Driveabeater C3, never be afraid to settle.

Mr_Asa said:

In reply to a_florida_man :

I don't get how people lose wrenches 

I do. Someone will be working on the car and put the wrench down thinking, "I'll remember where I put this..." then get distracted and forget.  The other one is a tech who quickly places a socket somewhere "obvious" in the engine bay, then forgets as they rush to do a test drive.  Then I find said socket on the side of the road while I'm biking after the socket succumbs to the forces of vibration and gravity. 

TBH, this in one reason why I try to put away all of my tools at the end of a wrenching session, regardless of whether or not I'm finished.  Sadly, I've been rather lax with this rule since moving back to my cramped garage. 

In reply to Go_Gators (Forum Supporter) :

Pretty far.

I want it to be clean, neat, and fully functional.

Not every part needs to shine like new, but they all need to function properly.

Im tearing into it to clean it out, and to work back wards from resealng the body (firewall, doors, top, WS) and water testing that it is indeed leak proof-ish... lol.

The frame and bird cage are really nice, 

The #4 DS mount base has rusted and mushroomed, and I'm pretty sure that's what closed the rear door gap on the DS.

I'll probably do all 8... but Ill just raise the body over the frame just enough to work on the mounts,

a_florida_man said:

In reply to Go_Gators (Forum Supporter) :

Pretty far.

I want it to be clean, neat, and fully functional.

Not every part needs to shine like new, but they all need to function properly.

Im tearing into it to clean it out, and to work back wards from resealng the body (firewall, doors, top, WS) and water testing that it is indeed leak proof-ish... lol.

The frame and bird cage are really nice, 

The #4 DS mount base has rusted and mushroomed, and I'm pretty sure that's what closed the rear door gap on the DS.

I'll probably do all 8... but Ill just raise the body over the frame just enough to work on the mounts,

Sweet!, yea, hindsight, def do the mounts while the interior is out. Their age was showing in my door/fender gaps. It is sure to be a fun summer-time-in-florida job!

Ok, I have a process now that is giving amazing results in the paint department.

1. Magic Eraser and purple power. This pulls dirt and old paint off like crazy. It works better than 600 grit. Leaves it flat and clean.

2. Glass Cleaner and a clay bar... leaves it with a super smooth satin finish.

3. (Have not tried yet) Hi quality buffing compound and pad.

Sorry no pics yet  but holy cow this is cool.

Im thinking that this is a catalyzed paint of some type, and it has been exposed to the elements for so long WITHOUT EVER BEING WASHED that it has a type of oxidation that I have never seen before. And I've made pink cars red and grey cars black lol.

a_florida_man said:

Build sheet confirms what was on the car.

350/350hp

M20 4speed WR

Positraction

Optional 3.55 gear

Side Exhaust

Power brakes

Hardtop with Black Vinyl

Softtop was white

AM/FM Radio

White sidewalls

Daytona Yellow

STD Interior (Black)

Rear window defog

 

Dang that is about the perfect spec for a C3.   Great looking car already, can't wait to see what it looks like when you are done.  

a_florida_man said:

Ok, I have a process now that is giving amazing results in the paint department.

1. Magic Eraser and purple power. This pulls dirt and old paint off like crazy. It works better than 600 grit. Leaves it flat and clean.

2. Glass Cleaner and a clay bar... leaves it with a super smooth satin finish.

3. (Have not tried yet) Hi quality buffing compound and pad.

Sorry no pics yet  but holy cow this is cool.

Im thinking that this is a catalyzed paint of some type, and it has been exposed to the elements for so long WITHOUT EVER BEING WASHED that it has a type of oxidation that I have never seen before. And I've made pink cars red and grey cars black lol.

 

 

All right, it's been a half hour. Is the paint done yet?

In reply to SEADave :

Right?

Equal parts what it has and what it does not have.

No a/c, p/s, p/w, p/l, auto trans mission etc etc

Did I mention that this car came with a bunch of parts?

So many in fact that I have to go back tomorrow evening and get the rest.

Here is the first load--- which has been removed from shipping boxes and organized. 90 Percent are new. 
 

The "Matching Numbers"

Congrats on the score.  I'm excited to see what parts you have in the next load.... Also patiently waiting for the cursing to start when ya figure out how much it sucks to wrangle the 4 speed in with the fixed crossmember. 

yurme said:

Congrats on the score.  I'm excited to see what parts you have in the next load.... Also patiently waiting for the cursing to start when ya figure out how much it sucks to wrangle the 4 speed in with the fixed crossmember. 

lol I was wondering about that.

can you do engine and transmission together?

So a lot of people have been asking (on line and off), what are your plans?

Are you going to restore it? 

Is it a survivor? Are you trying to preserve it?

Are you going to modify it?

Well, in a word: yes.

All of those things.

I want to restore functionality of all parts of the car including fit and form.

I want to do so in the least impactful way, while also allowing for doing all of the things that will allow the car to last into the future.

I also want to keep the look of a well used and cared for car that wants to tell its own story... anyone can plop down into a restoration comprised of parts that were all made since the last time this car saw a fresh tank of gas. But where is the nostalgia in that?

Think about it, do you really want you classic car to be comprised of items there are younger than your kids?

Modifications? Well, in the strictest terms, yes. Pertronix ignition, hardened valve seats, optima battery, aftermarket headers and side pipes... cooler mags with bigger tires, all reversible things.

Preservation

Restoration

Modification

And since we evidently need a name for everything... I present to you GRM'ers the:

Presto-mod.

Enjoy.

A noble, respectable, respectful plan.

Have you considered an HEI conversion rather than Pertronix? My experience is limited to one defective unit, but speaking anecdotally, they don't seem to enjoy a stellar reputation for reliability or longevity. 

DarkMonohue said:

A noble, respectable, respectful plan.

Have you considered an HEI conversion rather than Pertronix? My experience is limited to one defective unit, but speaking anecdotally, they don't seem to enjoy a stellar reputation for reliability or longevity. 

Interesting.

I have had one experience as well, and it was the exact opposite.

I have had a pertronix (1st design) in a '57 Healey 100-6 for about 20 years. Never one issue.

I like the look of the smaller distributor, and Im not sure how well the HEI would fit.. additionally I'd need a tach drive, which can be done. But right now it sounds like I'll be having my second pertronix experience.

Copy that. HEI is ugly as hell, that's for sure. You could always carry a new set of points and condenser in the glovebox if there are any concerns about the Pertronix.

I'm curious now how visible the distributor is under the shield, and whether HEI would even fit under a shield made for for a small distributor car.

GM made a "small cap" HEI with remote coil, vs the "large cap" HEI with coil in cap. I'd look into that. 1980s C10 V8 should be the droid you seek.

AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:

GM made a "small cap" HEI with remote coil, vs the "large cap" HEI with coil in cap. I'd look into that. 1980s C10 V8 should be the droid you seek.

That's right, and a good choice too... parts are everywhere.. I wonder if anyone in the aftermarket makes one with a tach drive.

In reply to DarkMonohue :

Or a spare ignitor... :)

Being in the British and vintage Volvo worlds, almost everyone I know who has run Pertronix has had one fail at least once.  My own cars have a mix of Pertronix, points and one that has some Lucas version of electronic ignition (that amazingly still works). 

I'll chime in on Pertronix too, as I've sold quite a few to customers since they came on market....They used to be perfect... Ian's 20 year old one will last forever. About 15 years ago the quality nose dived, and since then I have had several warantee claims. Usually within 6 months of instal. 

7 Hours of driving, a couple hours of loading, and some pit stop time later, we made the second parts trip.

Full suburban.

Full utility trainer.

Now for the sorting.

In reply to a_florida_man :

Hearing the phrase "matching numbers" makes me happy. Seeing VIN stamps makes me happier. I had a guy try to convince me that a warranty replacement block was still matching numbers because it was replaced under warranty. WTF?!

When I said full... I meant full!

A few things from the trailer:

Was it originally an AC car? Or was he planning to add it? I see a compressor and an evaporator and some hoses.

Hood looked the worst of all, but with 2 of the 4 stages of cleaning I think it will be fine.

1. Purple clean 

2. Magic Eraser and water

3. Clay bar and water

4 3m 34134 and a power buffer

Start:

stage 1

half hearted attempt at stage 2 (I was hot and tired!!) 

There will likely be 6 stages total.