Glinda Trifecta

While I was away for a long weekend visiting my parents in California, two packages arrived with parts for Glinda. Tuesday evening I was out in the driveway installing the GUP speedometer cable from the Corvair Ranch and the GNP pitman arm bushing from Clark’s. A few minutes after I jacked up (and properly supported) the front end, I began to smell gas. Thinking it was from a leaky hose, I searched all around the gas tank, but found no telltale wetness. I worked my way towards the rear of the car, but didn’t find the leak until I opened the engine lid and discovered a significant stream flowing from the fuel pump. My first thought was that the notoriously poorly made fuel pump was leaking from its gasket sandwich, so I snugged down the bolts that clamp the sandwich. No change. So, assuming the gasket was bad, I pulled my wrenches out of their drawer and began to remove the pump to replace it with the known good one to be donated by Ringo. Thankfully, I didn’t get very far in the removal since the first fitting I put the wrench to was very loose. Simply torquing the fitting down staunched the flow of fuel. I love an easy fix.

Back to the speedo cable R&R. The task went easily with the interior end of the cable coming loose from the back of the speedo with just the turn of my fingers. The hardest part of the job was slipping the grommet off the old cable and forcing it over the fitting and onto the replacement. I’d done it before, and was able to stretch open the hole enough to do it again.

On to the bushing. I poured some of my rust-busting homemade penetrant onto the threads of the nut and bolt and carefully spun off the nut. I did NOT want to break this bolt since I had no replacement for this special tapered piece of hardware. A few bangs with my new separator fork (thank you Bill) and the bolt was safely on the ground and the old bushing rubber was free to be removed. With the damaged rubber out of the way, the new nylon bushing (with grease on it) slid into place and the joint was made whole again with bolt and castle nut torqued until I could install the cotter pin.