GLHS #0469 Ressurection

[Skibbe]

So it's been awhile... The car took a vacation to Indiana for a couple... years! I just bought it back and the title is still in my name. So let's resurrect the resurrection thread!

[Skibbe]

I decided to start on the back end. I'm going to strip the rear suspension and brakes and redress those first. A long time ago this car ended up in a flooded field, and you can tell that water was sitting in the rear drums!

[Skibbe]

Rock Auto to the rescue. Only thing they didn't seem to have available were the rear trailing arm bushings. So I just ordered a set of Johnny's from TurbosUnleashed.

[2.216VTurbo]

I feel good about this resurrection-this time

[Skibbe]

The rear brake plates were pretty roached.


But after needle scaling and sand blasting, they turned out to be really solid still.


So they got a coat of self-etching primer and will get engine enamel tomorrow night. Then we can start adding some shiny new parts.

[Skibbe]

I messed with the rear axle bolt/bushings for far too long. Finally risked pulling the body bolts into the brackets. They came out, and luckily didn't strip or break the nuts off inside the frame. But they sure didn't want to come out.



Axle is now out and stripped down. It won't fit in the blast cabinet so I may have to send it out to be cleaned and coated.

[shmedley]

I messed with the rear axle bolt/bushings for far too long. Finally risked pulling the body bolts into the brackets. They came out, and luckily didn't strip or break the nuts off inside the frame. But they sure didn't want to come out.

Axle is now out and stripped down. It won't fit in the blast cabinet so I may have to send it out to be cleaned and coated.

That will make those replacing the rear trailing arm bushings a breeze when it's like that

[Skibbe]

That will make those replacing the rear trailing arm bushings a breeze when it's like that

Yes indeed! One is out now, still have one seized that needs more beating. May just cut the bolt.

[Skibbe]

Ok, plates are painted. I just threw on some gloss black engine enamel.



And once dry, I started stuffing them with new parts. First the wheel cylinder. When I removed these, there was a trace of a rubber gasket or sealant, so I used some high temp RTV...


And bolted it in place.

[Skibbe]

Hunting through the new parts from Rock Auto, I realized I need to reuse the e-brake levers. Sand blast and some primer cleaned them up.




And then we can commence with the stuffing. Since I blasted the pivots on the levers, I used a tiny amount of brake grease on them. I'm hoping it won't gather too much brake dust in there, so kept it minimal. Just enough to protect the now raw metal surfaces.





I'm not entirely sure I have the right e-brake cables. New ones are longer... and that spring inside the assembly looks awfully uncomfortable. Does anyone recognize these cables from another turbo Dodge, or is this it for SC replacements?

[Skibbe]

I originally assumed I would need a new rear trailing arm, but once I removed it from the car it turned out to be solid. It had surface rust, but was worth saving. I priced out a professional sand blast and powder coat, but couldn't justify the $200 right now. Unfortunately the arm won't fit in the sandblast cabinet at work, so I prepped it the old fashioned way with wire wheels.

I'm using a coat of Corroseal as I've had good luck with it on things like trailer tongues and frames. It goes on best when there is a uniform layer of surface rust, so it has something to convert, but not crusty or flaking rust. So here's the trailing arm after brushing every surface:



Then the Corroseal gets brushed on in a thick coat. This stuff goes on milky white and dries to a hard, gloss black finish. It can be over coated with pretty much anything, so I'll probably pick up some chassis black for the final finish.



It started raining, so this next photo is a little awkward, but you can start to see it drying and changing to black. I'll grab another photo of the finished product tomorrow.

[Skibbe]

In the "cannot save it" category, it looks like I'll need to find new spindles...

[Skibbe]

Corroseal cured overnight. Ready for a coat of VHT chassis black.



Now we can start reassembling the back half of the car. First up is the new Polybushings.

[2.216VTurbo]

Solid progress, keep chipping away at it