Major Surgery

Over Thanksgiving something got into me. Where I had l been looking at the "heap on saw horses" for months wondering what the next step would be, suddenly I knew what I needed to do. With a little time off work I fired up the compressor and broke out the air chisel again. I was able to get the spare tire well out which was something I had started drilling out months ago. It went so well I just kept going. Before long both heater channels were out. I couldn't stop there. I examined the rear shelf panel and decided it could come out without the entire car caving in. If taking the rocker/heater channel out didn't cause the car to implode nothing could (actually I've mounted some temporary bracing into the door openings to maintain integrity).

In the photos you'll see the new and old rear shelf side-by-side. What a difference. I've also included before-and-after pics of the old shelf area from inside the car. The shelf also forms the firewall seperating the engine compartment from the rear of the passenger compartment. By lifting the engine hood up you can now look through the entire car, front to back, from the outside. What a sight!



In preparation for the Christmas holidays, when I hope to get lots of work done, I kept getting things ready. I removed all of the front brake parts (shoes, springs, cylinders, adjusters, lines.... the whole works). All there is now is an empty drum, bare backing plate, and axle bearings and seals. I spent days trying to do the same on the rear but could not get the rear axle nuts off. If you know V-dubs, you know these can be hard to get off under good conditions. What I have here is far from good conditions. I tried an impact wrench and broke three breaker bars (my old one, it's replacement, and Pat's ... I have another replacement now as does Pat) after soaking them in penetrating oil. I tried heat and beat the stew out of them hoping to knock something loose - No luck. After church today I went back to compressed air and a cut off tool. Once I got sections of the nut cut out and a few slices into it as well, I was able to get a chisel and hammer to turn it. Much to my surprise, once the nut was off I found that the threads on the axle looked great. I had half expected the nut and axle to be "welded" together with rust. I ran out of daylight (thanks to a washing machine that decided to drain it's wash water all over the house ... the drain hose popped off causing a minor flood and a major sanctification test for all of us) so I didn't get started on the other side. I did get the brakes pulled off this one side so it's ready for bearings and brakes when the time comes.



Check out the rt. rear brakes when I pulled off the drum. The fronts looked similar. This is another indication of how long this car has sat. With each new thing I uncover the funnier it gets.



Well, Lord willing, I'll have good weather the next couple of weeks and be able to accomplish tons. I have a garage and attic full of parts and time off work. The only thing to slow me down now is the weather and my own ignorance. I watched a lot of this kind of stoff get done years ago but have never done it myself. As Tammy's cousin Matt said this weekend (keep in mind he's a bodyman and makes a living doing this) "you may have never welded before but you'll know how when this is done." Matt's also given me some tips on body filler and sanding. He approved of the paint colors we're considering only because they are light colors and light colors hide imperfections well.... that was encouraging. Hope to keep you updated over the next couple weeks. Pray!