My long build of a 1940 56S

[kingrudy]

Does anyone have additional pictures of the 1940 Super, or Roadmaster trunk? Thank you.

[kingrudy]

Warning this will try your patience. This is the beginning of making the templates to install the side panels in the trunk. I started out using a large cardboard box and clamping pieces to the horizontal brace to get the contour of the trunk correct. There are two tabs on the support for the trunk lid brace (two forward and two rear. I am using foam board for the complete template, it is cheap and rigid enough so it tolerates numerous fits to get this right. The left side of the middle picture shows (not to well) the shelf the covers the small compartment at the rear of the luggage compartment. I'm hoping one more session to complete the two piece template. I am stuck as to what to use for the final product. I need a material that is somewhat rigid and about 1/8" to 3/16" thick. If you have any suggestions I sure would appreciate it. Plywood does come in 1/4" thickness, but I think that it is too rigid. I included a picture (far right) of an original trunk from a '40 Roadmaster that Ken Green sent me, this is my goal. I almost forgot, I found the original material that was used in the trunk lining under the compartment at the rear of the trunk.

[JohnD1956]

It looks like the picture from Ken does not show side panels, but just fabric covering the inner wheel wells.  Considering the cu ft space of this model, you stand to lose some valuable trunk space with the side panels.  But if you are going to go ahead, I would recommend the panels that they use for inside door upholstery.  I do not know what the product is called, but  I thought it was available from specialty suppliers.

[kingrudy]

Thanks for the reply John,

I agree that it appears to be no side panels on the photo that Ken sent, but  if you notice the tabs on the trunk lift support below this leads me to believe that the car may have come with side panels for  a more finished look. These tabs exist on both sides of the support and there is a strip of wood on each side of the back of the rear seat which doesn't seem to serve a purpose. Unless this strip of wood is used to attach the side panels in the rear of the trunk. I wish I had additional pictures  of a finished trunk, but I'm working with what I have.

 

It's an awfully deep trunk, with space under the rear compartment and beside the spare tire, so I don't think that I will miss the space. 

[JohnD1956]

You are probably correct.  I see your car has two lift supports for the trunk while the vehicle in the other picture has only one.  Your's being a model 56S it may have had a higher trim level, but I am not an expert on the various models of this vintage.

[kingrudy]

Thanks for the reply John,

I am going to forge ahead with this plan. I have searched the web for trunk pictures from this era with very little luck. I will follow your advice and try to contact an upholstery shop  for the panel material. I found one place online, but it looks like they want to sell a minimum of four sheets. I figure one sheet should do it.

 

Mike 

[kingrudy]

This is the last template, very close to being finished. Note the two tabs on the support for the trunk lift and there are two additional tabs on the floor of the trunk near the wood covering the tool compartment. I found an upholstery vendor near by and I will buy the backing from him at the end of the week.

[kingrudy]

I will post the conclusion of my trunk restoration tomorrow, but I had to share my good fortune of acquiring two vent regulators off of ebay. See the photos below, both regulators appear to be new old stock. I don't think either of them have ever been installed in a vehicle. The seller of these parts stated that he bought them some time ago for his LeSalle  and no longer needs them 

. The regulators were produced from 1937 through 1948 for Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Chevrolet and Cadillac and are made of pot metal, so they are prone to failure if someone tries to open the vent without disengaging the latch. The part numbers are an exact match to mine T-77123 and T-77122. I am very close to having all of the parts for this car, finally!

[kingrudy]

The trunk is very close to completion, today I will finish the tool compartment cover and do some work on the mat which the spare tire sits on.

 

  When I started this project the only pictures that I had to draw from were from Ken Green and a picture from the 1940 Buick sales brochure. I did extensive research to find photos of a finished trunk from this year and there just is not a lot of information. So it came down to forensic research and letting the car talk to me to figure out what had been there in 1940 when it came off the line. There is a compartment that is located right behind the rear seat that had the original material in it (see below). While the fabric was soiled, it was in tact with a layer of burlap underneath and insulation beneath that to provide some sound insulation over the differential (I'm guessing). I was told that the car did not have side panels in the trunk, but the car told me something different when I noticed the tabs on the trunk support (both sides). So my conclusion was, against my wife's statement "it's just a trunk" that I needed to forge ahead and do this right.

To begin with I started with the back of the rear seat. I used the existing 1" strips that run vertically and the metal strip at the top of the trunk (where many of us in our youth mounted a speaker) to secure the material. The bottom of the material is secured by the 1" strip  that holds the lid for the small compartment at the very rear of the trunk. The lid of the compartment was wrapped in fabric and  fastened with 1/4" staples underneath.

 

The next step was to make templates for the front and rear sides. The most difficult was the front, as I had to fasten a piece of cardboard to the horizontal brace that begins at the back of the rear seat and ends at the trunk lid support. Then use  a compass to trace the curve of the rear of the car onto the cardboard (lots of patience needed here). The bottom of the template I made 1" below the compartment lid, so this section did not need to be exact, but there is a metal strip 2" wide that separates the compartment from the rest of the trunk, so this had to be notched and back to the compass to trace the bottom of this section.

 

The next section, shown on June 12 was an easy one except the upper front of this section is not defined. So there is a small strip of metal that separates the spare tire area from the tool compartment. I figured that when the cover for the tool compartment needs to be removed it cannot interfere with the side panel. So I stopped the side panel just short of that strip. I then broke out the compass again to trace the upper section curve as it slopes down to the tool compartment on a piece of cardboard  that I fastened to the tabs on the trunk support. The bottom was done in the same way and it curves a bit downward and then slopes to the tool compartment. 

 

I completed this by cutting two pieces of 3/4 plywood to length and drilling them for the appropriate sheet metal screws and machine screws, then wrapping them with fabric

 

I was puzzled as to what kind of material to use for backing, so I visited an upholstery shop down the road and spoke to the owner, James. James showed me some 1/8" plastic which could be painted, cut with a jig saw, sanded, bent and was waterproof. This was the answer to my dilemma. I purchased two 4' x 8' sheets and used all of one sheet and a little of the second. I will use the rest for the kick panels inside the car. 

 

I cut out the templates out of the 1/8" plastic and stapled the fabric on the back side. I considered using spray adhesive, but it is messy if you are not real careful, so I fastened the fabric by wrapping it around the plastic pieces and stapling on the back side. Installation of the panels went smoothly except the back edge of the front panel and  the upper front edge of the back panel. There is no where that I could find to secure these points. The car had stopped talking to me at this point, so I improvised. Using the horizontal support that originates at the trunk support I fastened velcro at the edge closest to the back seat and pressed this in place. For the pieces closest to the tool compartment I fastened one small piece of velcro at the upper corner closest to the rear of the car.  

 

Edited June 25, 2018 by kingrudy
Additional photo. (see edit history)

[kingrudy]

Rough day, I started on the electrical most of which is complete. I got a copy of the wiring harness instructions from Y n Z as I had purchased this from them seven years ago. I also have the repair manual, so between the two I was pretty confident. The car runs and all of the running lights, stop lights, head lights, turn signals etc. work. The dome light was never wired, dash lights, cigar lighter and glove box lights were not done. The wiring harness does not provide for these as best as I can figure. So after doing much homework on what was done and what needs to be done, I will pick out the appropriate color 16 gauge wire and start putting it together tomorrow. 

[kingrudy]

I took a break yesterday and went through the last box of stuff from the shop that did some work on my car. I found more parts for the wiring harness (I thought I was close to being finished), including the fuse assembly for the cigar lighter (see illustration from shop manual and part). Bob's shows this part in the catalog, but when I called him he stated, "sell when I get 'em, but don't have 'em now and nobody makes 'em".I called before I found this part and have no idea where it came from. Now I need to find the bayonet terminal. Called YnZ customer service yesterday and they are very knowledgeable and willing to spend as much time with you as you need to answer any questions. I also spoke to the customer rep about the wiring from the instrument light switch to the instrument lights being very short. He said that he would make a note in their files to make this a couple inches longer. There is a bulb right above the steering column that snaps into the speedometer housing and this gave me quite a fight. 

 

While I was taking a break from my frustration with the wiring harness, I showed the jack and lug wrench a bit of love. I sanded all with a 1000 grit sand paper then used a rattle can to hit it with two coats of gloss black and one coat of clear. I have enough material left from doing the trunk to make a small cloth case so they will not rattle around in the back of the car. 

 

I will declare this a study day, to see what loose ends are needed to finish up the wiring, also a garage cleanup day. 

 

Edited July 7, 2018 by kingrudy (see edit history)

[kingrudy]

After my study day, I worked on the instrument switch and light switch. If I had worked on this from the start (seven years ago). This would have been much easier, as the wiring was all numbered real well and everything matched with the wiring diagram in the Buick manual plus the hand drawn diagrams really helped. The problem came in when the numbers were removed from the wires, or were worn to a point where they could no longer be read. At times a wire would exit a loom without a number and I used a wire tracer to tone it out to locate the other end of the wire. At other times I used a wiggy to test for continuity (such as the #12 wire that exited the loom in the trunk next to the tail light). 

 

The instrument has six connections and two fuses. I thought it would be a good idea to make notes stating what the wire colors were and where they were going, as some of the numbers were missing.  Two connections come from the light switch, one to each end of the fuse. One connection goes to the dash lights and one to the map light above the ignition switch. Two wires go the the clock and light for the clock with a split for the switch that operated the glove box light ( still working on what the switch looks like and how to mount it. Any suggestions). Another wire goes to the light for the ash tray. I would love to do three or four more of these to get more comfortable with this (just kidding). Working as a volunteer at the hospital today, so I will be back on this tomorrow.

[kingrudy]

Today I decided to put on the glove box door and to install the glove box. I really thought that I was going to have an easy day, well I was wrong again. I started by putting the glove box in first, that seemed logical. I carefully put the u clips on the box taping the material with masking tape so when I put the clips on it wouldn't shred the cloth liner. The right side of the box went smoothly, but the left side took some massaging to get everything tucked in right. Next I tried to put the door on, you can't make any adjustments to the hinges once the glove box is in. So, take the door off, pull the box out and start over. Put the door on and line everything up (make sure it closes and latches). This was a bit of a challenge, but most of the car has been. I tried using the bumpers that I bought at Bob's, but the door would not latch even after several adjustment to the latch. Now put the glove box in and fasten all trim screws. Small hole on the left side of the box is just large enough to bring the braided loom for the clock and the light for the glove compartment. Tomorrow I will wire the clock and connect the wires on the other end to the instrument switch. When I work on the clock, I will refer the the third image below.

[kgreen]

It appears from the diagram that the wires exit the liner on the left like the picture I shared from my car.  But then it looks like a clip holds the wires to the left side of the glove box door.  Do you have that clip?  I'd like to see a photo of it.

[kgreen]

Think I found a picture of the clip.

 

[kingrudy]

Hello Ken,

 

Thanks for the information, I do not have this clip. It appears as thought it is part of the the wiring harness that connects to the instrument switch on one end and the clock on the other. My original thought was that this clip attaches to the glove box door hinge on the left hand side. It appears as though this not only makes the installation neater, but also serves as a ground. I very well may be looking for an aftermarket clip that at least finishes off the install. There is a ground wire that attaches to the clock.

[kingrudy]

I was studying Gary W's post on finishing off his clock and lamp install on his glove box and it gave me some ideas and more questions. If you go to his post "37 model 48 restoration on page 26 he describes the mechanism for making the light come on when the glove box is open. I am a bit confused by this, it seems as though it is part of the lamp, I have to read this again and maybe it will sink in. 

[kingrudy]

It was a good day, the left side of the steering column is complete and all wiring is done. On the right side the enclosure for the ignition switch, light switch and choke was installed and the dash should be finished off. The two screws that secure engine turned portion to the dash were quite a challenge, one hand behind the dash and completely by feel alone. I still have to put the light in the  glove box and the light for the clock. When I get the proper light sockets for this hopefully I will have a solution for the switch that makes the light come on when the glove box door is opened. 

 

The picture to the far right is of the seat brackets. I put them in some Evap-o-Rust over night and gave them a wire wheel treatment. Then I gave them a coat of primer and will add a coat of gloss black tomorrow. 

 

Looking ahead, after the dash is complete, I will give the floor the same treatment that I did in the trunk with a coat of primer and a coat of gloss black. 

[Guest]

That dang Greg Johnson might be able to help out with some dash electrical parts maybe?

[kingrudy]

I'm hoping so.

[kingrudy]

Today I got the dash completed (sort of) and got the two most important things, the lights and the ignition switch. The first illustration shows the key position (start) to the lock and remove the cylinder.  On the second picture (taken while lying on my back under the ignition switch) notice the blue circle.The screw is located at about the 4:30 position when you are facing the dash.  This screw holds the switch in place, it also makes sure that when you put the key and the face plate together, that the key will correspond to the positions in the first illustration. I took some extra time on this to make sure that the switch turned freely (if it doesn't, the car won't start). Place the plastic piece on next and secure this with the small screw on the bottom is the switch. 

 

The light switch is held in place by a male screw on the outside of the face plate and an Allen screw that secures the plastic pull to the shaft of the light switch. I know that when this is complete that I will have to go back and replace the plastic pieces, but that is not my priority. Right now I am trying to knock down the large projects and I'll do a punch list at the end.

 

The dash is complete for the most part, I still have to put the windshield wiper switch in, no big deal. 

 

I went to pick up all of the material for sealing the floor, will start on this in the morning. 

 

[kingrudy]

Yesterday and today worked on the floor. On the drivers side and passengers side there were four u bolts that secured the seat belts. The two easy ones closest to the door were taken out long ago. The two nearest to the center of the car needed to be removed (new seat belts will be added later). One side of the u bolt was three inches long??? The other side was only one inch as it ended right above a cross member. Both were a mother to get out with a sawzall and a box ratchet. I put bolts in place of the u bolts as a temporary measure until the new seat belts are purchased. 

 

Took a wire brush to the floors to get them as clean as possible, washed them with soap and hot water (probably not done in 79 years). There was a little surface rust near the back seat, so I used a rust reformer (Rustoleum) on these spots, sheet metal was solid, as the car spent it's whole life in Southern California. The last picture shows the final product after rolling on the Rustoleum gloss black enamel. I will let this set up for two days and then see what can be done on the cowl.

[kingrudy]

Waiting on a couple of parts for the front windshield and the rear quarter window windows, so I thought I would pull the window regulator and give it some love. I spent some time lubricating the spring and loosing up all the working parts and then I noticed that the nylon washers that should be in picture #1 are gone. I'm not sure how to tackle this one, do I drill out the carriers for the nylon rollers? Is there any other option? 

 

Also, do they still make the black insulation/ noise reduction material that is found on the trunk lid and the floors?

[old-tank]

57 minutes ago, kingrudy said:

Also, do they still make the black insulation/ noise reduction material that is found on the trunk lid and the floors?

INSULATION that I use on 55's in visible areas (it's gotten expensive, but is a big piece --- share or multiple cars)

[kingrudy]

Continued work on the drivers side regulator yesterday. First thing that I did is drill out the old roller guides. I used a 1/2" drill bit to drill the backside of the roller guide making sure that I wasn't too aggressive to remove metal from the regulator itself. The first picture is after drilling thee guide, then I took a pair of channel locks and twisted the piece to free it from the regulator body. Picture two shows the regulator without the roller guide. I used a little primer so I wouldn't have to think which side of the metal the new roller goes on. Picture three shows the inside of the roller channel after I used paint thinner to remove  all of the grease and gunk that had built up after 79 years. I have attached a link from YouTube that I found most helpful. I ordered the rollers and guides from Old Buick Parts for $2.50 each times three, I am not advertising for this company, but I couldn't find them anywhere else. As soon as they arrive I will post the install and results.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF1rok1yN9s

 

[kingrudy]

Received some parts today for work on the quarter windows and back seat flooring. I received some valuable information from Tom regarding installation of new rollers for the drivers side window. Parts are on order for those rollers and hope to receive them tomorrow.

 

Today I pulled the plate that covers the brake and clutch pedal to check the insulation and found that some was loose and needed to be tightened up a bit. I used some high temp spray adhesive to secure this. I also purchased the two boots for the brake and clutch pedals and installed those. I was able to stretch those over the pedals and no need to do any more dismantling. Next I laid that jute padding out to see how this was going to fit. The padding and the front mat were purchased from Bob's Automobilia some years ago. The mat was a pretty good fit, but there was no cut out for the dimmer switch. Brake, clutch and throttle all had proper holes provided, but nothing for the dimmer switch. The mat was the same (nothing for the dimmer switch. I have seen videos that recommend  using spray adhesive on i the padding, but I would say first check the fit, as the three holes for the gas pedal are very close to the exact dimensions of the two screws and the rod at the top of the pedal. I ended up enlarging them slightly in order to provide play and being able to install the two screws under the gas pedal. I still have some clean up to do, but overall I'm happy with this product.

[kingrudy]

The rollers that I acquired from CARS came with a 1/4" rivet. The holes in the window regulators are 5/16" so I did some additional research and found that Chevs of the 40s stock the correct 5/16" rivet. The part #3847282 Window Regulator Roller will make the job easier and no need to weld the smaller part. The first thing I did was place the rivet in the vise and cross cut with a hack saw (I have been told that this can be done with a chisel, but I did not want to take any chances). Next place the rivet on the anvil part of the vise and gently hammer with two ball pein hammers (If you have a large vise you can place the regulator and a small ball pein hammer in the vise and press to spread the rivet). Afterwards hammer the end flat as in the last photo being careful to not damage the roller. To install the window regulator I would advise looking at Youtube, there is a great site of the installation on a 56 Chevy Sedan Delivery EP 11. They recommend buying a new regulator, but that isn't possible that I know of. The  rest of the install was very helpful.

[kingrudy]

Today I installed the sill plates and jute padding for under the seat and the back seat floor. I used a spray adhesive to smooth out the padding and make it conform to the hump in the middle.Tomorrow I will put the mat down after cutting the material around the seat brackets. I am hoping to start work in the rear quarter windows to install the flexible pile lining with the stainless steel bead by the end of the week.

[kingrudy]

Today I installed the mat for the back seat. I was not able to find an exact match for the front floor mat, but I think that this one is close. Restoration Specialties has several patterns and they are willing to send as many samples as needed.

The next project is the installation of the flexible pile lining for the rear quarter windows that seals the window and provides a stainless steel bead around the window reveal. I have removed the inside window garnish removed the three screws  that hold the sliding window in place and removed the window (window tips inward at the top and removes from the inside.

[kingrudy]

Well, I had to take a few days off to do my civic duty (jury duty). Yesterday I finished up the drivers side quarter window with the installation of the flexible pile lining (fuzzy the seals the window). This is the first time that I wish that I had a four door as this process take a lot of patience. I purchased the flexible pile lining from Restoration Specialties for $17 for a length of 72 inches. They offered to cut this to save postage, but as you will see that was not a good option. The material is shown in image one, this has a stainless steel bead on top and black on the bottom. 

   The plan is to make three bends (two over 90 degrees and  one at about 35 degrees using one 72" piece of material and joining the piece at the top behind the section of reveal that is covered by a small clip. In order to bend this material, lay this on a flat surface holding one section in place and working the section slowly as to avoid kinking the stainless. I started with the bend in the lower right hand corner allowing about 4 inches of material to run out past the point where the reveal joins together (later I would cut this material to the exact length. As you bent the piece the stainless will grow in length so in is necessary to leave a little extra to make the exact cut later. I checked the accuracy of my bends by using some painters tape and taping this to the reveal. When the three bends were done and pretty close I moved on to fastening the piece to the inside of the window.

  To fasten this to the car I chose to use #6 sheet metal screws 3/8" long (no longer), you can use pop rivets, but if you need to make an adjustment then the pop rivet will need to be drilled out. If you use a longer screw than the 3/8" there is a chance that you will put a dent in the reveal. I started by drilling through the material with an 1/8" bit then attaching the material with the #6 screw at the lower right hand corner. If you put one screw before the curve and one after, this obtained the best results for me. I used three screws on the bottom run and three on the "B" pillar. The top has a gentle arch and can be done in place. when complete I cut the two ends that came together and made a small clip to join the two ends that were joined right behind the reveal clip. To install the window with the sliding mechanism, insert the bottom section first with the window slid back to the first notch and gently tip the window in place.

  I next put a length of thin rubber on the "B" pillar and installed the inside window garnish. The window garnish need to be installed with the bottom edge pressed in first along with the leading edge of the "B" pillar. I fought this for a while until I got the sequence right.

  If you choose to do this, take your time and make certain that your bends are done on a flat surface (the piece should lay flat when you are done. When you fasten the piece to the car, check the gap between the reveal and the lining to make sure this is correct as well as the gap. When complete I noticed that sliding the window is pretty tight, but I am sure that this will not leak.

 

Thanks for looking,

Mike 

 

 

[neil morse]

Great job on something that looks very tricky!

[kingrudy]

Thanks Neil, 

I held off for as long as I could, but it was worth the time and effort.

Mike 

[kingrudy]

Does anyone have a couple of pics of the roof top antenna installed without the headliner. The headliner was installed without the antenna and I would like to not mess up the headliner  when installing the antenna. Also if I could get a couple pics of the kick panel installation that would be appreciated. 

 

Thanks,

Mike 

[kingrudy]

Worked on the kick panels today, so I can get that front seat back in the car and get this close to being finished before the snow flies. I used some 14" foam board to make the templates for the panels doing small adjustments to get the angle right and get a close fit. The foam board is only about $3, so you can't lose too much there. Once I got the template right I purchased a material from the auto upholstery shop in town that made of PVC and it is about 1/8" thick. You can bend this material to fit any space and heat it a little to conform to any curves. I used a jig saw to cut the material (very simple). The door panels are a dark gray, so I went to the Sherman Williams paint store to get a close match to the panels. Painted the pieces after scuffing them up a little with some 100 grit sandpaper for good adhesion. When I installed the panels, I thought about hiding the fasteners and being able to replace these at a later date. They are called "kick" panels for a reason. I used velcro to keep the panels in place, but if anyone has a better suggestion, I'm all ears.

 

First Pic is foam board, second pic is foam board cut as a template, third is finished passenger kick panel, fourth pic is drivers side kick panel and last pic is the 1/8" PVC.

 

If anyone comes across some pics of the antenna installed without the headliner on a Buick 1940 through 1953, I sure would appreciate it. That's all for today.

[kgreen]

Mike:

 

I can't remember which medium we were discussing your rear license plate bracket so I'm responding with an idea here.  The stand-off from the trunk lid to the vertical upright is a rolled tube of sheet metal stock.  I think that is the part you're missing.  As I cleaned a few things in the garage this weekend, I noticed the torsion bar links have nearly the same rolled tube.  Think that would work if cut to length?  Remember also that there was a rubber end at the deck lid to prevent rattles (and scratching).

[kingrudy]

Thanks Ken,

  I have been thinking of this and I have had a couple of thoughts on the subject. I thought of small stainless steel tubing, possibly 1/4" with fiber washer inside and outside of the trunk lid to prevent scratching paint and to prevent water from leaking into the trunk. I might get lucky at the hardware store.

  I had a stroke of luck and found the square washer for the antenna in the box of miscellaneous hardware that the shop gave me when they went out of business. 2Carb has helped me with some small items that I'm missing: 1. Chrome clip for the chrome reveal on the rear window. 2. Rod that links the wiper motor to the switch 3. bayonet fitting for the cigar lighter that fits into the fuse. Still looking for one clip for the exterior chrome window garnish. I have three, but four are needed (all four windows).

 Thanks for the input, my target for running and driving with 99% completion is March or April depending on when I can get it in the upholstery shop (only one in Asheville!!). This does not include the gravel guard and skirts that are on my wish list, but not budgeted.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 7, 2019 by kingrudy
Spelling (see edit history)

[kingrudy]

Worked on the little things today, installed the gas door lock, gas door guard and the gas door springs. Wished I would have installed the door springs, they were inexpensive and the door closes like a vault. Also followed up on the small tube that keeps the license plate frame rigid when bolted to the trunk lid. I have been trying to find the right part, but no luck. I visited the hardware store decided to try aluminum tubing 3/16". I will prime it and paint it a gloss black. I'll check back when that is done. 

[kgreen]

When my brother looked at the filler door lock on my car he thought it was installed by someone recently.  "People didn't steal gas back then did they?"  Well, it's not like we just invented crime!

 

Your gas door looks great, also appears you have the correct key to operate it.  The back of your door is black, is that the color of the underside of your fenders as well?  

[kingrudy]

I got lucky with a couple of things with the car, the key is correct for the glove box and the filler door lock. The plastic holder looks like it was a give away from an auto shop in the 50s. The phone number begins with the letters PL.  I still remember when I was just a kid our phone number began with EM for Empire. The little things that stick in your mind, go figure. 

The underside of the fenders appear to be a dark grey in color, with an undercoating (noise dampening material. I'm not sure if the is how it came from the factory, but having lived in California I don't recall any cars treated with an aftermarket undercoating.  The short time I lived in Michigan, many cars were undercoated periodically.  

[kingrudy]

On 7/15/2018 at 10:05 AM, kingrudy said:

Hello Ken,

 

Thanks for the information, I do not have this clip. It appears as thought it is part of the the wiring harness that connects to the instrument switch on one end and the clock on the other. My original thought was that this clip attaches to the glove box door hinge on the left hand side. It appears as though this not only makes the installation neater, but also serves as a ground. I very well may be looking for an aftermarket clip that at least finishes off the install. There is a ground wire that attaches to the clock.

Hello Ken, 

I purchased a clock off of ebay for $40 last week and was only interested in the wiring harness and the sockets for the clock and the "gravity switch". The clock came yesterday and I tested it with a 6 volt battery. The gravity switch works and the wiring is in very good shape. I spoke to 2carb40 and he is looking for the clip that you mentioned. I have been reading about these clocks and I now understand how they function and why they fail, but this might be a little over my head. The main clock will be a parts unit and I will keep and eye on the forum if someone has particular needs.

I also purchased the Service Bulletin manual for a very reasonable price not the $80 one that has been on ebay for a while. 

Edited January 10, 2019 by kingrudy (see edit history)