Tim's 1968 J Code Hardtop Reply to topic

90Deg...
loosey goosey
dangerously so...
you sure its that much... you're off the ground there?

yeah, it was 90 degrees before i pulled the steering wheel of it. when i say 90 degrees, i mean quarter turn...

Once you change the tie rods, idler arm and tweak the box it will most likly be ok. In line with your original parts theme I've got a used set of original 67 tie rods here that are low mile and tight, no use to me as my car will run XY falcon ones to suit the draglink and stubs. Clean them and put them on.

When i got my car i had no grill ornaments. I picked up a horse and centre corral for $30, which is driver quality, so probably end up getting better stuff later. I did manage to steal a nos horse for $40 delivered, and hope to be able to show pics in the next day or 2 as its overdue...

I got the grill out of the shed today and straightened it up a bit. Some of the mesh was bent from stones being thrown up at it. I used the handle end of a flat file to poke though the mesh and gave it a few light taps to bring it back into shape. Worked nice, you can hardly notice any damage now. I did find one place that the mesh is broken at an intersection. Can this be soldered up? Its aluminium, so would soldering it be any use? Its still a very close 'snap' so painted you might not even see it.

i'm finally doing something on my car, be it some what asthetic, but at least it is progress.

I was wondering if there is any difference is paint prep for aluminium? I'm planning on stripping the paint, remove the wax and grease, give it a sand and see if there is some black paint laying around i can experiment with.

How does aluminium go with sanding? Should i etch it instead, or aswell?

Cheers

There is a resin cord solder available which does solder some forms of aluminium but it may be a bit tricky getting enough local heat to do the job.

If you use a stripper make sure it is not caustic based as this will eat the alli, sanding is ok but dont go nuts as the alli will scratch easily. Use a good etch primer that is OK for non ferrous metals, some can be used as a primer as well.
Good luck with it.
cheers

Thanks Nassi.

can anyone offer product names of paint stripers and etches that they've had success with ali?

if its striped and cleaned will it need a sand before etching? Or will an etch be enough?

Hey Tim , sounds like your grill is no better than the one I've got on the list for you (don't hold your breath , the body job seems to be getting pushed back for a while). I had some special aluminium solder stuff here at work & couldn't seem to have a win with on little crossbar on my grill. I just sanded my grill , supa-glued(don't laugh) in the broken little cross section , etched it & painted satin black.

I think mine will be hardly noticeable. Its only snapped at one end from a previous attempt at straightening a twist out. All it would have needed was a few taps with a hammer and its done but i'm not crying over it. It should be insignificant in the end.

what etch did you use?

call me crazy but Im actually looking forward to having some second hand parts on my car (ie ones that arent mint repro) I like the fact that its 45 years old and want it to at least have subtle reminder of its journey - oh yeah and Im a broke-ass MF who has to make my money stretch :rotfl:

btw not having a go at anyone JMO... great to hear you are making progress Tim, even a small step is more closer to the final product

yep, definately!

Been a long time since an update...

have been looking out for bargains whilst waiting for africa to come around.

things i have purchased recently:

camera case instrument fascia (NOS)
chrome scoop ornament set (NOS)
'Mustang' fender script (NOS - first purchase thats not so great but was cheap and i do have a SD set)
Fan spacer (OEM)
Air cleaner assembly with correct early snorkel and neat riser (OEM - resprayed and wrong stickers, heat riser has seen better days, but only 19.99 the whole set)
Light switch (OEM - Good chrome needs new switch)
Firewall pad (repro)
interior light and bezel (repro)
prop valve rebuild kit
Marti concourse repro spark plug leads

possibly a bit more, can't quite remember.

i am also ordering 2 sets of ac box seal so i can rebuild both boxes i have, and a set of repro lenses for the dash fascia.

lots more on the list, but its coming together slowly.

That reminds me, I have to return your radio bezel... (before I scratch it)
Was it repro or nos ?

repro, so don't stress. may be replaced if i find a cheap nos one.

I am still on the lookout for 67/early 68 Pulleys for AC + PS if anyone has them lying around, or can get hold of them from somewhere. i will post the part numbers when i find them again.

67/early 68 AC brackets, Original

67/early 68 A/C Compressor, Original

Exhaust Manifolds from an auto car - possibly have these accounted for

All of these from a 67/68 small block 289 or 302.

Cheers,

Tim

tim_morrison82 wrote

Exhaust Manifolds from an auto car - possibly have these accounted for

Tim

If you dont, you can have mine after I get the car upto Exhausted for the swap.
Not sure if it relevant, but I also have the stock single system.. Although there is a repair section in it, so may be of no use..