Rocky Start Resto..
We have been busy. we have pushed up our schedule to have the car 'done" for my son's graduation. We are going to need a guardian angel to pull this off.
I should mention that one of our members recently told me that the Duster was boring and a “store-bought cookie cutter car” because we have replaced the /6 with an engine with a few more cylinders. Interesting.
No matter. On with this thread.
Our first big surprise of this year has been when we went to fill the cooling system with water and we heard water coming out from somewhere from the bottom of the engine. To our surprise 2 freeze plugs had popped out. Havening never put water into the engine since we got, we surmised that it was when the engine had been rebuilt for the PO and they had bench tested it. We tried putting normal frost plugs in but the two holes were behind the TTI headers. Impossible. After consulting with many members on the board, we put rubber plugs in it and them pressure tested the system for half an hour. I think we dodged a bullet...
Here are the two little buggers that escaped this winter :)
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-zfrkhh9/0/XL/_IGP9603-XL.jpg
We installed a Lokar kick down cable ..cleaned and painted the gas pedal then tried to install the accelerator cable to the carb. Looks like it would require a lot of work to mod the cable to the Lokar assemble so we ordered a Lokar accelerator cable which went on w/o a hitch.
We then installed the audio system. The sub and 2 amps in the trunk, 2 6*9 tri axles on the back shelf, 2 tweets and 2 5 inch tri axles in the console.
The power brake unit went in. We had to flip the valve covers because the breather hit the unit..
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-LSHgm4b/0/XL/_IGP9667a-XL.jpg
Here is Calum modding the parcel shelf to take the 6*9s…
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-LCb4B2Z/0/XL/_IGP9624-XL.jpg
We took the ballast out of the system (we have a coil with ballast) so we had to jury rig the wiring to see if it worked.. My friend made this for that moment.. it is out of the car now :)
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-dhV9VtP/0/XL/_IGP9629-XL.jpg
As I have mentioned before, I had to cut out all the excess wiring not needed since I no longer run pollution control...here is the pile..
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-JmrzwR2/0/XL/_IGP9630-XL.jpg
My almost finished console…
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-7qmKHSm/0/XL/_IGP9642-XL.jpg
The start of putting in the carpet..
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-j9Ksppb/0/XL/_IGP9647-XL.jpg
Cutting the hole in the bonnet…
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-WMjw28D/0/XL/_IGP9652a-XL.jpg
A pick of the buggered seat bottom I had to make to have the chair slide correctly. Big mistake, I should have bought a welder at the beginning of the project so I didn’t have to depend on anyone to do it for me.
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-Nf69n6X/0/XL/_IGP9654a-XL.jpg
I installed LED lights in the car and I couldn’t get the blinkers to blink even with electronic blinker units. While trouble shooting, I had to take my gauge cluster out a couple of time..last time I dropped and broke it…:banghead::banghead: Here is the start of a new one..I think the only way you can run LEDS is to used a timed blinker unit ??
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-qs9b4tF/0/XL/_IGP9655a-XL.jpg
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-LPw53mH/0/XL/_IGP9656-XL.jpg
Installed all seats, console, stereo……I have left the wiring lose to make sure everything works.
I should mention that we installed the console the tried to get the back seat in. The console had to come out again. We have lost count of how many times we have had to take thing off to get things on.
I think when we have the outside painted, it will make the interior pop...
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-CZF2Mbn/0/XL/_IGP9672a-XL.jpg
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-h2WJ5n2/0/XL/_IGP9673a-XL.jpg
A few pics of the outside..
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-5mSvP9L/0/XL/_IGP9661a-XL.jpg
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-Gm4tTCc/0/XL/_IGP9663a-XL.jpg
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-mgWjw2h/0/XL/_IGP9662a-XL.jpg
Ack ! The motor isn't in the center of the car ?!?!
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-VFwWcbL/0/XL/_IGP9664a-XL.jpg
Found some retro “clear” mats.
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-FDGC7JL/0/XL/_IGP9665a-XL.jpg
Until next time, Ian.
We have been busy. we have pushed up our schedule to have the car 'done" for my son's graduation. We are going to need a guardian angel to pull this off.
I should mention that one of our members recently told me that the Duster was boring and a “store-bought cookie cutter car” because we have replaced the /6 with an engine with a few more cylinders. Interesting.
No matter. On with this thread.
Our first big surprise of this year has been when we went to fill the cooling system with water and we heard water coming out from somewhere from the bottom of the engine. To our surprise 2 freeze plugs had popped out. Havening never put water into the engine since we got, we surmised that it was when the engine had been rebuilt for the PO and they had bench tested it. We tried putting normal frost plugs in but the two holes were behind the TTI headers. Impossible. After consulting with many members on the board, we put rubber plugs in it and them pressure tested the system for half an hour. I think we dodged a bullet...
Here are the two little buggers that escaped this winter :)
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-zfrkhh9/0/XL/_IGP9603-XL.jpg
We installed a Lokar kick down cable ..cleaned and painted the gas pedal then tried to install the accelerator cable to the carb. Looks like it would require a lot of work to mod the cable to the Lokar assemble so we ordered a Lokar accelerator cable which went on w/o a hitch.
We then installed the audio system. The sub and 2 amps in the trunk, 2 6*9 tri axles on the back shelf, 2 tweets and 2 5 inch tri axles in the console.
The power brake unit went in. We had to flip the valve covers because the breather hit the unit..
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-LSHgm4b/0/XL/_IGP9667a-XL.jpg
Here is Calum modding the parcel shelf to take the 6*9s…
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-LCb4B2Z/0/XL/_IGP9624-XL.jpg
We took the ballast out of the system (we have a coil with ballast) so we had to jury rig the wiring to see if it worked.. My friend made this for that moment.. it is out of the car now :)
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-dhV9VtP/0/XL/_IGP9629-XL.jpg
As I have mentioned before, I had to cut out all the excess wiring not needed since I no longer run pollution control...here is the pile..
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-JmrzwR2/0/XL/_IGP9630-XL.jpg
My almost finished console…
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-7qmKHSm/0/XL/_IGP9642-XL.jpg
The start of putting in the carpet..
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-j9Ksppb/0/XL/_IGP9647-XL.jpg
Cutting the hole in the bonnet…
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-WMjw28D/0/XL/_IGP9652a-XL.jpg
A pick of the buggered seat bottom I had to make to have the chair slide correctly. Big mistake, I should have bought a welder at the beginning of the project so I didn’t have to depend on anyone to do it for me.
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-Nf69n6X/0/XL/_IGP9654a-XL.jpg
I installed LED lights in the car and I couldn’t get the blinkers to blink even with electronic blinker units. While trouble shooting, I had to take my gauge cluster out a couple of time..last time I dropped and broke it…:banghead::banghead: Here is the start of a new one..I think the only way you can run LEDS is to used a timed blinker unit ??
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-qs9b4tF/0/XL/_IGP9655a-XL.jpg
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-LPw53mH/0/XL/_IGP9656-XL.jpg
Installed all seats, console, stereo……I have left the wiring lose to make sure everything works.
I should mention that we installed the console the tried to get the back seat in. The console had to come out again. We have lost count of how many times we have had to take thing off to get things on.
I think when we have the outside painted, it will make the interior pop...
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-CZF2Mbn/0/XL/_IGP9672a-XL.jpg
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-h2WJ5n2/0/XL/_IGP9673a-XL.jpg
A few pics of the outside..
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-5mSvP9L/0/XL/_IGP9661a-XL.jpg
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-Gm4tTCc/0/XL/_IGP9663a-XL.jpg
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-mgWjw2h/0/XL/_IGP9662a-XL.jpg
Ack ! The motor isn't in the center of the car ?!?!
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-VFwWcbL/0/XL/_IGP9664a-XL.jpg
Found some retro “clear” mats.
http://yamigrl.smugmug.com/Cars/The-Rocky-Restoration-1975/i-FDGC7JL/0/XL/_IGP9665a-XL.jpg
Until next time, Ian.