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Yeah I am trying to have all the paper work in align before I go down. My only fear is that they misspelled Doug's last name on the copy of the registration slip I have. So I make not show them that piece of paper unless challenged for more info. Hopefully the signed document I am getting from Doug and the bill of sale from the previous owner will be enough. I was going to make a DMV appointment but they are currently booked up 3 weeks out. So I guess I am going to have to battle the unwashed masses.

The only other gotcha may be since the car is no longer in the DMV system, they will require an inspection on the car to verify the numbers. I also know they will require me to get a new set of plates, as I have a Calif Black plate on the car right now, but the front plate is missing. So they will require I have two matching plates. I guess new plates will have to do until I can track down a good set of YOM plates and metal tags.

Reading these stories makes me glad I live in Kansas!

Step 1- Take bill of sale and proof of insurance to DMV
Step 2- Pay DMV basically $100 for new title and registration and pick up Antique tag (cheaper if you don't get a personalized or YOM tag)
Step 3- Go home.

If you have a 1950 or newer car it's a little more complicated, you have to have the KHP inspect the car, which costs $15, and all they do is look at the bill of sale and the serial number to make sure they match. It didn't used to be that way but apparently people were stealing Mustangs and Camaro's out of pastures and getting a title in their name for it. Apparently 1949 and older cars don't matter as much as muscle cars, lol!

Some small detail work this evening:

First I finally was able to get ahold of the correct washer bottle bracket. So I media blasted, and painted it with some cadmium paint, and then it was installed in the car with the Mag-Nu-Matic washer bottle. I dont have the coordinator setup and I need to find the nozzles that screw into the side of the washer arm towers.

Next I installed the truck light kit. It will have to come back out later when the truck lid is painted.

Finally all the various bits of the dash were finally reinstalled. The heater plenium went back in. This was the plenium was soaked with fiberglass resin as the cardboard was very brittle from years of moisture exposure. Next the defroster control was reinstalled. All the vent, heater, and defroster controls cables were installed next. That is where I discovered that one of the cables was broken.

Next the glovebox was installed, and I added the "Clipper" script that was missing from my car when I got it. The media blasted ash trays were added. They will be painted later when I touch up the paint on the dash.

The radio is missing still as I need to take it apart and fix it. But that is the least of my worries at this moment.

All the interior windshield trim was also reinstalled and a reproduction day/night review mirror was installed.

I also installed some reproduction kick panels that I must have picked up 5 years ago. They are the wrong color, but fit perfectly. I will get them recovered in the correct blue when the door panels are done.

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Well yesterday I was inspecting the radio out of my car. I fixed a broken tuning know post on it from spare parts from another radio. But the radio needs a complete going through. I believe there are several old caps that are bad now. Also I have to figure how to deal with the 12v conversion on it. I have some feelers out to some of the radio repair places to go through the radio and fix it, as well as change out all the tubes, vibrator and transformer for 12v operation.

On another front I have had preliminary talks with a gent at Retro Sound (HQ'd near where I live), about coming up with a faceplace adaptor that would allow their Retro Sound radio to work in the factory opening using the factory bezel. But for right now, the bezel adapter they have for 55-57 Thunderbirds will fit perfectly in the '54 Clipper bezel opening. But they may have a better option and I in the process of getting them some measurements. More details on that later as they are flushed out. Obviously this would be a modern radio with a different look, but in the factory opening.

http://www.retrosoundusa.com/products/details/id/140

The overall price would be equal to or less than what a repaired and converted radio would cost. Plus it adds FM and MP3 capability. But at the expense of the original look.

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Could be a stuck ring, but loosening up stuck motors by lubing the cylinders with ATF or whatever kind of penetrating oil/detergent you prefer isn't a guarantee against a busted ring. Blowby will cause your oil to get dirty as efficiently as "crud" in the engine--you cleaned up the pan really well, as I recall. The smoke may decrease as the rings take a set, but if there are any broken ones, it won't go away. Probably be a good idea to take a peak at the top end at some point. Just my

BTW, I really like the way the dash turned out. Very clean-looking, especially with the wide oval speedo.

Yeah I think it must be a stuck ring. When I give it some throttle, I see smoke pour from the roadraft tube. I'll try driving it some more and hope it frees up.

I drove it about a mile today to the gas station and back, and it died on me halfway home. Damn fuel filter clogged again. Almost like a fine silt of dirt/rust that is clogging the filter screen. Had to wedge myself under the car and clean out the filter screen again. Only thing I can think of is that the modern fuel is breaking loose stuff in the fuel tank that didn't come loose when I cleaned out the tank.

On more positive note, here are some pics of me replacing the broken knob shaft on the radio.

Also I cleaned up and polished the stainless window trim that is still on the car. I then installed the vent cable that Howard was kind enough to send me. With the cable installed, then I replaced the vent and heater control knobs, and polished up all the dash chrome the best I could.

Also attached are pictures of the "Guide" day-night rear view mirror that I installed, and picture of the trunk scripts installed.

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Kev - the pictures below are the front floor mat and rear carpet from my 54 clipper deluxe that I took out of my car when I had new carpet put in. I can't confirm if it is original but I think so. Hope this helps you - Frank

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This doesn't square too well with the good compression on all cylinders. I bet if you check again, you'll find one that's significantly lower than the rest. If you checked them before you ran it, they probably all had enough leftover ATF in them to "seal" temporarily.

I know you're not asking, so I'll stop offering now...

Grrrrrrr.....more fuel issues today. Opened the garage door this morning to be overwhelmed with the smell of fuel.

Huge puddle of gas under the rear-end of the car. Leaking from were the gas line screws into the tank. The line flare is not sealing correctly and is now leaking from that spot since the tank is full of gas. It didnt do this before as I didnt have enough fuel in the tank to be above that level.

So I made a temporary patch on it, and I will need to cut and re-flare line. Just a tip, with a full tank, gas will literally shoot out of the connection when loosened. I have a gas soaked tee-shirt, and a non-amuzed wife as proof.

One of those weekends where I feel like I am making backwards progress.

Just did a check on the car and no more seepage from the fuel line. So I started to move to other things as I was tired of being on my back under the car.

So removed the front passenger side door clip. Even with full visibility on the clip, it was a nightmare to remove. It was basically rust welded in place.

To get at the clip you have to remove the door panel, and inner window surround. The you need to loosen the window stop, and rotate it downward. This will let the window roll down further than normal.

The you should be able to see the clip. Soak, soak, and re-soak it in PB Blaster. The with a large "beater" flat head screwdriver and a hammer, you can then start to hammer the clip out.The clip was so rusted it basically came apart in pieces. What a pain. The rear doors are not as rusted, but are harder to access because of the vent windows. I will save those doors for another day.

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