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Pontiac of the Month

FBIRD69's 1969 Firebird

2024 March
of the Month

Fitzy

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Everything posted by Fitzy

  1. Got back home late last night after a week of excruciating temperatures and humidity. My contract finished yesterday so I am now officially unemployed. Yay! Thanks for input re electrics. I don't have the energy (pun intended) to even think about that damn thing right now - other more important things to attend to...whilst having a beer, of course. Will post something at the appropriate time, like when I short some wires under the dash and it ignites.
  2. Hey Paul - I got my headlining through Ames AND I specifically requested the little stars - not the correct one for my 65 model, but I mean...little stars. How could I resist? Anyway, Ames SHOULD have the correct colour & pattern that you require.
  3. I like this pic. If I had that gauge at my place, the needle would always point to Retard - to remind me of how I'm going with car resoration.
  4. Oh, now I see the popsicle. There were a pair of large breasts and then a blue car in the way.
  5. Took the car for a short run on the weekend. My aftermarket voltmeter is reading 11.5V. It's wired into the fuse box. I checked the reading with my multimeter and it's spot on. Alternator, regulator, starter & battery are all near new. So I look it up and a bad earth is one potential problem. I can also report that after a run, when it's time to restart the engine, there's a momentary very slow cranking speed until the engine catches and she fires up. Apparently, that's also a sign of a bad earth. So I look at my battery earth lead. For the first time, I notice it's gauge is not as large as the positive one. I can also see a bit of rust where it attaches to the block. Now, it dawns upon me that all those little earth straps dotted around the engine bay actually earth the engine to the chassis. Mine are 60 years old. Firstly, I am going to upgrade my battery earth cable to a larger one and will spruce up it's connection point. Secondly, I'm going to inspect and test all my earth straps and their connection points for excessive resistance and rust or paint that may be inhibiting their function. If that doesn't improve things at the fuse box, I'm going to jump from the battery to fuse box and see if there's not a crusty old feed wire that's causing the issue. If anyone would like to wade in with any suggestions, I'd appreciate it. Battery holds it's charge in between runs (about 12.7V) and all accessories (lights, wipers, etc) work fine. I have also read that ammeters, especially old ones can catch fire. I believe an ammeter is wired so that current flows through it. If it's mounting points are compromised in any way, it can get hot and can barbecue your car. My 60 year old factory ammeter has never worked. I am happy to disconnect it altogether. Any experiences with these old things? I'm back to work this afternoon, so any response from me will be delayed - don't think I don't care. I do!
  6. I hope your neighbours aren't shovelling burgers into themselves as they read your posts. Hilarious! My car also has the slightest rake to the front and I reckon a full tank would bring it up even. One day, I'll save enough to fill the tank.
  7. Nice fix - well done. I also fitted a new sender and my gauge reads what it wants to. I am loathe to drop the tank and fiddle about with it but I think I'm gonna have to.
  8. Distributor advance curves are a can of worms. I also like straight mechanical advance BUT vacuum advance is about better fuel economy. I told you about Performance Ignition Services in Melbourne - their reputation is second to none but let's see what your wizard can do. I'm sure to get some backlash from this (which I invite,) but unless you're driving the thing hard, as long as the advance is reasonable and the timing is sensible you should get away with the factory settings or a modest tweaking. It's too easy to get caught up in endless conversations & opinions. Down the rabbit hole I believe is the modern way to spend hours diving into forums & discussions regarding incremental improvements to performance. I had to take a deep breath and step away many times! Oh, nice job on the fresh air vent. Mine work great - heaps of air, not like a modern car.
  9. Well said, Gary. I thought he just wanted to look cooler...
  10. You said it. I had to (sob) buy apricots a few days ago. I have some change from a thousand dollar bill. Zero fruit from our mango trees and banana plants - most unusual. It's not from a lack of water!
  11. It's the old saying - you get what you pay for. You can buy a wrench from China or India and it may keep working or it may bend or snap. In toolshops, you can buy German or Swedish stuff which are beautifully made and WILL last forever. Once upon a time, Sidchrome tools were made in Australia and were unbeatable. They are now made in China BUT to Sidchrome's standards. I have no brand allegiance but steer for mid price stuff. Having said all that, I lashed out and bought a Gearwrench torque wrench to replace my ancient Chinese one. It's a lovely piece of kit. Fun fact: did you know that India has now overtaken China as the world's most populous country?
  12. The hood counterbalance springs. These things are TOUGH. You know brake shoe return springs and how tough they are? Pfft. They are like slinkys compared to the hood ones. A friend visited today and I got him to support the hood whilst I brandished a V belt and attempted to stretch one of those springs across it's pivot points. Ha! Mr Universe couldn't stretch one of those suckers. After he left, I decided to try inserting washers in between the spring coils in order to stretch it. I unhooked the regular springs on my hydraulic press and swapped them for the hood ones. I stretched them with the bottle jack and inserted about 20 washers. It took a few goes - you have to insert from different angles to try and keep the thing straight. I was wearing safety glasses, a polycarbonate face shield and gloves! I gingerly took the spring to the car, supported the hood with one arm whilst positioning the spring with the other. Gently closed the hood and listened as the washers fell out. Job done! I present this as a Public Service announcement. I have no idea how I'm going to remove the other spring. I think I'll just wait until it breaks!
  13. What a piece of machinery. Look at the open pipes. Earplugs anyone? I'd also hope to think that the copious amounts of exhaust gas flowed past those blokes and not straight up their nostrils. I also wonder how many pieces Miss America IX ended up as. Sensational pic. I'm now inspired to weld a coupla extra donks into the GP.
  14. This is so funny AND true. You just wanted us to tell you to slam it to the ground. Yes well that might look nice but you won't be driving very far. You could always have it airbagged and spend thousands in the interest of looking cool. Be a little conservative and you'll be far happier. I have destroyed a sump and have ruined the suspension in some of my old cars all in the interest of trying to look cool. All I managed was to have to eat baked beans whilst the car got repaired.
  15. As I said, my GP is down 2 & 1.5 and I reckon it looks just right. One of my old Fairlanes I took it down 1 & 1 and whilst it looked okay, it wasn't quite enough. Because these cars are so long, it seems that an incremental dimension goes a long way. Once again, I would go 1.5 & 1. This gives you an enhanced stance, won't upset the suspension too much (with HD coils) and combined with what the guys said about sway bars & bushings, you'll be a happy man. I suppose you could do a tyre to body measurement at both ends, take a pic, then load the car with weight and do another measurement and assess it that way. Then you'll only have to do the spring changeout once.
  16. Hi Paul. I have lowered many cars and although they look shit hot, they don't really like it. It's to do with suspension geometry. Drop spindles are probably the best solution because the spring rates & geometry are largely unchanged. I installed lowered springs in my GP - I was conservative and only went 2" front 1.5" rear. Long wheelbase cars are always going to struggle when you lower them due to the reduced ground clearance. I will say here that if I were to do it again, I would only go 1.5" front & 1" rear AND I would be sure to install heavy duty ones. My wheels are 14 x 6 (same as factory steelies) and the rears will rub ever so slightly when the car is on uneven ground. Otherwise it drives perfectly and feels solid on the highway. I got a great deal on a set of Monroes from Dave Clee at PontiWorld (now GM Service Parts...I think.) You're not supposed to air freight gas shocks - another reason why I went local, although in saying that Rockauto shipped me some KYB gas ones for my Rodeo!
  17. Yeah - I was only 2000km away. What's wrong with you - too scared to make a little detour? Good selection of cars there - who doesn't like a patinated old pickup?
  18. Today, I accomplished the following: Installed extra downpipe to rainwater tank, Installed shadecloth blinds to both dwellings, Sharpened my 10" chef's knife, Looked at Yaris (will change oil tomorrow,) Fitted new sunvisor bits to GP. You know the little end pieces of the sun visor arm that snap into the rear view mirror support? Mine were never there, so when I ordered the hood springs, I scanned the Ames catalogue and added a few bits & pieces to make the postage worthwhile. They offer a sun visor 'kit' which is the 2 grey moulded ends that snap into the mirror support plus the nylon sleeves that fit into the end where it rotates. Sliding the moulded caps on was a cinch, but do you reckon I could get those new nylon sleeves in? Not a chance. Even with everything dismantled they were never going to fit in there and then poke the visor arm through. The old ones were still okay, so that was that. Now happily enjoying a brewskie as the storm rolls in.
  19. It's the UV that those polycarbonate lenses don't like. I have been cut & polishing those things for years now. It's become a bona fide maintenance task. Mind you, it's worth doing - the difference is huge. Yeah, Happy Another Year. I'm sitting on the patio waiting for a big storm to roll in. I can hear thunder in the distance and it's been real hot, so this oughta break it.
  20. Hey Frosty, you might remember when I had to have the PCD altered on my Torq Thrusts. The dude was called Dr Wheels and they do all sorts of modifications. My point is that if we have one here, the US must have a hundred such specialists. I googled 'change wheel pcd' and he popped up. I never dreamt that such a place ever existed until my mind wandered and curiosity took over. Just a thought.
  21. It's nature's way of making you less attractive as you age, thereby preventing you from copulating and fathering younguns when you're in your 60s and beyond. As you say, hair leaps from the top and then magically sprouts in the worst places: back, shoulders, ears, eyebrows. I am forever preening myself in front of the mirror, plucking & trimming all manner of hair from everywhere except where it's supposed to be. Ever see old men with those eyebrow hairs that curl out and look like beacons to ward attractive women away? I keep those suckers at bay, but you gotta keep at it.
  22. It was a stinker yesterday. I hobbled into the shower a broken man at 4pm - I'd had enough. My new hood springs were here when I got home, so now just waiting for one of my many friends to come over and support the hood and call the ambulance when the new spring flies off and takes my head with it.
  23. I have also been known to enjoy a, ahem..'happy ending.' Happy Days, Paul Man. Now get out there and do some mechanical damage. You don't want a perfectly functioning classic in the garage, do you? Why should you be different to the rest of us? What an utterly perplexing problem. Thank goodness you have it sorted. Now...the old distributor. It's obviously cursed, so at midnight on the full moon, take it to a crossroads, sacrifice a chicken and then cut the dizzy into 4 pieces and have them scattered by horsemen. Only then will we all be safe. Better take some Holy Water (beer) with you just in case evil spirits are about. I was going to suggest sacrificing a virgin but this is a family website, so don't do that. More to the point, good luck finding a virgin!
  24. Today, I accomplished the following: Took ute & trailer packed to the gunwales with cyclone debris to the Tip, Fixed mower. Cut grass, drained oil & serviced it, Completed generator makeover. Started first pull, Fixed patio blind, Drank more beer. Alcohol induced dopamines are now being released. Aaahh...that's better.
  25. I got home late last night for a very brief 4 days off. Fun I will be having whilst 'relaxing:' Get mower going, cut grass and service mower. Clean up cyclone debris (service chainsaw & sharpen chain first.) Change oil in Yaris. Change oil in GP. Install new GP parts (incl hood counterbalance springs.) Note to self: update life insurance first. Fix generator and do complete service. Re-engineer downpipe plumbing so that rainwater does not continue to overwhelm single pipe during big storms. Install shadecloth partitions to stop us from roasting alive in afternoon sun. Drink beer. So far, I have achieved ONE of those tasks.
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