I'm back!
And so is the car. The reason it was out for so long was the Radiator Saga: Allow me to regale you with the sequence of events:
- On the drive to the shop, it sprang a coolant leak, which I mentioned when I got there.
-- It ended up being a leaky radiator core, which is impossible to fix with duct tape and good wishes, so it was sent out to a local radiator shop for a repair quote.
- The local shop gave me three different options, costing between $1700 and $2500.
- Once I was done spluttering, I thanked them and said I'd do some research. Research led me to a company that offers refurbished and drop-in replacements for a variety of classic cars, so I ordered one ($500).
- Unfortunately, the radiator that arrived at the shop was the wrong one. So I got on the phone with the supplier to figure out what gives.
- Turns out, that was the No-A/C version, not the With-A/C version, and since A/C was an uncommon option for this car, they didn't have a drop-in replacement. They credited me for the incorrect one, and offered to rebuild my existing unit ($1100 including shipping), to which I said Yes.
- They did a thorough and comprehensive job (testing the tanks, sandblasting, recoring, refinishing), which took about a month - last week it came back in, and this week I drove the car home.
When I got home, I walked around the front of the car to find a spreading puddle of coolant.
On the list of things to do, among sundry others:
1. Check for & fix small fuel leaks at the gas tank drain and outlet port
2. Thorough exterior cleaning (got rained on)
3. Reinstall repaired and upgraded radio (original electronics repaired, fully removable no-footprint FM chip installed)
4. Investigate possible transmission fluid leak (likely a bad gasket. CPR's website is down for some reason, so I couldn't check if they have a replacement)
5. Replace under-hood light bulb with LED
6. Begin testing the A/C system (by...turning it on, I guess? I know almost nothing about refrigeration, so I'll take any recommendations you guys have. What and how should I test?).
And, of course, be grateful that the puddle of coolant seems to have come from the overflow line, indicating that the radiator was simply overfilled (likely, since when I opened the radiator today, it was full). It's good to be back!
|