38Buick 80C

Yes damper bolt is hard to get to with all the front bits in place. That flywheel wrench would be the trick. I also would like to see photos. My father has a 38-81F as well they are exceedingly rare. Only a handful known to exist. Maybe 6?

Brown are ready for graining. Blue need more wet sanding to get the pits out.

I looked at the wiring diagram bet it is because I don't have the dome light installed yet and that is needed to complete the ciruit

Opera lights engaged. Well sort of. They work off the pillar switch but not the door jam switch. Will have to look at wiring diagram again. Those are LED bulbs.

Time for Indy...

I did just get a USPS update that my dash bezel from Australia hit custums in LA, so that's good, but will just go right back out to the chrome shop when it gets here

Have a few other things to keep me busy but nothing big or sexy...just stuff that has to be done at some point.

I was back at it this AM after Formula 1 qualifing with the one thing that did come through... Dad was able to drill out the screw of the ignition switch. After what was much too difficult for what is a simple switch I'm connected and multi-meter checked functional Unfortunately went to use the electric fuel pump to prime the mechanical pump and no dice... Direct connected it to the battery and worked for a bit than quit... Hmtapped it with the fine adjustment hammer, but no luck. Guess a new one is in order...got 30+ years out of that one, but zero miles...

Been on vacation... Had hoped some vendors would get some stuff done while I was gone. So let's recap. Radiator... Not done Front fenders... No progress... Few minor items at the machine shop... Haven't called yet... Chrome... In the queue... So 2 weeks and nothing.

Just to clarify John means the paper wrap back cover for the car photo deadline. but you can check out the back cover too to get ready for 2021...

I have not yet talked to the BDE, so i do not know. I have been contacted by one individual who was considering setting up a "tour" between then locations. He is on the forum and I don't want to speak for him so i wont say anything beyond that we have spoken. That said i sure hope whether formally organized or informally unorganized (that didn't come out right) we do something between venues for those going to both. I know i would like to join.

just need an inflatable gorilla on the roof and they would sell 500 cars a month!!

its not a year out for the entire block and last time they were actually a few weeks later than a year out. this time my hotel team is still furloughed so... we will see.

I'd just like to point out that we are exactly one year out from the Concord portion of the national meet and the whether here this year is NOT 104 degrees. It's a rather chilly 89 today and tomorrow with 82% humidity... 15 degrees makes a huge difference, but still bring cookies... 🤪

As for gas charged shocks 70's marketing, yes as pressurizing most fluids increases the boiling temperature and same would be true of shock fluid though in the case of road shocks no significant risk of boiling but more gas pressure decreases the likelihood of cavitation (which in effect is boiling but in a different manner) during use thus aerating the fluid decreasing it's effectiveness. As for the rest of your thinking out loud Basically you can boil it down to three areas of experimentation 1. Springing ( in the form of actual springs, spring rate of the tires (which can be adjust down with less air pressure and up with more)(and the tire construction itself creates spring rate) and in theory gas pressure of the shock though not adjustable on road cars typically. 2. damping which as you will not be altering piston design is only controlled by fluid viscosity in this case. I believe the shop manual spec's a oil to use you may want to determine the factory viscosity is what the engineers of the time designed the system around 3. Mass - so weight of the system. As Willie noted the tires may be adding significant amount of unsprung weight effecting the spring mass damper system. You change any one of these: spring, mass, damper you effect the ride handling.