OEM ambulance door gaskets are sweet. They are precisely cut and fit like magic. I once tried CCoT's gaskets and they were a complete disaster - I threw them away. Whatever they cost, OEM ambulance door gaskets (at least) are well worth the cost.
Builds '78 Refreshtoration, what next? (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Goldbug
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Goldbug
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When I put the hardtop back on a month or so ago, I did a really half assed effort at securing the front of the headliner, which is original. Had a can of gorilla glue spray adhesive and even though it said not recommended for headliners, I figured what the heck.
Well, the directions are there for a reason. It sagged after a week and I looked like a pizza delivery driver in a Tercel.
So I got a can of permatex to try to get it to just stick, figure I’ll do it right next spring when the top comes off again. Damn that stuff is good! I did it without removing the whole headliner. Definitely not perfect but pretty good for a 10 minute job. Used a paint roller to smooth it out.
Well, the directions are there for a reason. It sagged after a week and I looked like a pizza delivery driver in a Tercel.
So I got a can of permatex to try to get it to just stick, figure I’ll do it right next spring when the top comes off again. Damn that stuff is good! I did it without removing the whole headliner. Definitely not perfect but pretty good for a 10 minute job. Used a paint roller to smooth it out.
That made me laugh - I can so relate to that. I have slowly been eliminating some of the worst rattles, but quiet it ain't ever gonna be.
1911
chupacabra
I did that for a year or two; never could get any adhesive to stay in the Texas summer heat so I had a local upholstery shop replace it with marine-grade carpet since mine is not a restoration.
Goldbug
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So I've been having PS belt issues since I brought it home. Originally, it would whine very loudly when I turned the wheel very far in either direction, but would be relatively quiet when idling. I put on a new belt going around 3 pulleys instead of 2 and that made it whine all the time, but less loudly. I couldn't make it as tight as I wanted though, so I went and got the next size down from Napa and a new water pump/alternator belt while I was at it.
The new belt was a b!tch to get on. Wrestled it on with help from @cruiserguy80 and the result is beautiful!
Also got an October surprise today, was supposed to just be rain...
The new belt was a b!tch to get on. Wrestled it on with help from @cruiserguy80 and the result is beautiful!
Also got an October surprise today, was supposed to just be rain...
Goldbug
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Great job
Nice work, Goldbug! Looking good. Hey, can you link where you sourced that pop-out window latch? Ima needing one. Thanks!
Thank you!
Good info.
From your picture which can do you apply first, the spray adhesive or the Coors?
Made me think of all the times I tried to make due with what I had on hand and ended up making more work for myself.
Envious of the condition of your 40. fabulous unmolested old paint.
Goldbug
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- #55
So it’s been running like crap this week. I’ve had dizzy and timing issues so that’s what I suspected but I thought I had solved them late Tuesday night. Was really bummed driving it to work the next morning and it struggled to accelerate at anything more than half throttle.
I had reached out to @4Cruisers and @65swb45 about my dizzy and a Pertronix conversion. @4Cruisers was very helpful in identifying my dizzy. Turns out it's a '77 CA Spec 2F distributor. Makes sense on a '78 40 with a 75 F155 engine, right? Well Mark hooked me up with the right Pertronix for it, model 1662. I was wondering how long it would take to arrive from Cali though.
I reached out to @vfrer to see if he wanted to come help me troubleshoot while I waited for the Pertronix to arrive so I could at least take it wheeling this weekend. About an hour before he arrived, Artie the mail carrier arrived with a package from California! So we carefully removed the dizzy, taking note of the orientation of the cap, removed the points and installed the Petronix. Only wrinkle was that the wires and rubber boot were way too small for the existing opening so we drilled a second hole in the side and capped the existing.
Installed it, double checked wiring and started it.
It was miraculous. Like a new engine. Far and away the best upgrade I've done.
Full disclosure, I also replaced the bracket at Mark's suggestion and that may have had a big impact as well. The existing was missing a good chunk of metal. That seems to be a theme on Goldbug.
Couldn't be happier with it though, took it for a spin and hit 70mph.
I had reached out to @4Cruisers and @65swb45 about my dizzy and a Pertronix conversion. @4Cruisers was very helpful in identifying my dizzy. Turns out it's a '77 CA Spec 2F distributor. Makes sense on a '78 40 with a 75 F155 engine, right? Well Mark hooked me up with the right Pertronix for it, model 1662. I was wondering how long it would take to arrive from Cali though.
I reached out to @vfrer to see if he wanted to come help me troubleshoot while I waited for the Pertronix to arrive so I could at least take it wheeling this weekend. About an hour before he arrived, Artie the mail carrier arrived with a package from California! So we carefully removed the dizzy, taking note of the orientation of the cap, removed the points and installed the Petronix. Only wrinkle was that the wires and rubber boot were way too small for the existing opening so we drilled a second hole in the side and capped the existing.
Installed it, double checked wiring and started it.
It was miraculous. Like a new engine. Far and away the best upgrade I've done.
Full disclosure, I also replaced the bracket at Mark's suggestion and that may have had a big impact as well. The existing was missing a good chunk of metal. That seems to be a theme on Goldbug.
Couldn't be happier with it though, took it for a spin and hit 70mph.
Goldbug
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- #58
So this weekend I made a bold decision: I drove 222 miles in the 40, including on I-90 with a stop to smash it against some rocks halfway. Went to a spot in western Mass with @cruiserguy80, then drove home with a stop for refreshment along the way. I never would have done this with the old points, but with the new electronic ignition it's a different machine. Steering is the same though...
It did pretty well offroading, though not nearly as well as Jack's 80 with the extra weight, clearance and locking diffs. It was white knuckle on the way home, worrying that I'd busted something that would fall to pieces on the interstate. Probably not going to rush to do that again soon. But it cruised at 70 on the way home. I took @jmlockwood's suggestion and brough a pair of noise cancelling headphones. I think that's the only reason I was able to go that fast, if you can't hear the noise, everything sounds fine!
Slim pickings for food, but the beer made up for it. And nothing like 70 degrees in New England in November.
It did pretty well offroading, though not nearly as well as Jack's 80 with the extra weight, clearance and locking diffs. It was white knuckle on the way home, worrying that I'd busted something that would fall to pieces on the interstate. Probably not going to rush to do that again soon. But it cruised at 70 on the way home. I took @jmlockwood's suggestion and brough a pair of noise cancelling headphones. I think that's the only reason I was able to go that fast, if you can't hear the noise, everything sounds fine!
Slim pickings for food, but the beer made up for it. And nothing like 70 degrees in New England in November.
Goldbug
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- #59
On the trip this weekend, I thought I had fixed the cigarette lighter so I could plug in my phone to charge but about 10 mins in, it went out of course. Pretty frustrating.
I found @Racer65's post on here about removing the cigarette lighter and attempted to follow it. I removed the two screws for the ashtray and pulled that out to access it. Unfortunately, it did not want to turn, as there is some rust around where it meets the dash. I figured I'd do my best to clean up all the contacts, using a screwdriver, small wire brush and some penetrating oil. I also bent the two side contacts in a tiny bit with a very small needle nose.
While I had the ashtray out, gave it a quick refresh too, though the chrome still looks like crap. If anyone has a method for fixing that short of taking it to a shop to have re-done, let me know.
Put it all back in and the cigarette lighter charges now!
I found @Racer65's post on here about removing the cigarette lighter and attempted to follow it. I removed the two screws for the ashtray and pulled that out to access it. Unfortunately, it did not want to turn, as there is some rust around where it meets the dash. I figured I'd do my best to clean up all the contacts, using a screwdriver, small wire brush and some penetrating oil. I also bent the two side contacts in a tiny bit with a very small needle nose.
While I had the ashtray out, gave it a quick refresh too, though the chrome still looks like crap. If anyone has a method for fixing that short of taking it to a shop to have re-done, let me know.
Put it all back in and the cigarette lighter charges now!
