I know some of you guys have been wondering when I was going to update. I worked a lot week before last and decided I'd take last weekend off - especially coupled with Mother's Day.
I got the dreaded post card from Summit on Thursday - my pistons are still on back order and are predicted to ship on 6/11.
20 minutes later, my machine shop called to ask if I was still interested in the block they offered me, since they hadn't heard from me and didn't have any money and they had someone else interested in buying it. I said "Heck, yeah, I want it!" and paid for the block and the work I've already had done right then.
Thursday evening, I spoke to Az-Nick and ordered some interior parts - four-speed hump, carpet, headliner and pad, sail panels, interior screw kit, underdash padding and firewall insulation. Anybody who needs anything he sells, I can't say enough about Nick - he's great to work with. And how about that new Challenger of his? Can't wait to see that with a Hemi, Nick!!
Since I'm still waiting on the engine parts, I figured I'd spend today doing more restoration work. I know the my primary objective is to get the car running, but I figure if I'm putting parts back on the car, better to put stuff on that's restored and ready to go, so I don't have to pull it apart later to re-do it. So, since my next major project is re-installation of the dash, I worked on stripping all the rust and old paint off the brake and clutch pedals and the master cylinder mounting plate and re-painting those.
I also did a quick job of re-sealing the windsheild to the cowl. The top of the cowl has a couple of rusted areas that will need eventual replacement, but I can't do that now, so I figured I'd re-seal it to keep the water out, so that I can wash the car without getting the interior wet. I used some black elastomeric latex sealant. I like it for a temporary solution because it's easy to work with but won't set "hard", so it should be easy to remove when the time comes to re-do the cowl. It ain't pretty, but it's hidden beneath the lower moulding, so I'm more concerned with it being functional.
Last, I thought I'd take the old dash harness out of it's box and see if it was salvageable. As Goody and Moparal noted in another thread, it's not in the best shape, so after laying it out on the floor and inspecting the condition of the wires and some of the old splices, I think it's better to replace it. In fact, even though it's a budget buster, I'll probably buy all new harnesses.
More tomorrow!
