Ivan_B

That is a bit pricey. Are those kits substantially different from the cheaper ones? Here is the kit I bought.

You probably the same/similar wheel diameter and thickness as I do (sorry, I did not save my specs, and they are covered so no longer good for reference). If so, you can order the same cover strip, and punch more holes (in between, and then cut ~2/16" from each edge to make it fit right. Or use the OEM holes, but you will have an unusual wide seam

I did not. The leather itself, though, was soft and flexible. And it stretches when you fit the strip over the wheel, too, because your edges on the inside should have smaller circumference than the center of the strip on the outside, in order to avoid having folds/wrinkles at the seam. I inspected it, before stitching, to estimate how much I should trim from the sides. I stitched it loose at first, then carefully gave it more tension to see how it fits, and it stretched just fine like a baseball skin. I bet they do not use the same leather for shoes... This actually goes along with my original comment regarding having no idea where to get the right kind of leather to do the proper job from scratch.

This parts car looks better than some people's "project" cars 😅

Hm, not sure how an older FI on that Chrysler is setup, but I suspect that a bad crank would not cause engine damage on most cars. The ECU will probably sense that the crank is N/A and fall back to a default back-up running mode, giving you the check engine light. Just saying, I would not be so fast in admitting guilt here

Thank you for the feedback 😃 Absolutely not. It is a very tight fit, the strip was cut leaving a good 1/4" gap, when hugging the wheel, so that it could be stretched conforming to the exact surface shape. It feels basically like a regular leather steering wheel.

I am not very good in physics, but suspect that when two bodies collide, regardless of whether only one or both of them are moving, they experience similar amount of impact. The collective force is basically split 50/50. If the other car had a plastic bumper, it could've also bounced back hiding plenty of damage underneath. That looks like a good parts car, congrats!

Axle grease/oil is also usually fine, unless you are dealing with hot things (plugs, O2 sensor, exhaust). Since I always have a tube/can for the aforementioned applications I also use it for everything else because I am consistent

Here is another small thing to brag about: I installed a leather cover onto the steering wheel The original objective was to protect the old plastic. It is still in very good condition (only minor cracks) but the perimeter is obviously worn. I wanted to cover the whole wheel (including spokes and horn button) with thin ivory leather. My wheel is brown, but I like the ivory color instead. However, I've quickly realized that I have no idea where to get the proper matching color leather, etc., to do this right. So I decided to experiment with just the universal cover strip, first. Bought this one. Size XL1, according to the provided chart. The leather is soft and stretchy, but way more thicker than I expected. The color turned-out to be not quite as I expected either, and the original holes were too far apart. I was planning to do a hidden seam, first, but with this kind of leather it was not technically feasible so I did a cross stitch instead. I punched more holes, trimmed the sides, and put it on. The stitching took a very long time. I am not sure whether or not I like it, at this point, but given the amount of time spent, I am definitely keeping it for a while 😂

Am I really the only person who is putting graphite/copper onto the lugs/bolts, hubs, spindles (and most of other hardware on the car) and never have any problems removing anything? 🙄

How about you just ask the dad about it? Or, even better, ask your wife to ask him about it? Despite your differences, it sounds like you both want to keep the grandpa's legacy (the car). Concentrate on that fact. I suspect that it will be best if he can pass the title over to you/his daughter right now, as opposed to dealing with the probate and associated matters later on. I've seen engine throw a rod, before, but am very curious - how do you install a crank sensor badly?

Many years ago, I was rear-ended while riding in the back seat of a 1970 Chevy sedan. There was a trailer hitch installed in the back. The other car was a brand new (at that time) BMW E36 (I think). In result: Chevy - no visible damage. BMW - broken bumper, broken headlight, broken grill, busted radiator, coolant all over the road. We drove off, the other driver required towing. So, crashes can be affected by many factors.

Oh, sorry to hear that... I was expecting the good-old story about how the wife/daughter/brother in law/neighbor did not change the oil or had the coolant leak out, etc... I suspect that if an unexpected internal mechanical damage occurred (versus the wear & tear), it is already done by the time the engine looses pressure and you actually get the light and notice that it ain't right anymore 🙄 Did you do any tests to the replacement engine, or bought it unseen? I've got a replacement engine for a motorcycle, once, it was sold as NOS, had a 40-year old store receipt with it. Took the head off to check - the bores had OEM hone marks on it, so very good, indeed. Had a shop do some "improvements" on it, and they installed a used modified head (to increase compression) which turned out to have a broken valve stem sleeve, later on when I took it to another shop. So they basically screwed up a new stock engine 🤬

1) check for leaks below each wheel cylinder and master 2) bleed the brakes (unless you are already set on changing things) Also, while you are at it, drive the car for a couple of miles and verify whether or not all of the wheels (disks) are approximately the same temperature. And please stop driving with improperly operating brakes

So, what's wrong with the old engine? 😅

Technically, that's true. Although, there are known cases where the rim got deformed with the OEM specs, on some cars... Engineers are humans too, they do make mistakes I tightened my bolts to 65 and marked them with paint, because I was also concerned about the proper torque. A few month has passed, the bolts have not moved a bit, just checked the marks.

That is called an obsessive-compulsive situation, happens all the time 🤣 Are you sure that this would not deform the rim? Sounds a bit too high. Last time I researched this, I could not find the OEM specs, but the collective consensus was somewhere about 60-65 🤔

Same here. Those were custom-made, so I just used a standard rubber carpet, sold by meter, cut to size.

I always do a round-about with a torque wrench. When the car is on the ground, that is! With the OEM hubcaps, it is really easy - if the hubcap is on, the wheel is done.

You, sir, definitely know your astronomy stuff

That always amazes me how "popular" it became for the fathers to participate in the process, these days... Come on, it's a hospital! I am more concerned about maintaining a sanitary environment for everyone. And then we wonder why people pick-up all kinds of "extra things" after being treated... There should not be any random people in there, except patients and staff 🙄

"Ill-annoy" - now, that's a good one 🤣 Do you have a telescope? I am thinking about getting one for recreational purposes.

Very sorry about your loss The personal "wanted" ads should be free: "Individual Wanted ads are free and run for 30 days." Did you select the right posting category? Also, make sure not to click on any of the suspicious advertising pages 😋 Although, I agree that posting in a completely separate section does not seem to be very convenient, because no one ever reads those (I don't). @P15-D24 Do you think we can alter the rules to allow private parts stuff in the general forum? People already often share parts, etc., when they see someone needs something

Before DIY'ing, I would take it (send pics) to a few PDR places around town to see a) if anyone will do it, and b) how much they would charge

I guess many of us just lost our sense of wonder, sorry 😇 Now, if the sun turned into a supernova, that's different...