Hello all! First off I'll admit I'm a bit late in this, I've had the Commodore for about a year now, but only started working on it since January.
A little background. I'm a young'un, turning 23 in about a week, but certainly not unfamiliar with the fun and frustration of older vehicles. In my collection, there is a modern Subaru that I spent a summer building a supercharger setup for, an '83 Porsche 944 used as a track rat, and then the oldies. Given to me by my grandfather when he moved and no longer had room, a 1966 Volkswagen Squareback! This is an all-original survivor, it was only driven in the summer.
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Then of course, the Commodore, "Bluega". There is a TSD rally called "The Great Race" which is limited to old vehicles (this year the cutoff was moved up to 1972). In 2012, I competed in the Squareback, but for a multitude of reasons it wasn't a good car (lack of power being one!). So I set out in search of another candidate. Primarily the race needs torque and handling, but also the older the better, as there's an adjustment factor applied for the age. Now, I'm a little too young to really like the old speedsters from the 20's and 30's. My father, on the other hand, has no problem with that and he's running a '32 Buick with a speedster body this year in the Race. I had fallen in love with the step-down bodies, and they check most of the requirements. The main challenge was finding one in good enough condition it could be run, but bad enough condition it wouldn't be a shame to rag it hard. At first glance, this may not seem to fit:
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But when you dig down a little, it becomes clear she's not exactly new. What you may not be able to see is the front-most water neck mounting hole is broken off the front of the head.
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Also, there was just a SMALL amount of frame repair needed...
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Luckily I came armed with a MIG welder! 👿
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So this is where she sits today:
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It came with spares of just about everything, as well as most of the documentation you could ever want (including the 1950 original bill of sale!). Right now Bluega is running, but not without issues...
While the stuck clutch did come free, the pedal is VERY near the top of the range to engage, and the clutch slips easily when changing to 2nd. As of yet I can't get it to slip once engaged, and I haven't yet had a chance to try the adjuster. Is the high engagement point normal, or should I be preparing to pull the transmission?
The driver's front shock mounting plate is not only gone, but part of the a-arm mount for it is gone. Fear not, a fix is in the works, I simply need to wait until I have access to our lift (the Buick is currently immobile on it).
Most of the chrome isn't on because it will be getting painted. Unfortunately no body shops have time to do so before the Great Race, so it will be rattlecans. At least they will be matched to the original Oriental Green thanks to Tower.
Finally, the most worrying, there is a shaking experienced when turning left, that permeates the whole car. When turning right, smooth, and when traveling forward, a very light shuddering (light enough I had to concentrate to notice it). I suspect this has something to do with the thumping when the car misfires at idle (the carb is running exceedingly rich). The tires are new and balanced, and the steering is tight. Right now our working theory is a slightly tight brake drum on the driver's side, or worn/missing transmission mount. Better ideas?
A minor annoyance, with a brand-new exhaust... There's still a leak. It's either in the header or the heat riser, but I'm having trouble pinpointing where, which is surprising considering how loud it is. Do the heat riser flaps often have this leak issue?
hello Eathan-
Looks like you have your hands full getting ready for the race. I would encourage you to go completely through the brake system and don't short change it! Make sure the brake pedal e-brake cable is properly adjusted so you have at least rear brakes in case the hydraulic brakes go south.
Sometimes you need to have the exhaust manifold planed to get a flat surface for exhaust flange to seal. sounds like your leak is bigger than that.
You could have an issue with the exhaust pipe flange not pulling up square to the exhaust manifold.
Wonder if the "left turn" issue is related to the A arm problem you see?
Keep us posted! Location?
Welcome aboard!
See that you've posted both here and on the 'Open Forum' - glad to see you've found "US" and hope that you'll be happy here, get to know us, and share your experiences.
[quote="Kerry Dancy---Wellborn,Fla" post=5503]hello Eathan-
Looks like you have your hands full getting ready for the race. I would encourage you to go completely through the brake system and don't short change it! Make sure the brake pedal e-brake cable is properly adjusted so you have at least rear brakes in case the hydraulic brakes go south.
Sometimes you need to have the exhaust manifold planed to get a flat surface for exhaust flange to seal. sounds like your leak is bigger than that.
You could have an issue with the exhaust pipe flange not pulling up square to the exhaust manifold.
Wonder if the "left turn" issue is related to the A arm problem you see?
Keep us posted! Location?
I didn't list it in here (mostly because it was forgotten in the amount of other things) but the entirety of the hydraulic system was replaced, and the mechanical side cleaned and checked. The fuel system too.
I've been wondering about the shock causing that too. Hopefully in the next few days I can find out.
I'm in the Troy area, though in a little village called Melrose.
Rick, I did find the open forum! I've stumbled on both in various searches in the past, just slow about joining.
Today was another set of errands- and an unfortunate discovery. The clutch is definitely giving up the ghost.
I've done clutches on modern cars, but even with the shop manual I can barely make heads or tails of the assembly. I do know I need at least an alignment tool...
One thing I note is that the shop manual never suggests that a possible reason for slipping is a worn driving plate. I haven't tried changing the fluid and getting the right amount, nor tried the adjuster yet. What's the likelihood these things may save me?
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