the looms or one will induce a spark in the other. It prevents misfires but it just...doesn't...look...right...

I have CDO, it's like OCD but the letters are IN THE RIGHT ORDER...

 

Pulled the engine today:

 

Finished up all the door locks today. Now the '58 Surf Rat is locked up tight at the curb with the rain pleasantly falling here in the Pacific northwest.
Also installed a re-built and restored license plate light in one of the holders. The '57 - '58 wagons had two such lights and I am searching for a second, but for now... I am totally legal!

Also installed a new weather-stripping seal around the lift gate. That cut down on noise a bit along with plugging the last leak that was currently plaguing this poor old machine.

 

Let's see...pulled all the wiring, brake booster and front lines, steering column support.
Just the glass and trim left, and a few odds and ends.
Then off to the scrapyard.

 

Today I fixed the taillights. Seemed like an electrical problem, wiggling all the sockets on each side fixed it. Ahh, Volvos.

Last week I replaced the RF brake rotor, which BROKE (disc broke free of the hub) after a month.