Before the Cougar comes in I'm trying to finish up my Galaxie. Every year it's the same - I want to go a bunch of stuff, but other projects get all my attention - and I want to drive the Gal!!

Today I removed the rear lower control arms - of course what should take an hour, took three! The bolts where seized through the bushings and had to be coerced out....

First up, getting the bolts apart. I used my half inch ratchet and a 3 foot extension tube and barely got the front ones out. On the rear ones, the nut came off, but not the bolt.

Screw it, lets cut 'em off!

 To get these gall-darned control arms out I had to use every high-persuasion tool I have! The bolts where seized, so I cut the ends off, but the brackets wouldn't spread enough to go over the stubs still left, so I had to cut inside the brackets (which you can see me doing above).        

After that, they STILL wouldn't budge, so I heated up the brackets and tried to pry them apart and BEAT them out with the sledge! With all that beating and prying I had the lift wobbling pretty good a couple times - scary!

They finally came out, but not unscathed. I still need to get the seized bushings out too! Believe it or not, I've rarely ever needed a press, so here's a great excuse to build one - which I would love to do - if it weren't for the day it would take that I could be doing something "more productive". Of course I like fabricating stuff so much I'll likely buy the metal Monday and get 'er made one night next week!

Now that they're out of the way, I can do the repairs to the frame rails. This is where the rails go up and over the rear end - so a very important junction, taking a lot of torque from holding up the entire rear end - it HAS to be strong. Likely, once I make the basic repair, I'll add plates to either side to add even more strength and rigidity to the entire rear section.

Here's just some of what was hiding inside. It's what causes all that rust!



This baby is going to be a completely different animal after all this work: I've ordered new bushings from Rock Auto, Front and Rear Sway Bars with poly bushings from PST, shocks, brakes, strut rod bushings (as well as some seals and stuff for the top-side) from Dearborn, not to mention headers and dual 2 1/2" exhaust and full-flow mufflers from SUMMIT RACING (along with my flame-thrower idea!), so it's going to be an AWESOME summer for "OUR GAL"!!!!

I know a lot goes on here at E-tek, so tell me if I'm moving too fast!! HAHa!!:lol:

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com!

Special thanks to www.RUSTBULLET.com and www.CarCraft.com!

Here's a few more of the next E-tek Restoration project.

May be the "nicest" start to a job I've ever had!

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Looks so good.....but here's some of the work required:

Can you spot the CRAPPY bodywork?

It's not that you wouldn't have a few little wrinkles on the back side of a repaired panel, but my standards are much higher than this! With much more hammer and dolly and much less filler, there would have been fewer wrinkles  - which I then would have finished on this side (the inside), so it would look like there was never a repair made.

In all it'll need front floors and quarter panels, plus whatever pops up once it's here and gone through. The owner is stripping it down and it'll be painted at BridgeCity Collision, owned by a very long-in-the-tooth restoration specialist named Corky. He has done - and owns - many wicked rides and is a perfectionist - which makes us the perfect team!

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com. 
Special thanks to www.RUSTBULLET.com and  www.CarCraft.com.

Anyone who's ever done a restoration - or a renovation - knows how much of a pain it is to strip treatments off after years and years of exposure. Rubberized undercoating is the back-yard restorers worse job and there are as many methods to aid in the removal as there are pissed off guys doing it!

A few weeks back I picked up one of these newer tools that vibrate back and forth quickly and the different attachments can cut wood, remove grout and strip paint. I decided to try it on the undercoating that needs to be removed on the Datsun and WOW! The tool easily  stripped off any parts that where at all soft and even made short work of the parts that where rock hard after 40+ years.

The blade can even be re-sharpened on the grinder.

I highly recommend this to anyone having to strip undercoating!

A few final (I know I've said that before) parts arrived for the 1956 Chev Truck that is slated to go out the door next week. It now has a new upper rad hose and spring clamps, as well as new parking brake cables.

The cables where a little easier to replace than I thought they might be - not even necessitating the removal of the the pads and springs. That almost never happens!

After those fun tasks, it was back to the rust work on the Galaxie frame. Someone on GarageJournal said I was using CAD - meaning Cardboard Aided Design - in making templates for the pieces. I thought it very clever.

These 14gauge pieces will be welded into these cut-out areas to renew the torque box on this right side:

Prior to welding them in, I again treated them with Eastwood's Rust Encapsulator. One thing I've noticed about this product is how it barely burns off with MIG welding. After welding up the front piece, I could see the reverse side and it wasn't burned at all, even right at the weld seem.

I've found that moving the grinder to my work area - mounted on a stand - makes it easy to do all the fine grinding required to fit the parts prior to welding

Here's the area after the first pass and some grinding of the welds. Being 14 gauge steel, I used a higher setting on the MIG welded than usual. It made for a very strong final structure.

A couple touch-ups with the MIG and grinders and it was ready for some Rust Bullet paint. This stuff if now my new favourite in terms of application and usage. It goes on easily, self levels nicely and looks great. Unlike my previous favourite, POR15, it also has UV protection built in, so although you CAN topcoat, you don't need to. Long term testing is under way here at E-tek and we'll see how it performs over the course of a mean Saskatchewan winter!

Ta da.

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com ! Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com and www.CarCraft.com !

Torque box V - Right side

The Right side looked better than the left. If I where a lazy man, I'd say it was hardly worth doing....

Until I poked a screw driver through it....

Once I saw how bad it really was, I new I had to start cutting. As you can see, I remove the gaurds from all my grinders in order to be able to use much more of the tool. It can be rather dangerous if you don't pay attention and even so, I've gotten a few cuts and burns right through gloves while cutting metal.

Check out all the dirt, mud and rusted metal that was residing in the box and frame rail - unreal! This is what causes rust to form so heavily - a place for moisture to remain, along with chemicals that are put on the roadways in winter: salt and potash mostly. I wish I had done these when I got the car 8 years ago!

Once the worst rust was cut out - back to strong, cleaner metal - I removed all the loose dirt, scale and rust by scraping and vacuuming, using the long hose attached to the vacuum to reach into the frame rail and rocker panel. Once cleaned, I'll put several coats of Rust Bullet's single stage Epoxy on the areas I can reach, plus Eastwood's Internal Frame Coating with it's long tube applicator, on areas I cannot reach.




Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com ! Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com and www.CarCraft.com !

240Z's ROCK!

It's hard NOT to be a fan of the 240Z - especially when you see someone kick ASS in one. This one gets away from 350Z's, spec cars and then laps back marker at 7:35.

240Z Kicks it at Summit Raceway

Here's another one....

Ours is still a ways away, but one day.....




Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com ! Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com and www.CarCraft.com !

Parts

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com.....

Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com  and www.CarCraft.com....

Just back from Las Vegas Raceway where I took some laps in a Ferrari F430.

They had several other rides to choose from too:

Of course a Ferrari is a Ferrari!

After a couple 'discovery laps' where the head instructor whips you around the track in a Porsche Cayenne, you get in your chosen ride and get to beat on it for 5 laps. While most of the other drivers where taking the first couple laps easy, I was gettin' my money's worth and I can tell you now, that no mater how many times you read about big 6 caliper brakes and 500+HP, you don't realize just how good it feels until you get to beat on one on the track! I will say however that the track was a lot shorter than I would have liked....

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com ! Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com and www.CarCraft.com !

Tokens

The owners of the 1956 Chevrolet 3100 Truck gave me this Die Cast Replica as a token of their appreciation for doing the restoration. Ironically, I appreciate THEIR gesture and for being such a great family to do a restoration for!

Although it's a '55 model, it's incredibly close in color and overall look! It'll look great with my other collectibles, which I keep on a shelf along the ceiling in the shop.

Being in a hockey town I even have Joe Thornton MVP stick, that Mrs E. got when she worked for Kelloggs.... It's one of the few non-automotive items in the shop.

I bought this Datsun 240Z die-cast when I decided I would rebuild our Datsun for my son Colton. It's a great motivator of just how nice these cars where - and can be. I'm not sure why they would make a 1972 version of all the years to choose from though - our car (the real one) is an early '71, which is much more desirable.

Just a little ways to go before the real one looks the same! Why haven't I removed the glass yet?

Lastly, my collections also include some cool vintage HotRod Magazines and "personalized plates" for my other cars.

Vintage magazines, Mrs E-tek's race-suit, plate for the 46 Merc.

Don't forget to check out the website at       www.E-tekRestorations.com !
Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com and www.CarCraft.com !

Rebuilding the Torque-boxes - IV

The bottom plate will complete the structure on this side and is ready to be welded in. I ground the edges again, taking away an Kitty-hair that got close to the welding area. The inner part of the plate was sprayed with several coats of Rust-Bullet, a new to the market, single part, moisture-cured resin in the same category as POR15, but with the added benefit of having full UV protection.



I held the plate to the torque box with several items, including this bottle jack and a couple of sections of pipe. Beginning with several tack welds, I then turned up the voltage slightly and ran 1" long beads, alternating from side to side,  until it was welded in solid.

I dressed the initial welds then went back and filled in any gaps. The plate was solid and the box was now complete, except for some finishing work.

After a thorough cleaning with Pre-paint solvent, I coated the welded areas with a thin coat of  kitty-hair. This stuff dries so hard that - if needed - would add another layer of structural integrity. It certainly wasn't required here, as this 12gauge plate is the heaviest material I've ever done repairs with - but it is important, mostly to seal up the repair and secondarily to smooth it all out.