Shocks and One Sway Bar End

Hmmm... When they say sway bar link kit, they don't always mean it does one sway bar (two ends). Sometimes they mean a kit for one end. So I was only able to do the driver's side today. A second kit is on it's way. But I did get both new front shocks in. the towers on top were bent out of shape, especially the right one. I straightened them, made sure I kept 4" on center mounting hole positioning, and I welded a brace on one side to help them keep their shape. I can't imagine what bent them forward.

So then I was going to secure the tie rod ends but found that the '69 Camaro ball stud has a longer taper than the '55 Pontiac steering arm wants. I think a couple of hardened washers will do the trick here, but I'm fresh out. Ordered some from McMaster and I'll deal with it next weekend along with the other sway bar link.

I worked pretty hard yesterday so I'm taking it easier today. Not looking forward to the Dentist visit tomorrow.

Breather

I had one breather with a bad spring bar... the little bar that catches on the lip of the valve cover when you screw the breather on. So I'd ordered a couple new ones from CPR. I painted them black, as they come bare, but only one came out decent. I'll need to sand and respray the other. Meanwhile I attached the decal to the good one and stuck it on.

Then I figured it was time to replace the old alternator I had used from the '49er when I upgraded that car to a higher amp unit. Actually not sure if I had purchased that alternator new or it came off one of the '73 Cadillacs. Either way, it was having issues... not completely turning off the dash light, charging high then cutting back above a certain RPM, general flakiness. Fresh rebuilt AC Delco unit from RockAuto fixed all the above.

Drove the car over to Pep Boys to buy some coolant and topped off the overflow tank. That was it for today!

Oh... and the driver's wing vent motor has decided to start working again, all by itself. Makes me happy!

Alternator Upgrade - Mechanical

Fabricated the mounting bracket from a universal one and have the alternator physically mounted on the engine. Nothing is wired up yet but I used the original belt and it looks like it lines up perfectly.

I did an small extention to the factory bracket without any cutting or welding so it's reversible.

Carb Fuel Line

Changed out the old steel fuel line from the pump to the carb. It had been cut and a clear plastic fuel filter spliced in right where the power steering pump is going to need to go. New stainless line from In Line Tube (via CPR) and a new repro glass bowl fuel filter made it all better.

The line needed a bit of trimming and on the carb end I *almost* trimmed too much. But it worked out great.

Plug Wires

Put the new 8mm plug wires on today, and tried to time the advance. I could not find any timing marks at all on that damper. The spare damper I have from the power steering parts does have a pair of timing marks, but not the 3 marks the manual shows. Interesting. I timed it by ear. I think I want to re-curve the mechanical advance away from the "performance" settings it came from the manufacturer with. I got a full set of springs and weights to experiment with included with the distrib. Changed out the negative battery cable with a fresh on from CPR as the terminal itself was getting bad.

Distributor

Put the new billet distrib in tonight, along with the fancy 60KV coil. I don't like the coil much. And I can't say I'm super impressed overall yet, but I still have the old plug wires on there, which are not bad, but only standard wires. Also the plugs are at standard gap, so I need to pull, check and regap. I'll get a better feel for the difference in starting and running when I get a chance to corretly time the engine and get the rest of the stuff on.

Fuel Pump

Received my double-action mechanical fuel pump with 5/8" fittings and the corresponding flex hose from California Pontiac Restorations tonight. Got it installed with no problems and all leaks are now banished. I also have an electric pump to mount by the tank when I get a chance as a auxiliary for vapor lock and priming. Now as soon as I can get those license plates mounted I can go for a spin!