TheSamba.com :: View topic

Sun Jan 22, 2012 7:31 pm

I completed the trade yesterday and acquired a little ugly duckling that we have named Bella. She may look rough around the edges, but she has some pretty strong bones. Her channels are pretty solid and package tray are very solid. Gonna have to replace her pans, but I got a set in pretty good shape from the trade. Only major rust area I have seen so far is the bottom of the rear quarters on both sides. Will probably have to replace the hood, but will address that later. I have a laundry list of items that I will need to get her ship shape, but looking forward to it. I have all the glass except the windshield. They did throw in a (new in the box), one piece window set for the dooes. I think I will try to sell them and find a set of vented windows when I get to that point. First order of business is to get the body off the pan and get to work. Hope to be able to start that in the next week or two. I did keep the 1500 SP out of the 69 I traded to put in her later. Wish I could figure out the original color of her, but will all the colors, I am not sure. I was told that she was blasted, so I am not sure what is left of the original paint, and the color tag under the wiper reservoir is long gone.

Sun Jan 22, 2012 7:49 pm

Adorable!

Sun Jan 22, 2012 7:56 pm

Nice project. Make sure of what you have :wink: 4 bolt wheels, early pedal assembly

Sun Jan 22, 2012 7:58 pm

Ok, I see what you mean. When did they start the 4 bolt? Was that in 68? When was my pedal assembly made? Based on the pictures, what are you thinking?

Sun Jan 22, 2012 8:04 pm

ping349n wrote:

Good luck with that one. look like you got your hands full. your pan look rusted out on this pic.. :shock:

Sun Jan 22, 2012 8:08 pm

Looks similar to my 66. I am doing a full restoration. Take your time and think it through on all levels. Good luck and lots of potential.

Sun Jan 22, 2012 8:08 pm

should have 5 lug wheels and 65 was the last year for that style pedals.
But it can be all swapped out.
Does the VIN # on the tunnel match the title?

Sun Jan 22, 2012 8:12 pm

Unfortunalty, here in Alabama, we are not required to title cars 30 years or older. We only have to have a bill of sale. That is all I have. Next weekend, when the weather gets better, I will dig thru her and find all the numbers I can. Pretty sure that that the VIN number I have came from the tunnel because there is not one on the dash under the window. Will have to do a little more digging. Either way, I am pretty excited about my little project, especiall the price!! LOL

Sun Jan 22, 2012 8:22 pm

4 lug started in 68(usa) but ball joints in 66 so it is easy to make it a 4 lug. That pedal assembly probably 58-65.
The other VIN was on a tag in the spare tire well under the washer jug not on the dash. Your's looks to be missing?
you'll learn all about swapping parts now that you own one :wink:

Mon Jan 23, 2012 1:35 am

Get some 2X4's and make yourself a saw horse. My build link has 14 months of photos that might help you with ideas.

Mon Jan 23, 2012 5:17 pm

Went out this afternoon and looked around a bit before it got dark. The vin on the tunnel is correct and is indeed a 66. I pulled the cap off and the front breaks dont appear to be disk breaks, so I guess the mystery of the 4 lug continues! I do want to go back to 5 wide at some point.

Mon Jan 23, 2012 7:21 pm

Nice project. I too have a 66 I'm working on.

Mon Jan 23, 2012 9:56 pm

Good luck with this. I'm about to start a project myself.
Greeting from elsewhere in Alabama (about 2.5 hours from you.)
Heath

Tue Jan 24, 2012 10:52 am

Thanks for checking in Heath. Saw yours also. I had one that rough a few weeks ago and traded up for this gem.

Mon Jan 30, 2012 7:36 pm

I was able to clear some room in the carport this weekend and move Bella under cover! I also built a small workbench so I could work on her engine. I started the tear down tonight and was encouraged when I was able to turn the flywheel by hand and she turned freely all the way around. There are a lot of parts that are rusted to hell and back, but we will just have to see, once I get it torn all the way down over the next few days. Wish me luck!

Mon Jan 30, 2012 11:15 pm

shes sexy for sure... :shock:

Sun Feb 26, 2012 7:54 pm

After going to an awesome car show in Dallas GA, it motivated me to get my ass in gear and get some work done on Bella today. While the triplets were down for their nap, I got out and separated her body from the pan. All in all, it was not very difficult and only took a little over an hour. I did break off 4-5 bolts in the process. :evil: Guess I will getting an easy out set in the next few weeks! I am woring on prepping the new pans to go in and learning how to weld at the same time! Here are a few shots of what all we did.

So what do you think about this one? Ever seen this before? It was sealed up with silicone caulk and what appeared to be roofing tar!

Mon Feb 27, 2012 12:25 am

ping349n wrote:

So what do you think about this one? Ever seen this before? It was sealed up with silicone caulk and what appeared to be roofing tar!

Looks like someone hacked it up to re-weld the clutch cable tube or something. If they did that shitty of a job patching the tunnel back up, you might wanna double check the repair job. Looks like you'll get to hone your welding skills some more!

Mon Mar 05, 2012 6:20 am

Started to tear the pan appart this weekend but got sidetracked and built a cart to roll the body around on. Mostly, this was to keep the wife happy so that she could park the Tahoe in the carport since I was taking up two spaces! Very cheap and very easy to make and will make my life a lot better while working on her.
While trying to breakdown the pan, I have run into a small bit of a problem, I can't seem to get the pedal assembly removed from the car! It seems to be held up by the rod that goes into the master cylinder. I have loosened the clutch cable at the tranny housing, but does not seem to help. I can't get it pulled out enough to disconnect because of the rod. And to make matters worse, when the PO put this master cylinder on, the bolt closest to the tunned seems to be recessed into the cross member and I can't even think about getting a wrench on it. :-k I will try to get a picture of it if anyone can't picture what I am talking about. Any advise on either? Thanks!
Here are a few shots of the cart I built.

Thu Mar 15, 2012 7:16 pm

It has been a pretty busy last two weeks around the Boudreaux household so not a whole lot of work has gone into Bella, but I am trying to do something small everyday. Tonight, while outside having a cold beer and a cigar, I decided to get out a wet sanding block and see what was underneath the primer. Was pretty surprised with what I found. Too bad my fenders, hood and deck lid aren't original to the car.

Now a few questions for you folks. Here are a few pictures of the stud that I was talking about that is holding the master cylinder on the frame. It is in so tight, I can't seem to get anything on it to get it loose! Any thoughts???

Finally, anyone seen this before on the rear fender bolts? Both sides!