Need to say thanks to all of the people on this site. There have been several members that have helped us over the years to get us to this point. The knowledge gained has been extremely valuable.
Took the 41 on the road for a 5 mile trip. It starts, stops, and shifts without issue. Temps stayed around 180 for the trip per the gauge. All the gauges (not counting the gas gauge as it was running off a jug) appear to work correctly. Headlights are working (tail lights not yet connected). Suspension was smooth and the engine sounded good. Started after about 30 seconds without anything sprayed down the carb. Did smoke a bit for the first 1/8 mile but that cleared up. Hills did not seem to effect it. Stayed at 30 MPH without an issue, did not try anything faster. The body panels were not even making noises.
Pleased for a first true test of three years work. We were expecting bigger issues or some problem. Did have some coolant coming out the overflow but we suspect that was due to us overfilling it and not knowing how much t add.
Biggest issue was we ran out of gas 6 feet from our garage door when putting it away. :)
More work needed but this was a great confidence builder that things are going in the correct direction.
I have found that having an old car is a constant project that is never done. I think that is a good thing. Keeps me learning new things. Having two from different eras is just a form of higher education.
VCCA members have access to a list of over 50 Technical Advisors who can help you with your car. It's worth the price of membership! While you can get a lot of information for free in this forum, sometimes the info that you REALLY need is only available from the right person. This is what "The World's Best Chevrolet Club" is all about!
I think most of us have been guilty of not watching the fuel level in the temporary tank, at least you were close to home and didnt have to walk for more fuel. Well done to the team Tony
I have been wondering for a while on how the Team Project was coming along. Did the boys go with you on the test ride ?
Dick
My youngest went on the ride. The oldest wanted to stay back incase we needed something. We can see most the way down the road.
I have found that having an old car is a constant project that is never done. I think that is a good thing. Keeps me learning new things. Having two from different eras is just a form of higher education.
I think most of us have been guilty of not watching the fuel level in the temporary tank, at least you were close to home and didnt have to walk for more fuel. Well done to the team Tony
It was my fault. I filled the jug using that that should be good method prior to leaving. I did not want to put to much in and was not thinking that 5 miles would take more than a few inches of fuel in a gallon jug. I now can make an educated guess that it must get around 20 miles per gallon :)
I have found that having an old car is a constant project that is never done. I think that is a good thing. Keeps me learning new things. Having two from different eras is just a form of higher education.
Looks like I have been falling behind on the updates to this post. Been keeping a book on to track the progress for my records since the start. Will post from that to get this up to date.
July 2022
Looks like it is going to be safer for us to replace the tank. Cleaned it out with vinegar etc. and now there is a lot of loose sludge. Last thing we want is issues with rust in the fuel system. The sending unit is shot anyways and I wanted to replace the straps since I have to drop the tank to change the sending unit. Will run the car off of a boat tank for the time being.
Washed the car today. What a difference it makes to get the dust from sitting all this time off of it. The car passed the NYS inspection today. Unfortunately the water pump’s main seal let go when I got to the mechanics. Added water and drove home. The water pump has less than 15 miles on it and under an hour or idle time on it. We saw the coolant gushing out from behind the pulley. Will need to change that out.
Took the car out to a few events in the last couple weeks. Each time went well.
Developed an issue starting when hot and stalling at idle. Found that the coil had a crack in the porcelain on the bottom and it was weeping fluid. I had never seen one made like the one on this car. The wire to the coil came out of the bottom and the + and - were on the top. It had porcelain on the bottom like a spark plug has on top. Car was last on the road in 69 from what we have been able to find so this coil may be really old. Also the resistance on the secondary was out of spec. Replaced the coil with a new one and the car starts and runs better than it ever has.
We mounted the new gas tank. Also connected the fuel gauge. It appears to be accurate but time will tell. Took us a while to figure out how best to mount the tank but it is now in. The poly tank fits tight but it fits. Issue we had was that this new tank requires a vent and the old one did not. We had to find a way to run a line for the vent and have it higher than the tank. Also had to ground this tank unlike the old one. Good side is that it has baffles in it and that it will not rust.
Seals around the u joint on the torque tube are leaking a lot. Was hoping to make it through the season just topping it off. Unfortunately each drive accelerates the leak. Having to refill the transmission after each drive. And we are not going more than 15 miles in a trip. This is the next item to be fixed.
I have found that having an old car is a constant project that is never done. I think that is a good thing. Keeps me learning new things. Having two from different eras is just a form of higher education.
Losing fluid too quickly out of the seals on the torque tube to safely drive the car without risking damage. Time to replace the seals on the torque tube. Have to take the end off where it meets the transmission to get at the seals.
Though this would be a 1 afternoon job, we were wrong on that. Took the seat out to have more room to work. Took the top two bolts out of the collar holding the torque tube ball on. My son under the car then stated that there was only one bolt. It appears the prior owner broke a bolt off in the transmission and tightened the remaining three and called it a day. Spent the next 1.5 hours teaching my son to drill out the bolt. He learned a new skill and lots of patients. Finally have everything disassembled and cleaned up.
Torque tube is back together. My youngest did all of the work. I only checked that the bolts were tight and watched that things went together properly. Good learning experience for him. It did not leak overnight but we have not driven the car yet either.
The parking brake has not been connected since we received the car. Since we have the transmission tunnel cover is off and the seat is out we are going to do this next. Able to access the linkage from the top and bottom. Found a NOS rod to connect the bar under where the u-joint to the front of the linkage.
I have found that having an old car is a constant project that is never done. I think that is a good thing. Keeps me learning new things. Having two from different eras is just a form of higher education.
Yahoo!!! Really enjoy your reports on progress with the car and the boys. If the rest of the car is as rust free as the floor looks you are fortunate indeed.
Yahoo!!! Really enjoy your reports on progress with the car and the boys. If the rest of the car is as rust free as the floor looks you are fortunate indeed.
Dick
The trunk at some time must have been rusted on the passenger side but a prior owner patched it. We had a few dents in the body but the three of us learned enough skills to make it a 20 footer. Overall it is a real clean car for the age. My 04 Chevy truck has more rust.
I have found that having an old car is a constant project that is never done. I think that is a good thing. Keeps me learning new things. Having two from different eras is just a form of higher education.
Really neat post to follow. You have it good there. When my boy was that age all he wanted to do was play video games, ride his skateboard, and sort his pokemon cards. (thankfully he out grew that and is now interested) Like following along, and the car looks good!