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Very cool paperwork connection to Baher Chevrolet in Hermosa Beach, California. They were Dick Guldstrand's sponsor for a few years in the '60s. Look in Corvette racing history books for C2 roadster #56 with an upside-down roller skate attached to the roll bar!
I got a couple brake caliper pistons out! And the 1st one really looks like it has no pitting! No pics yet b/c I'm going to go get some brake parts cleaner tomorrow. There are some little rust spots, and rust rings. So I'll clean more, then submit pics for comments and advice.
Man they're buggers! I got a nice new compressor and hung it up high on the garage wall. (Daddy's little compressor crapped out. I should've kept the green beast from my childhood!) And I just keep dousing everything in a lubricant, tapping on the pistons to try to break them loose, but it's slow going.
So, the "complete brake rebuild kits" I bought from Rock Auto didn't include any of these o-rings or seals. Since I have to look for those & buy them, I was thinking of ordering the radiator at the same time. I plan to just go on Rock Auto, select all the drop-down details for this car, & buy that one. Sound right? Any advice?
Grazie!
K-
P.S. I finally made it to another car show up here! It's an impromptu cruise night on Northern Lights, our main east/west road, and it's a divided road, & people hang out in the Sears parking lot. Geezers on Thursdays and youngins on Fridays. It was about 1/2 trucks. So there was a '64 there that I've seen before. The big show of the year is on the 3rd of August. Then there's another one on the 9th. Summertime in Alaska!!
I got a couple brake caliper pistons out! And the 1st one really looks like it has no pitting! No pics yet b/c I'm going to go get some brake parts cleaner tomorrow. There are some little rust spots, and rust rings. So I'll clean more, then submit pics for comments and advice.
Man they're buggers! I got a nice new compressor and hung it up high on the garage wall. (Daddy's little compressor crapped out. I should've kept the green beast from my childhood!) And I just keep dousing everything in a lubricant, tapping on the pistons to try to break them loose, but it's slow going.
So, the "complete brake rebuild kits" I bought from Rock Auto didn't include any of these o-rings or seals. Since I have to look for those & buy them, I was thinking of ordering the radiator at the same time. I plan to just go on Rock Auto, select all the drop-down details for this car, & buy that one. Sound right? Any advice?
Grazie!
K-
P.S. I finally made it to another car show up here! It's an impromptu cruise night on Northern Lights, our main east/west road, and it's a divided road, & people hang out in the Sears parking lot. Geezers on Thursdays and youngins on Fridays. It was about 1/2 trucks. So there was a '64 there that I've seen before. The big show of the year is on the 3rd of August. Then there's another one on the 9th. Summertime in Alaska!!
If you are going to rebuild the calipers using "O" rings, you will have to use the pistons that are used with the "O" rings which means you should be looking for an "O" ring conversion kit for you calipers. The other option is to rebuild them with the standard "lip seal" rebuild kit that you already purchased from Rock Auto.
Since I have to look for those & buy them, I was thinking of ordering the radiator at the same time. I plan to just go on Rock Auto, select all the drop-down details for this car, & buy that one. Sound right? Any advice?
Yes. DO NOT order a radiator from Rock Auto - they don't have correct Corvette radiators - all you'll get from them is a generic aftermarket copper/brass "look-alike" radiator with 30% less cooling capacity than the Corvette radiator. There's only one source for the radiator you need - Tom DeWitt.
Hi Katherine - Glad to see you getting back into the project. I know finding spare time can be difficult. On the subject of radiators, As JohnZ already mentioned, DeWitts makes an excellent radiator. I replaced the two aftermarket Brass/Copper radiators in my 65 and 66 Coupes with the DeWitts and while neither Coupe had been overheating prior to that changeout, there was a noticeable drop seen in the temp gauge afterwards. Also thought I'd mention they offer a satin black finish that makes it look like the originals and the cost is reasonable. Good luck.
Mike T - Prescott AZ
The guy who's going to help me clean up the frame is back to work! He had been sick, but he called this morning!
I've mostly just been doing boring work cleaning parts and stuff. And I've been "almost" ready to pull the body for a long time. So I went to work on that, and I have found no fewer than 10 more bolts at the back of the body, a couple to the rear bumper. I've got some of them off, and all but 1 broken loose. But I can't help but wonder, why have I never heard of these? They don't count as body bolts? Because there are lots of descriptions that talk about 6 or 8 body bolts, and I had removed all 6.
But, the frame is going to the shop on Sunday! (Knock on wood!) Major progress!
My workspace is so cramped, I've had it in my mind that I have to do this, then move the engine and tran to the back of the garage, and now I get to tear into that! That's the good stuff!
So excited!
And you are going to share the pics of this endeavor...right ;-)?
Mike T - Prescott AZ
You know, we are weirdos for taking such interest in photos like this! I can't get a wide angle shot, but here's the right side:
5 more bolts to remove on each side
So I'm photographing every single bolt & putting a copy of the pic in the ziploc bag with the bolt. I haven't taken a pic of that yet. But we like pics of girls wrenching, right?
...all 4 sets of calipers are laid out in various stages of being grinded and polished, & taking turns soaking.
And I figured out how to get the pistons out, but haven't gotten a good view of any pitting yet.
K-
These appear to be first design calipers with the insulators on the pistons. The calipers have a pair of internal semi-circular guides which improve the alignment of the first design pistons. Sadly I pitched mine about 35 years ago to get stainless steel sleeves, which, at the time, was second design. If I had a do-over, I'd definitely keep the first design since they now can be sleeved.
IMO, stainless sleeves in conjunction with DOT-5 silicon brake fluid is a wonderful improvement over DOT-3 (or 4) fluid with its affinity for water and consequential pitting of the cast iron piston bore.
Thanks for the brake info!
And, yeah, Anchorage isn't too bad. They don't use salt. And this guy who's helping with the frame uses PPK products. Looks like good stuff. He'll treat the underbody too. I have the heated 1-car attached garage. So you just have to be disciplined. I polished the hot rod Mustang I used to have pretty much every day.
I can't get the aft portion of the body to separate from the frame. Do I have to take the bumper off? (I don't see why....)
I took those 10 bolts off. And then I took the license plate off, and the lower body panel off.
When i pull up on the body, with the engine hoist, it's lifting the frame off the jack stands. I even nudged it a little with my hip to see if it had to break loose or something.
Any ideas?
I can't get the aft portion of the body to separate from the frame. Do I have to take the bumper off? (I don't see why....)
I took those 10 bolts off. And then I took the license plate off, and the lower body panel off.
When i pull up on the body, with the engine hoist, it's lifting the frame off the jack stands. I even nudged it a little with my hip to see if it had to break loose or something.
Any ideas?
I can't get the aft portion of the body to separate from the frame. Do I have to take the bumper off? (I don't see why....)
I took those 10 bolts off. And then I took the license plate off, and the lower body panel off.
When i pull up on the body, with the engine hoist, it's lifting the frame off the jack stands. I even nudged it a little with my hip to see if it had to break loose or something.
Any ideas?
I removed all brackets for rear bumpers, even the brackets at the back that are shimmed. Also if you have antenna ground to frame it must be removed. Did you remove the rear body mounts? Bolt is under the frame and nut is captured behind wheel well. If the frame is lifting you have something that is very stout connecting body to frame. How about the four seat belt attachments ( cables )?
I removed all brackets for rear bumpers, even the brackets at the back that are shimmed. Also if you have antenna ground to frame it must be removed. Did you remove the rear body mounts? Bolt is under the frame and nut is captured behind wheel well. If the frame is lifting you have something that is very stout connecting body to frame. How about the four seat belt attachments ( cables )?
Check, check, & check.
The seat belts are out, but where are these cables?
K-
Check, check, & check.
The seat belts are out, but where are these cables?
K-
The cables are under the body just in front of the rear wheels and a looped one in front for the rear differential. very close the the parking brake spring. These cables tie the seat belts to the frame OOPS! that spring is probably removed if you are doing a body off. Put some heat to the outside bolts that fasten the cables to the frame. Use lots of penetrating fluid.
Do a search for Body removal check list for 1965 corvette. I had one that mentions all parts that need to come off.
If you can't find them let me know and I'll send pix.
Al
I got the seat belt cable anchor bolts, finally. And 1 more emergency brake cable tie off the frame.
I found the cl, & I've done everything except remove the rear bumper (which I'll do now), remove the battery box (but only the bottom of the tray is there, & I got that body bolt out), and the "splash shields", inner & outer. What are those?
I got the seat belt cable anchor bolts, finally. And 1 more emergency brake cable tie off the frame.
I found the cl, & I've done everything except remove the rear bumper (which I'll do now), remove the battery box (but only the bottom of the tray is there, & I got that body bolt out), and the "splash shields", inner & outer. What are those?
Grazie!
K-
See photo below - there are two larger ones inboard of the frame side rail, and two smaller ones on the outboard side, at the back of the front wheel opening.
07-10-2014, 08:00 PM
Summertime in Alaska!!
