falconvan Posted February 8, 2015 Author Report Posted February 8, 2015 Got my power steering hoses hooked up today; I took a chance and just bought the factory Cavalier hoses and were able to make them fit with a minor amount of bending. The pressure hose fittings were the right size for the LS pump which was also a nice plus. Quote
falconvan Posted February 17, 2015 Author Report Posted February 17, 2015 I bought these seats a while back out of a 90's era Buick. I like the shape and they don't have a bunch of plastic trim around the sides. After removing the headrest and mounting them on some Astrovan pedestals, I think they will work great once they are recovered and the frames painted. I started to work on wiring but I figured I better get the wipers figured out before I start wiring under the dash. I bought this wiper assembly from a late 50's Desoto several years ago. The part that arms bolt to on the cowl was the same bolt pattern plus they are 12 volt rather than the old vacuum. I just had to come up with a different mount for the motor and make shorter actuator arms as this was 5" wider that the spread on the Plymouth. Got the mounts made today and everything trial fit; looks like its going to work. 1 Quote
falconvan Posted March 4, 2015 Author Report Posted March 4, 2015 I've been off work all week and have been able to get a lot done. Wiring is pretty much all installed with the relay/fuse box I snagged from the boneyard. I need to neaten everything up but I can actually put the key in the ignition switch, start it, and have power to everywhere it needs to go. I still have tail and parking lights, gauges, heater, A/C, and a lot of other devices to install but the wiring is there and working. Also got some more done on the brakes, S-10 gas pedal modified and installed, plus some other misc. I'm off till Monday so I'll see how far I get. Quote
46Ply Posted March 7, 2015 Report Posted March 7, 2015 Just read through the entire thread here. It's fascinating to see all the work you've done and how far you've come on this car. Should be a fine ride when you get her done. Very encouraging to me, since I just bought a 47 Coupe and it will need a complete rebuild. Hope I live long enough! Thanks for all the good documentation. A lot of talent exhibited here!! Nice work. Quote
falconvan Posted March 10, 2015 Author Report Posted March 10, 2015 Thanks; much appreciated. It has been a long haul on this one; going on 8 years now. Had it not been a gift from a good friend with my promise to finish it, I probably would have given up a long time ago. I dont even have a clue how much money is in it, but you cant take it with you when you go so you might as well spend it on something you enjoy. My goal is to be mechanically done by the end of summer so that all I'll have left is interior, glass, and weatherstripping to finish. Looking forward to that first trip down the road. Quote
falconvan Posted March 20, 2015 Author Report Posted March 20, 2015 The old parking lights were pretty rough but I managed to get them apart without destroying them and after running the metal parts through a buddy's blast cabinet, they were still solid enough to use. I cut a hole in the back so a regular GM socket would fit, painted them and cut some gaskets. They came out really good. I also have all of the brakes plumbed except for one small line from the MC to the proportioning valve; should finish that tomorrow and get everything bled. Booster, MC, proportioning valve, and all the front solid brake lines came off of a late 90's Firebird and made for an easy swap. I also bought this heater from Southern Rods & Parts; nice and compact. I've been chipping away at a lot of small items on this and hope for a run down the street within the next few months. 2 Quote
falconvan Posted March 27, 2015 Author Report Posted March 27, 2015 Made a trip to the bone yard today and picked up a Jeep Cherokee sway bar; these work really good on these cars. I'll be putting this on this week. Quote
dragracer Posted March 28, 2015 Report Posted March 28, 2015 Made a trip to the bone yard today and picked up a Jeep Cherokee sway bar; these work really good on these cars. I'll be putting this on this week. What year Cherokee sway bars work on our cars? Quote
Seaside Pete Posted March 28, 2015 Report Posted March 28, 2015 Would love to see some pics of the install of that heater if you can. Pete Quote
falconvan Posted March 28, 2015 Author Report Posted March 28, 2015 Mid 90s on the sway bar, be glad to post some pics of that and the heater when I get them installed. Quote
dragracer Posted March 28, 2015 Report Posted March 28, 2015 Thanks. Pictures would be great. I've been watching your project for a few years now. Really good work and informative posts. I've yet to start on my 47. I've been collecting parts here and there. I hope to pick at it some over the summer time. Quote
falconvan Posted April 4, 2015 Author Report Posted April 4, 2015 Lots done today; brakes are bled and pedal feels good, Lokar shifter installed and adjusted, heater installed, and leads exhaust pipes from the headers installed. Just got a new job and will be doing some traveling so I'll be gone to Sacramento for the next two weeks. I saw there is a car museum and a train museum out there; I hope to hit them both. Happy Easter; Jesus is risen!!! Quote
falconvan Posted May 3, 2015 Author Report Posted May 3, 2015 Had to change the rack and pinion; the one I had in it was leaking bad. Bummer; I put it in rebuilt but it was 3 or 4 years ago and I don't remember where I bought it. Once I get a few more things done on the front end and finish fabbing the lead pipes for the exhaust, I can sit it on four feet again. But were getting closer to a road test! Quote
falconvan Posted May 9, 2015 Author Report Posted May 9, 2015 Got most of my exhaust on today, just need to build the tailpipes to finish it up. It sounds really good. I also decided to go with these Omni seats rather than the Buick ones I had. The Buick seats were out of a 4 door and I didn't think about them not being able to hinge forward to access the rear seat. I think these will work good once they are re-covered and the headrest goes away. Quote
falconvan Posted May 23, 2015 Author Report Posted May 23, 2015 Lots done today; mounted the other seat, finished up several small things on the front suspension including putting on some shocks, and got the front gravel pan and bumper bracket mounted. Also knocked out a few small wiring things and finished putting in all the front sheet metal bolts. My buddy that did the paint is coming over this week to touch up a couple small nicks and buff the whole car. Once I get the back fenders bolted down and get the drive shaft cut and installed, I can take it down the street to see if everything is working. Quote
falconvan Posted June 13, 2015 Author Report Posted June 13, 2015 I finished up the gauges today; I converted the fuel gauge over to a 0-90 ohm GM gauge, used the stock oil psi gauge and decided to use to aftermarket gauges for temp and volts. I'm putting them where the original radio was and put block off plates where the sat on the factory cluster. Also got some of the dash put together. My drive shaft is in and I did move it forward and back a few feet but I'm waiting on my buddy to finish up some touch up on the deck lid before I try to test drive it. Quote
falconvan Posted June 20, 2015 Author Report Posted June 20, 2015 Doesn't look much different but I spent several hours and finished up 99% of the under dash wiring and added a tach. Laying on the floor working overhead was a back breaker; glad to have this part wrapped up. Quote
falconvan Posted July 2, 2015 Author Report Posted July 2, 2015 Got the decklid repainted this week; it had a few bad spots that we figured it was easier just to reshoot it. Should be ordering and installing a windshield soon and begin polishing all the stainless and putting it back on the car. Quote
falconvan Posted July 12, 2015 Author Report Posted July 12, 2015 Lots of little stuff done; got the decklid back on, transmission TV cable hooked up, tracked down a parasitic battery drain and did some work on the wipers. Should be ordering a windshield next week and start getting the glass put back in soon. Then its time to start polishing a ton of stainless trim and getting it back on along with wheels and tires in there somewhere. Quote
falconvan Posted September 29, 2016 Author Report Posted September 29, 2016 Hey all, It's been a while since I've checked in. Haven't done much car stuff for a while; I went back to my old job and was tied up with the transition for a while. Also sold my 49. My wife has gone through so much with her cancer the last couple of years and she always wanted a nice master bathroom with a walk in shower so i sold the car and built her one. I needed to thin the herd anyway; too many projects. So I'm back on the 48; just had the front and rear windshield put in, bought some Jegs brand torque thrust wheels and tires and found this cool old Mopar dual snorkel air cleaner. Glad to be working on metal again instead of concrete, drywall, and tile. Quote
mrwrstory Posted September 30, 2016 Report Posted September 30, 2016 You got your priorities right! Workin on old cars is a "perk" after you get everything else in order. The 49 served it's purpose and it's nice to hear you have another old car project to enjoy after taking care of important family business. My thing with wood and drywall is it makes you sneeze. Not fatal but a real pain. Not a problem with steel, eh! 1 Quote
falconvan Posted October 10, 2016 Author Report Posted October 10, 2016 One issue I hadn't addressed yet was door locks. The original door latches were junk so I put in some bear claws which worked great but lock mechanism wouldn't work the way the door was constructed. The original locks were in the door but I needed a locking handle. I found these early Ford locking handles on Ebay years ago and just got around to figuring out how to make them work. The lock mechanism is in the handle itself so I just ground down the handle mount so it would fit inside the Plymouth handle trim and pinned in. Seems to work great; next is to get the glass for the one piece front windows made and the power windows in. Quote
Bingster Posted October 10, 2016 Report Posted October 10, 2016 I didn't know about your wife's illness and hope she's doing okay.. I'll keep her in my prayers! 3 Quote
falconvan Posted October 10, 2016 Author Report Posted October 10, 2016 Thanks, she's doing well. She's been doing IV infusions every other week and will have to continue for the next year but she's feeling good has a positive prognosis. Thank you for the prayers, they are without a doubt the best medicine! 1 Quote
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