Jumping Ahead

Well, I missed documenting the starter re-installation because it went so smoothly.  One thing I learned is that it helps to loop a strap around it and have someone bear the weight of the starter from above while positioning it and re installing the bolts and wires.  My Dad recently spent four days visiting me and we were able to replace the hood rockets and the five piece front bumper.  We also got the rear lights and bumper removed before we ran out of time.  Pictures and explanations to come...

The saga of the starter solenoid, Episode 2: She's Really Built...er....Rebuilt

I laid out the kit and tackled the rebuild job one evening with the help of a borrowed soldering iron.

The Offending Solenoid

Rebuild Kit

As I removed the end piece from the solenoid, I was encouraged to discover that the bolt that connects to the starter had broken loose from the soldered solenoid wire.  This told me that the power would not get to the starter even if the solenoid made a proper connection.  That did not, however, explain why the lever was not engaging and throwing the gear into position to engage the flywheel. Note the worn contacts on the circular contact disk in the middle of the solenoid in the picture below.

Broken Solder on Bolt Head

Installed: gasket, center contact & spring, wire lead (not yet soldered)

After one finger burn, several failed attempts at soldering the rebuild kit contact wire from the solenoid to 

the starter contact post, and some soldering assistance from my 21 yr old daughter (she builds LED Hula Hoops as a hobby), the rebuilt solenoid was ready for testing.  

 '56 Chevy Starter Solenoid - Rebuilt (L) and New (R)

The first part of the video shows the rebuilt solenoid exhibiting the same behavior as the old solenoid.  Oh, well, it was worth the $25 to gamble on the rebuild kit versus the $75 price tag on the new one.  

As it turns out, it was the main body of the solenoid that was bad.  I had to buy the new one anyway.  All in all a great learning process that I really enjoyed even though it came at a very inopportune time.  

Next up, re-installing the starter in the Bel Air in hopes that I can sell it.

It just goes to show you, it's always something....

Roseanne Roseannadanna - R.I.P. Gilda

I scheduled a meeting with a potential buyer for my red '57 Bel Air last week.  Determined to make a good first impression, I uncovered it, vacuumed it out, wiped it down, started it up and ran it around the block, then staged it nicely in the driveway.

When he arrived, we exchanged pleasantries and I handed him the keys while giving him a run down of the history of the vehicle and what I had done to it to this point.  I encouraged him to start it up, anticipating the smooth rumble of that rebuilt Edelbrock carb.

He turned the key and....absolutely nothing.  Sigh.  Is this car named "Christine"?  Does it not want to leave me?  Forty-five minutes of trouble shooting later.  No progress.  It's dark.  I apologize and promise to let him know when I figure out what the problem is.

I figure it must be the ignition switch, battery, battery cables, solenoid or starter.  My first run at the battery tells me that it is low.  Subsequent tests tell me it is fine.  There is no neutral cut off switch.  Given my level of experience, I do the smart thing and hit the Trifive.com forum for some help. Via deft questioning they are able to tell me that it is most likely the solenoid or the starter.

A quick YouTube search turns up some good videos on how to diagnose solenoid and starter problems.  I highly recommend this video as well as videos by EricTheCarGuy.  I am a visual learner and nothing beats being able to see someone actually doing it.

I dream of a big garage with a hydraulic lift.

I jacked up the Bel Air, crawled underneath and was able to jumper the hot cable to the S terminal on the solenoid which is supposed to engage the solenoid.  Nothing.  I then jumpered the hot wire to the starter terminal and heard it spin.  Big clue that it is probably the solenoid.  I then spent about an hour unhooking wires and getting just the right tool in just the right position to be able to loosen the bolts on the starter and remove it.  Ever try to hold a bowling ball up with one hand while laying on your back...for 15 minutes?

After getting the starter/solenoid assembly detached from the beast I put it on my work bench, hooked up some jumper cables to it and was able to duplicate the tests detailed in the YouTube video. Definitely the solenoid.

I took some time to examine the starter closely. It definitely looked like an original and was caked with a baked on layer of grease, dirt and oil.  I was able to see a metal plate on one side and spent several minutes with a rag, brake cleaner and a wire brush and was able to reveal the original identification plate.  Delco Remy with a serial number.  Would love to know what the number reveals.  This is part of the allure of these vehicles for me.  Solving puzzles, learning new things and digging into a little bit of history.

NOT the part I need

The gaping maw that contains the flywheel.

Another internet search showed me that what was being sold as a '57 Chevy Bel Air starter solenoid was not exactly what was laying on my work bench.  A visit to Advance Auto Parts was no help.  The very nice man working there even searched a paper catalog with no success. He suggested NAPA.  (My cousin Jimmy Payne will love that.)  The guy who works at the local Napa Auto Parts store looks like he may have built the first American automobile himself - and that is a compliment because he has that depth of knowledge.  He looked at it and checked his computer and quickly told me that someone had modified my car at some point because the starter solenoid is a 1956 model.  The solenoid I needed would cost about $75 plus shipping but a rebuild kit would be about $25 total.  Rebuilding the one I have sounds like a fun challenge and I am a bit cheap so I opted for the rebuild kit.  Will let you all know how it goes.

Tracin' Tracin' Tracin'

(Sung to the tune of "Rawhide")
This evening I disassembled the old door panels from the silver Belair and salvaged the chrome trim.  All four panels are original and definitely showing their age.

Back Door Panel

Front Door Panel

The original cloud pattern cloth was sewn to the cardboard backing.

The silver insert has its own cardboard backing.

  I took plenty of pictures since I plan to recreate the original design with new/modern materials.

The chrome is the most expensive part and I am fortunate in that  all of it is in very good condition.  It should be easy to reuse.

My wife was kind enough to do the tracing of the inner cardboard while I kneeled on it to smooth out the bumps and wrinkles.

I am looking for some ABS plastic sheets to cut and trim to size.  Original pattern cloth and vinyl is available online.  I will need to figure out how to secure it to the door.

The adventure continues...

Reset! Well, sort of...

Sometimes you find a deal that is just impossible to pass up.  Yes, I bought another one.  Why?  Great price and everything short of a total frame-off restoration already completed.  It needs to have the chrome put back on and the interior redone.  

Consequently, I am selling my red '57 Belair ASAP (http://nashville.craigslist.org/cto/3173821897.html) but I continue to tweak the basics on it.  This week I am replacing the battery cables, exhaust manifold gasket and oil pan gasket.  I may also do the rear main seal while the silver one is getting a good once over from Milestone Paint and Body.

I plan to pull the interior door panels from the red one and make some templates so that I can create new panels out of ABS plastic for the silver one.  My goal is to do most, if not all, of the interior myself.  Seatbelts  are already on order (three point for the front).  Looking forward to visiting my friend Jason who has offered to weld in the pillar anchors for me.

The best part of the red Belair has been the trip with my dad to buy it and joy rides with the neighbors.  Looking forward to focusing on the new Belair.

Belair Trivia 

Sedan? Post? Hardtop?   

I have been a bit confused about the terminology used to describe model types so I did a little research and came up with this from Custom Chevys, Inc.

I keep getting these questions about what a "Hardtop" really is. Well, in short words, a "Hardtop" is a Coupe, totally different from a Sedan, 2 Doors or 4 Doors. Moreover, many Classic Car Collectors try making a comparison between:

a) 2 Doors Post (2 Doors Sedan) And 2 Doors No Post (2 Doors Hardtop)

b) 4 Doors Post (4 Doors Sedan) And 4 Doors No Post (4 Doors Hardtop)

The truth is, there should be no comparison between a 2 Doors Post and a 2 Doors No Post. The first one is a SEDAN, while the second one is a COUPE, and there is a world of difference among the two. In fact it was called "HARDTOP", given its resemblance to a Convertible, with the exception that the TOP was not "SOFT", as in the Convertible.

By the same reasoning, there should be no comparison between a 4 Doors Post and a 4 Doors No Post. The first one is, again, a SEDAN, while the second one is a COUPE.

While 2 Doors Hardtops can be found anywhere within the so called "Tri-5's", Chevrolet built the first 4 Doors Hardtop in the second half of 1956, to fill the demand for a Sports vehicle with the convenience of 4 Doors. Hence, there is no "1955 4 Doors Hardtop".

The production run for the 1956 4 Doors Hardtop was limited by time, so there are not too many left, unlike the 1957, which had a full production run; so there are still alot them on the road.

HARDTOPS, -2 Doors or 4 Doors- are vehicles with a much lower Top profile. So much so that the windshield on Hardtops is about 1" lower than in Sedans. Sedans are easly identified by two obvious points: 1) They have a Post. 2) The top is much higher, and sort of "bubble-like".

Here are the facts; Let them be Bel Air, 210, or 150. (or perhaps any 50's car):

1. A 2 Doors Post is in fact, a SEDAN; it is identical to a 4 Doors Sedan with the exception that it has 2 Doors instead of 4. In reality, a 2 Doors Post is so much like a 4 Doors Post, that even the windshield and back glass are the same high. Remember, it's still a SEDAN.

2. A Hardtop or Coupe, is a totally different story, 2 Doors or 4 Doors; On a Hardtop the Top of the car is much more lower, lower than any Sedan, 2 or 4 Doors. The main characteristic of a Hardtop is the lack of that (annoying?) Post in the middle of the car.

3. A Hardtop, 2 Doors or 4 Doors, will have no Post and the windshield high would be about 1" less than Sedans, making the car's Top look much lower, without that "bubble" effect seen on Sedans.

4. Finally if we take 50's definitions:

   a) Sedans are 2 or 4 Doors, but they both got that "Post".

   b) Hardtops or Coupes are 2 or 4 Doors, but they lack that "Post"

   c) Sedans have that "high Top" with the Post in the middle (even if they have 2 Doors)

   d) Hardtops have that "low profile Top" without the Post, with a windshield high just as the Convertible, which makes cars so streamlined, given them that style that collectors love.

Some unwise collectors tend to look at these vehicles based on the number of doors, 2 Doors or 4 Doors, but...

Unfortunately, they find out (sometimes too late) that a 2 Doors Post car looks almost identical than a 4 Doors Sedan, with the "bubble" Top and that Post in the middle.

Bottom Line:
2 or 4 Doors doesn't make the difference. What makes the difference is POST or NO POST.

This tells me that what I have is a 4 door sedan (has the post).

The Work Continues...

A very nicely done home video that shows what it will look like when finished.  The Elvis sound track doesn't hurt.

The guys at Milestone are working on Saturday.  Wish the rest of my parts would arrive.

Father's Day Gifts!

I took the car to Jacob at Milestone Paint and Body (http://milestonepaint.com/) for a bullet bumper to tailfin inspection and diagnosis for safety and road worthiness.  The good news is that he is thorough.  That is also the expensive news.
I told my wife that it will look exactly the same after this round of restoration but will be safe, will run better, and will not smell like old gas and exhaust nearly as much.
Here is a partial list of what Jacob will be replacing:

Fuel Line, fuel tank, anti squeak bumpers for fuel tank, fuel tank hose kit, fuel line to carb, the original style glass bowl fuel filter, Front Hub Dust Cover, hub conversion kit, carrier gasket, pinion seal, u joint, shocks, brakes, valve cover gasket, original carburetor rebuild.
That oil leak turned out to be the valve cover gasket above the oil filter in a place I just could not see.
He also found an exhaust leak that, when fixed, will clean things up significantly.

I discovered that the auto rebuild specialty sites tend to be pretty much the same on prices for big ticket items but some really jack up the prices on small items that you might add to an order as an afterthought.  I can probably make some sort of comment on quality after the mechanic sees the parts.

The car is still at the mechanic's shop.  I expect to go over the results of the inspection on Friday.

Good News and Bad News...
The good news is that I was able to replace the oil filter adapter gasket today and it was visibly damaged.

The bad news is that I still have an oil leak and I also have a coolant leak.  A new thermostat cover gasket should take care of the coolant leak but I think I am going to let a mechanic take a crack at diagnosing the oil leak. It appears to be coming from above the oil filter but not from the adapter so I am stumped.
While I was at it today I fixed the lock on the right rear door, screwed the molding back onto the front seat, put some velcro on the old back seat to hold the seat cover and vacuumed the carpet for good measure.  The extra bumper that was in the back floor is now safely stored on the shelf in the garage freeing up some space for passengers in the back seat.  That came in handy this evening as our neighbors wanted to cruise around the neighborhood.
I guess the big victory today was that I got the windshield wipers working.  It turns out that there was just a wire that needed to be connected.  I will need to find a screw and washer to hold the control cable on but that should not be too hard.

Here are pics of the engine cowl identification plate and the VIN.

For those of you who are interested, here is the meaning of the VIN:
V = V8 engine
C = Belair (cheaper versions were the 150 and 210)
57 = Year manufactured
A = Built in Atlanta
13806 = This was the 3,806th car to come off the line.

Cowl information plate:
Style 1019D = 4 door sedan (kind of hard to see in the picture)
Body No 7892 = Sequence number of the body
Trim 665 = Med. Blue Vinyl w/ Black & Blue Pattern Cloth
Paint 810D = India Ivory/Larkspur Blue

http://www.oldride.com/library/1957_chevrolet_bel_air.html
Series 2403, Style 1019D, Body Type & Seating 4 dr Sedan - 6P, Factory Price $2,390, Weight 3,272 lbs, Total Production 254,331

Next up, having a mechanic diagnose the oil leak and getting the brakes checked.

It Fits!

It Fits!

Worked all day in the 95 degree heat to clean out and rearrange the garage (with Amy's help) and was able to fit the Belair in...just barely.  There is enough room to squeeze around the front of the car with the garage door closed so I will take it.  Plenty of room between the car and the workbench.  My (early) Father's day gift from Amy was a creeper to save my back and a couple of jack stands that are better quality than the stands I already have.  Safety first.
Here is a picture of my dad from the trip to pick up the car, the pictures from the advertisement - consider them "before" pictures, and a couple of what it should look like in a couple of years when it is finished.

Dad looks at least as happy as I felt.

283cu 4 barrel - Not the original but a reproduction.
I have the original oil bath air filter but the previous
 owner told me that the hood will not close if you try
to put it on.  I will test this tomorrow but have no
reason not to believe him. He sold me two original
carburetors; one with manual choke and one with
automatic choke.  He also included a rebuild kit so I may
give that a try.  

Original carbs and the rebuild kit.

Original interior - black and blue.

Notice the cigarette ash tray on the back of the front seat.  Needless to say, there will be no smoking in the restored car.  

The steering wheel and dash were original "Larkspur" blue.
 It is a baby blue or powder blue color (see pics below). 

You can see the original color peaking through the chips
on the wheel.

Check out the original color where the kick panel is missing.

The headliner will be replaced after painting.

The Purchase

5/19/2011
My dad, who is just finishing up his own 19641/2 Mustang convertible restoration project, made the 11 hr trip from Clearwater, FL, rested for a couple of hours, and then joined me on the 22 hr round trip to bring the Belair back home.  He not only split the driving with me but had the knowledge to get the rear brakes unlocked so we could get the car out of the previous owner's garage.
Jason's Belair

5/20/2011
I quickly began making a list of items to work on, beginning with safety and infrastructure and ending with convenience and luxury.   An oil leak had to be addressed immediately and it appeared that it was leaking around the oil filter so I figured that an oil change should be first on the list.  I quickly learned my current oil filter wrench would not fit and the position of the filter would not allow me to use the friction strap wrench.  My neighbor, Aaron, contributed an old screwdriver and we broke out the hammer to drive it through the filter and loosen it up.  The over-tightened oil filter made me think that perhaps the leak was simply a matter of a damaged oil filter seal and the new filter appeared to do the trick.  We spent the next half hour or so joy-riding around the neighborhood and giving the neighbors rides.  As soon as the engine heated up the oil leak reappeared and it seemed to be coming from around the filter again.  We did not have easy access to a lift and it was getting late so I figured I would take it to a local mechanic for a head to toe  inspection and oil leak diagnosis.

5/22/2012
I stopped by the local auto parts store to pick up a drip pan, oil filter wrench and look for door lock knobs and got to talking with the owner about my oil leak problem.  He happened to specialize in late model Chevy engines and explained to me that the original oil filter was a canister that fit inside the engine and that a special adapter had been placed on the engine to allow a modern external screw type oil filter to be used.  Between this adapter and the engine is a square shouldered gasket.  The only way to buy one of these gaskets is as part of the original canister filter so I spent about seven bucks just to get the gasket.  My next task is to clean out the garage so I can fit the car inside and then I will tackle removing (and saving) the good oil, removing the oil filter adapter and replacing the gasket.  In the mean time, I have been rubbing the steering wheel with denatured alcohol on a rag and revealing the original steering wheel color (Larkspur Blue).  Pictures to follow.