Norm's Coupe

Michael, I believe I've mentioned this before in another thread you started that had something to do with engine work. But.....I'll repeat it again. You need to find a good mechanic that actually knows something about the older engines. Evidently your present one doesn't know squat. I was lucky enough to have a friend who is familiar with old engines and is also the owner of an auto service shop. He helped me with my engine rebuild. He also knew exactly where to buy the parts if I didn't already know, because he works on a lot of local old cars. When it came to having the engine bored he knew the best machine shop in the area to do it, so that's where it went. My mechanic friend knew he could buy new pistons, piston pins etc., but he recommended letting the machine shop furnish the pistons, rings and pins. So........that's where mine came from. Now, don't tell me there's no one out in NY city area that is familiar with old engines. I know better because I read Click and Clack in the news paper. One of those guys runs around in a 1960's car, and they also go to old car shows. AKA: Tom and Ray. They also have a website that you can ask them a question on, AND, a list of NY city area auto service shops. They also live and work in the area. I'm sure if you contacted them by phone or email they could give you a few names of well qualified auto shops, mechanics that work on old cars all the time. I say dump your present mechanic and find a good one. Especially since he's saying things like these heads were prone to cracking. MOPAR didn't have cracking heads until they came out with the aluminum heads attached to the cast iron blocks, and the great majority of those were on late 70's and 80's 4 cylinder engines.

As far as the building goes, I'll leave that to others. I have not built one of those buildings. But........when it comes to electrical, I'd go with at least 110 volt split up on two or more 20amp circuits in the garage. Also, if you already have a contractor doing the work, it's not that much more to run a 220 volt line at the same time. You may not need the 220 circuit now, but if you decide to run a heater or some tool in the future, it will come in handy. A 110/115 heater will not heat a garage, you'll need that 220/240 line. You are already retired. But......whatever money you draw out of your 401 will count as income on your taxes. Depending on your tax bracket and financial folio you could end up paying around 40 to 45% in taxes on what you draw out. In short, if you took $10,000, you'd have to pay uncle Sam roughly $4,000 or more in income tax. Not only that, but if you took early retirement and are under your full retirement age, you may even have to pay back part of your monthly social security check to the IRS come tax time. So.........taking large sums out all at once from a 401 can cost you big time. May be best to take out a loan and pay the interest on it. So.....that part is hard for any of us to answer. It's best to talk with your accountant, or your bank representative. They are better equipped to answer that question since they know your financial situation.

I may be in the minority on this one. But.........it's what I got. Also, they do show it on Steele's website. So.......must be some others with me in the minority somewhere. Otherwise they would not stock them.

I'm not so sure you need a nut behind the dash on the knobs. Mine does not have them. Just the ones that go on the outside of the dash. The radio is actually held in place by a bracket under the dash on the back side near the firewall. As for alignment that is done by the radio face. Would be impossible to get it crooked. All my radio has is the nuts that tighten against the front side of the dash, a spacer cover over that, then the knobs. He's a shot I got from a sight on the Pilot House site that shows the 802 radio. Same radio is used in the trucks for those years in question as are in our P15's. There's also a lot of other good 802 radio facts (brochure) on this link. http://dodgepilothouseclub.org/know/802/imgcol/contact_1.htm

Robert, All I know is that I was told to buy the one piece for the center bar when I called to order it. That part was leaking a couple of years ago on my coupe. They sold me just the center section. I have the stainless trim. When I received it, it was too long, so I called them back to question them again. Got the same answer as before, with the added comment that they were made that way for different models and needed trimming off. On the back side (part facing into the car) the holes are perforated for the screw holes that hold the two center bars together, and the were spaced exactly where they needed to be. When I took the center bar off my coupe, the one on it was also a separate piece. So........what was on my coupe was also a two piece gasket. In fact, once I removed the center bar to replace the gasket, I noticed it was just leaking around the screws that hold the two together. So........to expedite the job, I simply added some black gasket sealer around the holes and put the center bar back on, and never took the rubber out. That plus, was afraid I'd break the windshield getting it out. So, my original two piece gasket is still there. The new one is still in the plastic wrapper it came in, since I stopped the leak. So, based on my experience the gaskets were two piece too. At least mine was/is.

Ed, I believe when I called to order mine, Steele said the windshield rubber that was all one piece was for cars without the stainless trim. Those with the stainless trim was two piece. One for around the windshield and one for just the center bar.

AKA: Hanger Iron and Universal Strapping. Can be used for multiple tasks as shown by Joe. I've used it for many things other than pipe hanger too. This box is one I haven't opened yet. Says it's 10 feet long. Can make lots of tank straps with that much.

Bob, The center bar rubber windshield gasket is separate from the rest of the windshield gasket. As Robert mentioned you can get the center piece from Steele.

Merry Christmas to everyone. Now!! How many of you are still Christmas shopping today?:D

Joe, to be honest, if I had thought of it I probably would have made straps with the same stuff you did. I have two full rolls of that on the shelf that's been there since I don't know when. Plus, like I said it's a lot easier to work with that stuff.

You should be able to buy the hangers just about anywhere. When CarX made my tailpipe and installed it they removed the old hangers. Then installed new hangers in their place right off the shelf.

Anytime Don, glad I could help.

Just follow the yellow brick road to the Wizzard.http://thewizardofoz.warnerbros.com/

Joe, When I bought mine, I ended up buying three different ones from the auto parts store that looked right. When I got them home one of them did fit. Still have the other two hanging on the wall. Been there since about 1995 or 96. Guess I could have returned them back then, but it wasn't worth another trip at the time, so kept them.

Fred, I would find an upholstery shop or distributor for a good firm material. Foam and batting comes in various densities. You want a good firm one that will not give too much when you place an arm on it. Just like what's on the seats. I used 1/2" batting behind my side panels and door panels. It works great there, and looks good. But..........it is far from being firm enough to be used for seats or arm rest, even if you stack it. A good place to look for the right material is a distributor that sells to furniture upholstery shops. We have one here in Milwaukee. I'm sure you will probably find one in a larger city like Winnipeg.