Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Ringo’s List - Checking it Twice


As I near the completion of the Ringo’s re-roadification, I should verify I’ve corrected all the issues Ariel wrote down way back in … well, let’s just say it was a while ago.

  • floor – lots of solid metal welded in
  • tighten steering - seems tight, but I’m checking that tonight by making sure the steering box is adjusted correctly
  • tighten brakes – the correct backing plates are now in so there should be automatic adjustment now. I still, however, need to adjust the parking brake, and I’ll do that tonight
  • rust spots – definitely dealt with that
  • dent – also repaired
  • gas gauge – replaced with accurate one
  • speedometer- cleaned and lubricated
  • leaking oil – installing a rebuilt engine better have taken care of this one
  • leak under dash board – I’ll be spraying undercoating in the area under the front fresh air grill tonight
  • paint – oh boy is this one done
  • under hood burn spot – all part of the new paintjob
  • clicking in steering – part of tonight’s mechanical activities
  • screeching in tires when turning – this may be an alignment thing, so he’ll eventually need to be checked

Obviously, I had hoped to have ALL the items addressed by now, but TTT, as usual, was ever present over the past 16 months.

The highlight of last night was installing the driver door. With help from the lovely Loriann, it took less than an hour. My original attempt had 1/8th diameter drill bit pieces as pins taped into the holes in the hinges. We struggled to make that work, but gave up after fifteen minutes of frustration and pulled the pins. Then, with the bottom edge of the door resting on the padded jack saddle, my wonderful wife pushed and pulled on the door until the hinge holes were aligned enough for me to start a bolt in each hinge. With the bolts tight, she was able to easily latch the door. I checked the alignment holes using an awl and lo-and-behold everything was aligned. TYL. As she departed, the lovely Loriann quipped, “That was easier than it should have been.”

The final four hinge bolts were torqued down, and then I completed the door’s reassembly which included lock cylinder, latch handle, side-view mirror, and a sheet of plastic to seal out moisture. With the door in place, I could now proceed with finishing the interior. The defroster hose went in first which necessitated some adjustments under the dash. While on my back poking around, I found the elusive lighter wire. I plugged it into the pin on the back of the lighter and verified 12 volts. After routing the hose and putting the under-dash back together, I ran the speaker wire and screwed down the sill plate. The new rocker panels, like the other side, required some holes to be drilled which hurt to do. Not physically, just emotionally painful to drill through the brand new paint and metal. I went through the same pain when attaching the stainless rocker panel trim which came next. Finally, I vacuumed the carpet, bolted down the seat, and called it a night.

1 comment:

  1. As she departed, the lovely Loriann quipped, “That was easier than it should have been.”...made me LOL

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