Ariel shared with me a concern about Ringo’s brakes the other night, so we immediately went out for a test drive. After a number of heavy stops, we noticed the call pulled to the right and made a sound like a spring groaning or rubbing. With him back in the garage, I jacked up the left front and found that brake was rubbing pretty heavily. With the hub off, I verified that all looked good inside and gave the adjusting wheel a turn to “loosen” the shoes. I reinstalled the hub and wheel and moved to the right rear. I jacked up that corner, removed the wheel and hub and tightened this adjuster. Put everything back together and called it a day.
Yesterday Ariel drove him around town and said there’s now no pulling or untoward noises. Yay!!!
Friday, May 28, 2010
CPotD #108 (Not Gonna’ Quit My Day Job)
During my walk of the field at the Corvair Ranch’s Open House last weekend, I called Loriann and told her I was trying to take artsy photos instead of just recording the day’s events. I have it in my silly little head that I can actually do that. Today’s CPotD is one of those shots.
A few years ago, I attended the convention of the national Pontiac club. It drizzled for most of the day so each show car’s waxed, horizontal surface was covered in water drops. I took a bunch of photos that day many of them relatively close up and posted them on Flickr. I received a few positive comments causing my head to swell with silly dreams. I’ve envied those skilled photographers who are able to elicit an emotion from their work. Those that actually get paid well for their art are even more fortunate. Could I become one of those fortunate few? Nah, I’m not going to quit my day job.
A few years ago, I attended the convention of the national Pontiac club. It drizzled for most of the day so each show car’s waxed, horizontal surface was covered in water drops. I took a bunch of photos that day many of them relatively close up and posted them on Flickr. I received a few positive comments causing my head to swell with silly dreams. I’ve envied those skilled photographers who are able to elicit an emotion from their work. Those that actually get paid well for their art are even more fortunate. Could I become one of those fortunate few? Nah, I’m not going to quit my day job.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Parting Out Pictures
I did take a few pictures during Old Betty’s deconstruction. I posted them on Flickr and made a set you can view by clicking here. Warning: Viewing the photos at this link could cause sad or angry feelings.
CPotD #107 (More Greenbrier Wackiness)
My recent trip to the Corvair Ranch provided me with a few Wacky Wednesday CPotD subjects. As I was walking the field and spied this creation from afar, my first thought was that Jeff had just set a truck cap on top of a Greenbrier. As I neared it became clear that the addition was permanent to the vehicle. I like the tinted window treatment. That was a good call.
For some reason, Greenbriers seem to be the Corvair model most abused. I guess all the sheetmetal prompts certain folks to get out the hacksaw and be creative.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
CPotD #106 (To Risk Wadding Or Not)
Out of all that I’ve read in online forums, only a few phrases have stuck in my head. I believe it was Ken Hand, a skilled and respected Corvair mechanic and racer, who said (and I’m paraphrasing), “You shouldn’t take a car on a race track unless you’re prepared to wad it up.” Before my agricultural excursion at Summit Point, I had formulated my “wadded up daily-driver” plan. I certainly didn’t want to implement it. I almost had to. Interestingly, it was the wadding up of my previous daily driver that resulted in Lucy’s transformation from a dead car on a trailer to a reliable daily-driver.
On to the purpose of this entry. It’s Track Car Tuesday, and today’s CPotD is from the track car that had its engine featured in yesterday blog. It’s a big jump to go from being okay with getting your gorgeous car’s fender sprayed by some mud to getting that same fender dented by some wall. This dirty fender with its Bristol Motor Speedway sticker is a testament this owner’s not afraid of dirt or dents. Good for him. Cars are meant to be driven; fast cars are meant to be driven fast.
On to the purpose of this entry. It’s Track Car Tuesday, and today’s CPotD is from the track car that had its engine featured in yesterday blog. It’s a big jump to go from being okay with getting your gorgeous car’s fender sprayed by some mud to getting that same fender dented by some wall. This dirty fender with its Bristol Motor Speedway sticker is a testament this owner’s not afraid of dirt or dents. Good for him. Cars are meant to be driven; fast cars are meant to be driven fast.
Corvair Ranch Open House - 2010
I had a wonderful time Sunday at the open house. The following are my highlights:- Listening to the Terry Benson speak on his experiences driving his new ’65 CORSA in the Canadian Winter Rally
- Seeing MuseumBrier and all the stuff Pete Koehler brought
- Chatting with other ‘vair folks
- Walking the field taking pictures of the cars
- Seeing a Cord 8/10 up close
- Eating delicious food
Monday, May 24, 2010
CPotD #105 (Is it Motor Monday Already?)
It’s a new week and I’m back to posting CPotDs. Yesterday provided me with ample opportunities to shoot photos that are CPotD worthy. Especially noteworthy are subjects for Wacky Wednesday, but you’ll have to wait a couple days.
Today’s subject, however, resides in the engine bay of this VERY nice LM that’s set up for track use. A rollbar, racing harnesses, no backseat, and nice wide tires, paired with this potent powerplant, all point to this car’s purpose – go fast or go home!
With somewhat simplified linkage and fuel plumbing, this setup is a tempting one for me to use with my newly received 140 HP heads, but the elevated carburetor and long intake runners make for very rough running on cold days - not satisfactory for a daily-driver.Back Down to Five
Old Betty was literally a shell of her old self as I rolled her down the driveway and into the street Sunday morning. She had been stripped of nearly everything I could ever need, and was ready for the journey to her final resting place. First though, I needed to load the back of the Suburban with the tools I hoped to use that day. I was going to search the Ranch’s field of EMs for some solid valance pieces I could cut off for Heidi and Lucy. I had borrowed a nice battery powered Hacksaw and that went in with an extra battery. My cordless drill joined the party. Plastic to lie on, gloves to protect skin, and a face shield to guard eyes went in. Finally, the lug wrench, jack, and socket set to remove wheels and bumper were added and it was time to hitch up Old Betty. The well-used towbar was again pressed into service and I was Corvair Ranch bound.
I won’t go so far as to say this trip was akin to taking an older, ailing pet to the vet for the last time, but I did have mixed emotions. When Old Betty was gifted to me by a generous fellow Corvair club member, I immediately began formulating big plans. She would be my autocross car to complement Lucy, my track car. I felt the torquey 95 HP engine and Powerglide would be a great starter car for my hoped-for parking lot escapades. Then, when an engine-less 4-speed parts car showed up on Craig’s list, the plan changed to converting her into a manually shifted car. Finally, when I discovered her floor and door frames were mostly fiberglass and Bondo, the parts car became New Betty and this car became the donor vehicle. I really struggled with that last decision because I hated to cut up a complete car, but honestly, I couldn’t afford not to. I needed patch panels for Glinda, and I didn’t have the money to buy new ones or source used ones from a vendor out west.
I arrived uneventfully at the Ranch’s parking lot drawing stares from the early arrivers to the Open House. Proprietor Jeff directed me to a spot behind his shop where I unhitched the car and removed the front bumper. Within minutes Jeff’s son, Luke, was there starting up the forklift that he then used to lift Old Betty off the ground so we could remove the wheels I needed for New Betty. Moving the car and forklift out of the way, he lowered her to the ground. At some point she’ll be moved out into the field and I’ll go searching for her the next time I’m there.
I won’t go so far as to say this trip was akin to taking an older, ailing pet to the vet for the last time, but I did have mixed emotions. When Old Betty was gifted to me by a generous fellow Corvair club member, I immediately began formulating big plans. She would be my autocross car to complement Lucy, my track car. I felt the torquey 95 HP engine and Powerglide would be a great starter car for my hoped-for parking lot escapades. Then, when an engine-less 4-speed parts car showed up on Craig’s list, the plan changed to converting her into a manually shifted car. Finally, when I discovered her floor and door frames were mostly fiberglass and Bondo, the parts car became New Betty and this car became the donor vehicle. I really struggled with that last decision because I hated to cut up a complete car, but honestly, I couldn’t afford not to. I needed patch panels for Glinda, and I didn’t have the money to buy new ones or source used ones from a vendor out west.
I arrived uneventfully at the Ranch’s parking lot drawing stares from the early arrivers to the Open House. Proprietor Jeff directed me to a spot behind his shop where I unhitched the car and removed the front bumper. Within minutes Jeff’s son, Luke, was there starting up the forklift that he then used to lift Old Betty off the ground so we could remove the wheels I needed for New Betty. Moving the car and forklift out of the way, he lowered her to the ground. At some point she’ll be moved out into the field and I’ll go searching for her the next time I’m there.
Old Betty Gave Her All
An amazing ‘vair weekend! I got everything completed that I’d planned, didn’t break anything that I pulled off Old Betty, and didn’t hurt myself. I was three for three. Then to top it off, I had a great time Sunday at the Corvair Ranch Open House (more on that in my subsequent posting).
Friday, after work, I pushed Old Betty into the garage and set to work removing her engine. My original plan was to keep the differential and transmission in place and just pull the engine, but after reading the cautionary posts on the web and the straightforward instructions in the manual, I revised that plan to dropping the entire drivetrain. I got through the first few steps of disconnecting hoses, wires, and linkages without issue, but hit a wall when instructed to loosen the nuts at end of the rear strut rods. I hadn’t pre-soaked any of the fasteners with penetrating fluid, and one look at these two joints that sit out for all the elements to work their rust-making magic on indicated I should have. With hopes not so high, I doused the nut and bolt threads with my 50/50 mix of ATF and Acetone and applied the impact wrench set on HIGH. After beating on the nuts for a few minutes with no movement, I lit up my propane torch and made the right nut glow but to no avail. Time to revert to Plan A. After removing the starter and the accessible bellhousing to differential bolts and placing the ATV jack under the oil pan, I removed the two nuts holding the engine to the rear mount and slowly lowered the rear of the drivetrain. This exposed the top bolts holding the engine to the differential and after removing them and the forward engine shrouding I removed the three bolts holding the torque converter to the flexplate. It was now crunch time – would I crunch something when I separated the engine? Would the input shaft stick in the torque converter and get bent or broken? I raised the engine so it was aligned with the diff and pried apart the joint. After lowering the engine to clear the mount and pulling it back a few inches amazingly the engine was free and I was able to lower the jack all the way down. Nothing was mutilated! Thank you Lord. With that task complete, it was time to cleanup and hit the hay. All before midnight – yahoo!
Saturday morning I was up early and in the garage with a long mental list of parts to pull and pieces to cut off. First thing though was putting away all the tools and getting the engine out of the way. I carefully wheeled the jack out to the driveway praying the perilously perched engine stayed put. I then piled on the associated parts I’d previously pulled off and covered it all with a big piece of plastic. Back to the car, I removed the rear brake drums and brake assemblies before reinstalling the rear wheels. Lowered to the ground, I rolled the car into the driveway so I could take advantage of the nice weather and the less confined work area. Out came the Sawzall, the drill, and the grinder with a cut-off wheel mounted. A few hours later I had all the body panel patches that I needed. That included most of the left front fender, the bottom section of the driver’s door, a big portion of the left rear fender, trunk floor, and the battery shelf. With that nasty task completed, I went back to removing parts that either unplugged or unbolted. The hood came off, the engine and trunk wire harnesses were harvested, the headlight and taillight assemblies, door locks, ignition switch, front grill bar with trunk lock all found their way into the bin of parts. Next off were the windshield trim, wipers, wiper motor, washer fluid reservoir and bracket, engine mount, and the grill panels at the base of the windshield and backlight. The latter of these required the grinder to remove the heads of the rusted retaining screws. With rain beginning to fall I pushed the carcass back into the garage and proceeded to remove the headlight, dimmer, and wiper switches, the gage cluster, and the glove box. I really wanted to remove the turn signal switch assembly, but at 10 PM, after the full day I’d experienced, I was no match for the c-clip. So after remounting the steering wheel minus the horn pieces, I called it a day.
To be continued…..
Friday, after work, I pushed Old Betty into the garage and set to work removing her engine. My original plan was to keep the differential and transmission in place and just pull the engine, but after reading the cautionary posts on the web and the straightforward instructions in the manual, I revised that plan to dropping the entire drivetrain. I got through the first few steps of disconnecting hoses, wires, and linkages without issue, but hit a wall when instructed to loosen the nuts at end of the rear strut rods. I hadn’t pre-soaked any of the fasteners with penetrating fluid, and one look at these two joints that sit out for all the elements to work their rust-making magic on indicated I should have. With hopes not so high, I doused the nut and bolt threads with my 50/50 mix of ATF and Acetone and applied the impact wrench set on HIGH. After beating on the nuts for a few minutes with no movement, I lit up my propane torch and made the right nut glow but to no avail. Time to revert to Plan A. After removing the starter and the accessible bellhousing to differential bolts and placing the ATV jack under the oil pan, I removed the two nuts holding the engine to the rear mount and slowly lowered the rear of the drivetrain. This exposed the top bolts holding the engine to the differential and after removing them and the forward engine shrouding I removed the three bolts holding the torque converter to the flexplate. It was now crunch time – would I crunch something when I separated the engine? Would the input shaft stick in the torque converter and get bent or broken? I raised the engine so it was aligned with the diff and pried apart the joint. After lowering the engine to clear the mount and pulling it back a few inches amazingly the engine was free and I was able to lower the jack all the way down. Nothing was mutilated! Thank you Lord. With that task complete, it was time to cleanup and hit the hay. All before midnight – yahoo!
Saturday morning I was up early and in the garage with a long mental list of parts to pull and pieces to cut off. First thing though was putting away all the tools and getting the engine out of the way. I carefully wheeled the jack out to the driveway praying the perilously perched engine stayed put. I then piled on the associated parts I’d previously pulled off and covered it all with a big piece of plastic. Back to the car, I removed the rear brake drums and brake assemblies before reinstalling the rear wheels. Lowered to the ground, I rolled the car into the driveway so I could take advantage of the nice weather and the less confined work area. Out came the Sawzall, the drill, and the grinder with a cut-off wheel mounted. A few hours later I had all the body panel patches that I needed. That included most of the left front fender, the bottom section of the driver’s door, a big portion of the left rear fender, trunk floor, and the battery shelf. With that nasty task completed, I went back to removing parts that either unplugged or unbolted. The hood came off, the engine and trunk wire harnesses were harvested, the headlight and taillight assemblies, door locks, ignition switch, front grill bar with trunk lock all found their way into the bin of parts. Next off were the windshield trim, wipers, wiper motor, washer fluid reservoir and bracket, engine mount, and the grill panels at the base of the windshield and backlight. The latter of these required the grinder to remove the heads of the rusted retaining screws. With rain beginning to fall I pushed the carcass back into the garage and proceeded to remove the headlight, dimmer, and wiper switches, the gage cluster, and the glove box. I really wanted to remove the turn signal switch assembly, but at 10 PM, after the full day I’d experienced, I was no match for the c-clip. So after remounting the steering wheel minus the horn pieces, I called it a day.
To be continued…..
Friday, May 21, 2010
Ringo’s Got Pedal Again
Last evening I took Ringo out for test drive. I did notice that slamming on the brakes only locked up the front wheels. I also found the emergency brake adjustment was too loose again. So I put Ringo’s rear in the air supporting him with jackstands placed as far outboard on the control arms as possible to simulate proper wheel-to-body relation. I pulled the wheels and drums and turned the adjusters out enough to the point where the there was just a slight amount of drag on the drums. With drums in place, I stepped on the brake pedal and found it went hard much higher. With drums still in place, I tightened the emergency brake cable until a few clicks produced resistance and the cable was taut before I ran out of clicks. After all that I verified the cable wasn’t dragging in the armor. Hopefully all this will now take care of his brake issues.
This weekend will be filled with Corvair activities. Starting this evening I’m getting serious about parting out Old Betty. My hope is to have the engine out before I knock off tonight. I’ll try to keep the differential and transmission in place so I don’t have to deal with the rear suspension. I’ve never done this project on a LM before, so it will be interesting. I do have the manual, and some stuff I pulled off the web, so I’m not flying totally blind. Tomorrow morning I’ll start cutting away metal to patch Glinda and New Betty. Then I’ll pull off bits that New Betty is missing like a decent hood, taillight sockets, and seatbelts. Finally, if time permits, I’ll remove pieces that history has proven I should have spares for - gauges, switches, and wire harnesses. Sunday morning I’ll hitch Old Betty up to the Surburban, slap on the towing lights, and head up to the Corvair Ranch. It’s their annual Open House, and I’m going to make things more hectic for proprietor Jeff by dropping off an addition to his backyard bodies. Then there’s the fact I need the wheels back for New Betty. Better remember a jack.
This weekend will be filled with Corvair activities. Starting this evening I’m getting serious about parting out Old Betty. My hope is to have the engine out before I knock off tonight. I’ll try to keep the differential and transmission in place so I don’t have to deal with the rear suspension. I’ve never done this project on a LM before, so it will be interesting. I do have the manual, and some stuff I pulled off the web, so I’m not flying totally blind. Tomorrow morning I’ll start cutting away metal to patch Glinda and New Betty. Then I’ll pull off bits that New Betty is missing like a decent hood, taillight sockets, and seatbelts. Finally, if time permits, I’ll remove pieces that history has proven I should have spares for - gauges, switches, and wire harnesses. Sunday morning I’ll hitch Old Betty up to the Surburban, slap on the towing lights, and head up to the Corvair Ranch. It’s their annual Open House, and I’m going to make things more hectic for proprietor Jeff by dropping off an addition to his backyard bodies. Then there’s the fact I need the wheels back for New Betty. Better remember a jack.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Back to the Fleet
After a nice vacation to visit my folks in the not-so-sunny SF Bay Area, I’m back at managing the fleet. Last night Ringo’s rear brakes needed my attention. I removed all the emergency break cable, cleaned off the corroded surfaces, soaked it in oil, greased it where it runs through the armor, and reinstalled. Then I replaced both sets of rear shoes and adjusted them as best as I could. Finally I adjusted the emergency brake cable to give just a few clicks of the handle before engagement. After all that, the pedal still goes down farther before getting hard. It is, however, stopping about an inch above the floor. I couldn’t give him a test drive since I had gotten so dirty and it had gotten so late. Ariel did a test stop or two in the driveway for me, but wasn’t real happy about the pedal travel. She felt it was safe enough to drive to work, so I’ll do some test driving tonight. I’ll also attempt to get the self-adjusters to work before I yank the wheels and hubs and spin the adjusters.
While I was in CA, I attempted to buy a couple front valance pieces for Lucy and Heidi, but struck out. Mel’s Vairmart had one, but I ran out of time to get to his place. True to its reputation, the Bay Area provided me with tons of old cars on streets and in driveways. I took some pictures of a few, but didn’t get too carried away with the Kodak moments. Click here to see my set on Flickr.
While I was in CA, I attempted to buy a couple front valance pieces for Lucy and Heidi, but struck out. Mel’s Vairmart had one, but I ran out of time to get to his place. True to its reputation, the Bay Area provided me with tons of old cars on streets and in driveways. I took some pictures of a few, but didn’t get too carried away with the Kodak moments. Click here to see my set on Flickr.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
CPotD #104 (Another Kind Of Craftsman)
So yesterday I posted about a craftsman capable of reforming panels into functional, yet tactful pieces of art. Today's CPotD is from the other spectrum - appropriate for Wacky Wednesday. Check out the link for the history.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
CPotD #103 (Risking the Red Mist)
I found this definition for Red Mist.” The condition where ego or testosterone poisoning overcomes one's knowledge of one's mortality. Generally entered when a driver is passed, or sees a faster car ahead to try and catch. Results in missed flags, embarrassment, and an oops at worst.”
There are a number of guys who take their Corvairs out on the track and go wheel-to-wheel with other cars. These guys are real racers. One of them, David Clemens of Stinger Motorsports, just announced that his car, the one on the left in today’s CPotD, has passed SCCA inspection. David is a skilled craftsman who has put together an awesome track car. The bodywork required to fit those huge rear tires looks like GM put it there, but I’m sure he spent countless hours getting the profiles just right and all the curves smoothed out. Let’s hope the red mist doesn’t result in a competitor marring those gorgeous surfaces.
Monday, May 10, 2010
CPotD #102 (Crave This Color Combo)
Actually, I’m craving the engine in any color. The bills are piling up around my house and I just read a posting on Virtual Vairs about how I should be sinking a bunch of bucks into properly prepping my 140 HP heads. So, I can really use some inspiration to keep my hopes up that those heads will actually get used by me in my lifetime.
This extremely clean 140 is mated to a Powerglide and looks ready to install. I don’t remember where I pulled the picture from, but to give some credit, I put Stansbury in the file name. It is quite worthy of Motor Monday CPotD honors.
Friday, May 7, 2010
CPotD #101 (Loadside Underside)
Here's a view you don't often see. You certainly don't want to see this orientation once your restoration is on the road. Today's CPotD shows a Loadside mounted on a rotisserie. A poster to the CorvairCenter forum used this photo to illustrate an error he made when installing the front suspension assembly - it's in backwards. Who'd of thought that could even be possible?
Since I've now featured a Loadside in a CPotD, I believe I've covered all the different Corvair body styles available from the Chevy dealers.
Since I've now featured a Loadside in a CPotD, I believe I've covered all the different Corvair body styles available from the Chevy dealers.
Lucy’s Slipping Clutch
I forgot to mention in my race-day write-up how Lucy’s clutch started to slip towards the end of the day. It’s probably related to the off-road excursion I took, so I’ll check the linkage for bent parts when I next get her up on jackstands. Currently, the clutch takes up right at the top of the pedal travel, so I’m able to safely drive the car as long as I gingerly apply the throttle.
Speaking of my agricultural experience, the left front tire was damaged during that escapade. When I first installed this wheel and tire combination the edge of the tire rubbed the inner flange of the wheelwell, so I took a two-by-four and flattened the flange against the inside of the wheelwell. Monday when that side dug into the mud with the wheel turned, the tire caught the edge of the flange. The flange grabbed into the tire and was un-flattened. Once I was back in the pits, I borrowed a hammer and re-flattened the flange, but didn’t check out the tire. This morning I noticed the cuts in the rubber, so I snapped a few pictures with the camera in my cellphone. The rubber’s still intact, the cut's not into the cords, and I haven’t noticed any vibration in the steering, so I’m just going to rotate the tires while the car’s up on jackstands for the clutch repair.
Speaking of my agricultural experience, the left front tire was damaged during that escapade. When I first installed this wheel and tire combination the edge of the tire rubbed the inner flange of the wheelwell, so I took a two-by-four and flattened the flange against the inside of the wheelwell. Monday when that side dug into the mud with the wheel turned, the tire caught the edge of the flange. The flange grabbed into the tire and was un-flattened. Once I was back in the pits, I borrowed a hammer and re-flattened the flange, but didn’t check out the tire. This morning I noticed the cuts in the rubber, so I snapped a few pictures with the camera in my cellphone. The rubber’s still intact, the cut's not into the cords, and I haven’t noticed any vibration in the steering, so I’m just going to rotate the tires while the car’s up on jackstands for the clutch repair.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Lucy's Punch List
So I had this punch list I’d hoped to have closed out before going to Summit Point. Did I? Nope. Id get to everything but changing the o-rings and valance bodywork, so I guess I shouldn’t feel too badly. Fortunately, neither of the two items that went undone prevented me from having another wonderful day at the track.
With all the time Ringo and his brakes sucked from my Saturday, I had to wait until Sunday afternoon before I could work on Lucy. I got the racing harness installed and the brake rod adjusted. That last task was a pain in the butt. The inboard end of the rod is threaded into a block attached to the brake pedal. There’s a jam nut snugged against the face of the block to prevent its movement. Halfway down the rod is a knurled collar. You’re supposed to be able to simply loosen the jam nut, and rotate the rod using a pliers on the collar. Even after dousing the joints with my magic penetrating concoction, it was a serious chore to turn the jam nut. Fifteen difficult degrees at a time, I turned the nut towards the color. When it bound with the knurl, the rod finally started turning. After moving it to the new position I felt comfortable with, I tried to hold the knurl with the vise grips while turning the jam nut. The rod just spun with the nut. I decided to leave it without the jam nut jamming.
After that I worked on the front valance getting half of the patchwork done before running out of welding wire. At that point it was time to pack tools and the rest of the accouterments required for a day pushing the mechanical limits of my nearly fifty year old car.
I ended up happy that I hadn’t spent any more time on the valance since it got mostly ripped away by the tow rope that drug me to the pits Monday. Oh well, I wasn’t happy with the job anyway. The metal I used for the patch was thinner than the car’s sheetmetal, so I had to use a lighter setting on my MIG welder to keep from blowing out the patch. That meant I didn’t get good penetration of the weld in base metal. I’m going to try and get an actual valance to do the patch correctly. If I strike out there, I can use the old patch as a template.
With all the time Ringo and his brakes sucked from my Saturday, I had to wait until Sunday afternoon before I could work on Lucy. I got the racing harness installed and the brake rod adjusted. That last task was a pain in the butt. The inboard end of the rod is threaded into a block attached to the brake pedal. There’s a jam nut snugged against the face of the block to prevent its movement. Halfway down the rod is a knurled collar. You’re supposed to be able to simply loosen the jam nut, and rotate the rod using a pliers on the collar. Even after dousing the joints with my magic penetrating concoction, it was a serious chore to turn the jam nut. Fifteen difficult degrees at a time, I turned the nut towards the color. When it bound with the knurl, the rod finally started turning. After moving it to the new position I felt comfortable with, I tried to hold the knurl with the vise grips while turning the jam nut. The rod just spun with the nut. I decided to leave it without the jam nut jamming.
After that I worked on the front valance getting half of the patchwork done before running out of welding wire. At that point it was time to pack tools and the rest of the accouterments required for a day pushing the mechanical limits of my nearly fifty year old car.I ended up happy that I hadn’t spent any more time on the valance since it got mostly ripped away by the tow rope that drug me to the pits Monday. Oh well, I wasn’t happy with the job anyway. The metal I used for the patch was thinner than the car’s sheetmetal, so I had to use a lighter setting on my MIG welder to keep from blowing out the patch. That meant I didn’t get good penetration of the weld in base metal. I’m going to try and get an actual valance to do the patch correctly. If I strike out there, I can use the old patch as a template.
CPotD #100 (Had to Be the BEST)
The one-hundredth Corvair Photo of the Day had to be extra special. This photo popped up when I clicked the CorvairCenter forum thread called, “Who makes these wheels?” It’s been a CPotD subject before, but since it’s the most desirable Corvair I’ve seen, this new picture got the honors.
Also, check out the custom EM in the background. It looks to be a Model 700 with the chrome beltline that I love. The two-tone look is oh so hot as well.
Also, check out the custom EM in the background. It looks to be a Model 700 with the chrome beltline that I love. The two-tone look is oh so hot as well.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Ringo’s Sticking Cable
So Ariel told me last week that her car’s brakes were making noise. Fortunately, she was planning on coming home that Friday. So Saturday I pulled the left rear hub and all looked fine. Pulling the right rear hub exposed a much different situation. The front shoe had only a sliver of lining left, while the rear shoe had less and part of the lining was actually floating loose from the metal. I went to my collection of GUPs, but surprisingly came up empty. I tried Napa and Carquest, but neither had any shoes in stock. Next I called Gary, but he was unavailable. Finally, Rich (also in the Corvair club) came to the rescue. He had a bag of used shoes and I was able to find two that would get Ringo back on the road.
I got home with the shoes and had them installed in short order. After some cursory adjustments, I decided to adjust the emergency brake cable to shorten the pull. After pulling the rear wheels up on the ramps, I tightened the nuts on the front-to-back cable and then pulled on the handle in the car to see the difference. It felt like it was engaging sooner which is what I was shooting for. I released the handle and climbed back under the car. The cable to the right wheel was still taut, so I gave it a pull and it haltingly moved out. The lightbulb then went on. The cable was sticking causing the shoes on that side to drag on the drum thus wearing them out prematurely.
For the next hour I attacked that cable with all sorts of lubricants and had both Brianna and Loriann exercise the handle. All to no avail. Since I knew Ariel was only driving him back and forth to Millersville one last time, I asked her to please don’t use the parking brake – park the car facing downhill against the curb. That would ensure the brakes wouldn’t rub.
In the meantime, I’ve ordered a full new set of shoes from the Corvair Ranch, and I’ve planned on how I’ll completely remove the cable assembly from the car, clean it thoroughly and then lubricate before reassembling.
I got home with the shoes and had them installed in short order. After some cursory adjustments, I decided to adjust the emergency brake cable to shorten the pull. After pulling the rear wheels up on the ramps, I tightened the nuts on the front-to-back cable and then pulled on the handle in the car to see the difference. It felt like it was engaging sooner which is what I was shooting for. I released the handle and climbed back under the car. The cable to the right wheel was still taut, so I gave it a pull and it haltingly moved out. The lightbulb then went on. The cable was sticking causing the shoes on that side to drag on the drum thus wearing them out prematurely.
For the next hour I attacked that cable with all sorts of lubricants and had both Brianna and Loriann exercise the handle. All to no avail. Since I knew Ariel was only driving him back and forth to Millersville one last time, I asked her to please don’t use the parking brake – park the car facing downhill against the curb. That would ensure the brakes wouldn’t rub.
In the meantime, I’ve ordered a full new set of shoes from the Corvair Ranch, and I’ve planned on how I’ll completely remove the cable assembly from the car, clean it thoroughly and then lubricate before reassembling.
CPotD #99 (Another Shorty)
I actually thought that someday I’d like to convert a 4-door EM into a 2-door hardtop ala the early sixties big cars from GM. Someone’s done it, and now I’m not so sure I like it. The person who modified this one stuck a 454 cubic inch engine in while they at it. This thing must go like stink. If anyone’s interested it’s for sale.
Because it’s so wildly modified, it’s Wacky Wednesday’s CPotD.
Because it’s so wildly modified, it’s Wacky Wednesday’s CPotD.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
CPotD #98 (No STD for Me)
The weather prediction was ominous – good chance of thunderstorms - so amongst the tools, spare parts, rags, gas, helmet, oil, etc., I stuck an umbrella and some Rain-X. As I drove to meet up with Jonathan Kendig to caravan to the track, the prediction was coming true – big time; it rained the entire drive to the track except for the last three or four miles. Thankfully, that was it - the rain held off for the entire day.
After emptying Lucy of all loose contents, I drove over to tech inspection where Terry Stafford carefully went down the NECC’s list ensuring I was meeting all the safety and mechanical requirements while I artfully applied blue masking tape to form the number 5 three places on the car. With a green dot "passed" sticker affixed to the upper corner of the windshield, I headed back to my parking spot in the paddock to wait for the driver’s meeting. Sitting in that meeting a few minutes later, I was surprised to find my heart rate increasing as Ray Zabinski went over the important info for the day’s event. On the way out of the room, I checked the list to see which group I was placed in for the familiarization laps. I was in Group A! I got to go out first!
Back to the car to don my requisite long-sleeve cotton shirt, grab my helmet, and drive to the false grid. As I sat getting all buckled up, I kept reminding myself that I was seated in a basically stock, forty-seven year old daily driver that needed to get me home at the end of the day. In other words, don’t do anything stupid. The first few laps were run under caution, but I found myself having to drive about as fast as I dared just to keep the car ahead of me in site – so much for caution. Then they cut us loose, and by the end of the first green lap, I had a string of three cars ready to take advantage of the one passing zone. For a few laps, I had fun running just ahead of Al Lacki in his Yaris. He was obviously faster through the corners but didn’t pass me in the straightaway until I let off to allow him to go past. A couple laps later our twenty minutes were up and it was time for Group B.
After Groups B and C had finished their twenty minutes each, they opened up the track for all cars to run until lunch at twelve. I was out there for most of that time finding the best line for me and the car. Later in that session, Randall Russell in his New Beetle appeared in my rearview mirror a ways behind me. I spent the next four laps or so trying to hold that distance between us. He’d have to let some fast cars by, and the next lap they’d be passing me. Finally, he had a clear run at me, but I’d decided that fading brakes and tires meant it was time to pull into the pits. He came in one lap later and laughingly accused me of leaving the track just because he had caught me. He was partly right.
During lunch Jonathan and I were talking about the lines through some of the turns. I was complaining about how there was a camber change through Turn 4 that really upset the backend of my car. He made the comment that a track instructor had told him to drive turn 4 flat out. That agreed with what I’d read on the Trackpedia website.
After lunch we all went out on the track again and a few laps later, I decided to drive through turn 4 harder than I had before. The rear end came out and I tried to catch it without lifting, but I overcorrected and ended up in the mud on the right side of the track. As I’m trying to straighten the car out and keep it off the tire wall, its rear end is wagging back-and-forth. I remembered to put the clutch in as I’m sawing at the wheel. Finally, the E-ticket ride came to an end when the car went into a sideways slide, ran into the tire wall head on, and bounced back to a stop. I remember three thoughts I had during the last few slow-motion seconds:” I don’t want to call Loriann to tell her I wadded up my car,” “Wow, that tire wall was REALLY soft,” and finally, “Where did all this mud come from?” At that point the engine wasn’t running anymore and I noticed that only the TEMP/PRESS idiot light was shining at me - no GEN/FAN. I unbuckled and climbed out to survey the damage. The guy in the corner stand asked me if I was alright and I yelled back yes. Other than a whole lot of mud on, and even in, the car, I couldn’t find anything amiss. Mufflers were still in place, all the wheels were pointed in the right direction, and nothing was hanging from the underside. There weren’t even any dents in the front sheetmetal - yes, that tire wall was really soft. I got in and tried to start the car, but while the tired, old battery turned the engine for a few rotations, it didn’t have juice enough to get her started. I climbed back out and the corner worker asked me if I needed a tow, and again I yelled back yes.
A few minutes later, I was on my way back to the pits at the end of a tow line. Shades of BeaveRun. I felt terrible that my miscue had shut down the track. They pulled me to a hose and I sprayed off as much of the mud as possible. Then, with help from Larry Koenig (VW R32), I was able to roll-start the car and drive to my parking spot. I left the engine running as I opened the lid to look and listen. Everything sounded normal, thank God. I found the GEN/FAN light and socket that had popped loose from its hole and put it back. After a few blasts up and down the paddock road, I was confident the car was ready for the track again.
At that point, the time trials were about to start, so I drove to the false grid and lined up fourth. I kept the car running not wanting the old battery letting me down again. I went out and put two fairly decent laps together. No excitement. After my cool-down lap, I parked the car and climbed the stairs to the tower that overlooked the starting point. It was great to watch and listen to each car as they pulled away then a few moment later see and hear them scream by on the straightaway.
When everyone completed their runs, Jonathan and I walked to the timing house where Al handed us a printout of the final results. I quickly scanned the list. I wasn’t Slow Time of the Day! I was twenty-fifth of twenty-eight drivers.
Soon after I packed up all my stuff and hit the road for the uneventful ninety minute drive home. Later Jonathan called to tell me I’d been given a coveted Tweety award for Fast, But Ugly. Thankfully, Al clarified in his e-mail to VV and FastVair that it was the car, not me, that received the award. A wonderful ending to an unforgettable day.
Miscellaneous final thoughts. Much thanks to the NECC guys and the volunteer gals for putting on a great event. It was great meeting more people from the Corvair world. Here's a link to the pictures I took during the day.
After emptying Lucy of all loose contents, I drove over to tech inspection where Terry Stafford carefully went down the NECC’s list ensuring I was meeting all the safety and mechanical requirements while I artfully applied blue masking tape to form the number 5 three places on the car. With a green dot "passed" sticker affixed to the upper corner of the windshield, I headed back to my parking spot in the paddock to wait for the driver’s meeting. Sitting in that meeting a few minutes later, I was surprised to find my heart rate increasing as Ray Zabinski went over the important info for the day’s event. On the way out of the room, I checked the list to see which group I was placed in for the familiarization laps. I was in Group A! I got to go out first!
Back to the car to don my requisite long-sleeve cotton shirt, grab my helmet, and drive to the false grid. As I sat getting all buckled up, I kept reminding myself that I was seated in a basically stock, forty-seven year old daily driver that needed to get me home at the end of the day. In other words, don’t do anything stupid. The first few laps were run under caution, but I found myself having to drive about as fast as I dared just to keep the car ahead of me in site – so much for caution. Then they cut us loose, and by the end of the first green lap, I had a string of three cars ready to take advantage of the one passing zone. For a few laps, I had fun running just ahead of Al Lacki in his Yaris. He was obviously faster through the corners but didn’t pass me in the straightaway until I let off to allow him to go past. A couple laps later our twenty minutes were up and it was time for Group B.
After Groups B and C had finished their twenty minutes each, they opened up the track for all cars to run until lunch at twelve. I was out there for most of that time finding the best line for me and the car. Later in that session, Randall Russell in his New Beetle appeared in my rearview mirror a ways behind me. I spent the next four laps or so trying to hold that distance between us. He’d have to let some fast cars by, and the next lap they’d be passing me. Finally, he had a clear run at me, but I’d decided that fading brakes and tires meant it was time to pull into the pits. He came in one lap later and laughingly accused me of leaving the track just because he had caught me. He was partly right.
During lunch Jonathan and I were talking about the lines through some of the turns. I was complaining about how there was a camber change through Turn 4 that really upset the backend of my car. He made the comment that a track instructor had told him to drive turn 4 flat out. That agreed with what I’d read on the Trackpedia website.
After lunch we all went out on the track again and a few laps later, I decided to drive through turn 4 harder than I had before. The rear end came out and I tried to catch it without lifting, but I overcorrected and ended up in the mud on the right side of the track. As I’m trying to straighten the car out and keep it off the tire wall, its rear end is wagging back-and-forth. I remembered to put the clutch in as I’m sawing at the wheel. Finally, the E-ticket ride came to an end when the car went into a sideways slide, ran into the tire wall head on, and bounced back to a stop. I remember three thoughts I had during the last few slow-motion seconds:” I don’t want to call Loriann to tell her I wadded up my car,” “Wow, that tire wall was REALLY soft,” and finally, “Where did all this mud come from?” At that point the engine wasn’t running anymore and I noticed that only the TEMP/PRESS idiot light was shining at me - no GEN/FAN. I unbuckled and climbed out to survey the damage. The guy in the corner stand asked me if I was alright and I yelled back yes. Other than a whole lot of mud on, and even in, the car, I couldn’t find anything amiss. Mufflers were still in place, all the wheels were pointed in the right direction, and nothing was hanging from the underside. There weren’t even any dents in the front sheetmetal - yes, that tire wall was really soft. I got in and tried to start the car, but while the tired, old battery turned the engine for a few rotations, it didn’t have juice enough to get her started. I climbed back out and the corner worker asked me if I needed a tow, and again I yelled back yes.
A few minutes later, I was on my way back to the pits at the end of a tow line. Shades of BeaveRun. I felt terrible that my miscue had shut down the track. They pulled me to a hose and I sprayed off as much of the mud as possible. Then, with help from Larry Koenig (VW R32), I was able to roll-start the car and drive to my parking spot. I left the engine running as I opened the lid to look and listen. Everything sounded normal, thank God. I found the GEN/FAN light and socket that had popped loose from its hole and put it back. After a few blasts up and down the paddock road, I was confident the car was ready for the track again.
At that point, the time trials were about to start, so I drove to the false grid and lined up fourth. I kept the car running not wanting the old battery letting me down again. I went out and put two fairly decent laps together. No excitement. After my cool-down lap, I parked the car and climbed the stairs to the tower that overlooked the starting point. It was great to watch and listen to each car as they pulled away then a few moment later see and hear them scream by on the straightaway.
When everyone completed their runs, Jonathan and I walked to the timing house where Al handed us a printout of the final results. I quickly scanned the list. I wasn’t Slow Time of the Day! I was twenty-fifth of twenty-eight drivers.
Soon after I packed up all my stuff and hit the road for the uneventful ninety minute drive home. Later Jonathan called to tell me I’d been given a coveted Tweety award for Fast, But Ugly. Thankfully, Al clarified in his e-mail to VV and FastVair that it was the car, not me, that received the award. A wonderful ending to an unforgettable day.
Miscellaneous final thoughts. Much thanks to the NECC guys and the volunteer gals for putting on a great event. It was great meeting more people from the Corvair world. Here's a link to the pictures I took during the day.
CPotD #97 (Fresh Motor for Monday)
I’d read about and seen photos of Mike LeVeque’s craftsmanship, but until yesterday I’d never attended an event where he and his current racing Corvair were present. I took a few pictures of engines at the track event held at Summit Point, and I chose to feature his for this Motor Monday. This car sounds mean and goes fast.
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