D-grease! D-grease!

My split personalities were at odds today.  On the one hand, I have a craft fair that I should be preparing for.  On the other, that's not until November and today happened to be a beautiful day, instead of the rain that is expected for the weekend. 
My girlie side went back to sleep while I gathered up my engine parts and cleaning gear.  Lessons were learned today. 
Lesson #1: don't ever think that one box of 50 heavy duty disposable shop gloves will be enough.  Always buy multiples.
Lesson #2: don't think that buying disposable gloves will keep you from getting dirty...it's never a choice between gloves and soap!  You need both!
Lesson #3: if you are working on the lawn, and you feel something on your leg, either pretend it's not there; or, at least, don't forget your hands are covered in grease!

So, it was a learning experience today.  Not a mechanical type experience that I am eager for, but an experience, nonetheless.
I feel overjoyed with the work I did today. 
Before:

After:

I was using a product called 'Gunk'.  It's a simple degreaser that sprays on, sits for 15 minutes and then I scrubbed it off with a brass brush.  I still need to get some pipe cleaner type brushes and scrub out the screw holes; but, all-in-all I'm pretty pleased with the result.  Brother Dan gave me the can of red engine paint, since most of it has come off.  I will be researching original pics of this type of car, for authenticity's sake.  There's also the issue of the Purple Hornet exhaust pipes.  We have two, one is already on the car, and I'm just not savvy enough to know if we want/need them on this car.

I also noticed a couple things I thought may cause some issues when returning this piece to the car.

This is the underside...seems like a big gap there.  And, it's filled with dirty, grimy, greasy crud.
Then, there's this:

Those two ...um, I'll call them 'ports'...places where hoses probably get attached...seem a bit rusty and maybe misshapen?  Again, I don't know...maybe they are supposed to look that worn?  Maybe it doesn't matter once the hoses are reconnected?  We'll find out, I guess.  Unfortunately, if we are unable to put this back in, our options are to buy a new one (ouch!) or use the 4-barrel carburetor Dan put in.  And that opens up a whole new can of worms!

Whatever happens next, I'm really hoping to make some major progress once things slow down and the weather gets a bit cooler and less oppressive.

My first car show!

We showed up just as this cool Thunderbird (?) pulled in.  I don't know the year or any details, but I love the look of this car!  The hilarious part was watching this woman back into the parking space...'let her back up, folks! She's really terrible at it!'  'No! Turn the wheel the other way!'  Pretty funny.
Now, this was my first car show.  But I have seen THOUSANDS of pictures from car shows.  No body else had a camera, or seemed to be taking pictures; and, people were kind of giving me funny looks when I took pictures.  Is it not okay to take pictures?  I mean, no one actually said anything to me, or questioned me...I just felt odd doing it.  Probably just me, but I don't know.
Anyway, I did see one guy using his phone to take a shot of this Shelby:

(quick side note: that station wagon in the back is actually part of the show...there were quite a few new mustangs, too.  The only requirement for admission to this particular club is that you have an American made vehicle.)
There were a lot of trucks:

Some fun old cars, too:

Classic muscle:

Including this Duster...for sale...$20,000 OBO:

Gee, that engine looks familiar!



It was fun to look at the cars.  Seeing their insides definitely got me really wanting to get at the Barracuda...really start learning about what goes on in there.
I have plans to meet up with my brother this weekend and hopefully chat about what needs to be done and get some numbers...like engine size and that sort of thing.

I stopped by Steph's yesterday to pick up the intake, valve covers and other bits so that I can start cleaning!

I would love more of this, but I decided I should probably go with gloves while cleaning.  I do also make paper jewelry when my girlie side shows through...wouldn't want dirty hands for that!  (By the way, the pinky nail really is just because it's the only one that hasn't broken or been chewed off yet!)

Today I made my first trip to our new Harbor Freight tool store.  I bought some degreaser, a box of 50 gloves and a new socket set (among other things)!
Hopefully my next post will be some before and afters of the engine parts!

Saturday: A day of moving and cleaning

After my usual 4am-noon shift at Trader Joe's, I was off to visit the car, I mean, I was off to see my sister!  We were hoping (at least, I was hoping) that our brother would be around to give us (me) a better idea of where we should start with the restore.  Unfortunately, he had come and gone from dad's by the time I got to Steph's.  He told us to call when we got to Dad's and he would direct us towards the parts we needed.
Keeping in mind that all the car parts were in a shed, let's just say some stuff had to be left behind after clearly being inhabited by little furries.  We didn't get much in the way of tools, but we did get some major parts back.  And now I'm even more anxious...how does a person with no car knowledge pull this off!!??

Junk in the trunk.

Plus more in the back seat.

Back at Steph's, we were unloading the car when our aunt stopped by to hang out.  As she got the tour of Steph's new house, I gathered up a toothbrush, toothpaste, some water, magic eraser, and Armor-All.

Seats: Before

Seats: After...this terrible picture won't do!  New 'after' picture coming soon.

I scrubbed with all my might and still see the mildew on the seats, and along the back seats.  I am open for suggestions on vinyl cleaning/bleaching products.  After scrubbing the inside, the tour was over, and we moved on to the exterior. 

She's pretty shiny now...but we just used water, this round.  Next time: SOAP!  I took the new air filter off so that we could close the trunk the whole way.  I got my hands dirty!!

Clean seats!!  Get used to this girl, in this car!
So, after an already full day, I was hoping to hit the local car show when I got home.  However, by the time I finished up and got home, it was too late for me.  I love being done with work at noon, but sometimes it is hard to fit everything into the day and still be able to get up at 3 the next morning.  Luckily, the car show is every Saturday...and there just happens to be another Saturday on it's way!
Next post: car show pictures!! (hopefully)

July 11, 2012: the big first step

Tuesday, July 11 was finally here...and my stomach was full of butterflies!

My anxiety was at a pretty high level, not really sure how this tow would go.  This poor car had been sitting, waiting for several years...I was at work all day, wondering how I would handle the laughter from the tow truck driver, later that day.

I got out of work at noon, and promptly called my sister, who informed me that her friend would meet us at Dad's between 1 and 1:30.  I raced through traffic to get to Mashpee (10 miles, I'd say...40 minutes!!  At least, that is how I remember it).  Once at Steph's, I impatiently waited for her to gather her things, reminding her to bring the money for the driver.  And then, we were on our way over to the car.  Steph's new house is even closer to Dad's, and we got there in no time...just about 5 minutes to 1.  As I got out of the car, she looks at her keys and says, '[shoot]' (we'll say, 'shoot', since I think my mom is reading this now) 'I forgot the keys!'

No, you don't really need keys to move a car that doesn't run, but she had, for whatever reason, locked the doors the last time we were there.  We were also equipped with the old title, the Voluntary Administrator papers, and a copy of Dad's will and Death Certificate.  The car is no longer registered and she was nervous about that...but, of course, when you have people you know doing stuff for you...it never really matters, we didn't need any of that...we just needed the da..darn keys!

So, I raced back to Steph's as she called her man to see if he knew where the keys were (since they just moved and everything they own is still in boxes all over their new house.

We managed to get back to the house before the driver, even though, at this point I wanted to throw up from the stress of thinking he'd show up, find us not there, and just leave.

But that didn't happen...we made it back...he showed up...and the big move was underway.

(I forgot to get pics/video of the car going onto the flatbed...of course!)

Steph said I look like I was in severe pain, watching.  In my mind I saw the whole rear axle come out from under the car once the winch started pulling.  It was quite a site to see her break free of the dirt and pine needle bed she was slowing sinking into.  I almost wanted to cry.

Just a side note, the driver was pretty impressed by the state of the car.  That made me feel better about our chances of getting her back on the road.  I also found out, that day, that the only time my family ever drove this car was when Steph backed it down the driveway and then back up the hill!  It was towed to dad's and that is where it has stayed all these years!!  So that kind of cancelled out the optimism I got from the driver's comments.  (add to shopping list: more antacids!)

But, without further ado, and pointless yammering...



 He got her up on the flatbed, and we followed her to Steph's.

I loved watching her ride away, knowing this was truly the beginning, and we were gonna do this thing!

It was a bumpy ride, and I thought she was going to bounce right off the truck! 

Steph and I were giddy little girls at this point!  For some reason, when I saw the car bouncing around, I said, 'no, Jo! don't fall off!'  So, she is officially called 'Jo'.  Steph thought I meant 'Jo' from Little Women, which is appropriate.  But, I was actually thinking Jo Polniaczek from The Facts of Life. (There are nine years between my sister and me.) 

The release.

Home at last!

Steph's new driveway has a slant, but it is also double-wide.  Jo is placed off to the side, and on the most level part.  I would love to hose her down, but all the seals need replacing, so we are holding off for now.  The car cover Steph picked up had clearly been returned once before, and probably put in the wrong box...it was far too short.

My first glance at the engine...

 ...which, right now, means nothing to me.

I know my crazy brother wanted a bigger engine in this car, but we are planning on putting it back together with stock parts...the way she was meant to be.  So, somehow, we will be removing this to put the original, smaller engine back in.  Okay, here come the butterflies again...actually, think MOTHRA!  If we can pull this off, it will be the wildest story since...well, the last story of two girls doing something they know nothing about. 



The date is set;and, why it's good to work in a customer service field

Oh, boy! Oh, boy!!
Steph bought a house!!!!!!!!!  And, it's not far from Dad's house!  I think all my nagging has paid off, as well.  She originally said that it would be a few weeks after they moved in, before we could move the car there.  They were planning on sealing the driveway first.  But, for whatever reason they are not doing that.  I have been told that she is having the car moved on July 10!  The Tuesday after they close on the house. 
So, here we are, approaching the big bill.  In my mind, since my towing experience is limited to the one time my car was actually towed and a few weeks ago when I thought it would have to be towed, I was bracing myself for a bill in the couple hundred dollar range.  (Having AAA, I'm not really sure what towing costs!)  Of course, originally, we were going to have a longer haul, but I still wasn't expecting to get under $150.  But, Steph works in a bank.  She sees people in all kinds of professions.  Including tow truck drivers.  In particular, one from the place we were probably going to call for the 'Cuda.  He says he'll do it for $65!! 

In title news:  we were happy to find out that we do not have to get insurance or register the car in order to transfer the title.  That means, for a mere $75 we can officially be owners of the car!

Things are actualy moving...finally.

Even more exciting news:  there is a building across the street from where I work.  It was built to be a Circuit City several years ago, but has sat there vacant since the day it was finished.  I heard a rumor a couple weeks ago, and have now seen the banner on the building to confirm the rumor to be an actual truth:  Coming soon- Harbor Freight Tools!!  You mean to tell me, at the precise time we are finally getting to work on the car AND I have a little bit of extra cash, we are getting a major tool store across from where I have to be 5 days a week!!??  Oh my stars!!

And, in TV news:  I am hooked on the Discovery Channel's Fast & Loud.   It's just kind of silly.  I mean, I'm not getting any real car restoration knowledge out of it, since most of what they say means nothing to me, right now; but, it gets me in the mood! 
They throw in bits of history about the cars they buy and restore...chat about what they are doing...but, mostly it's just fun to watch.

As promised (well, not promised, but I did mention it in my last post from way-back-when)...
pictures from the ramp demo...





To the left of the car, just outside the side slider, the ramp covered the steps, and sloped down to a small landing...

 

...and then it turned to slope down the side of the driveway.



 Basically, the Barracuda was parked at the most level part of the driveway (the house is on a hill, the rest of the driveway is at a severe slope); and, then the neighbor boys built the ramp, trapping the car.

But, now she's free!!!

(No, those tires don't fit this car.)



Time to read my bible!

I bought this on Amazon.com today. 

We have been trying to wrap things up with Dad's 'estate'.  He didn't leave much behind, really.  And the problem we're having is changing over the ownership of this car.  The car was originally bought for Steph, but it was registered in Dad's name. 

But that's not the half of it!  We have no place to store the car, once we walk away from the house.  My driveway is lacking any real level ground.  There's a spot here or there, but it's not ideal.

Steph is living in a condo, where she is already using a 'visitor' parking space for her own car.  She has been trying to buy a house for several months, but we can't really rely on her getting a new place in time.

That means...I'll take the car.  And then when she moves, we'll move the car again.

Currently, we're looking at a car with 3 low tires and a flat.  And, just for fun, I found out that both front and rear brakes are seized due to the, at least, 2 years it has been sitting there, trapped behind Dad's wheelchair ramp.

(Unfortunately, I was not thinking and didn't get pictures of it's prison...but i will get some shots of the demolished carcass of the ramp to post later.)

Now, in my mind, I'm seeing a long tow from Dad's to my place; and then later, from my place to Steph's. 

But that's not the way to think!  The car can sit at Dad's for at least a couple more months before the bank starts getting upset about non-payment on the mortgage, right?  So we have some time to work on it while it's still there.

And, if it turns out that that is not the case, and we have to leave the property as soon as the final paperwork is filed for the will, then once it's towed here...we can begin work on it here, and perhaps be able to simply drive it to Steph's, if we want to switch it up!

Whatever happens, I am excited to get my new book!

And I am happy to report that Big Bro (aka BabyDan...he's Dad's junior...I wonder why we never called him 'D.J.'??) is back in our lives and will be assisting.  He's a welder, by trade, and has done body work on other cars.  He is also the only other family member we have around here who knows anything about cars. 

I believe, armed with our manual and a few knowledgeable people, we may actually be able to get this thing running!

Fingers crossed!

A death and a birth

Sadly, this post was prompted by the death of our father.
After a series of major illnesses and surgeries, he passed away in his sleep a few days ago.
My siblings and I have been cleaning out his house over the past few days. It was not a secret that my father loved cars...and everything about them.
Out of high school, he joined the army and learned vehicle repair. From the Army, he came home and continued to surround himself with cars by drag racing; and, eventually, working as an engineer in the auto industry.
In sifting through his belongings, it was clear that cars were his 'one true love'.
He had albums. Sure, albums of car-inspired songs from the '60's seems normal; but, albums of actual car races!? I remember him listening to those albums...just the sound of engines and commentators.
There are boxes of car photos. I believe, living in Detroit, he probably attended the auto show every year...judging by the pictures I've found so far, he was there at least every year he attended high school.

Here are a few from 1968 or 1969.

I also found an awesome old Plymouth key chain that we can use for our 'Cuda keys! I suspect it was from his own Barracuda that he drove when I was very young.

We have uncovered stacks and stacks of Mopar and Nascar magazines, Jeggs and other parts catalogs. I've yet to find his old Chilton manuals, but we have found other auto manuals.

He did leave the car to Steph and me. I am overwhelmed at the thought of having to do this project, even after his death. What started as a gift from a father to his daughter, turned into a way for two daughters to bond with him. That, in the true fashion of our family, turned into a sore subject, to be pushed aside and forgotten altogether. It is my belief that it was too hard, emotionally, for him to try to help from the sidelines.

It took a tragedy to re-visit it, and now, it will simply be a way for a couple of sisters to honor their father.

I hope we can do it. I hope, in the end, it doesn't just end up being a junky piece of metal that we are stuck with. We want to fix this car and take it out and tell the story of our father, and his love of the automobile.