#21  
Old 04-21-2011, 10:31 AM
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You're right, I can't just sit around. :-)

It's our family heirloom. I dont know if I told you guys of this episode:

When Gramma Rose had the car she always had the strangest way of shifting the car into gear. She would be sitting behind the wheel and would take her left hand and reach all the way across her body to push the gear selector knob down on the console shifter and then use her left hand to pull the selector into drive. Her right hand stayed on the steering wheel the whole time. It was the weirdest, most unnatural action you could think of. (Any of you with an automatic in your Firebird, try it. It's just about impossible to do).

Anyway, when it was time to teach my daughter how to drive, (mind you she is named after my grandmother, her great-grandmother), she sat behind the wheel, started the car and the reached over wth her left hand and duplicated exactly, the same bizarre method of shifting that Gramma Rose used. She had never seen her great-grandmother drive the car and would not have known of this procedure.

The hair on the back of neck stood up and I swore I could hear the Twilight Zone theme playing somewhere.

I know Gramma Rose was smiling up there, too.
Don't you just love it when that happens!

  #22  
Old 04-21-2011, 10:37 AM
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You might be in luck. For some reason I think these are A-body logs. I've got a driver's side 499624A, date code k124 and a passenger side 496002A, date code L034. The heat valve is in very good working order both have flanges, the one still has the head pipe attached, it was cut off at the down pipe, the crossover is still good.
When/where do you wanna meet up? You haven't visited in a while!

  #23  
Old 04-21-2011, 11:34 AM
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Been crazy busy getting the business up and running. I think you now have an excuse to take the '72 on a road trip for ice cream and mini golf. (I have a really fun route for you to take--uses about a tank of gas lol) one way that is ;~) The logs would be no charge, almost ditched them a bunch of times, but knew there was a reason I was hanging on to them.

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Old 04-21-2011, 11:45 AM
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A tank of gas? That thing gets the worst gas mileage of any car i have!
The eight barrelled hemi with 4.10s gets better mileage than the T/A!

PM me your contact info (again) and I'll give you a call. :-)

  #25  
Old 04-21-2011, 12:48 PM
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Originally Posted by njsteve
And of course the typical monkey wrench in the ointment...cracked exhaust manifold.





If I can't find a replacement I might upgrade to the repro ram air manifolds.
I looked at mine. You might have to go repro.

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  #26  
Old 04-21-2011, 01:30 PM
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Must be a common flaw where they all crack. Spray it with brake-clean and see if that is a real crack or a casting line. Mine was definitely a crack.

  #27  
Old 04-21-2011, 02:13 PM
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I did spray it but with carb cleaner. Looked like a crack to me.

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Old 04-21-2011, 02:22 PM
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Thanks for checking. Yeah, it must be a common flaw.

  #29  
Old 04-21-2011, 02:25 PM
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Loaded up all the engine parts in the truck. Ready to get dropped off tomorrow. Here's a couple shots of the interior. The only things that I replaced over the years were the sagging headliner and the carpet. Everything else is as it was in 75. Including the vintage (and muddy) J.C. Whitney floormats.








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Old 04-21-2011, 02:43 PM
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I'll double check the ones i have for cracks. pming you my cell.

  #31  
Old 04-21-2011, 02:45 PM
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Please check, that would save a bunch of time and effort if you have something.

And yes, we are just cleaning, replacing rings, bearings and swapping in a Melling SPC-7 068 cam and reassembling. I ordered the correct 1975 blue paint yesterday from Bill Hirsch, here in Jersey yesterday. Too bad it comes only in quarts and isnt available in a spray can.

(of course, I did break off a stud on the pass manifold. Got that side, too?)
Great choice on the cam and I think RA manifolds would be a perfect match if you can't find a manifold. You could always have that one repaired, pretty easy fix for anyone that can weld cast iron.

  #32  
Old 04-21-2011, 02:56 PM
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97 hits and 37 replys....I think we are in for a long ride here....

  #33  
Old 04-21-2011, 08:30 PM
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Thanks to X-bird2 (Jim) I got a good set of manifolds in my hands now.
You guys are the best!

  #34  
Old 04-21-2011, 10:38 PM
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Looking at that car, there is one thing that'd really set it off - hood tach.

  #35  
Old 04-21-2011, 10:57 PM
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Yeah, I've been thinking about that, too...but I don't have the heart to cut a hole in that hood.

  #36  
Old 04-21-2011, 11:10 PM
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Happy to have them go to a good home ...

  #37  
Old 04-22-2011, 12:27 PM
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That '75 is in great shape Steve. I'm glad to see you are preserving it.

  #38  
Old 04-22-2011, 02:36 PM
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Originally Posted by superdutybob View Post
a beautiful symphony of synchronicity.

Dang Bob...you talk with them big words real nice like.


BJ

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  #39  
Old 04-22-2011, 02:52 PM
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Just dropped off the engine parts. He agreed the bores looked great...and then laughed and said "But the ridge (and the bore measurement) indicates it's time for bigger pistons." He said to blame Gramma for that: all those two mile trips to the beauty salon with the engine never fully warming up and the choke flushing all that extra gas down in the engine ends up washing the cylinder walls of oil.

So now I have to start shopping for some replacement pistons once he tells me what size we need.

Anyone have a Summit Racing coupon out there???

  #40  
Old 04-24-2011, 04:46 PM
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Spent the day cleaning the turbo 350 tranny. Since the car sat for most of its life, all the seals needed attention. I replaced the torque converter seal, the tailshaft seal and the pan gasket and filter.

Here is the rather dirty trans wheeled out the driveway after I swapped the converter and driveshaft yoke seals. The old furniture moving cart came in handy, along with some old railroad tie sections.




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