A new grille surround is $329 but I'd rather use that money for other things. I'll acquire new welding skills by repairing the rusty panel. Buying a new piece is just spending money and I already know how to do that. Besides, I like a challenge and I just might do well enough to make this old piece work again. So tonight I started with stripping the paint, undercoating and some of the rust.
Factory sheet metal fits the best. Period. My original 1965 grille surround was in spectacular condition but now it's only good for donor patches. The yellow grille surround I have on hand is full of rusty areas and even some body filler. It needs lots of patches. I got it 2 years ago when I bought a bunch of stuff from a guy who was emptying his garage of all the C10 parts he didn't need.
A new grille surround is $329 but I'd rather use that money for other things. I'll acquire new welding skills by repairing the rusty panel. Buying a new piece is just spending money and I already know how to do that. Besides, I like a challenge and I just might do well enough to make this old piece work again. So tonight I started with stripping the paint, undercoating and some of the rust.
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The left side of the radiator support was twisted in the accident. A brand new one is $130 but tonight I think I was able to save mine. Smacked it a gazillion times. Looks a lot straighter. A little paint and it should look OK. I'll test fit it this weekend.
Well I just made negative progress on my truck. I did some emergency braking on Friday and locked up the rear tires causing the truck to go partly sideways. When I let off the brakes, she went straight for the guard rail. No injuries. No other cars involved. Damage can be repaired but this means I can't drive it for a while. I unbolted the damaged parts the same day.
While it's apart, I will install front disc brakes and power steering too. Plus I need a new radiator even though the wreck didn't damage it. Wednesday 3/16/16 was epic. My garage was cleared of things that could go outside so I had room to move the engine hoist around. I drove the truck into the garage at 2:40 PM and then at 2:42 PM the hood was raised to begin the removal of the old worn out 250 engine. Hood off, radiator out, up on jack stands, tranny out, exhaust unbolted and engine loose from the frame by 5:30pm. My son arrived and we removed the 250ci with the hoist just before supper at 6:15pm.
Flywheel and clutch kit swapped and new engine set in the engine frame by 7:45 PM. The rest of the night included adding back the tranny and drive shaft, bolting on the fan and setting the radiator back in place. The truck was moved forward and clean up took up the rest of the evening until 11 PM. I started again at 5:50 PM the next day. Adding the accessories and reconnecting the wiring went smoothly. I swapped manifolds because I wanted two vacuum ports. Fuel lines, clutch linkage and valve cover were set into place and then the distributor. The truck was running and driving by midnight. Still need to dial in the timing by seeing what amount of advance gives the best reading with a vacuum gauge. After running the engine one last time, I stripped off the extras. Took the engine off the stand and into the saddle to wait for the swap tomorrow. Stay tuned for pictures of the engine swap.
The 230 runs good and I haven't found any leaks. Looks like it's ready to install. I was worried I might scratch my new paint job as I moved the engine back onto the run stand, but everything went fine.
Rocker cover bolts and spreaders looked a lot better after media blasting. Getting it done tonight meant blasting them by flashlight in the dark. That's how I get stuff done sometimes.
My 230ci was ready for new gaskets. Next the valve lash was set. I'll put it back on the run stand for testing before I install it in the truck.
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See my BLOG entries from prior months below:
March 2024
My Hobbies are:Auto Restoration Categories |