Slow Going

No pictures today as nothing changed on the car. Despite the service manual promising me that changing the ignition lock was going to be a cinch it ( natch) turned out to be a 3 hour nightmare. I won't bore you with the details but it got done in the end. I also installed the door seals which although tedious actually went quite well. That was the sum total of my day. It rained all day so I was in the barn and I gave up at about 3.00 pm. However I still find myself grinning like an idiot every time I look at the car so I guess I must be having fun.

Locks and stuff

One of the advantages of taking a long year to rebuild the car is that I have been able to purchase stuff over an extended period and spread the costs. Now I am installing the parts bought from a variety of sources and finding what works and what doesn't. Yes indeed there are tossers out there who don't know what they have. Like the git who sold me new grill bolts that are by an order of magnitude the wrong size and the salad tosser that sold me a set of locks with the wrong size keepers. I spent some time filing and grinding the keepers to make them fit and afterwards realized that I still had the old original keepers which I could have simply slipped on. After all that nonsense I decided that although I had a new ignition lock, with the same key as the new door locks, it was going to be way to painful to fit it. Then I had an epiphany and read the service manual. It seems like you turn the key to the accessory position and push in a release catch and the lock falls apart, how easy is that. Similarly none of the dash lights work, but on reading the manual I discovered that the light switch is also a dimmer control and it is very usual for the rheostat to become corroded and go open circuit if not used for 20 years or so. I was going to short out the rheostat and leave the dash lights on full but I also discovered that the dimmer control also houses a switch that turns on the dome lights so I am going to have to fix it. Hopefully a liberal soak in WD40 will be the solution. Keep reading!

I also noticed from my tracking device, that many of you have installed a routine that tells you when this blog has a new entry. So I thought that I would slip in a random but trivial entry just to bump my stats. Have a nice day.

More Chrome

OK I got the windshield chrome on,

and the rear chrome.

I also put on some of the badges

Yes I know the chrome needs a little polish but I spent an hour getting the stuff on and I was just too tired. Maybe tomorrow.



This is the badge for the passenger side, to affix it there are seven holes in the fender. On the driver's side I found two holes! Now I am sure that I did not fill the fender so where are the holes?

Only three holes for this emblem and all were present.

Getting there slowly

Saturday was another one of those days when I seemed to work all day and got little done. In review I ;

Got the windshield back in

Got the exterior handles and locks on

Replaced the faulty stop lamp switch that caused the brake lights to be on permanently

Replaced the instrument cluster with a refurbished one.

Actually I did get quite a lot done. High five me.

The lights are on (but no one is home)

This is a real nice stage of the restoration, every day she is looking more like a car. As you can see the rear trim is on and now the lights are in and functioning. The fact that the color codes on the wires are long faded caused a few problems as all the connectors are bullets and so it was just a matter of plug and pray. I probably went through every incorrect combination but finally I got there.

The front was somewhat easier as the headlamp plugs are all keyed and the lights worked first time. Most of the front trim is now on and we are now starting to look like the classic cruiser we were meant to be.

Saturday the windshield goes back in and I should also get the exterior door handles back on as well. Onwards and upwards

Getting Closer

For the first time ever I set myself a set of tasks for the day and not only completed them but also had time left over. The first task was to replace the temporary wheels and tyres (as we spell in English) with the final ones. Don't they look sweet?

You can also see the fender ornament that I put on just for fun, although it is good to see chrome going back on the car. Here is an image of the fender skirt and I really do think that this makes the body line perfect.

The other task was to replace the glass in the drivers door. It took about a day to remove the glass so I was anticipating a bad time. Surprisingly everything fell into place and with a spot of taking the Lord's name in vain it only took an hour or so. With all the windows wound up I closed the door to check the seal and then realized that with no outside door handles I was now locked out. Fortunately I remembered in the nick of time that I had not yet replaced the windshield so I was able to lean in and pop the door. The next job will be to replace the door handles.

I think that she is starting to look a little like a car again and a few more weeks and I might be done. So this week I am going to put on the door handles, headlights and all the front chrome, the quarterlight openers and maybe a few badges. On Saturday, with some help from Mrs P. I hope to install the headliner and the sailboards. This I think will be the last of the tough jobs.

I had my first drive of Gene's Galaxie yesterday. It is interesting to feel the difference in handling between a 60's car and a modern vehicle. It was also interesting to feel the power of the 390 engine. When you are used to changing down through the box to ascend hills it is a bit of a thrill to leave the transmission alone and press the throttle to make it go.

All in all it was quite a jolly day.

More Car

My sum efforts for Thursday night involved getting the trunk lid seal in and one fender skirt seal. I also took some pictures, enjoy.

In Glorious Color

The Galaxie is back from the paint shop! Strangely enough the icing on the cake is the roof. Although not strictly correct (it should all be Viking Blue) the roof really does set the car off and I am glad that I made the decision.

I think that I may have made my last purchase from Dearbourne Classics. Lordy I must have dropped at least three grand with these people. Still everything I bought was top quality and at least the staff know what they are talking about(unlike those unfeeling bastards at Dennis Carpenter). Anyway the final order was all the little things that I had forgotten like coat hangers, lamp gaskets and paint for the kick panels.

Last night I replaced the rubber seals around the quarter light and it only took about two hours. This is the one that is out of the car, the passenger side is still in the door so I have a bad feeling that I will need to remove it to replace the seal, ho hum. Perhaps I will start by replacing the windshield. So much to do and so little time.

Tomorrow I will be working on the rebuild and if I remember to take the camera I will get some pictures to post on Friday. Watch this space.

Onwards and Upwards

One really has to get used to doing business in the South. It is considered rude (and Yankee) to start talking business immediately. First one is supposed to discuss various acquaintances that you have in common, then cars, then sightings of old cars and eventually the reason for getting together. So it was when I met the spotlight man, after some hour of chat we got down to business and I never saw him again, it is all very strange.

On Saturday I delivered the Galaxie to the paint shop. The shop is about two miles away so the Gaxalie got a good run. I don't know what was more fun, driving the car (at a very conservative 60 mph) or the the look on the faces of the oncoming traffic as this shell of a car roared (remember still no exhaust system) passed them. I should just mention here that the journey was entirely along very minor backroads although I did have to cross one main street. The deputies would have been no problem as I know most of them and Gene who was following me knows the rest. Meeting a State trooper would have been an issue as they are, in the main, vicious bastards. Anyway the journey passed uneventfully and she is now in the shop. Of course we had to have the obligatory hour long chat but I was eventually able to let the man know that if any extra work was entailed he should do whatever was necessary.

It also transpires that after 3 weeks the spotlight man turned up! It should have been obvious but he has known the paint man for 60 years so I am sure that they had an hours chat and then he drilled the hole in the dash and the fender. He wanted to do it before the car was painted so he really did leave it until the 11th hour.

All in all it was a huge step forward and the next time I see the Galaxie she will be in her final livery. Then it is just a question of putting it together. The big issue will be replacing the roof liner but after our stunning success with the seats I am quietly confident.

I won't be working this weekend because;
a) I am sure that the car will not be finished (or possibly not even be started)
b) Next Saturday I am going squirrel hunting