weekend recap

my plan for easter? well, since i don't celebrate...and had to work, anyway...i thought i'd take it easy. 

i got out a little early and thought i'd get my workout in early and just veg out for the rest of the day. 

but when your car buddy calls and asks if you have time to get together and work on the car, you say 'yes'!! 

if you've been following along, you know i had some trouble getting the old master cylinder out.

wait...did i blog about that or simply post it to my facebook page? 

well, regardless, you know i had trouble getting the master cylinder out.

my friend, Pat, and his lovely wife said they'd stop by and take a look at what i've been up to with the car and try to get those rusted bolts unstuck.

and he did.

now, before he got here, i had already undone the bolt to get the push rod out, because it was the least i could do. i also felt nervous about revealing the unfortunate realization that the old MC had 4 bolts, while the new one only had 2.
we discussed our options, once we got the old unit out and saw the space would not be filled by the new unit. and we had a busted bolt to deal with since, as i said...10 years worth of rust had built up on those things! not to mention the ridiculously tight space you need to get into to loosen the bolts!

but, in my usual anxious fashion, i couldn't stop thinking about how i got a part that didn't fit, when it was supposed to be made to retrofit these old cars. 

had i given wrong information and gotten a part for a different car? 

so i went to the source...first i checked my invoice: '4 bolt master cylinder...' Nope, that's what i was replacing.
so i went back to the website. the parts they make are all 2 bolt units....and they make an adapter to go onto the 4 bolt space.
so my mind goes back to the kit i got...i did vaguely remember a plate that i was curious about.
now, all this is happening late at night and then as i woke up for work at 3:30 this morning. which meant it was not the appropriate time to be rifling through boxes of car parts. once i got home from work, i did find it.
so now we just have to deal with the broken bolt and then misalignment of the adapter and the old space...

the space that diamond 'bump out' has to fit into is actually slanted, in the car. there will be a little adjusting before this gets put in

 in other embarrassing news:

those  emergency brake lines i was so worried about getting out turned out to be another simple clamp removal. maybe by the end of this project i'll be able to think 'oh, maybe it's just a clamp' when something seems to be stuck forever.

also this weekend, i ordered the bolts for the front hanger bracket for the leaf springs, which i will pick up tomorrow.
and my flange gaskets and oil seals came in...as did the brake cable equalizer.

all of that means i should (should) be able to get some work done on my day off this week.
but, as i've been learning every single time i go out to work on the car, there are no 'quick' jobs. it is my hope that i can fix the mess of brake lines i put in on saturday and move on to a little more work on the rear end.

and, as always...i'll be studying my favorite youtube videos!

and just so you're not all worried that i didn't get to relax on Easter sunday...not only did this amazing couple come over and help me out, they brought along some smoked maple bourbon that i've been wanting to try.

in the end, it was a lovely day.