Project Quandry

[twfurst]

Got some actual work done yesterday. Was a good day for it, nothing but rain. I got the body up off the frame and on stands. It's not high enough to roll the frame out from under it yet, but only a couple more inches.




Here are a few pics showing the cancer on the rear of the frame.









Probably won't get too much done again until maybe Thursday. Wife wants to go to the Brooklyn Fair today, bowling tonight and school starts tomorrow. We'll see.

[twfurst]

Got a lot done yesterday. We got the body up high enough to get the frame out. Had to take the rear tires off and drag it on the shock mounts. Will take pics tomorrow after I get home from work (yeah, work on what is supposed to be a three day weekend).

Hope to get the good frame under the body between Sunday and Monday, we'll see if it happens.

[twfurst]

Well, I haven't gotten any pics taken yet. But I have made some progress again. The good frame is under the car and hope to have it bolted down before the end of tomorrow. Nice having use of the other half of the garage again.

[Jim Nilsen]

Well, I haven't gotten any pics taken yet. But I have made some progress again. The good frame is under the car and hope to have it bolted down before the end of tomorrow. Nice having use of the other half of the garage again.

That brings back memories for me, the extra space just opens up and then........... you have no more room again than you had before,lol.

it's a good feeling isn't it.

[twfurst]

Haven't posted in a while. Been home sick all week, so I wandered out to the garage and took some pics.








So you can see that the body is now on its new frame. Was not as bad as I thought it would be. Have some work to do still, not all the body mounts are in. Driver's front needs some shims, and I think I need to get some longer bolts for the other mounts.

Brought the 383 to my garage from my mother's too. So I have plenty to do. Hope to get the front bumper mounts welded back on this weekend.

[twfurst]

Has been quite some time since I posted anything on here. I got the motor in the car during the winter months. But now am in the process of converting it to a 4 speed. I took my dads vette for a ride last weekend, and remembered how much more fun a V8 is when rowing the gears yourself.

Getting the rearend in order to be installed for the last time. Replaced the bearings and all the seals. Gave it a coat of rustoleum undercoat.

Hoping to have it running before summer is over, and will post some pics soon.

[twfurst]

No pics yet, the camera is not being cooperative. Got a four speed and all the essentials for that. Also got the pedal assembly and a set of headers that will work with the clutch linkage.

Right now in the process of replacing the brake lines to the rear brakes. Decided to use Earls braided lines at the rear calipers, just seemed easier than hunting for the correct metric to SAE line adapters. Plus the braided line looks nicer I think. Hope to get the line run from the rear axle to the MC tonight and install the adjustable prop valve too.

On Friday I should receive my new motor mounts. The Patriot headers I'm using say they require "early style" motor mounts. So I got the block side Energy Suspension pieces from Summit the other day and found the frame side pieces for 68-72 chevelle on eBay for $30. Hope to get that all sorted out over the weekend and get the motor/trans back in so I can get the hole cut in the floor for the shifter.

Oh yeah, got my gauge panel all fabbed up and assembled. Just have to wire it and do the final install on that too. Also replaced the fuel line with a 3/8 aluminum one. All in all going has been slow, but its going. Hopin for end of august to hear it fire up. Keepin the fingers crossed.

[twfurst]

When I got home last night, decided to see just how much interference there was between the new headers and the existing motor mounts that I had on the block. Got both headers to mount to the heads, and there is minimal interference on the drivers side. I could slide a piece of thin cardboard through between the tube and the mount. Plan on grinding back the motor mount a little. I don't think this should be a problem, as it is no where near the bolt area. Now just have to send the motor mounts back to Summit, probably use the money to get the header wrap kit. Should be a pretty good weekend.

[NOT A TA]

Sounds like you're steadily moving along Tom which is a good thing! Did ya get moms garage cleaned out and part out the Monte for some project $ ? Post up some pics of your gauge panel when you can. I'm looking for ideas for one to build for my 81 bu.

[twfurst]

Yeah, got the Monte out of Mom's garage last August or so, very shortly after getting the Malibu. Probably didn't get as much for it as it was worth, but was more of a "get it the hell outta here" sale. Progress has been sorta slow lately. The garage has no insulation, so theres nothing to keep the heat out. With the heat wave that's been goin on here, by the time I get home its miserable to work in there. Hoping to get some work done this weekend.

[twfurst]

Well, this past weekend I got the pedal assembly installed. What a fiasco that was. The set of pedals I ordered had to big of a stud for the booster pushrod to fit onto. I went and got a new dual diaphragm booster, hoping it had a different size stud. No luck there. So I took the original brake pedal and cut the pedal pad down to the same size as the clutch pedal.

After that, the new booster wanted no part of being installed. It looked like the bracket the pedal and booster bolted to was flexing without the booster installed. So I persuaded it with a piece of 2x4 and hammer, went right in, imagine that. But, i was then greeted with the brake pedal laying on the driver's floor, apparently the bolt had not passed thru the pedal, so for the fourth time, I got to remove and install it. Working under the dash is definitely not the easiest of tasks for a 6'5" guy with bad knees.

Got the hole cut in the firewall for the clutch pushrod, as well as bought a new master cylinder, as the old one looked pretty crappy after I got the new booster. Hoping tonight to get the engine and four speed paired together and put back in. Have to get some pics here soon. Workin on the camera issues.

[jackfrost]

what pedals did you use?

[twfurst]

I got them on eBay, place called Muscle Cars Only out of PA. Emailed him to ask if he had sent wrong pedal, or I needed to get a different booster, and he told me he has sold something like 600+ with no issues. Guess I was the first one.

[twfurst]

Got the engine and trans back in last night. Ordered a trans hump for the floor this morning, hope to have it by end of next week. Looking like tonight I'm gonna get to finishing up my gauges, have to do the wiring part now. Hope it turns out to be a good weekend.

[twfurst]

So, this past weekend not much got done. Got the correct tranny mount in and the hole in the floor opened up so i could get the tranny in the right spot. Mounted up all of the clutch linkage and got to the point where I see that the G-body clutch linkage does not work with standard bellhousing and clutch fork. (I had read about this, but guess I had to prove it to myself, I'm stupid like that )

So after doing some surfing, and seeing Mr. Anderson's use of a corvette hydraulic setup on his 66 El Camino, I got to thinking.

This morning I ordered a master and slave cylinder for a 1990 S10 with the 4.3 V6. The mounting should be fairly similar on the Malibu to what was done on the S10 for the MC, and I have some ideas kicking around in my head for a mounting solution for the slave cylinder. Ordered them with 3rd day shipping, so hope to have them by Friday, and get to laying them out on Friday night.