1974 Plymouth Valiant Scamp - Restoration is a strong word
The hood is back on, and the hinges are lubricated, but I'm going to pick up some nylon washers to try and take up some of the slack before I try to lower the hood.
Last night, I pulled the front bumper reinforcement off the car and chopped 35 lbs of it away. Then, I pulled the front shock bumper mounts off the car, drilled them and let the oil drain. This morning, I cut the shocks open, threw away the springs and pistons so I can tuck the bumper in about 2". Since the fenders are still off pending the hinges, I just slid the bumper in place. I think it's going to work out well.
I got new lamps and holders from the instrument panel, so I got rid of the few remaining old ones, cleaned up all the contact surfaces and put the new ones in. I hooked up a battery and tested all the lights using the pins on the PCB. While I had things apart, I cleaned up and spent a little time polishing the clear lenses. Not perfect, but definitely better.
Then I pulled the front bench seat again and used my $25 worth of universal zig zag spring supplies, an Amazon hog ring pliers, and a bunch of zip ties to cobble some support together for the driver side of the bench seat. Again, not perfect, but way better than it was. Before, I felt like I was sliding into the door.
I got the new turn signal switch installed and got the steering wheel reinstalled after cleaning the horn contacts, which were pretty dark. I tested with a multimeter and should be good to go. Next, I'll put in new lamps at all around and hook up the battery and see if they come on, or if I need to do more digging in the dash before I can put that all back together.
The hood is back on, and the hinges are lubricated, but I'm going to pick up some nylon washers to try and take up some of the slack before I try to lower the hood.
Last night, I pulled the front bumper reinforcement off the car and chopped 35 lbs of it away. Then, I pulled the front shock bumper mounts off the car, drilled them and let the oil drain. This morning, I cut the shocks open, threw away the springs and pistons so I can tuck the bumper in about 2". Since the fenders are still off pending the hinges, I just slid the bumper in place. I think it's going to work out well.
I got new lamps and holders from the instrument panel, so I got rid of the few remaining old ones, cleaned up all the contact surfaces and put the new ones in. I hooked up a battery and tested all the lights using the pins on the PCB. While I had things apart, I cleaned up and spent a little time polishing the clear lenses. Not perfect, but definitely better.
Then I pulled the front bench seat again and used my $25 worth of universal zig zag spring supplies, an Amazon hog ring pliers, and a bunch of zip ties to cobble some support together for the driver side of the bench seat. Again, not perfect, but way better than it was. Before, I felt like I was sliding into the door.
I got the new turn signal switch installed and got the steering wheel reinstalled after cleaning the horn contacts, which were pretty dark. I tested with a multimeter and should be good to go. Next, I'll put in new lamps at all around and hook up the battery and see if they come on, or if I need to do more digging in the dash before I can put that all back together.