stelor

Thanks again, Charles. I appreciate the effort you made, including an advanced application of contortional gymnastics, to get those pictures. You da man. And I relate well to the not much room thing - those two doors take a lot of it to get them open far enough for inside work. I removed one defroster duct, after removing the dash speaker, after removing the glove box, and then I could get my hand (singular - not that I don't have two) in there. Needed light, but the light kept getting knocked out of focus, speaking of which, working at that distance I have to peer over the glasses. The pull-up cable goes on one drum, and the pull-down cable on the other, for each wiper. Simple, once you know how. I suppose that's in a body manual or a wiper supplier manual somewhere. I found another use for those rear fender emblems. I used one of mine as a mold, melted aluminum rod into it, and for a second one, solder, to make a head for my grille center. Sandwiched it between plexiglass circles, put a light behind it, and get along pretty OK until a correct one shows up in my price range of, well, low.

Hello, Charles, and thank you. I got my wipers sorted out - I used the muddle through, trial and error, take a stab in the dark, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again method that has served me so well, so long. I've admired your impressive (understatement) Pontiac, having seen your posts somewhere. Love the spoke wheel covers.

I have another problem - windshield wipers. The cables are off the drums that drive them at the motor end. (Long story) Which one goes where, and how is slack removed, so the wipers sit down nicely when parked?

My thanks to you, too, Tinindian. Years ago, I flattened the shaft of a 3/8" extension for use as an adjusting tool. It has since gone the way of all the earth, and was not among the goods and effects present on our trip south. I improvised using the tire iron. "Some fun, huh, Bambi?" When the apprentice asked the old pro for the torque spec, O.P answered, "As tight as you can get it, plus a quarter turn."

Thanks again, Tin Indian. I should have taken a closer look at the manual. Great pictures of your project. Wow, a lot of work to this play, isn't there? Some of the sheet metal and heavier metal work you had to do seems painfully familiar to me for some reason. My 57 hearse furnished an electric wiper motor for my 53, in an easy installation. It still uses the cables to run the pivots, and they're looser than they should be - another situation where I'm tempted to say the manual doesn't give adjustment instructions. But I'll recheck before saying that.

Hmmm...Thanks, Tin Indian. I think that would completely compress the coil springs inside, right? Then back off for slot alignment, just giving the springs the least bit of rebound/compression as steering inputs and road shocks are transmitted. It's a funny old system. And funny that it isn't covered in the shop manual. The picture of your 54 reminded me of the 51 Ambulance, body by Meteor(?-hazy on that) I got back in '79 or '80, on its very last legs, as an engine donor for my 53. And telling you that reminded me of the 57 Pontiac hearse I bought around then, in the hope that its Hydramatic would replace mine. Big disappointment - little in common but the name. Is that vertical chrome ahead of the rear wheel a simulated air intake, like Caddys of the era?

Hi, Can someone tell me how to adjust the center link end plugs, that screw in to adjust tension on a spring behind the cups that hold the balls of the inner tie rod ends. (I know about the part where you take out the cotter pins and use the slot, to screw them in or out.) My uncertainty is about how tight they should be, and how that is determined. Too loose, I guess the tie rod balls could drop out; too tight, steering could bind and parts wear. I want them to be like Baby Bear's porridge, "just right." The car is a 53 Catalina. I played with them, mostly tightening, on a Jan/Feb trip from NB to FL, and now I'd like to reset them.