Re: Made the Plunge

Posted by LynnFauth On 2012/7/17 17:03:09

Thanks to all who posted: Randy Berger, Oxstatman, Jim L., Gator, Ross, Packard8, Rocky46, Portlandon, 54Clipper, David Grubbs and Bobby. You welcomed me! Portlandon said I may have "a real peach," and inspection after getting it into the garage has me thinking he's right.
The undercarriage is undercoated and frame, differential, suspension, and brake backing plates are painted gloss black--no rust evident, save for one hole near the right fender skirt--visible only from under the car. New trunk hinges; engine's repainted; new freeze plugs and very little oil stain; transmission exterior is clean and painted grey. Drained oil, while black, showed no foreign materials; coolant was a bit murky but not rusty. I've fixed the thermostat housing leak--no gasket, and no thermostat! I'm filling it up later today, starting the car to flush the cooling system. I've ordered gaskets for engine and trans pans from Packard Pete; when they come, I'll drop the trans pan and clean it and filter and drain converter. What sort of fluid should I put in it--will Type F do? Any suggested brands, other than B&M Trick Shift? WalMart has Rotella pretty cheap, so I think I'll go with that once I flush the oil system out after running it for awhile with the new oil I filled it with yesterday.
Attached to the grille is an Antique Automobile Association "National First Prize Winner" badge from 1987. Should I chase this down to get info on previous owners? If it's a 1980s restoration--given the re- paintings, with intact and sound-appearing rubber bushings in the suspension and in the body mounts--the peach appellation may be appropriate. It does need new seat covers, new tires--the L 78 Remington Wide Whites are quite cracked, although they hold air. Brakes will be bled, as will the diff. I'm planning on the trek to Laughlin in November.
My grandson thinks it's cool. That's good enough for me.
Thanks again for the welcome.