Preparing for winter;or, we gotta fix those seals!

This is our awesome back window.  One of the things I love about this car is the back window.  I'd love to not have to remove it; but, as we've come to realize, rust is a bigger issue than I was aware of.
At first I thought the major issue with the rear window would be replacing the trim.  But, as we learned from my last post, it's leaking pretty heavily into the trunk.
So, again taking advantage of the relatively nice weather we've been having, I set out to try a temporary fix...at least for the winter.

So, here is the major water entry.  You can see the vinyl roof is has also been compromised.  This is the major area of roof damage, too.  I was so hoping to not have to also replace that, but I think I lose there.

I, of course, did not get an 'after' shot of the seal job I did.  I bought an auto/marine clear sealant and just put a thin bead around the entire outer edge of the trim.  I don't honestly know if this will even help at all, considering the damage I am sure is under that part of the roof vinyl, but I'm going to get the hose, or a bucket of water, to test it tomorrow...just being sure it's good and dry!

 

Now, onto the 'major' project I have been putting off since the car arrived at my house...the roof rails.

Perhaps you can see how the seal doesn't exactly form a tight seal against the window?  The day we 'washed' the car, the water practically poured right in and down the inside surface of the window.  Maybe that's why the floor is soaked all the time and I'll be lucky if the floorboards aren't completely rusted out?  Ugh!
I have been dreading replacing these seals.  First, I had no idea how to go about doing it.  I can't find any info on replacing these anywhere!  I scoured YouTube and all the manuals and car mags I have and there's just no mention of it anywhere.  Secondly, after the trouble I had doing the trunk seal, a horizontal workspace and a clear beginning and ending spot, I just didn't know how I would be able to glue that seal in place AND...what do I do when I get to the end, at the back window??  Just cut and stuff?
Well, miracle of miracles, this is what I found when I started to remove the old seal...

...NO ADHESIVE!

It simply gets tucked into the channel!  And, yes...at the end, I just cut the excess and stuffed it in place!
Of course, once it was in, I couldn't really figure out how the window was supposed to fit into the seal, but I think I got it. 

Not that you can tell from this shot, but after a couple adjustments, I was able to successfully do the water test without drips on the inside of the window!



 

So there you have it.  The major 'body work' I wanted to finish by winter, and before I felt comfortable moving onto the engine parts. 

This is where I really start to freak out!

Taking it slow: The trunk seal

Leaks.  That's what this car has going for it at the moment. 
We've discovered a massive amount of rust in the trunk.  There's also the issue of the soaking wet (not damp) carpet on the front floor boards.

Here's how my day went when I decided I would just change out the seals/weatherstripping on the doors and trunk...
Start with the trunk, to get a feel for working with the molded rubber and weatherstripping adhesive.  Then, the doors will be a snap.
Not really how it went, at all, though.  First of all, it took me about an hour to finally get the old adhesive completely off, so that I could have a nice clean surface for the new seal.
Well, surely putting in the new seal won't take too long, right?  Wrong.
It's not easy maneuvering that snake of a thing!  Add in the fast drying adhesive, I was working a couple feet at a time...when I finally got the nerve to put adhesive to car and seal; and, eventually seal to car. 
I couldn't remember how the old one looked when it was on!  I didn't know how to put the new one on!! Damn these parts with no instructions!  Thank you, YouTube!
I nearly put the silly thing on wrong side out!
But, at the end of the day, that new trunk seal made it onto the car.  Score one for me...first bit of new, installed!
Here are some pics (most are pretty much impossible to figure out, so I'll add captions):

Old seal...new seal

Lots of nasty old adhesive to remove...an hour with some GooGone seemed to do the trick.

Shiny new edge to adhere my new seal!

New seal! (Outside, looking into the trunk)

I never got to the door seals.  This little project took me almost an entire afternoon (of course, I also had other things going on that day, but the point is there was no time left!)

I still have the roof rails to replace.  And, of course, the very next day we had rain all day.  Good for checking my work, I suppose.  The trunk seal worked like a champ!

The bad news?  Well, that wasn't the biggest problem with the trunk leak.  The real problem, now discovered, is the water trailing across the bottom of the rear window seal, into the corner, and drip-drip-dripping into the trunk.  I watched a nice little puddle forming in the trunk.

I didn't want to replace the windows.  Doing some research, it has come to my attention that replacing the rear window trim on a '67 Barracuda is better done by converting to a '68 trim...the pretty shiny 'chrome' trim.  For now, I'm just getting it ready for another winter of sitting in the snow by adding a clear seal around the outside. 

Discouraged again, I took a look at my handy work with the trunk seal...surprisingly, that was enough to convince me that, though it may take longer than I'd like, I still want to finish this!

and then i said to myself, 'i may be in over my head'

My sister says, 'it's not dad...it's just a symbol.'  And with those words, I realized, this is now my project that she may help with now and then. 
With the little bit I've done now, I can tell there will be a lot of 'now and thens' in the future because this car is in worse shape than I anticipated.
My understanding was that the engine needed to be restored, some tweaks here and there, the timing was off before so that needed to be addressed...there's a bit of rust at the rear, but nothing major.  I mean, our brother's a welder, he can help!
But, oh dear, with every step, I wonder what have I gotten myself into!!??

There's the leaky window seals.  That seems easy enough for a girl with no car knowledge to tackle.  I ordered the roof rail seals, stopped at AutoZone for the adhesive, and took advantage of a beautiful day to see if I could make this happen.

Well, before I could start anything, I had to stop ignoring the fuzzies protruding from the visors.  It was pretty clear from the beginning that there had been a family of somethings living in that headliner at some time. 



Clever girl that I am, I decided that this was something that would eventually need to happen.  That lovely blue vinyl needed to go sooner or later, why not sooner.  I grabbed my utility knife and started cutting.  I mean, I couldn't make it worse, right!?
After a lot of cutting and ripping and clawing the ancient fuzzy padding from the roof, I got really scared...no one's gonna buy it now, until it's finished. 



Then a little reality hit me: I really want to drive this car.  If we get it running, I don't even car if the headliner has to wait until there's more cash! 

But here's where my anxiety really took over, and it has stayed with me...even now.
My friend came by to check out this car I had been talking about.  He thought it was cool.  He looked around, poking and prodding, examining inside and out.  My main concern (the rust) is what put me over the edge yesterday.

He had said, 'the floor is soaking wet under this mat.  You should get rid of that, and the carpet as soon as possible.'  Well, after pulling up the extra floor mat, this is what I saw.  Not just damp carpet, but muddy water that had been sandwiched between the car's floor mat, and the extra mat I took out.  I was not prepared to pull up the carpet just yet.  I mean, once I do that...I don't know...I feel like I can't do it by myself.  I'm going to need a support system for this one!  And at least a 6 pack or a full flask of whiskey!
Oh, and here's the best news yet...as if my stress level with this car hasn't already hit my personal best, all time high mark...
'You should also get any lining or fabric out of the trunk, if it's leaking, because the trunk will start to rust,' was another great piece of advice my friend gave me.

If only he had told someone else...like one of the 3 other people who had this car for so many years?  Big rusty holes in the trunk were not something I was expecting to have to handle.

But, it's our car now.  I can't live in the past and wonder why this car was purchased just to sit for all those years.  I have a tiny budget and I have to just deal with it.  Things will get done as I am able to do them.  And when this car is running, and I'm driving around looking like a crazy bad ass grandma, it will all be worth it.  Even if, right now...at this very moment, I feel like I am so over my head I want to just push the thing into the road and see what happens.





And so it begins...

 Parts are being removed!
The car is to be towed to my house (about 25 miles from where it is now).  Because of the headers and exhaust that were replaced way back when, we had about a 3" clearance between car and road surface.  This was going to make towing this car a bitch! 
It was already on the agenda to remove the headers and exhaust, so this past Sunday, we all met at Steph's to get the car ready to tow. 
Dan came with his grinder, to just cut the headers off, to avoid having to do any major work in such a time squeeze (he's busy...I have the in-laws visiting).  After some debate about the best way to do it, we agreed that going underneath, and just cutting the exhaust off, for now, would be the most logical. 

In theory, it would be quick and easy.  But nothing ever is!

The last pipe he had to cut through was in a position that made it tricky to cut without damaging other parts.  So I got to help by trying to bend it out of the way.  We ended up cutting the passenger side exhaust off, before going back in to get to that last pipe.

 District 9!!

 (this is when Dan simply rolled his eyes at me.)

 

During our cleaning session, I removed the air filter, so that we could shut the hood.  This last visit, I actually got to use my new tools and remove the old carburetor!  Seems real, now.

 

Also used my tools, and Dan's (mine is the little girlie set next to me) to take the collector from the exhaust pipe.  Yep, that's the other Purple Hornet glass pack.  Dan says we should use them...they mean nothing to me, yet.

 

So that's where we're at.  Ready to move the car, but not sure the best way to do it.  Well, we will probably rotate the back tires to the front, if we tow with Dan's truck.  Possibly not bother if we can afford a 25 mile flatbed tow.  I hope I am still able to drive when this thing is done!

 

Just a side note: all pics here were taken with Steph's phone, because I forgot to bring my camera!!



Project Detour

Everyone is onboard with the new plan to move the 'Cuda here, to my house.
Now, we just have to iron out details...I haven't spoken to my brother (the one moving the car, or getting his friend to do it) since I told him it was a 'go'.
I haven't talked to Steph since then, either.
My in-laws are in town...nothing is getting done for at least two weeks now.
New post as soon as things get moving again...and boy, do I hope it's soon!! 
Of course, once the car is moved, the money starts moving out of my bank account too...maybe I can wait just a little longer for that to start!

Can't hide the frustration

First of all...this post is going to sound a little bitchy.  For that, if you actually read to the end, I apologize.  If you're not up for the ramblings of a frustrated girl who feels utterly alone in a project she was to be a PART of...you may want to stop after I show you the new and improved 'after' shot of the seat cleaning.
So, in case you don't remember how bad the mildew was on our white interior...

Keep in mind, that I (Jen) was unaware of the fact that the window seals (luckily just the doors, not the windshield or rear window) were crap.  As we sprayed the dust off several weeks ago, the water just slipped right in.  Hence the magical amount of mildew our seats were collecting.  While I am in love with the white interior (!), I have to say that cleaning a black or navy interior would have been much easier.  Of course, while the white is not exactly white yet, I did get more gratification knowing just how much cleaner I did get the vinyl after just one scrubbing...

It's still more grey than white at the really dirty parts, but I am happy that a good cleaning is all we will need...no tears or loose stitching to deal with.

WARNING:  Now for the rant.

A quick re-cap of the history of this car:  my father bought it as a bonding project or a 'thanks for all your help' or something for my sister (Steph...the other half of this blog).  Soon after purchase, our older brother (Dan) had knee surgery and started spending time off with dad...and, making adjustments to the car per dad's instruction.  Dad, being legally blind and (at the time, temporarily, but eventually permanently) in a wheelchair; but, also a former hobby drag racer, decided to soup up the engine.
I don't know if it was smart thinking on Dan's part, or shear dumb luck due to our family's need to keep everything, but for each new part they put in, the original parts were put in dad's shed.
Anyway, the reason we are in the situation (a car with a too big engine) is not because of Dan (as Steph had suspected), but because our father thought he could make this unassuming coupe/sedan into a race car.

So, what's the big deal?  Now's my chance to learn about cars.  Not only that, but having never spent time on cars with my dad, I have the luxury of having a brother who wants to show me the things he has learned from dad.
Well, the problem is the drawn-out process of merely getting started!  How long is it going to take to actually get some work done on this car!!??
It sits there, at Steph's house...20 miles away from the only person who actually has time to work on it.  Here's the real kicker, the longer we go not working on it, the more obvious it is that we're not all at the same level of excitement anymore. 
And, financially speaking, I am likely the ONLY source of dough.  I have less faith that this will ever get done, each time I try to get things moving.

Here's an upside to the whole breakdown I'm having...Dan, bless his heart, still wants to help.  Maybe it's his desire to have a relationship with his sisters; or, perhaps he just wants to be in on any end results (such as a little cash, should we decide to sell the finished product).  But, whatever his motives, he's helping.  It looks like we will be able to move the car to my house at some point.  And Steph is okay with that.  She is more emotionally attached to the car, but she has admitted that I am clearly the major supporter of this project (especially since I'm the only one who hasn't spent my measly inheritance!).

What, then, is our next step?  Dan will either get his friend to tow the car here, from Steph's ('for just the price of gas'); or, he's considering it a possibility to simply tow the car with his new super truck.  Whatever happens, I'm guessing the car will be in my driveway by the end of September.  If it takes much longer than that to get this particular ball rolling, I may have to just give it up altogether, because I don't know how much more 'standing around' I can take.

Sorry for the ranting...I promise the next post to be actual car related information!

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.