It's about time - My '68 Roadster project

[Gregs672000]

Ugly cam. I would test the springs. I kinda doubt the H grind would be the same as an R given the clearly different use of a fork lift vs a sports car. Source a decent R cam, and/or send yours to a grinder and have them look it over (Delta cam in Tacoma WA is good).

[SPLutah]

Thank you Greg. Can cam grinders typically repair something like the damage on this cam?

[Gregs672000]

Thank you Greg. Can cam grinders typically repair something like the damage on this cam?

As noted, they can weld up just about anything, but it does come down to economics. My U20 cam was showing some pitting and they had no problem surfacing that out, and the cam has been perfect since then. I don't know what is locally available to you, but the guys at Delta were happy to review pics of my cam I sent via my phone and advise me.

If you do end up shipping a cam somewhere, be damn sure to seal up the container really well... I lost a B cam in the mail sold to a member in Texas when it came out of the tube. Fed Ex paid me, but a good cam was lost and my friend in TX didn't get his cam...

[23yrRebuild]

I've often wondered if an H20 forklift cam has similar enough lobe centerlines and overlap, to regrind to stock R16 specs. I don't know where that info could be found. I guess Googling would be a start....

[SPLutah]

So a little bit has happened since the last post. Mike Young helped me source a good engine and transmission combo. Mike also had a cool set of Hayashi Racing Street 14s that I took a liking to and took home as well. For those who haven't met Mike he is a great guy with an unbelievable amount of knowledge on these cars. Such an awesome opportunity to meet him and learn from him. Per Mike's suggestion as well I am going to drop a 2 liter rear end as well into my 1600 car which should help things be a bit more tolerable on longer drives. For now I am going with the plan on getting the 1600 into the car and getting it running and then if the bug bites later(or the 1600 or it's 4-speed bites the dust) I will look at going the SR20 or KA24 route with a 5 speed.
So now I am working to get some more rust cleaned up off the floors, getting some rust areas repaired and need to repair door straps that have been ripped out of the doors. I think I will repaint the raw metal after that in the interior and leave the patinaed paint and drive it as is once it is running.
So here's what I have ahead- install clutch, balance driveshaft, swap rear end and do rear axle bearings, redo brakes front and rear, flush brake lines, new master cylinder, flush and recoat fuel tank, rebuild/refresh front suspension, install new shocks all around and Mike Young Springs in front, get the wheels lips polished and then anodize or clear coat wheels, install new tires, plumb and wiring checks, install carpet and seats, eventually track down a new softtop. Drive. That's somewhat summarized in some aspects but it's what lay ahead for my 1968. Really looking forward to getting the car back on the road but I know I've got a long road still.

Happy motoring everyone! Go cruise your working car on the 4th for me!

-Daniel

[SPLutah]

Pics below

[spl310]

Good deal, cool wheels too.

[SPLutah]

I've done a bit more work since my last post. I rolled the car out and took a pressure washer to the front end trying to clean off all of the dirt, mud and built up greats from the front suspension for an eventual rebuild of those components. I am thinking the ball joints are salvageable but won't know for sure till I start pulling things apart up there. For now I am leaving it all together till I get the boots for everything so as to try and minimize the number of parts floating around and hopefully preserve some knowledge about how to out things back together.
I also pulled the front brake calipers and tore them apart so I can send them in for a sleeve job. They were pretty stuck and only one came apart with air pressure. The other three required a day or two soak in ATF followed by a smack on the back of the caliper to move the piston and then an application of air with a bleeder in place to get them apart. Inside they are pretty chunky and most of the crap scraped out but they will definitely need a sleeve.
Question: for cleaning up the calipers and the inner piston can I simply bead blast? Obviously you would want to protect the bore to prevent damage there but it doesn took like anything other than the rubber seal is making contact between the piston and the bore. If not what is the best way to clean these up?
Still a long road but little by little I keep trying to chip away and get this car back to the road.

[SPLutah]

Some progress has happened in the almost 3 years that has elapsed since my last post. Not nearly what I wanted to happen but this car is still making its way back to the land of the living!
Taking a survey of the electrical in the car showed that a lot of it was very crispy and likely to cause me problems. I am not going for a full restoration at this point but I would like to prevent some of the issues that plague other owners - especially on the electrical front. Curtis had a full wiring harness that I picked up from him for this car which will save me a lot of headaches. With this in hand off came the dash to get access to all of the under dash wiring that will be replaced. With that torn out I was ready to get at the chasis portion. I have gone back and forth on whether to blast and paint the frame. I decided that I want to get that done as well at this point.
I have pulled the body and built a rack to hold the body over the frame in my limited space in the garage. With the body removed I was able to strip the remaining electrical along with the old fuel and brake lines. The chasis is nearly bare - I just need to clear out the front suspension before I send it for blasting. The suspension is in decent shape considering that the car was sitting in a field for an unknown length of time. I still do not know the full story of the car. The PO had purchased the car in Kansas. The car had a windshield sticker from Nebraska and a repair manual with a name and address of someone in Gurley, Nebraska. I have tried to get in touch with that person to no avail. Then the other day as I was working I noticed old service stickers on the drivers door from the San Francisco area. Oh if these cars could just talk!
Anyhow. I am in the process of removing the steering linkages and box. I am hoping that most of this is salvageable but we will see. The drag link has one joint that feels a bit crusty in one corner. The other is pretty smooth. Neither seems to have any play. I need to clean them up so they will have a date with the parts washer at work to get them ready. Still need to pull the tie rods and check them as well.
Once I can get the frame painted I am planning on painting up the suspension pieces and I have a set of Mike's springs that will go on the front end. The shocks will all get KYB replacements for now. Down the road I would like to do the Bilsteins but that's just not in the cards currently.
Not a ton of progress but moving along and a bit of momentum lately. I'll try to keep it going.

I will come back and add pics - I need to downsize them to upload.

-Daniel

[funkaholik]

Nice to see the new post and hear about your progress.
Keep up the momentum.

And, yes… pics, pics, pics!

[SPLutah]

Pics added

[funkaholik]

Love the obligatory “sitting in the engine bay” shot! I think I have one from every car I’ve ever pulled an engine on.

[Gregs672000]

Hey, glad to see the update! Congrats on your progress. They sure make it look easy on TV don't they! And fast! Keep pushing on!

[SPLutah]

Quick question - is the bolt toward the front of the steering box supposed to be welded in? With it like it is I am having a tough time getting the box removed from the frame. If that bolt could slide out I think I would be home free but with it stuck in there I make contact between the box and the frame or the arm and the lower spindle nut. See images attached.

I can always cut this bolt out and then redrill and replace but if this is how it is then I figure I should be able to extract this box. To me the weld looks like a complete mess. Not what I would expect from the factory.

Thanks for any help!

-Daniel

[Stick]

I just went a looked at mine ('69, but early steering box) and mine is not welded ... standard bolt head on that side and a nut on the other. Looks like someone welded that up a bit or maybe involved in some earlier damage?
Might want to try a Dremel on some of the weld tacks and see if you can free it?

steeringbox bolt.jpeg