I
decided to restore the car over an extended period of time due to
budget constraints. I went to work on the mechanical side of things
since numerous items had been changed on the engine over the years.
The original intake, carb and air cleaner came with the car
but the old Rochester 4- jet was in pieces. I was, however,
able to find the correct rebuilt carb. The original Harrison
radiator was re-cored. A correct alternator was found (thanks Bill)
and installed with the correct brackets, etc. After a few months,
the little 283 was starting and running perfectly. Here is a photo
of the engine with the new carb and intake in place.
Next
came the front suspension and a conversion to disc brakes.
Although the car came from the factory with power brakes, they were
still drum type in 1964. I purchased a kit and decided to try my
hand at the conversion. The worst part was removing and replacing
the coil springs. Kinda scary to say the least. But, I managed to
get it done without maiming or killing myself. I replaced all the
bushings, tie rods ends, shocks, etc. so it has a completely rebuilt
front suspension. Below is a photo of conversion in progress.
With the
front end work completed, I moved to the rear of the car. I dropped
the gas tank and removed the entire rear end from the car so I could
clean and detail it easily. I also completely rebuilt the rear
brakes. Another first for me. After the brakes were complete, I
almost hated to slip the brake drum in place and cover all those
nice multi-colored springs and parts. The rear cleaned up nicely,
too, with all new brake lines, bushings, coil springs and shocks.
Before I
replaced the rear, I decided to freshen up the entire bottom side of
the car. This proved to be one of the dirtiest and most time
consuming projects yet. I removed the old exhaust system, drive
shaft, emergency brake cables and brake lines. Then I began the
scraping and wire wheel surface rust removal. What a mess. I wore a
respirator but still slid out from under the car looking like a bum
that lives in a van down by the river. I cleaned the rear portion
and sprayed fresh undercoating in that area first. Then I slid the
rear end back into place and bolted it up. I cleaned and repainted
the gas tank and and installed it. Then, I called for
reinforcements. My brother, Mike, was kind enough to come to help me
with the rest. We did more working together in 3 days than I could
have done alone in 3 weeks. Thanks, Mike!! We even installed a
factory exhaust system while he was here along with numerous other
tasks.
The car
is now at the body shop getting all the rust and dents repaired
prior to fresh paint. It's been quite a while getting to this point,
but I have more time than money. I'll post some progress photos on
that part of the adventure very soon.......I hope.
