thebankerstoy Wrote:Absolutely beautiful work indeed! We also need to remember that these cars are nearing their 50th birthday, so keeping things as they came from the factory when new is a challenge at best and when the work is done as well as you've done here, nobody has the right to say anything negative, especially when you're still driving this fantastic car on the street!
Richartd
Thanks man, I appreciate it! I've always resisted doing anything but maintenance to the car, because it's so original. When I got it in '82, it was in the "wheel tubs and blower" era. I resisted a bunch of pressure from buddies to modify the car back then. Even though they weren't really worth anything, I always appreciated the fact that it was original. I figured "who knows, someday maybe it'll be worth something", haha. Well, the value doesn't really play into it for me, because it's something I'll never sell. I just feel a responsibility to the car to first, preserve what's there, and second, if I do work, do it to the highest standards possible.
I avoided touching the undercarriage for years because there weren't readily available correct parts to warrant taking it apart. Unfortunately, the car sat for a few years while I got busy with other "life" things. The brakes and fuel system went bad from storage, and something needed to be done. As I dug into it, I found that it was going to be just as easy to pull select assemblies apart, and do things right. The brakes on this thing weren't the best when new (manual drums), and I didn't want to take any chances. So, I decided to replace everything, mechanical and hydraulic, in the entire system. And, now virtually everything is available for correct parts. Literally the first time I ever power washed the underside was this spring when I committed to undertake the restoration work. And, just as I hoped, I was able to uncover many of the original finishes and markings.
So, that's why I ended up doing what I did to the differential assembly. These
are old cars, and the further I dug, the more I found that needed attention. So, I went through the axle, rebuilt the leaf springs, and replaced the bushings also. The car has always been rock-solid reliable, and I want to keep it that way going forward. I ended up killing some of the originality of the car in doing the work, but hopefully it's
of the car. It doesn't do me any good to have it all-original, and wadded up in the ditch because of bad brakes, or a failed suspension component, haha.
JD
