[njsteve]

One of these units. (this is also the same unit I used to repair the polyethlyene front valances)

http://www.urethanesupply.com/Airless-Welders-1/

I used the ABS sticks and just kept applying, sanding and reapplying. I then used the SEM Landau black and misted that on to blend in the color. Completely invisible now. Did I say how much I love that SEM Landau black spray dye????

[Formulabruce]

Originally Posted by njsteve

I brought the new springs back to Stengel Bros in Allentown, PA and they de-arched them an inch. We'll see how it goes when they go back in the car next week.


BTW, here is the spec page for the part #80-335 1970-73 T/A and Z/28 leaf springs:

http://www.stengelbros.net/80-335_p_2927.html

Going to look up some notes, A friend put new springs in a 73 Z-28 ( 4 leaf) and they were at a stock 4 inch arch. ( 6 years ago) Gm doesnt list that on their springs back then, just the load.
Wonder where this company got the arch from.
One day my brother in law and I measured the exact length of the subframe ( straight line bolt centers)on a 68 chevyII nova, a 72 Nova and a 77 nova, and a 68 Camaro and a 70 Camaro RS.
All the Novas were about 1.25 inches longer in a straight line to mounting points. Some bright bulb way back in the day figured that longer spring was ok for F body, and since that day we had 4WD F bodys! To add arch to already longer spring is insane!!. or a 5 leafer with added arch... UGH.
Stock 2nd gen 4 leaf is almost flat sitting in the car at stock height, with weight on it.
Hope that De arching, didnt lower the rate much. Of course the tank, fuel, "heavy" spare and jack may help

[njsteve]

I got the rear end all cleaned up and back together with the de-arched springs. Lets hope it sits nicely now. Thanks to FormulaBruce for all the parts he supplied, including a T-bolt for the spring perch, the nicer set of front spring buckets and the rear shackles (I did have to use my original shackle through-bolts as the ones that came with his set were about 1" shorter and didn't have enough thread to clear the rubber bushings. I still have a bunch of correct bolts and brackets and thingies that he has sent that are awaiting the car's return.

Here is the rear and the driveshaft (that I repainted using the same ID stripe pattern that was on my 72 T/A's driveshaft)

[FunctionalShaker]

How hot is it your way? Too hot to work outside here -- we're in the low hundreds. Nice of FB to send you parts.

[The Boss]

As always Steve - great work!

[njsteve]

Originally Posted by FunctionalShaker

How hot is it your way? Too hot to work outside here -- we're in the low hundreds. Nice of FB to send you parts.

It's hot. It was in the 100s a week or so ago. Now it's about 90...and our A/C in the house burned out and the repair is gonna cost around $5K for a replacement for the 23 year old system. Didn't need that expense right now. That was part of my paint fund for the car.

[Formulabruce]

Steve, sorry bout those bolts, I may have mixed them up with some late 69 bolts( they made those cars forever!) I have and I think they used a thinner rubber on sides, hence shorter bolts. Glad the parts are working out. You are smoking fast those parts arrived, what today?
So, springs not sprayed natural color steel? just curious

[njsteve]

The springs came predipped in black paint. I have seen them natural and black. I guess it depended on the orignal vender, just like today.

[Formulabruce]

Safe to ask how the NJ DMV is treating you these days?

[njsteve]

Not yet. GRRRRRRRRRR.

I finally got the officially stamped US Customs Form 7501 yesterday after I had to get the shipping company involved after the brokerage house blew me off for two weeks about getting me an official copy.

The owner of the company (TFX International Shipping in Canada) was great. I emailed him on a Sunday evening and he immediately contacted me back about it. He then proceeded to rip the brokers a new one over the next three days, for what they did. It turns out the brokerage company was just bought out by a larger company and the people there just didn't give a damn about customer service after that point. (The brokerage house had previously sent me a printed copy that THEY notarized - duh! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that you can't notarized someone else's form/signature and even remotely think that the DMV will accept that. Especially NJ, which is very strict about having original documents only).

The owner at TFX even said he is going to refund my brokerage fees. I said that was not necessary as I would much rather see the brokerage company refund my fees than the shipping company, since it wasn't the shipping company's fault. But he wasn't taking no for an answer. :-)

So I fedexed the form, to DMV last night which means they will get it today but the guy who is working on my document package won't see it til Monday due to the mail room routing delay at DMV. I already alerted him it is coming. Hopefully the end of the tunnel is in sight. Cross your fingers!

So that is why I have been doing all this work now, since I can't drive it!

[Guilty]

Steve,
Greetings from Kamloops BC. I'm on a trip back to Vancouver from Calgary. Started out in Vancouver on Tuesday eve. Beautiful country out here and can imagine your formula had a great time driving out here. It would have been a great drive from London out here. Brian.

[njsteve]

Send some photos of the scenery, Brian!

As for the car, right now the frame repairs are being done. I am trying to get the car safe and road-worthy once I get the title paperwork in order and actually get some plates. Also, I want the underside finished once and for all. I have a Gardner exhaust on order for the car and it should arrive in a couple weeks. I do not want to be pulling that system out to do other repairs at a later date.

The frame repairs were supposed to be a week but looks like it will be at least two weeks...or more.

The passenger side lower area of the three panel sandwich was as we thought: the outer piece was rusty and the inners were pretty good. The problem was that the inner sections were rather mangled from the tie downs used during the transport so the inside section had to be cut out and redone to make it flat again. Here's some photos from earlier in the week.

Here's the bad area prior to trimming:



Here's the section after the outer piece was cut away:



And the mangled bottom of the inner rail/spring bucket that has the tie down holes. They were pulled and ripped out of shape.



He ended up cutting the section out and remaking it so it looks correct once the new section of rail gets welded back over it.



And the portion of the replacement rail that will be used:




He is starting on the rear of the passenger frame rail, next (where the tailpipe area was cracked and the rail was thin).

[Formulabruce]

looks like hes pretty handy with a spot weld remover

[TransAmRAFormula]

Originally Posted by njsteve

Is that your birthday, Norwood? :-)

I am aiming for a lot quicker, since it's a nice running, reasonably complete car now. (Gee, we havent heard THAT statement before, from me)

I just have to find a dependable body/paint person that is local. Sadly, that could take years!

Can anybody recommend someone in NJ or Eastern, PA?

My buddy has a body shop in Wayne NJ up North by me... PM me if you are interested. He's a great guy and he does very nice work.

[njsteve]

Thanks for the info. I will PM you. At the moment I am using the guy that did the work on my 72 T/A. He does great work but is very busy with other projects. That is why I just gave him just the frame repair tasking and a set amount of time (and money) to do it in.

[3tas4me]

Steve,
I have a NOS trunkmat that I would consider selling. It is not perfect, has some cracks from being stored in the box all folded up for years but it is new and never been installed.

[njsteve]

I pm'd you

[njsteve]

The guy at the NJ DMV Foreign Title Unit left me a phone message this afternoon saying that the title was "processed" today. Hopefully that means it is being mailed out and not that all my documents were thrown into the "processor" (shredder). We will see in the next day or so. Of course the 4th of July will delay that another couple days...

[njsteve]

With all the humorous arguing over the pro-spoiler/anti-spoiler political parties here, I figured I'd throw it up for a vote, for when I get this lady repainted:

She was ordered with 35 options originally but they didnt order the rear spoiler.

Here she is without the spoiler just after the second owner bought it from the original owner in the mid 1980's:



and with the spoiler that the second owner added once he had it:





So, should it stay or should it go? :-)

[The Boss]

Keep it. JMHO