The Great Pumpkin - '71 Duster

Well, if it isn't one thing, it's another. Two things I ignored knowing they could become a problem have come back to bite me in the ***.

When I did the brakes two years ago, I replaced every line and fitting in the car except for the right rear line that goes from the junction block to the the R/R wheel. I don't remember why I didn't bother with that one but I re-used the existing piece of crap. Of course, it wound up leaking. The brake fluid ruined my nicely restored brake backing plate and also left a bare spot on the rear under the junction block. Grrrrr...

So I made a new line which came out OK. I put the wheels back on to keep from constantly tripping over them. No fluid in the system yet but hopefully it won't wind up outside of it this time.

Number two was the driver's side lower control arm. So after I buttoned up the rear half, I moved to the front to start switching out the SSBC small bolt brakes for the Wilwood 10" drum spindle kit. When I started unbolting the spindle, I noticed that the UCA bumper was destroyed, like disintegrated. I was surprised, I never had a front end end issue at all. So that was red flag #1.

Red flag #2 came as I was putting the drum spindle into place and I could not budge the whole thing without lifting the car off the jack stands. I thought maybe since it was sitting for over a year that it just needed a little persuasion but then it hit me - when I rebuilt the front end two years ago, I bent the torsion bar tab on the control arm when I pressed the pivot shaft on. FuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhK.

I remember now it was a ***** to get the torsion bar in and it was also a ***** to align it. I put it back in the press to bend it back some but it was junk. Wish I had bit the bullet and replaced the thing back then but in the interest of moving forward, I rolled the dice and let it go. Guess it was twisted enough that it was forcing everything kind of forward and down in an unnatural arc especially when you applied the brakes. Scary. Really bummed at myself for this.

The icing on the cake was the left front shock. The inner part of the lower tube wedged itself against the inner fender where the bumper is and is now badly dented and gouged. I needed a pry bar to get it out of the control arm. It still works but I'm going to get another one. Grrrrr again.

Not happy about rebuilding another LCA. Thankfully I have another set of control arms, bushings and pivot shafts. I will also have to check the torsion bar and strut rod to make sure they are not bent to ****. Not likely but they have to come out anyway to replace the LCA. Not what I was expecting to do at this point but I'm happy to fix it. Guess it has to go back to the alignment now shop too. All I want to do is drive this thing, this stuff kills me.

At least the tires are off the floor.

More to come.