Todays I started.... long way to go with my Wildcat

[JoeBlog]

You’re gonna do this, Chuck. Whatever happens, you’ll get through it and you’ll have a car that makes your cheeks hurt from smiling so much every time you drive it.

 

[ChuckBridges]

I sincerely hope so. I am finding a lot of what I am doing intimidating, but do my best anyway. I could much easier build a DSLAM (equipment that provides internet to homes, whether fiber or ADSL), a new -48 volt dc power plant, or other equipment in a Telecom Central Office. That I understand. Basic maintenance on a vehicle I understand.

Ah well, I guess it is like my wife tells me "How do you eat an elephant.... One bite at a time!" Seems to relate to learning how to take car of old cars too.

 

[ChuckBridges]

I just performed a final check of the lights before Friday. Murphy strikes again. As I had my wife check the high beams, one drivers burnt out in front of me. I went to Auto Value and asked for 2 sealed beam (round) high beams. The girl looked them up on their computer, I didn't tell here they were standard seal beams. She found the number and started looking over the bulbs. I explained to her that they were a sealed beam about "so big". She though I meant a whole housing, such as new vehicle would use. I asked her for the number and took her over to the sealed beams. I then took 2 off the shelf. She asked to see one so I opened a box. She had never seen a sealed beam before! Okay, I officially feel old. I purchased 2 because I was taught to change them in pairs by Dad, and the new ones are halogen. I will save the old one that still works for emergencies as you can't simply find them anywhere anymore.

I took my small wire brush and brushed all of the bulbs to remove the oxidation, and found one signal that was intermittent. Took five minutes to repair. Of course I dropped that one inside of the housing. I had to go and purchase a pick up tool to get it out of the light housing. Now, everything has been double checked to ensure that they work. I am ready for Friday, I hope.

Inside the cabin I finished running the speaker wires and labelled them, (LF, RF, RR, LR). Ready for the stereo, which is due Friday. The speakers should be about the same time. Looks like my weekend is planned for me!

 

[ChuckBridges]

I feel like a kid at Christmas Morning. My doorbell rang... Speakers here! Yeah. I brought them upstairs to register for the warranty and... doorbell rings.... Stereo. Wow. It took the same amount of time for a stereo from China as speakers from the USA. Too late in the day to start installing the stereo, but I can put the speakers into the back of the window. I don't want to mess with the dash until I have finished my inspection. Life is good!

It started to rain as I was putting in the speakers and I got the bright idea to check the wipers/washer. Wipers, yes, washer, I hear click click click, but no washer fluid. Take the valence off and check the hoses. Everything is good. Hose to the reservoir, good. It has washer fluid. Take the cap off, no hose. Look into the bottle, there's the hose. Re-attach, now everything works, once it drew up fluid. Yeah, glad for rain having me check. I had forgotten what it takes to work with an old car. Now, I am remembering. Sometimes, I do feel foolish when I find the problem is smaller that I expected. I guess this is how we gain experience.

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[ChuckBridges]

The car needs some minor repairs. The bushings on some of the front end parts (Sorry can't remember which ones) have been pounded out, and I missed one light, the license plate. All told with inspection, around $800. The car will be ready next week. I am looking forward to driving it. I am actually quite pleased with how little it needed. I unfortunately added one item to the list. When I backed off the trailer I rented to tow the car to the inspection facility the tailpipe caught the ground and bent it. Drat!

I got an email from RockAuto.com, they have my hinges for the hood in stock, with springs. My wife ordered me a set so the tomato stakes days are numbered.

On the down side, I got a call from the owner of the storage facility where my trailer is stored. Broken into again. 5th time it has been broken into. The door is damaged, again. Hmmm. I am really getting tired of lowlifes that can't get a job and have to steal from people who work for a living. I will find out Monday how much this time.

Well, I hope everyone has a great weekend. Goodnight all!

 

[HotZ28]

I got an email from RockAuto.com, they have my hinges for the hood in stock, with springs. My wife ordered me a set so the tomato stakes days are numbered.

Great news! I hope they work for you!

 

[HotZ28]

On the down side, I got a call from the owner of the storage facility where my trailer is stored. Broken into again. 5th time it has bee broken into. The door is damaged, again. Hmmm. I am really getting tired of lowlifes that can't get a job and have to steal from people who work for a living. I will find out Monday how much this time.

Well, I hope everyone has a great weekend. Goodnight all!

Open borders may be the problem! I have been there/seen & experienced that!

 

[ChuckBridges]

The only open border we have is with Montana. The problem we have is Opioids and the local reserve. In the last couple of years, they have kicked all drug addicts, native or not, off the reserve, so they end up in Lethbridge. Lethbridge is home to the "Supervised Consumption Site" A building where they can go and shoot up/smoke to their hearts content, no arrests! Really makes me feel used to have my taxes pay for it. The thieves went through about 20 trailers, opened all the cupboards and drawers, and took nothing. My wife, a nurse, feels they were looking for money or prescriptions. Anything to support their habit. Really does infuriate me though.

Omm….. Omm. oh, sorry, trying to concentrate on the positive. this time next week I will be driving my Wildcat. I still have a lot to do, in regards to installing the stereo, and working on the surface rust, but , up and on we go.

Have a great day all!

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[ChuckBridges]

Today, I am on pins and needles waiting for my car to get back. My son bought me the parts needed to take car of the rust I found in the read panel above the drivers back tire. The metal is, soft. shall we say. I will grind it out and repair it. I haven't done body work since the 1990's, so, a little research is in order to bring me back up to speed. This includes things such as removing the trim around the wheel so I can repair all of the rust, not just up to the trim. I want to do this correctly and have the metal to work in before I apply fill, thin fill. I have stuff to inhibit rust and will do my best. I purchased as new set of floor mats as the existing mat with a partially clad woman, well, let's just say, don't work for a married man. Same thing for the front plate that said "Horn Broken... Watch for finger". Not my style.

Next weekend is "Street Wheelers" when everyone brings out their classic cars and cruises up and down Mayor Magrath. I have always avoided this weekend, not having a classic. My wife wants to cruise and "Drive up to the Dub" I told her they no longer serve at the cars, still wants to do it.

My main problem is being post concussion, and with vertigo, it might be a bit much. Jenny might have to drive the car. That won't hurt my ego. She is a good driver and my best friend. The cruise might be fun, but the car doesn't look as fancy as it will later. Kind of rough yet.

Well, a good night to all. Sweet dreams of our sweet rides.

 

[ChuckBridges]

The curious side of me wants to pull up to a full service station here in Lethbridge in my Wildcat and ask for $50's worth. I am curious if the kids who pump gas will think to flip the plate down to open the gas cap. Could be a cruel trick to play on an unsuspecting youngster.. I hope to hear back on Wednesday from the mechanic so I can go out and get it, put insurance and a plate on it and take her out on the open road. That, if memory serves, is where these old girls really shine. I had a 1969 Ford F250 4x4 with a 360. Loved her gas, 12 miles to the gallon no matter what you did it seemed, but man, could it work. I put 2 yards of gravel in the box and drove home. Young and stupid. The guy who came to load me, late, told me I had 2 yards. I asked if I needed to unload some as I only bought a yard. His response "It's your truck." The bench seat, more comfortable than most I have driven since. Old vehicles really have their charm.

I am finding working on the Buick is enjoyable now. Back when I was young, I worked on cars because they wouldn't run otherwise. Not fun!
Working on my car is like my career with TELUS, the phone company, before I was forced to retire. You started with a bare piece of floor and built the equipment up from scratch. When you were done, you had a piece of working, neat and clean, telecom equipment you could be proud of. I kicked a few guys who were on loan to our department, away from my jobs for failing to build it properly. One guy kept saying "Good enough" Nothing was straight or neat. He thought if it worked, that was good enough. I finally blew up at him, told him my name would be associated with this equipment for it's lifespan, and if I heard "Good enough" again, I was going to clock him. He didn't last out the length of the network with me. Complained to his supervisor I was "Impossible to work with." I told his boss I wasn't asking anything of him I didn't ask of myself. Working on my Wildcat I feel the same. This is going to take some time, but, unlike Telecom equipment, I can drive it as I work on it.

 

[ChuckBridges]

Still waiting for parts. I told the mechanic that my wife wanted to find out if it was ready. "I understand it's Street Wheelers Weekend" he said. I said yeah, she wants to cruise. He was still waiting for parts, but hoped they would be in today. If he can, he will try to get it ready but he is working alone as his other mechanic is on vacation this week. I told him not to stress about it. If it happens, fine. If not, then also fine. I have waited 2 months to drive the car, I can wait a while longer. I would rather not piss off the mechanic who is working on my baby. I ordered a carb rebuild kit today from RockAuto.Com. The point of driving out there was to determine if I had the Carter or the Rochester 4 barrel carb on her. It is the Rochester. With this info, I ordered the kit. I might get him to rebuild the carb. Hence the "Don't piss off the mechanic". He has been reasonable, and has been a mechanic since carbureted vehicles were common on the road. He knows what he is doing.

I think that I have spent more on the car in the last 2 months than Ray has in the last 12 years. He didn't rebuild things, he got them running, sort of. If it ran good enough for Ray. Oops I still hate that term. He painted the car himself. I am going to get the car painted professionally, and I just located a picture of what it looked like new. My wife said to bring that picture when we make arrangements for the paint job. She wants that shade!

I got a refund for the springs that were incorrect. I also got a refund for a fuel filler neck I ordered for my F150. They never had the part and I waited 2 months. They told me they were giving me a full refund, but didn't include the shipping costs. I responded that since they never had the part to ship, I wasn't going to pay the shipping. I am waiting to hear back, but if they balk I will not only open a dispute, but leave feedback that tells what they did. Seems like a scam to me. They didn't have any shipping costs, I shouldn't have to pay it.

Well, time for bed. You all have a great night.

 

[ChuckBridges]

Well, It is after 6:30 on the Friday and I haven't heard back from the mechanic. I guess he didn't get all the parts he needed. I will have to wait until next week. Next week he will have his other mechanic back and should be able to clear his backlog of repairs. I received the hood hinges today. I will have to wait for next week to install them. I really didn't want to drive in the car parade until I have fixed up the car to my satisfaction.

Well, good weekend to all!

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[ChuckBridges]

I went out to where my car is waiting for the parts for be finished to install the new hood hinges. My Nieces boyfriend is a car nut and want toe help me put them on so I thought, why not?. we drove out to the mechanics where the car is and pulled the hood off. We then took off the drivers side hood spring and placed it on the ground. I got the new spring out of the car and tried to line it up. Nope. The original spring, shown below, has an offset to the base where it bolts onto the fender wall. The replacement part is straight. The holes do not line up and without the offset, you would have to build it out with a spacer and a bolt and that would end up putting far too much strain on the fender wall holes. Back in the plastic bag and into the back seat of the truck. Take pictures and replace the original hood hinge. Replace the hood and line up. close, ensure the latch engages. head back to town and arrange for a return from Rockauto.com. Now, Purolator is open Monday. I will send it then. I may start looking at alternatives to hold up the hood, like a prop rod such as newer vehicles, like my wife's escape have. Rocky did notice that the line to the transmission has a hole rubbed into it. I will have to replace that. And the fun never ends...…

 

[JoeBlog]

There’s a condition that all classic car owners have suffered from at one time or another. It’s known as “while I was at it” syndrome. It seems like you’ve been exposed to a minor strain of that virus. Trust me, it’ll get stronger, and in case you’re wondering, there is no known cure.

 

[ChuckBridges]

I found a set of hood springs from a 1965 Wildcat on eBay. The seller states they worked on the car they were removed from and since they share the same hood, should hold mine up nicely. I also received the Carb kit. I hope to have her running like new, if not looking like new this year. All in good time. In the meantime, when I get her home, I can repair the rust I have found. I can't believe that I am restoring a classic car. Before Ray gave me the Wildcat, the thought never crossed my mind that I would work on a car again.

 

[ChuckBridges]

I drove out to Picture Butte to the car today to get the paperwork so I could drive it home. The mechanic filled it out and then told me that the heater core was leaking inside the cabin. He says it was causing the windshield to fog up and so needed to be replaced. He stated that he would pass it if I couldn't afford to fix it, but it should really be fixed as fogging windows is a safety issue. I asked him what it would cost and he said $90 and 2 hours labour. Ok, go ahead. I then drove back into Lethbridge to get my insurance and registration/plate. The insurance, which you get first, was easy, although the woman copied my Out-Of-Province Inspection form, then informed me I need an Inspection. "Umm, you just copied it" I told her. I then drove over to the registration office and... they don't take Visa. Okay, this other one does. I drove there, gave them the paperwork and they told me they couldn't give me registration without a Bill Of Sale. I told them Ray lives in Northern Saskatchewan, 700 Km (450 miles) away. Sorry, the supervisor said. After she left, the girl told me I just need a bill of sale from anyone, with the information (Vin, seller, mileage…). She told me to get my wife to fill it out. Really? I went home, downloaded the form, filled it out and my wife signed it. They didn't even look at it. Just looked to see I had one. Now, I have a plate, insurance, and Thursday, a Wildcat in my parking spot. Here's to classic Buicks!

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[HotZ28]

So many technicalities required to get a tag for an old car! Fortunately the "girl" doing the work behind the counter, was much smarter than her supervisor in how to get it done!!

 

[ChuckBridges]

I got my springs today, and they are period correct. Yeah! Now, I just have to get my car back from the mechanic. He should have gotten the heater core today and if I am lucky, installed it tomorrow. I am looking forward to starting the bodywork.

I was going over the bills from the car, for the last 6 weeks, and it turned out to be around $1800 so far. I was shocked when I saw how much I had spent. And, I am only starting on the work I want to do. Might have to slow down a little. I have the things I require to fix the hole on the fender. The trim removes with screws, so easy to remove and repair properly. If there is one thing I hate, it's not doing something correctly.

I hope everyone gets a good nights sleep tonight.

 

[ChuckBridges]

Still waiting on my car. I found out that I have a Switch Pitch transmission. supposedly a good one. I couldn't verify whether it is better, I just need to take peoples work on it until I research it. I hope that the mechanic finishes it soon, I am getting a little impatient. Can't fault the mechanic, I am simply one of his customers, not even a regular. Well, when I get her back, it is going to be so nice to drive. It is going to be like I am a kid again. This is how cars were when I was a kid. Now they are computer filled, antilock brakes, camera, crumple zones..... Still, there is something special about driving a classic.

Well, tomorrow is another day. Have a good Sunday evening to all (Or night, depending on where you are.).

 

[ChuckBridges]

Well, today I talked to the mechanic who has my car. The heater core wasn't a two day item, as he thought. It was a special order that just arrived today. It is going to take him a day or two to get to the car, but, an end is in sight.

I know now that this week I will be driving my girl home. I picked up a pop up awning today to put over the car while I work on it. Since it is in the low 30's C (90's F) and I grew up in Northern BC, I need to keep the sun off of me while I work. We are going on a trip next week. Wish I could bring the car.... but... I have to haul my travel trailer and I am definitely NOT putting a hitch on my car. Well, bedtime I think. Goodnight to all, have a great evening!