I finished the driver’s side and passenger side floorboards and side footwells except for a coat of paint on the passenger side footwells.
The rust has been replaced with metal and fiberglass, the insides and outsides of the panels have been coated with truck bed liner and paint and the underside of the floorboard repairs have two coats of truck bed liner and three coats of spray-on rubberized undercoating.
I put down the foil aluminum butyl sound-deadening material on the drivers side and part of the passenger side floorboards and transmission tunnel. I ran out so I went to pick up another roll of the material at Home Depot. While I was there I got the foil tape to seal the edges and I looked for the mylar bubble wrap-like thermal insulation but they don’t have that anymore. I’ll just pick up some dashboard folding sunscreens since they are made out of the same material…a bit more expensive that way but not too bad.
Tonight’s to do list:
1. Clean up carb for rebuild and maybe start the rebuild.
2. Finish laying butyl layer on floorboards and seal with foil tape.
3. Place layer of butyl on inner door skins
4. Glue down thermal insulation.
5. Finish the laundry and clean the kitchen…not car related but I still have to do it.
7-16-2010
First things first---I got the kitchen cleaned.
Well the vibration dampening insulation is all laid down in the cockpit., I also found the mylar bubble insulation roll at a Lowes Home Improvement store for about $15.00 so I got that, a can of contact adhesive and a few el-cheepo paint brushes and then installed the Mylar thermal insulation. I still have to put some of the butyl anti-vibration mat inside the doors so they’re a bit more solid plus sand down the wood dash and refinish it but the cockpit is mostly done. I still have to cut and install the carpet and make and install interior panels and sound system but that doesn’t happen until the car is painted.
The carb is off and I should have the rebuild done in a day or two. I’m not sure how far I’ll goon the rebuild but at the very least it’s getting new seals, float valve, etc. If I can avoid replacing the needle and jet I’ll be very happy…but I’m not hopeful.
I need to get the thing running soon---for many reasons. The underside has a lovely sheen of leaked oil and I’d like to get it all pressure washed off so I can trace the leak and take care of it. Plus, I want to drive the thing before the summer is over.
7-26-2010 IT’S ALIVE!!!!!!
Got the carb rebuilt and put back on the car. Once I got a battery that would actually hold a charge the Spit started up with only about 6 seconds of cranking.
I replaced the spark plugs and shot a small amount of oil into the cylinders but once it started the engine idled with no stumbling or sputtering which is very good news.
In the not-so-good-news department, if you push on the gas pedal there is almost no noticeable difference in the rpm’s. I think it’s a vacuum issue but since know nothing about Zenith Stromberg cars it could just as easily be a chipmunk stuck in the fuel filter.
When I lift up the piston in the carb with a screwdriver the rpm’s increase very smoothly but then the piston doesn’t drop back down like it’s supposed to so the rpm’s stay just where they are…a nice little form of cruise control but not exactly how it’s supposed to work.
I’ll figure it out or somebody who actually knows what they’re doing will (much more likely) I’m just glad the thing is running. I bought a new battery so the only big things left for me to buy are the tires, painting supplies and (possibly) a clutch master cylinder.
I could possibly have the car on the road within 2 weeks…here’s hoping it’s close since July is almost over and I only have about 3 months before the weather turns too shitty to drive the thing.
8-20-2010
I haven’t made an entry in a while (because I’m slack…remember? We covered that already.)
I’m getting closer to actually getting stuff done on the Spit
First, and most importantly, I’ve come up with a knick-name for the car---the Shitfire! Yup, I like it!
Anyway, I got the cockpit thermal insulation and butyl foil anti-vibration insulation install finished. Just about every square inch of the cockpit interior is thermally and acoustically sealed. The only area I didn’t do heavily is the rear shelf behind the seats but I’m building a shelf for speakers and an amp in that area anyway.
I also put the butyl anti-vibration material all over the cardboard transmission tunnel and, since the part of the tunnel that meets the firewall was rotting away, I used the butyl foil material to seal it to the firewall. That was a better fix than the previous owner’s repair attempt which consisted of wads of duct tape that has since hardened and fallen apart.
I also applied a layer of the butyl material on the inside of both doorskins which give the doors a much more satisfying and sold “thud” when the doors are closed. I’m also going to seal the inside of the doors with plastic sheet and then a layer of roofing felt paper before I put on the new door panels.
I got some basic cleaning and painting done on the front suspension-it’s not going to win any shows, but it’s clean and covered. I also wire-brushed cleaned and primered the top of the cowl and I’m moving down onto the rest of the firewall. Lots of rust to clean up around the hydraulics masters since years of fluid leakage ate away the paint and left it unprotected.
My next work (aside from getting Kevin over here to see if we can get the carb squared away) will be making the rear sound system shelf and the engine bay valances. The rear shelf will be a basic insulated wooden box with black carpet over it and it will hold the speakers and either an audio amp or a storage compartment. The engine valances will be made (probably) out of sheet aluminum. The Shit still has the driver’s side one though it is looking pretty rough. The passenger side valance is basically gone. I’m not sure if you really need them but there gonna be in there regardless.
I’ve almost completed the modifications for the chrome bumper conversion. I’ve nearly all of the metal cut off from front end so the bumper will fit. All I have to do is finish making the over-riders, cleaning up and painting the area and making and installing new front brackets. I also have to pick up the spoiler from a guy in High Point.
No comments:
Post a Comment