So I bought this one today.

[detmatt]

Hot damn that is smooth and quiet, what's next?

Funny you should ask. I was surprised to see that the rear brakes were in relatively good condition so I decided to tackle them today. I wasn’t planning on doing them as I figured they were going to require a lot more work but thanks to the parts car from @SGT FURY (the gift that keeps giving) I had everything I need including working parking brake cables. A little more detailed report to follow.

 

[ayilar]

You'd love my Polara, lotsa rubber fuel line, and a plastic filter. But it's routed away from heat and sharp edges, and gets replaced often.

Ask David if a plastic filter is a good idea. Hint: nope. I had thought about it to check things out on one of my cars, he dissuaded me from it.

 

[detmatt]

I did have to replace one of the wheel cylinders but the other one I just disassembled end cleaned it before putting it back together. Just replaced what I needed to other than that. I happen to have two freshly turned drums and since the shoes had a lot of life left I kept them in service.
I actually drove it down to the court that my shop is on and it stopped great in spite of just being gravity bled.

Before and after

 

[commando1]

I, for the life of me, can't figure out how you find the time. Seriously.

 

[detmatt]

I, for the life of me, can't figure out how you find the time. Seriously.

Like a well oiled machine over here!

 

[detmatt]

Question? I see that you have this spot tacked on the inside. Do you later then finish the complete weld with tacks? Do you complete spot welds on both sides? Or just one side?
Im just asking because I have to do same on a 61.
I have zero body experience,but lots of welding experience.

This would be a stitch weld and only needs to be done on one side and slowly. 1 stitch every inch or so across the joint and let cool for a bit and then repeat until the joint is complete. This means that you can’t see light when looking at the joint when backlit. I took advantage of being able to weld from the backside in this particular place because grinding the weld flat would have been a giant pain in the *** in between those two body lines. Anywhere the body side molding doesn’t cover will be welded from the outside.

 

[david hill]

Ask David if a plastic filter is a good idea. Hint: nope. I had thought about it to check things out on one of my cars, he dissuaded me from it.

After surviving a plastic fuel filter failure my take is them is, the risk isn't worth it. I was very lucky to escape my under-hood fire w/ minimal damage. My out-of-pocket costs were still over just over $300.00 w/ the help of several FCBO members. My good fortune was not lost on me. Another 2 minutes of burning could have raised the cost of repairs to more than $1500.00-$2000.00. If this had occurred at highway speeds it could have been nothing left but a burnt-out shell of a car. Just run a steel fuel filter w/ HQ rubber fuel hoses. Bottom line, just run steel fuel filters period.

 

[MonacoBlue]

After surviving a plastic fuel filter failure my take is them is, the risk isn't worth it. I was very lucky to escape my under-hood fire w/ minimal damage. My out-of-pocket costs were still over just over $300.00 w/ the help of several FCBO members. My good fortune was not lost on me. Another 2 minutes of burning could have raised the cost of repairs to more than $1500.00-$2000.00. If this had occurred at highway speeds it could have been nothing left but a burnt-out shell of a car. Just run a steel fuel filter w/ HQ rubber fuel hoses. Bottom line, just run steel fuel filters period.

Where do you get your metal filters. I have had shops sell me metal filters which had wrong diameter fittings.

 

[LocuMob]

Where do you get your metal filters. I have had shops sell me metal filters which had wrong diameter fittings.

I got mine from Rock Auto. Yes @ayilar, I have metal fuel filters.

 

[HWYCRZR]

My local ORieley’s has metal filters as well.

 

[detmatt]

I’m preparing to hang the rest of the metal back on the front now that the engine is good to go. The outer halves of the front wheelhouses were in pretty good condition, very solid, a few bends that were easily straightened and I had to weld one captive nut back on and of course a coat of rust reformer for prevention.

 

[detmatt]

Took the wobble right out of the power steering bracket. I drilled out the worn out oblong hole to 5/8” and welded in the alternator spacer with a perfect 3/8” I.D.. Done this way it will never wear out again.
To foreshadow a bit some things I’ve been waiting for for this project will soon be finished and a trip to Tiffin OH is in the near future to get the rest of the metal I need to finish making this car rust free.

 

[Ross Wooldridge]

Does the other half slip over the outside?

 

[detmatt]

Does the other half slip over the outside?

 

[Ross Wooldridge]

Nice.

Please post a "how to" that can educate us further on your upgrade - these floppers are often worn out and what you've done is what the factory should have done originally.

 

[patrick66]

I hate that PS mount. Both of my '66 cars have that silliness.

 

[Ross Wooldridge]

They actually work well with a self tensioning under load design, and are easier on belts therefore... but sadly they wear out at the pivots and get misaligned.

 

[MonacoBlue]

This car confuses me in several ways pertaining to its condition, one way being that in my experience with Michigan cars is that usually the passenger side fares worse than the driver’s side because most of the road debris gets kicked up near the shoulder. This one is quite the opposite. There is some work to do in these same areas on the passenger side but not nearly as much.
View attachment 465316 View attachment 465317 View attachment 465318

Trying to think of a scenario where the drivers side would see more salt than the passenger side. Maybe if it was parked on the street for extended periods and salt trucks threw salt on that (exposed) side?
‍You do have to wonder.

 

[LocuMob]

Trying to think of a scenario where the drivers side would see more salt than the passenger side. Maybe if it was parked on the street for extended periods and salt trucks threw salt on that (exposed) side?
‍You do have to wonder.

It was used to deliver the morning paper?

 

[Barry S]

Trying to think of a scenario where the drivers side would see more salt than the passenger side. Maybe if it was parked on the street for extended periods and salt trucks threw salt on that (exposed) side?
‍You do have to wonder.

Here in Western NY the roads are pretty salty for most of the winter, and we have lots of 2 lane roads. The whole car gets pretty salty, of course, but it's normal for the driver's side to get extra salt spray from the the oncoming traffic. Perhaps that has something to do with this car's condition.