Fitzy's GP is back!

[Fitzy]

12 hours ago, JUSTA6 said:

Check your dipstick for contact.  If the inner guide has come loose it will let the dipstick hit the crank.  Short of a caved in oil pan, don't see how the oil pickup could move. Although  circle track racers do put a tack weld on the pick up to make sure it doesn't come apart.

Thanks JustA, I pulled the dipstick and the end is more bent than it was, so...I'm not familiar with what goes on down there. Perhaps if I turn it over with the dipstick removed, that'll be a clue. If you recall, when the front was real low something underneath hit the ground as the car came off it's concrete pad and touched the dirt driveway. Is it possible that the jolt loosened the lower dipstick tube? It is only a light 'clack, clack' sound but enough to be a worry. At any rate, I have a new oil pump & pickup coming over, so all will be revealed once I get home and pull that sucker.

[64 kiwi boni]

7 hours ago, JUSTA6 said:

We LOVE free tools....

Now that is pretty dam cool! you can see the part of the spanner that has been cut has been used as a brace!... i would do that !! 

 What a cool feature for your engine bay.... as us guys gork at engines every time we go some where with cars😜 

[JUSTA6]

11 hours ago, Fitzy said:

Thanks JustA, I pulled the dipstick and the end is more bent than it was, so...I'm not familiar with what goes on down there. Perhaps if I turn it over with the dipstick removed, that'll be a clue. If you recall, when the front was real low something underneath hit the ground as the car came off it's concrete pad and touched the dirt driveway. Is it possible that the jolt loosened the lower dipstick tube? It is only a light 'clack, clack' sound but enough to be a worry. At any rate, I have a new oil pump & pickup coming over, so all will be revealed once I get home and pull that sucker.

I think with the engine sitting so far back, you should have no problem Justa dropping the pan and figuring out your prob.  Run it with the dipstick out.  If thats your noise,  find a rubber cap to cover the dipstick tube N toss the dipstick in your trunk.  You can still check your oil anytime til ya get a chance to work on it.

8 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

Now that is pretty dam cool! you can see the part of the spanner that has been cut has been used as a brace!... i would do that !! 

 What a cool feature for your engine bay.... as us guys gork at engines every time we go some where with cars😜 

I believe this is from a use anything ya can RatRod.  Appears to be a homebuilt frame and an inline 6 or 8 cyl.  I though it was pretty cool too !

[Fitzy]

On 3/30/2021 at 11:27 PM, JUSTA6 said:

 

Thanks JustA, I'm at work for another 8 days before I'm relessed back into the wild so I'll play with it then.

[Fitzy]

Hey y'all, I finally escaped from Devil's Island (where I work) and am now happily at home enjoying a brewskie and contemplating the coming week's tasks.

I got to briefly say hello to the GP today as it was trucked from the mechanic to the upholsterer. The front of the car is now 2" lower than stock as God intended and no longer scraping the ground, so it's lost a little attitude but at least i can live with it if I ever come across a speed hump.

So, I have a question. Upholsterer is going to fit new headlining and sail panels. Does anyone know how the sail panels actually attach to the body? There's a metal strip that screws to the inside of the pillar but I can't see how the actual sail attaches to it - the entire headlining was torn out prior to the car being shipped to Australia.

Also, the vinyl top was long gone before I got the car and I never wanted it anyway, so removed the 2 chrome trim pieces that screw into the body where the top stops on the C pillar. I was going to chuck them but they are in really good condition, so if anyone wants them, you can have them for nix as long as you pay the postage. I also have a manual steering box (Saginaw 525) and a brand new external mirror that I decided not to fit. I'll put these in the Classifieds as well.

Other than that, I got nothing to report. Hope all is going well and that project cars are progressing and that others are being lovingly maintained!

[Wrongway]

I don't know if yours will be the same as mine bud, but mine looks like this and the chrome holds it on along with a couple of screws that go through the chrome moldings going thought the left over fabric. Not sure if its "factory correct" or not. But that how mine was before I ripped it out. There's also a piece of molding that goes on the bottom that's not installed in the picture.

[64 kiwi boni]

Mines the same as wrongways too fitzy

its a cardboard panel with  material over it and held in with the screwed trim 

[Fitzy]

3 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

Mines the same as wrongways too fitzy

its a cardboard panel with  material over it and held in with the screwed trim 

Thanks fellas. Mine's the same, but there is definite provision for the centre of the panel to be anchored to the metal strip that screws to the inside of the pillar. After more research, it seems that the original panels have cutouts that accommodate door panel clips that slide into the panel and then snap into place into that metal strip. I'll figure it out. One more interior question: the trim that goes underneath the inside rear window: mine was never there. What goes there?

I've been looking at stroker kits in anticipation of engine teardown, and there's plenty out there but Tin Indian seem to be offering what seems too good to be true: crank, rods & slugs for about US$1500. I would have been happy with a 421 kit but for no extra, you can go way out to over 460 CID. My genitals are starting to tingle.

[Fitzy]

Oh, and because we all like photos, here's a few shots of the way it looks now. The rear spats will go back on eventually.

 

Edited April 23, 2021 by Fitzy

[JUSTA6]

Lookin real good.

[Wrongway]

Lookin good bro

On mine its justa piece of chrome that's actually connected to the panel bro. Unless you mean under the back glass and I misunderstood. In which case its call a package tray, its basically think cardboard with fabric over it. I can get you a picture of it to if you'd like. 

I like the stroker idea 

[64 kiwi boni]

sitting nice Fitzy  i have justA finished my front end an hour ago and i am happy with the front ride height, but the back it too low !!

[Fitzy]

Hey Kiwi, I was going to fabricate a couple of 10mm rubber spacers and sit them on top of the rear springs to give it that slight rake to the front. That might be a solution for you if your rear is a bit low.

And Wrongway, there must be something that sits directly under the rear window but on top of the parcel shelf. In other words, the stainless trim goes around the back window at the top and sides, but what happens at the bottom? All I found was the rusty remnants of what looks like black painted steel channel, about 2" high.

[64 kiwi boni]

7 minutes ago, Fitzy said:

Hey Kiwi, I was going to fabricate a couple of 10mm rubber spacers and sit them on top of the rear springs to give it that slight rake to the front. That might be a solution for you if your rear is a bit low.

yeah mate, i had the spring maker compress them 1 1/2 inch and its too low i think, but i still don't have my front sheet metal on, so i will leave it alone till thats all on, then i will make the call, its like 80 bucks to have them reset so, its not too much of an issue, i will though have the spring guys make brand new ones with heavier steel, as they are way too light, i want the ride to be firm, not floaty !

i will be running the stock height tires so that will make for a soft ride in itself .

[Fitzy]

Yep, me too. My new whitewalls are 75 profile and I kept the springs factory soft but the Monroe shocks might compensate a bit. I'm not fussed - if I had wanted a sports car I would have kept my Supra. I just want to waft along on a big fat wave of lazy torque. How do you upload a sound file like yours? I'll start mine up (in spite of the clack, clack, clack) and if it sounds sexy enough, I'll upload a file.

[64 kiwi boni]

3 minutes ago, Fitzy said:

Yep, me too. My new whitewalls are 75 profile and I kept the springs factory soft but the Monroe shocks might compensate a bit. I'm not fussed - if I had wanted a sports car I would have kept my Supra. I just want to waft along on a big fat wave of lazy torque. How do you upload a sound file like yours? I'll start mine up (in spite of the clack, clack, clack) and if it sounds sexy enough, I'll upload a file.

justA used my iphone on video mate and uploaded to the forum straight from that

[Fitzy]

Uh...Video Mate??? Duh, okay. I'll figure it out. I think I'll just crack another beer and think of something else...

[Fitzy]

Kiwi, one last thing. I asked Wrongway about this: since your interior is in good shape and complete, can you (at some point) have a look at what sort of trim sits beneath the rear window, inside the car above the parcel shelf? All I found in mine was the remnants of rusted out black painted steel channel, about 50mm high. I should post a pic of what I have but I'm too lazy to prise myself out of my armchair right now.

[Wrongway]

Ok bro, so this is all that I see on top of the package shelf. I looks and feels like hard black rubber to me.

[64 kiwi boni]

11 hours ago, Fitzy said:

Kiwi, one last thing. I asked Wrongway about this: since your interior is in good shape and complete, can you (at some point) have a look at what sort of trim sits beneath the rear window, inside the car above the parcel shelf? All I found in mine was the remnants of rusted out black painted steel channel, about 50mm high. I should post a pic of what I have but I'm too lazy to prise myself out of my armchair right now.

Will do fitzy 👍

[64 kiwi boni]

Yeah fitzy mines justA like wrongways 

chrome down the window to the parcel tray and then along the window is the rubber only 

[Fitzy]

Thanks boys - I know what the issue is: GM changed the way screens were affixed for the post 64 models. Mine are sealed directly to the metal frame and there's no rubber weatherstrip. In other words, mine sit flat against the formed sheetmetal that is the perimeter of the screen. Adhesive, sit the screen in and then hope it doesn't leak! So, they have come up with a trim solution to accommodate the change but instead of continuing with the stainless trim, they chucked in some black metal. The pic is of the 2 end pieces where the stainless trim feed into. I guess the bits that are missing are the same but run across the width of the car. I'm thinking I might just glue a piece of dark marine carpet across the base of the screen. It'll be the same stuff I tacked to the top of the parcel shelf that I made. Anyway, thanks for your help.

We got LOTS of rain today and it's gonna hang around. If only the GP were here. I could pop that engine out right now!

Oh, and the sail panels are different too. I see there's no provision to affix the centre in your respective cars - they changed that too.

[Fitzy]

3 minutes ago, Fitzy said:

I get to say hello to my old girl briefly again tomorrow as I drop more interior bits off to the upholsterer.

Where are my bloody wheels?

Where's the invoice from the mechanic?

I'm all stroked out from researching kits online. It's a toss up between Butler & Tin Indian.

How do I get a cool moniker like Dualquad Pete? Dammit, I'm already named Pete but Stroker Pete just sounds sick! Poverty Pete? Pissed Again Pete? Pontiac Pete?

It's still raining and we haven't seen the sun for days. As a consequence I'm now wearing a long sleeved shirt. Oh, the humanity!

 

[Wrongway]

I vote for Poverty Pete! 

[64 kiwi boni]

i vote for Pontiac Pete