I haven't checked this thread for a few days, and I am amazed, and very positively surprised by the massive, and pleasantly detailed response and advise posted in here, since my last visit. This forum, and it's users are amazing ~ So, t
hank you, kind C-PPL's, for your very useful input.. and extra thanks to cantflip for the thorough run through of the "brake revival procedure". The wonderful seasons here, will prove themselves useful, for flushing and checking during winter. I'd really prefer to keep the original brake lines, if possible.. but I'm gonna have to flush several times, I guess.
Although my general plan for the Imp, it so keep it as original as humanly possible, I wont having that interfere with getting the engine to run it's best, thus allowing "bolt on upgrades", so based on your various kind advise, I think that I'm gonna do both, and order the Edelbrock, AND a blue gasket kit for the Holly of Summit.. and then drive the Imp with the Edelbrock until some sunny day in the future, when I get around to do a clean-up and "light resto" on the Holly, if it turns out to be in a restorable condition. It SHOULD be, with the claimed 30k mileage, but who knows. A lot of stuff can happen in 46 years. If not, it get's "shelfed".
I got a newer Edelbrock of some sorts on my 300 too, and it runs like a (very aggressive) Swizz clock. Happy to start, great (fantastic actually) throttle response, smooth idle.. pretty much everything a man can ask for from a carb, nothing negative to report at all.
I will of course check both the shop manual, and the internet for the correct (best) plugs, and wires. The carb is pretty well hidden by the air filter "can", but the ignition isn't, so I'd like to keep that (wires) looking as stock as possible. (No fancy chrome neon plug wires). Where should one shop.. is Rock a good place, or do they just have a very wide selection, and the rest is up to the buyer? I find their website one of the easiest of them all to navigate, although it's dated.
About the floor, and the strength of the concrete flooring, it was only about 4 inches to begin with, but the concrete was strong, so although I claimed that we should both go deeper, and do a "column to column" re-cast, strengthened with steel rods / net, to keep the columns from caving in over the car, but ALL the guys present, (4-6 older craftsmen of various sorts), claimed in unity that this solution was more than enough, to support my 4 ton lift... even with the Imp in the air. We went down at least 8 inches, and I made sure to dig about 4 inches in horizontally, UNDER the existing floor. Although all these guys insured me that it would be ROCK steady, I am still not 100% convinced, so I'm gonna test the thing VERY thoroughly with various insured and "expendable" Japanese cars, in gradually increasing sizes, before the Imp is going on. For now, the cement need's time to cure. Of course its cold as hell out there, and I have no time to be there, running the diesel heater to advance the process, so in a few weeks, we will drill, and glue in the "thread rods", with that special killer "anchoring glue". The dudes I "bribed" to help me, told me about several other 2 column lifts having been installed in the other rooms in the same building.
Wow.. it's 03:24.. and I have to work Sunday, so I'm of.. but thanks again.. I will update as something happens!
Thnx agin guys !
Here is 10 more or less random, mostly under carriage pic's.. shot when I changed the oil shortly after arrival..
(Kasper is feeling VERY lucky, to get this condition, buying an un-inspected Imp at auction in MN.. :-D )
