[njsteve]

Last weekend I took her out for the first drive of Spring. That was after replacing the worm clamps on the front fuel lines with original old spring clamps (a couple donated from TABob and a couple located in my tool box).

I even drove it on the Firestone 500s!!! I only went 5 miles or so to clean the moisture out of the exhaust pipes. Warmed her up in the driveway for a good half hour before. Just waiting for more real Spring weather and heavy rains to wash the rest of the salt off the roads.

[West Coast GTO]

Hello Steve,
You posted here and also later about the rear drum brakes. My car doesn't have the Tinnerman clips installed but looks like your photo of the drum. How do you remove the drum to view the shoes and adjustment components? Another member posted to look for the rubber seal to release the self adjuster but I just don't know where to look. Do you have any photos of when you adjusted your brakes?

Originally Posted by njsteve

While changing the oil, I used the now oily camera to shoot some random detail shots:

The rear drum with the original copper Tinnerman clips still intact, holding the drum in place:



Drivers side front rotor. I had no idea the original wear groove was supposed to be that deep!



Passenger side rotor:



Front sway bar with label and remains of grey paint on the edge:



Oil pan bolt with shadowed area where the engine paint didn't reach:



The block VIN


And the trans part tag with the "PQ" code:

[njsteve]

The rubber seal he is talking about is a one inch long, black oval plug that pops in the back of the backing plate near the bottom, from the leaf spring side. Usually they are at the 4, 6 or 8 o'clock positions.

[njsteve]

I spoke to the original owner Rick last night. He is a funny guy with a great sense of humor. All this time he has been looking for original photos of the car from back in the day and has been scratching his head wondering where he put them...until he noticed that he was standing in front of the collage that his wife Lenora made for him years ago. In the center of the collage are the two photos of him and his wife next to the car when it was brand new. It was when he brought the car to the BMW Fall Fest in 1973 just after it was delivered and just after the BMW dealer refused to sell him a 1973 2002 TII for anything less than full sticker.

He is trying his best to get a close up of the photos (they are sealed in the framed collage).

[necdb3]

Steve,

Is that a double stamped block? Looks like I see the vin above where you blocked it out.

[njsteve]

A couple people noticed it.

Actually I think it is triple stamped (thankfully with the same VIN).

Must have been a Monday after a loooong weekend when they assembled that engine!

:-)

[njsteve]

Rick came through with a better close up of the photos. They are behind glass so they are a bit fuzzy. Neat photos from the Summer of 1973. You can see the original polyethylene valance in place, the New York 956-LYS license plates, and the ubiquitous stainless steel mudflaps. And the really happy, really tall couple. :-)

[The Boss]

Great picks Steve!

[Norwood]

VERY COOL.....

[bossbirdta]

Originally Posted by Norwood

VERY COOL.....

Indeed!

[RicksGTO]

great pics Steve, Rick almost makes the Firebird look like a scale model!

[njsteve]

Over the weekend, me and the boy (he's 13 now) finally uncovered the "workbench" that has been holding up Firebird parts for the past 15 years in my garage. He has been asking to work on something automotive since he is starting to get into cars after years of playing those xbox racing games. And his last foray into cars was rebuilding the engine in his Great Grandmother's 75 Firebird when he was 9 years old.

It was pretty funny - he has never been inside this car - it has been up on jack stands for his entire life. He was completely in shock. After we bought a new battery, she started right up and we went for a scary, loud ride.


Here's the whole backstory on the car:

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbt...opics/569599/1

[njsteve]

Getting the SD ready for the Performance Years show next Saturday 6/14. So I went to my friend, Al's shop to add some R12 to the a/c system today. The system was a little low. According to Rick, the original owner, the car has never had its a/c serviced, so after 41 years it still had 75% of its original R12 fill.

I had a couple extra cans in the garage and my buddy Al is an expert at reading a sight glass in these old systems. It was 85 degrees today and now while driving, the test thermometer in the center outlet read 40 degrees on max a/c. Nice!

[Bentwheelbob]

Speaking of time warps....What a picture. What kind of Mopar is on the lift? This picture would look good formated in black and white or some other vintage looking format.

[Held for Ransom]

Originally Posted by Bentwheelbob

Speaking of time warps....What a picture. What kind of Mopar is on the lift? This picture would look good formated in black and white or some other vintage looking format.

Really?

[njsteve]

Here's a couple other views of what's parked there today. Up on the lift is a 1972 Satellite Sebring with a 400. He was installing headers and an exhaust system. Al does a ton of work on old musclecars. If anyone needs a good mechanic for old school stuff he is the guy. Al's Auto Care, 30 Route 12, Flemington, NJ 08822 (908) 782-7442.

[Held for Ransom]

Made a different snapshot pic...

[bossbirdta]

Originally Posted by Held for Ransom

Made a different snapshot pic...

great job! looks like it was taken back in the day...

[The Boss]

Date stamp in the boarder is a nice touch Mike!

Re-read the story of the Viper Steve - to say that cars have had an active roll in your life would be a tragic understatement! Great stuff!

[Held for Ransom]

Originally Posted by The Boss

Date stamp in the boarder is a nice touch Mike!

What are you, the border patrol?

That's what happens when it's nighttime and I have no money to do anything else. I also did an aged one...