Now Complete Restoration / Pulling my 1969 'Bee down for strip and paint

[birdsandbees]

Accidentally painted the steering column retainer plate to correct factory standards! The run will stay...

Washed horn pad with soap and a toothbrush last night. Then noticed it was covered in blue fleck from a previous sloppy paint shops work.. either 1988 or 1979. Daringly used a worn green scotchbrite pad while wet and it cleaned up nice without scratching. FInished it off with an old '80's can of the Tannery.

Pliobond, used to glue aircraft crankseals into the case. Only because I have it... and couldn't find my regular contact cement.

I know myself too well, pad totally covered with tape.

One side of each spoke and the center hubs glued and clamped.

RPM'ng the steering shaft section that protudes from the column.

Knuckle and roll pin RPM'd. Pin started.. as you'll have fun trying it once on the car.

[birdsandbees]

Mixed up some plastic welder and sucked into a syringe.

Injected the shear pin holes, with a scrap of aluminum blocking the other side.

Looks just like original.

Not that I plan to be judged, but if you are (and I don't know which is correct) here is the 11/32" PVC/booster hose I removed from days of old (slightly bigger O/D than repro), the Gates date coded (Jan '69) hose from Year One and the same date coded hose I got from National Moparts yesterday. Shows slightly different letter font and spacing

Hoses installed.

Just another engine shot... 

[CDN72SE]

Love that you are using that can of Tannery. 

[birdsandbees]

Love that you are using that can of Tannery. 

Wish I could find a case!! LOL  $5.99 for the can gives a hint of it's age.

[BDF]

You are moving right along here!
I have not been on this site much lately, have you fired it up yet?

[birdsandbees]

If I had there'd be video !! 

May happen tomorrow if I get into town for some Shell premium. Wanna do so soon, as I want it running for my Birthday on the 23rd and I'll be away possibly from the 13th to 19th so better get my ass in gear.

[birdsandbees]

Inner steering column tube "QC" painted and coated in Cosmoline to duplicate what I found from the factory.

Rummaging though my 4130 scraps for the correct diameter to make a bearing installer.

My "tool" to reinstall the upper steering shaft bearing.

Glued the final three spoke sides today on the horn ring cover.

All ready to see if I can bring this baby back to life. Just need gas...

And a short video verifying I have spark after rechecking my points gap, plug wire firing order, etc.
https://youtu.be/3EHKFcRRe7s

[birdsandbees]

Four gallons of Shell Premium and a gallon of 100LL AV gas for the boost and lead. Fuel gauge is working and just above empty with that fuel put into the tank. So lets give her a crank ! Fire in the hole...

https://youtu.be/21nnkVWnBk4

Thankfully, just about the time I was done cursing about it, the rocker/lifter knock went away!

I'll take door number two for $100,000 dollars Monty !

https://youtu.be/SJg67ttJw9s

Setting the timing. Set at 5* BTC for now and vacuum advance on new distributor working great. Looks like about 35* total at 15" vacuum.

https://youtu.be/7Wc81uKIXzY

More music from underneath by the ECS OEM correct mufflers.

https://youtu.be/8H5G_GoUGoI

[alfaitalia]

Great stuff...she looks and sounds great...can't wait until I'm in that position!

[Lennard]

So nice and quiet with a factory exhaust system. 

[birdsandbees]

Thanks guys! An exciting day for sure. I had convinced myself I had the distributor 180* out and almost pulled it and turned it before I hit "start". Sure glad I didn't and amazed how quickly she fired.

[birdsandbees]

Parts all ready to assemble the steering column. Shrink wrap works nice, so I don't scratch the paint.

Disappointed that the Precision Gasket's firewall kit didn't include the rubber seal, so I had to use the old one. Still in nice shape anyhow.

Inner tube with it's spring on the lower end and the steering shaft inserted into the main column.

Wavy washer in the main tube and a bit of grease on the collars. Realized this is really unnecessary as none of these collars or tubes turn on a floor shift car. Looks like I need to get a Q tip out and get that blob of grease off the outer collar ring before it drips on the column tube on a hot day.

Column collars both in place, bolted to the outer tube. Went together very nicely.

You have to put the mounting plates on before you install the lower bearing retainer bolts.

Using the "tool" I made to press the upper bearing into place using the nut.

Could have just stood the shaft up and used a longer piece of tubing to tap it into place. Picture shows the lock ring in place.

[birdsandbees]

Everything together, waiting for signal light switch to arrive so I can install it, the steering wheel and horn ring.

Was nice of David Patik to suppy a roll or tape in with the door vapor barrier kit. Darn near perfect..

Looks just like original.

Drained a gallon and a half of water out and refilled with antifreeze. If you've never done it... there's your perfect funnel lads!

Horn ring medallion. Face polished and rim being repainted argent. I noted they are $60 US for repops and a guy claiming he has OEM for $92 US but "the box in the picture is for show".. yah okay!

[birdsandbees]

And a word on shop safety !! 

I walked into the shop today and it smelled kind of like electrical fire vs the day before it had smelled of reducer. Mystified what the cause was, but as I worked I realized my lungs were killing me, was getting light headed and had to go outside. I opened all the shop doors to clear the place out.

My conclusion is it was either the vapours from all the RPM burning off the exhaust system, or thinking some more it was similar to when I baked the ceramic paint I put on the HP manifolds. Either way, be sure to ventilate your shop WELL after running your fresh set up!

And a video from today. Started just like days of old. Hit the key, tap the gas and VROOM !

https://youtu.be/f7NAW6K3N6s

[Lennard]

Purs like a kitten. 

[birdsandbees]

Purs like a kitten.  

Thanks Lennard!! Not bad for an engine that was overhauled in 1978/79 !  I think it cost me about $450 bucks back then and has never skipped a beat.

Since I checked my cam lobes and lifters for wear, and installed new valve stem seals, my only real concern was that I had installed that new timing chain / gear correctly when I decided to move it from straight up to the 4* cam advanced position.

[Lennard]

An engine overhaul for $450! That's what just the materials will cost you nowadays.  

[CDN72SE]

Sounds great, you are just flying along, this weekend I was able to install my trunk lock, lol.

[birdsandbees]

  Well there's something I haven't done yet! LOL

[BDF]

You're on a roll now B&B! 

[birdsandbees]

Thanks Brent ! Need to get the brakes bled so I can arrange to have the front end aligned by my old friend that passed his auto shop onto his son. My buddy is now working way up North in the diamond mine and is on a 2 weeks on.. 2 weeks off schedule and about a 3.0 hour haul for me each way to get the car to his son's garage. A lot of effort for the job, but someone I trust that understands "old school" !

All I got done today. Put another quick shot of Argent paint on the horn medallion and I threw fate to the wind and tried "Wipe New" on the horn pad. Looks great and ready to install. Just waiting on my signal light return mechanism to show up.

[birdsandbees]

Sourced the correct looking / shaped steering knuckle seal from DMT (Detroit Muscle Technologies).

Repro seal has the correct bumped out shaft sealing area and even has the correct middle tabs.

On the steering shaft c/w the DMT stainless steel retainer. Still considering using the original removed steel one, as the tabs are nicely shape formed to lock in place.

Don't waste your money buying a rebuild kit for $20US from Partsmix. Turns out I'm using NONE of it as it's all junk. Seal is totally wrong, cross pin is junk, wear blocks are porous. Even the spring clip is wrong and formed too narrow to fit the blocks. Repro top, OEM bottom. Take yours apart and see what you really need, then order it from DMT or track down some $$ NOS.

Shows correct alignment for assembly and how it will sit in car with wheel centered. Small hole in shaft, small hole in knuckle and alignment notch in knuckle all up.

Untoothed "key" in knuckle matches steering box shaft for wheel centering.

Hot out of the mail box. My signal light cancel mechanism. $10 bucks and hope it works vs $300+ for a complete NOS assembly.

[birdsandbees]

Another week shot, but like they say "a happy wife equals a happy life" !   She wanted to go up to our Northern island camp for a week and try out the "new" sled I bought her and do some fishing. Hard to beat -4C days, sunshine and no wind on top of 24" of ice in late March.

BTW.. she's building a girlfriend for my buddy that was dropping by! 

Numerous car parts arrived in the mail while we were gone, so hopefully back in the shop tomorrow to get a bit done before I start the yearly ritual of corporate tax returns

[birdsandbees]

Alternator +, horn and windshield washer pump wire holding clip.

It's the little things.. lol

Radiator overflow hose retainer clips. Stupid money! Should have taken them off my old radiator.

Clips in place.

Radiator overflow hoses. One is thicker with 6 light ribs, the other thinner and 3 large ribs. Which is correct for my 22" radiator???

Another view of the two hoses. I know the 6 rib is supposed to be corrrect for the 26" radiators, which is correct for the 22"?

Comparing the $10 replacement signal light plate to the old broken OEM that would have been $300.

Carefully prying the shaft out of the signal plate.

[birdsandbees]

A bit more careful wiggling and prying.

Original signal plate apart, ready to clip the wires and clean the original base plate for reuse.

Wires clipped.

Make sure the contact wires are the correct length compared to the old and if need be carefully bend them for even pressure / contact on the base plate.

Dielectric grease on the contacts.

Squeezing the two plates together at the shaft and testing for continuity. Turn to left and right postions and check the green pair and the brown pairs for zero ohms in each of the positions (that is to say one pair only has continuity in each direction)

A bit of white grease in the signal shaft hole.

Signal plate in place and bearing / plate retainer going into place.