Talladega or Bust - 1970 Super Bird Cleanup

[dadsbee]

Almost out of Scrubbing Bubbles, so I must almost be done this thing!

Top is Black again.

Think I'll give it one more cleaning, don't tell the wife that I'm going to steal her house can of the stuff !

Under column plate has been cracked since I bought the car in 1990. I bought a perfect replacement about 3 years ago to put in it's place. Even got the correct 4 x black screws with it.

 

[The Rebel]

Absolutely beautiful Wayne!

 

[Charger72]

 

[dadsbee]

Thanks! Where you been.. lol ! How's the car coming along????

 

[dadsbee]

Worst trim ring all finished and polished up. Not perfect, but a great 5 footer !

Trim ring installed. The only issue... when you make the worst one look better than the best one on the car it creates a domino effect...

Next trim ring up..

Grind out the curb rash.

Power sand the grinder marks, then 150/320/400/800/1000.

And then a session of power polishing.

Another one looking spiffy !

And repeat. Fun getting the dents under the inner ring.

All 4 trim rings done.

So close to being ready to roll.

 

[dadsbee]

Just couldn't leave the dented and bent rear window trim alone. Now I'm playing with $$$'s.

Successfully removed for repair.

Just couldn't look at this old dent anymore, hope I get it right as replacement trim is $1000 US for the 4 pieces and it DOESN'T fit!

Hammer and dolly.. here we go. Tie wrap in place to hold the gap on the rolled over edge.

Good thing I have a great collection of bucking bars!

Well look at that !

Filed and then sanded out, ready to power polish.

Retainer clip postions marked and ready to put trim back on.

Another huge success.

That looks better.

 

[dadsbee]

Time to stuff an AGM Odyssey into my old script battery case that froze and split in half.

Hammered and chiseled each divider wall and plate assembly out on each half. Broken battery sure made it easier than all through the case bottom!

Case cleaned out and measured for bottom cut out. Half way through I thought of the kid in the TV advert sitting on top of the battery pile with a hammer...

Size comparison.

Need to bond the case back together and make some cables and we'll be cruising tomorrow!

 

[monroegtx]

Wow. Very nice work.

 

[dadsbee]

Positive and negative lugs drilled 3/8" for bolts and cables and sanded clean.

Just happened to have these two cut offs of #4 sitting on one of my benches.

Add some terminal ends.

Solder them up so they don't corrode.

Noalox on the contact surfaces.

Cables bolted in with AN6-5A bolts and lock nuts/washers.

JB weld plastic bonder on the broken "seam" and strapped together.

Added some "stitching" with old rivet mandrels.

Entire tube of JB mixed up and coated overtop of the mandrels.

Whipped up a strap so the battery can be lifted in and out of the case.

 

[dadsbee]

Cables hooked up.

Battery in and space stuffed with foam. Lexan cover made and installed and some foam tapes so it doesn't slide around.

Odyssey always under specs their batteries. Pulls 800CCA for a LONG time, unlike regular lead acids that quickly peter off. I've been putting them in aircraft for about a dozen years now and have gone from needing to get a start by the third try with a normal lead acid to the fact you can taxi down the lake on just the battery with an Odyssey !

Battery in the car and clamped down.

Just makes things look correct !

Talladega here we come !

 

[dadsbee]

Glad I took the 150 hours or so to clean it up the best I could, in the available time I had, as we'll be parking front and center on the Russwood Estate lawn and at the Wellborn museum with our VIP passes !

Test cruise in the morning. Hopefully all goes well and I can stop by a few promised places and give a couple of fellas a ride for the free services that they provided to me on this one!

 

[71dodgechargerrt]

Beauty

 

[monroegtx]

Luv your work. It’s been a joy to follow along.

 

[71dodgechargerrt]

Hey Wayne I was just up at McCarthy's Shell getting juice for the car and the boy's said you were in with the bird today and its looking great. Bet its not often they get a Super Bird in there

 

[dadsbee]

Yep.. 2.5 hours of touring and stopping at shops to show her off. 7 hot starts.. zero coolant pukes.. no leaks. Even the power steering input seal "sealed" itself up. Must have just needed to go round and round again ! lol Even took it over to Bourgois Ford and parked it in front of the service garage!! LMAO !! Adam wasn't as happy as all the mechanics!

 

[dadsbee]

A good 15 years since it's left the yard... shake down cruise today! 2.5 hours.. 7 hot starts. Only issue a noise developed and I thought something was letting loose and then thought back to the old days as to what made that sound. Quick pit stop once home to tighten a Rallye wheel center and we're good to go! Power steering input seal sealed itself, guess it just need to go round and round again. Actually had to drain some PS fluid out of the reservoir and also had to add a quart of ATF to the trans when I got home. Fixed the trans dip stick tabs to hold the upper stopper in place. Tomorrow another tour I hope with the wife, and then she can get the "motivation" video !

The sound of a stock automatic is, unfortunately, pretty boring compared to a 4 gear!





Leaving the beer store.. again... lol.. there was a tractor trailer parked on the side of the road and I had to nose out across 1/2 a lane to see if anyone was coming. I go to back up and the fucktard behind me is 3" off my bumper.




The sound of the Rallye !

 

[dadsbee]

Apparently the town folk had a hay day taking pics while I was in various places. This one was shot while I was in the bank paying the F'n government my quarterly HST payment !

This one was taken while I was pulling into the Ford dealership to show them what a REAL car looked like .. LMAO !

 

[71dodgechargerrt]

Must have just missed you, what an a hole on your tail. I did beer store then the Shell the boys said you just left. Never thought I would find you at the Ford dealership. I had more things to do but whoever ordered my car new ordered the summer heated seats. (Black vinyl).

 

[dadsbee]

I hit Shell first about 9.55.. then Donnie's at Smiles per Hour to show him the car and take him back in time. He custom bent my exhaust in 1990. Then the LCBO.. and Ford.. and then Wyebridge machine/NAPA as I promised the guys I'd bring them the car. Then the bank, then the beer store and home !

 

[dadsbee]