Smartin Posted August 29, 2021 Share Posted August 29, 2021 Well, I ordered tires...supposed to be here sometime around Christmas. On another note, I took a chance and dumped a can of trans stop-leak into it to see if I could stop the hemorrhaging. Topped it off and drove it over 200 miles this weekend. I think we have controlled the leak to nearly nothing! It would also have something to do with the fact that it got some heavy exercise and finally just sealed itself back up. I'll still keep my spot in line with Jim Hughes in case it starts puking again. I forget how much attention these 58's get on the road! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadmaster75 Posted August 30, 2021 Share Posted August 30, 2021 17 hours ago, Smartin said: Well, I ordered tires...supposed to be here sometime around Christmas. On another note, I took a chance and dumped a can of trans stop-leak into it to see if I could stop the hemorrhaging. Topped it off and drove it over 200 miles this weekend. I think we have controlled the leak to nearly nothing! It would also have something to do with the fact that it got some heavy exercise and finally just sealed itself back up. I'll still keep my spot in line with Jim Hughes in case it starts puking again. I forget how much attention these 58's get on the road! You’re seeing what I did for years on my Flight Pitch. I used Lucas transmission conditioner and sealer. it was more money than the others ,but just as you have observed…… Flight Pitch’s don’t like sitting around they need to be driven. That, along with a bottle of Lucas once a month or so would reduce the leaks substantially. ive never been an advocate of “repair in a bottle” , but in this case it beats the alternatives! Glad she’s behaving better with each mile……! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95Cardinal Posted August 30, 2021 Share Posted August 30, 2021 SMartin wrote: "Well, I ordered tires...supposed to be here sometime around Christmas." Seems like delivery times haven't improved much. Did they specify Christmas of this year? 🤣 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 Might was well be next year! I can't believe how screwed up the supply chain is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancemb Posted August 31, 2021 Author Share Posted August 31, 2021 I ordered tires for the coupe just hours before. Let's see when they arrive, respectively! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 Summit called today to confirm my shipping address, and I almost started to celebrate….and all she was doing was confirming my info. Since it’s a drop ship situation, she has no idea on ship date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 (edited) A few things have been bugging the crap out of me every time I walk by the car. Actually, many things. But I worked a couple of them out today. The ole 58 rear bumper inserts with the black stripes. The looked like poo. And of course the photos are uploading upside down….will correct that. While I had the black paint and tape out, I took care of the side trim. This is a Roadmaster-only feature. I took a photo before I cleaned off the black paint on the right side. I thought it looked kind of cool! Edited September 17, 2021 by Smartin (see edit history) 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmfconsult Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 Looks great Adam! What do you use to clean off the black paint off the raised sections after? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 (edited) Let paint dry a bit, then use a razor blade standing straight up and wiping side to side with the edge of the blade. Comes right off. I actually tried the lacquer thinner trick when I started, but it was taking wayyyyyyy too long, and the paint was getting tough to remove. Edited September 17, 2021 by Smartin (see edit history) 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmfconsult Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 Thanks... that's something I don't think I would have tried. I've always heard of using a sponge to wipe the paint clean while it was wet, but I've smudged that every time and I was never happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted November 30, 2021 Share Posted November 30, 2021 (edited) Things got a little out of hand this afternoon. The seat fabric is finally on its way, as well as a headliner from my upholstery guy. Package tray will be fixed. Dash top cover is getting recovered. Speedometer cable is broken at the cluster, so I will likely have to pull it out and clean things up before I put a new cable in. Once I have seat material in hand, I will remove the front seat cover and have my guy install new inserts. Back seat is in good enough shape, except the hole I put in the top vinyl section when removing it.😐 Carpet is getting a good scrub before I put everything back together. Edited November 30, 2021 by Smartin (see edit history) 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancemb Posted November 30, 2021 Author Share Posted November 30, 2021 How do the rest of those floors look like under the carpet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted November 30, 2021 Share Posted November 30, 2021 I haven’t pulled anything up, but nothing feels alarming. I’ll take a peek next time I’m in there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 Package tray is back in…not super happy with how it turned out. My spray glue gun got a little sloppy and clogged some of the mesh. Oh well…some silver paint and it went back in. I hosed a little silver paint on the top of the back seat too, to hide the discoloration…and my thumb hole. All of the brightwork around the headliner has lots of little pitting and crud built up. I tried 0000 steel wool with chrome polish and it was scratching it, so I have to run all of the trim through my polishing wheel which takes a million years. But it will be worth it. Front seat material is here, and I am taking the covers to the upholstery guy tomorrow. Hopefully not too long on that turn around. 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted December 5, 2021 Share Posted December 5, 2021 I got the headliner in. I was expecting a cloth fabric, but it came as vinyl diamond pattern. Correct color, but vinyl....which made it a much more difficult job to install and remove wrinkles. I am no professional when it comes to headliners, so this one presented several challenges. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted December 7, 2021 Share Posted December 7, 2021 I was able to get all the trim back in around the headliner and the back seat set in place. Starting to look like an interior again! 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
364nailhead Posted December 7, 2021 Share Posted December 7, 2021 Looks good! That trim pops! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted December 11, 2021 Share Posted December 11, 2021 Speedometer was tackled this afternoon. Removal on these 57-58 units is a real bear, and I wasn’t looking forward to it. My goal was to get the drum spinning free again, but I didn’t know what I would see when I opened it up. Sure enough, the drum was contacting the spinning magnet, and needed to be moved over to the right about a millimeter. The only way to do that is to add a spacer at the left side where it rides with the magnet. Once that was in, I assembled the cluster and spun it by hand. Nothing rubbed or made noise, so I stuck it back in the car. I repainted the indicators on the gauges before reinstalling the cluster. They were yellowing from sun bleaching. No word on the dash top or seat yet. Of course the image loads upside down. Screenshot time.. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted December 14, 2021 Share Posted December 14, 2021 The replacement speedo cable was 1” shorter than the stock one, so I had to completely replace the sheath that the cable runs through. That required me to remove the front wheel, splash guard, and vacuum tank. It went it much easier than it came out. I also replaced the rocker molding while the splash shield was out. There is a fastener behind it that requires access to remove the molding. Someone at some point tried to lift the car via the front rocker edges, and crunched them big time, causing some pretty sweet damage…which is why I am replacing the rocker stainless. I’m just hiding the damage with good trim. Then, it came to figuring out why I had no power to my passenger side windows at the switches. I could run them with the master switch, but the power wire for that side of the car was DOA….somewhere under the carpet. On a whim, I decided to pull the carpet back on the passenger side so I could probe the wire for power. I had to cut back the sheath before the loom covers at the door sills and BINGO I found the break…total luck. This is where the power wire splits front to back. The splice is not insulated inside that sheath, and so any wetness or water will corrode the wire. Once they were reconnected, everything works again. Baby steps…I’m doing my best not to dig too far on this, but it’s very difficult. 8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted December 15, 2021 Share Posted December 15, 2021 (edited) Lance, being the voice of reason and logic, suggested that while I have the door panels off that I pop off the sweepspear stainless and knock out the dents. So, off they came. Passenger side was completed tonight. I still have to do the driver side, which is the worse of the two sides. But both sides are littered with dents. I literally just knocked out the dents and didn't really work the pieces much. They are chrome plated and I would have to strip them, etc etc etc. So I'm just trying to make them look like they haven't been side swiped by a garage door 76 times. I’m also working to get some color back into the tops of the door panels….why not, since it’s apart…so I dusted it with my patented silver and blue to try and match the original vinyl. It’s turning out really nice. Edited December 15, 2021 by Smartin (see edit history) 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancemb Posted December 15, 2021 Author Share Posted December 15, 2021 Looking waaay better all around! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted December 15, 2021 Share Posted December 15, 2021 This is what they mean by a little TLC. Cleaning up nicely! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 On 12/14/2021 at 8:28 PM, Smartin said: So I'm just trying to make them look like they haven't been side swiped by a garage door 76 times ...and amazingly that little sweepspear nugget attached to the B-pillar is still intact! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 LOL considering what the stainless trim looks like, yes! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 Trying to do a little bit each night. Yesterday, the upholstery guy called and said the seat covers and dash top were ready. So I buzzed over to pick them up. When I got there, he was panicking because he had a geyser of water coming out of his lawn close to the house. His water line failed just before it entered the foundation. I offered to fix it for him (I’m a licensed plumber), hoping he would tear up the $1k check I just wrote. But we settled on half off. So I spent the next 4 hours swimming in mud. But I came home with parts. I didn’t get much done tonight except reinserting the stiffening rods for the hog rings. The top of the dash is a little thicker than I like…but I don’t have much choice in the matter right now. He said he used 1/8” foam…looks like 1/4” to me. It might settle down a little once I screw it in…hopefully. I made a pass with the polisher before shutting down this evening, just to see what the paint would do. I’ll post a YouTube link to a short video when I get it uploaded. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 @Smartin I agree that he should have torn up the check you wrote for fixing that line. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 I was disappointed, but I don’t want to mess with the relationship. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 Front seat bottom cover is installed. I got about halfway through the seat back and ran out of my good hog rings, and the “backups” I have are too small. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted December 21, 2021 Share Posted December 21, 2021 Progress. Slow, but forward. Dash top and trim are in. All door panels have been removed, sweepspear trim hammered to death, reinstalled, and door panels reinstalled. Looking to get the front seat installed tomorrow evening. I bought a set of shocks for it…so I’ll try to get those on while the car is in here. Rear has a set of coil-overs and it makes the ass sit high. Oh yeah, I need to replace the passenger side rocker molding too. 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted December 22, 2021 Share Posted December 22, 2021 I just got an email from Summit saying it will me mid-March for the expected delivery of new tires. As long as I have them before Lisle, I'll be fine. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted December 22, 2021 Share Posted December 22, 2021 4 hours ago, Smartin said: I just got an email from Summit saying it will me mid-March for the expected delivery of new tires. As long as I have them before Lisle, I'll be fine. what tire did you order? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted December 23, 2021 Share Posted December 23, 2021 Coker classic 8.00x15 2.5” ww I replaced the shocks and had the front drums turned today. Rear end sits a little lower now. Just need to secure the front seat down and pull it out for a test drive. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted December 23, 2021 Share Posted December 23, 2021 8 hours ago, Smartin said: As long as I have them before Lisle, I'll be fine. I hear there is a line in Vegas betting if this car will stay at your place that long. The odds are not that good...😉 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted December 23, 2021 Share Posted December 23, 2021 Oddly enough, I have some push-back on the idea of selling Piggy. My original intent with Gonzo the Limited was to get it here, then decide which one to sell. Right now, we have decided to keep both. Sooooo there might be two 58’s driving to Lisle from Foristell, MO! That’s assuming I can get the Limited trust-worthy enough to drive. I’m swapping the cars tomorrow so I can get to work on the basics. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted December 23, 2021 Share Posted December 23, 2021 Anyone notice that it has clear glass? How often do you find a Roadmaster with non-tinted glass? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted December 23, 2021 Share Posted December 23, 2021 2 hours ago, Smartin said: Coker classic 8.00x15 2.5” ww I wonder where they are made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted December 23, 2021 Share Posted December 23, 2021 Boy, all of that elbow grease surely paying off -- she looks great! Hopefully the test drive is uneventful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted December 23, 2021 Share Posted December 23, 2021 All wrapped up. Speedometer works like a charm. I didn’t get to the paint correction. Too many family obligations this week to deal with it. aaaaaand the image loaded upside down. Screen shot time. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted December 23, 2021 Share Posted December 23, 2021 There might have been a gathering of 58’s this morning while I shuffled cars around… 10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 I sent off the fender boomerangs, hood chrome, and marker light housings to Custom Metal Finishing Indiana this week. Expected to be $1-1300, but they are good with pot metal. 14 weeks estimated completion. This arrived today for it, with the trunk medallion. Very early take-offs or from a really well cared-for car. They will look good next to the rechromed taillights! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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