Get A Handle on it

Two big crates full of door parts were waiting for some love.  All needed cleaning and sorting.  Took a while to get them figured out.  I tackled the handles and latches first.  I have yet to do the window glass hardware.  Nor have I done the tailgate hardware. Their turn will come. The latches for the 4 doors are all different.  There is a left and right and front and rear. During the body work phase I bought several used doors and one still had the hardware on it so I have a few extras.  This didn't exactly make things simpler when sorting and figuring it out. Although I have new exterior handles I am holding them in reserve and for now I went back in with the old ones.

The four doors all close and latch with that distinctive thud that sounds great.  The alignment is nearly spot on.  I have one latch on the drivers side rear door that is missing a rod and spring.  This was the worst door on the car to start out with.  That door was rusted to shit, didn't open, and was a bear to disassemble. (way back when) I bought a used door from Arizona to make patch panels from and ended up with a nice clean door that fits well.  Unfortunately that particular used door did not come with any hardware and my search continues for a latch assembly that has the parts I'm missing.  The extra latch I did get from the other door I bought was not the right one. I've got a good lead on the correct one (also from AZ) but I sent pic's and have yet to hear back with confirmation that the little parts I need are intact.  In the mean time I have the old latch and handle installed and the door opens from the outside.

I'm on the short list for some lift time at Meridian Auto where the engine, tranny, exhaust, gas tank, & brakes will be installed.  It will be nice to be able to move the car with the doors latched closed.  This could happen as soon as next week.

Wipers

One of the last things that came off in prep for blasting was the windshield wiper assembly. This system is truly a feat of mechanical engineering, involving a center drum and cables to one transmission on each side. Each transmission with it's own cable tensioning device.  Everything required quite a bit of love to be ready to go back in. There are braces and escutcheons.  Then there is the drive unit (which required disassembly and overhaul) who's switch is cable operated. After several frustrated attempts the system is in and tested. Both sides work and return to base when shut off.

The degree of difficulty and limited access meant this system had to go in before the engine or most anything else in or on the dash. Heater, vents and fenders would have added way too much interference to connect this contraption up.

Please be seated

This is what we started with for the driver's seat (front bench) And no Farley didn't do it!

I took it to a shop and had some stuffing and vinyl patched in, so we would have something to sit on while building and testing. 

 I did work over the mechanism so it moves and latches.  I used some plywood blocks to protect the new floor pan.  

It cleaned up pretty well.  It's got some nicks tears and dings but it works for now.  Nice to be able to sit on the seat, steer, and operate the hand brake.  I pretend I'm cruising down the road.

Pedals

I cleaned up and painted the brake pedal and the linkage and installed it in prep for new master cylinder installation. Once again this was a mechanical contraption with springs, levers, posts, and bearings.

Steering

The entire steering column  gear box, steering wheel, shifting levers etc had all been removed.  These parts had to be pulled, cleaned, and painted and otherwise figured out.  The Gear box had been shipped out for factory overhaul at Red Head and was ready to go. Everything else has been packed up as is when we moved out of Everett.  I didn't have much involvement in the removal so this was just a bit challenging.  Some of the original parts were put in only after cleaning and further restoration may be in order.  For now I needed to be able to turn the wheel and have the tires turn. There is lots of stuff in and on that column (like wiring, turn signal, horn switch) that is not needed right now so it will come later. I can steer it now.

Hand job

Having a brake is important.  For the time being this will consist of the E-Brake, listed in the manuals as a Hand Brake.  Quite the mechanical contraption. Handle and latch, 2 pulleys, levers and beams and assorted springs and cables.  The back cable leading into the rear wheels was in place.  Getting it all figured out, cleaned up, and painted was time consuming.  Still figuring out best practices in the shop.  The actual hook-up only took a couple hours. Fits like a glove and works good.  This will be a real asset when moving it, not to mention safer.

Prep for Power

There a few things that needed to be installed prior to Engine install. Having an E-Brake, steering, and a seat would make transporting it much easier. This involved pulling a bunch of parts out of the crates cleaning them up, painting some, and ordering a few incidentals.  It was pretty slow at first.  Kinda like hunting for Easter eggs. All the shop prep, shelving work and organization will pay off.  There are a few more things to go on before she takes a ride to the engine shop. That should be in just a few weeks.  In the mean time there is no end of work that can be done. Waiting my turn for the install shop is not holding me up. It forces me to prioritize, and has kept me from randomly playing with various parts.

Mabel gets her tits back

Completely out of logical assembly order I cleaned and polished up the original front bumper and bolted it in place. I felt it was psychologically important. Plus I cracked my knee on the front of the frame one too many times.  It will have to come off later but for now a bit of chrome looks pretty good.

Mabel moves in

Finally got the major shop stuff done.  Had to get this before moving in.  It was time to drag her out of the body shop and into her new home on the hill.  I decided to utilize a roll back flat bed tow truck for the move.  I was a bit afraid to drag it up on my trailer and move it by myself.  I regret not getting a photo of her up on the truck.

She was pretty dirty and dusty coming out of storage at the body shop and required a pretty good rub down.  Thankful at this point for my EOD.