Restoring Rusty

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by hatzie

How does the plate thickness at the contact connection points compare to the original GM part?

Actually feels about the same, we'll see how well it works.

[Gregski]

dang it the local junk yards are having a 50% off sale yesterday and today but I'm not sure I'll be able to make it out there, sure could use a better radiator support

[Chrispbrown36]

Sweet jesus! Can ya pick me up a windshield?

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by Chrispbrown36

Sweet jesus! Can ya pick me up a windshield?

how much are they where you're at?

[enaberif]

Originally Posted by Gregski

dang it the local junk yards are having a 50% off sale yesterday and today but I'm not sure I'll be able to make it out there, sure could use a better radiator support

To show our appreciation we are holding a TWO DAY Toolkit Members ONLY 50% OFF SALE on all parts pulled from the yard, this Wednesday, May 20th - Thursday, May 21st. The General Public Sale runs Friday-Monday, May 22nd through May 25th.

Still have a sale the other days

[Gregski]

picked up a couple of these plastic storage bin organizer thingies from Harbor Freight, they are normally $14 bucks but I found a coupon for $6, now I gave up on Harbor Freight tools a while back but I figure they can't screw up plastic bins too much, LOL

now maybe you can relate, I struggle organizing car bits, like fuses, washers, butt connectors, light bulbs (why do they insist on selling us two when all we need is one) nuts and bolts, cotter pins, etc, it seems like every little thing needs their special nook to live in, so there you go

also from time to time I just stand in the middle of my Temple (some call it a Garage others a Workshop) and I say why can't I find the altar, where did all this junk come from, where am I to rest by beer

and I take a moment and I try once again to get re-reorganized

[Gregski]

mounted the driver side inner fender today and figure I'll share a few most recent pictures (yes I said pictures and not pics, I speak 40+ year old, LOL) of the engine bay, with the inner fender and them purdy (for a while at least) long tube headers, oh and the painted frame rail

not back for a blond Pollack if I do say so myself, but we're not there yet...

[Gregski]

what's that? Show us the original how we got it out of the barn from the church lady, so we can Stare 'N' Compare

here we go...

[greg64]

Wow, Greg, what a difference! Those inner fenders look great, considering the low-buck approach you took with them. Radiator core support next?

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by greg64

Wow, Greg, what a difference! Those inner fenders look great, considering the low-buck approach you took with them.

Thank you bud, low buck / high pride type a thing.

Originally Posted by greg64

Radiator core support next?

I think the bed will be next, going to take off the old one and drop in a new(er) floor

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by 69heavychevy

Could you post pics of your x pipe set up. I'm interested in doing a similar set up but concerned with clearance/routing issues. Thanks in advanced.

Not sure if you find these helpful, it was pretty difficult to take them laying on my back and all (too lazy to jack up the truck) also I know the U brackets should point up instead of down so they don't catch on anything, and I had them like that the first time, and the second and third time, but after 74 adjustments I just left them where they wanted to hang, LOL

also please take my word for it that these pipes are fairly even and at the same height, it's these camera angles that make them look like Stevie Wonder did the install for me

[Gregski]

A SUPER RARE SITE... a clean workbench!

~Approach with Caution ~

[enaberif]

Originally Posted by Gregski

A SUPER RARE SITE... a clean workbench!

~Approach with Caution ~

Mastercraft workbench at its finest!

[Gregski]

that's more like it...

[Gregski]

and so operation Tach You're It commences

there are three things to carefully disconnect before removing the gauge cluster

1. disconnect the mechanical speedo cable (cable looks and feels like the brake cables on your old 10 speed bicycle)

2. disconnect the mechanical oil pressure gauge by unscrewing a metal tube from the back, first undo the three screws that hold the gauge and pull it forward a bit (why it's called mechanical I don't know, it should be called hydraulic)

3, disconnect the thin ribbon cable that goes to one of the light bulbs, it may be an additional ground strap

[Gregski]

then we are left with some ugly cobra looking wiring harness

which for all intensive purposes we must study and learn, so here is the front side of the connector Pins #1 through #9 and their respected colored wires, we shall call this poor man wiring diagram side Uno

[Gregski]

ok lets check out the other side, here are Pins #10 - #18

[Gregski]

ok, so far so good, but here's where it gets interesting, I noticed that three wires loop from one side to the other, so wrap your mind around that for a minute

looks like the pink wire, the tan wire, and the tan/black wire are playing both sides (politicians are they)

[Gregski]

ok folks put on your detective hats because we have a situation, there is a lonely loose black wire it disappears into the wiring harness and appears to be headed towards the cluster connector, we must track it down

[Gregski]

ok, it appears the black mystery wire splices into another black wire that plugs in to Pin # 9 ie Ground, fair enuff, now we need to figure out where it was headed the other direction does it go to the fuse box, or screw into the dash somewhere?

[enaberif]

Are those the black wires for your ammeter that run from under the hood? Run a test with your voltmeter to test.

[Gregski]

so one of the side perks of upgrading to a 1978 gauge cluster is that it has the electronic oil pressure gauge, so out with the old mechanical one first

the mechanical setup has a metal tube that runs from the back of the engine block under the distributor by the firewall and into the cab, and connects to the back of the mechanical oil pressure gauge, yes oil goes way up there into your dash and could possibly spray you in the face @ 60 PSI awesome - NOT!

[motornut]

Maybe the black could be seat belts ?
Among everything else grounded they usually went down to one wire about a foot from the cluster plug in

[Gregski]

alright so had to go out and buy an oil pressure sending unit, they come in two flavors cheap (ie $8.00) and the one I need ($36.00)

cheap = idiot light

expensive = with a gauge

Pretty much right off the bat I knew we were going to have a fitment issue, this thing is just too tall and bulky to fit under the HEI distributor, any of you wan to share pics of your electronic sending units? that would be much appreciated

[enaberif]

You need to get a 45 degree fitting with a 1/4 npt male to I think a 1/4 female of you have room behind the intake otherwise you will need a 1/4 nipple to 45 female/female.