#Corvair #AutoRestoration progress.

FINALLY finished the dual master cylinder brake conversion.

It took forever to get the correct trunkside lines with 1/2" on one end and 7/16" on the other, while keeping the original 1/4" line size. Had to pick up pipe bender and double flare the shorter line after cutting to length.

I chose to use the original GM brass T and special nut, which required sourcing from 2 different Corvair supply houses.

In the end, I think it looks pretty clean. I took the opportunity to paint the new unit with "Cast Blast" paint.

#Corvair #AutoRestoration progress.

The original headliner was stapled onto the car via a hard cardboard strip that was itself stapled into the metal of the roof's edge.

When the car was stripped, the old hardboard was blasted away, but the staples remained.

I ripped the old staples out, drilled out every other existing staple hole and riveted in new strips of 1/8" hardboard which had been cut to size. For tight curves, I had to wet, bend and then dry the hardboard to shape.

Now that the roof has been soundproofed, There should be nothing - but fear of doing a bad job - to prevent me putting the new headliner material in.

If I mess up headliner installation, that'll be $140 down the drain. Or do I pay someone $500 to "do it right"?

#Corvair #AutoRestoration progress.

Now that the un-assembled puzzle is all here, I have to admit to being overwhelmed to the point that some days it goes untouched.

Some of the order-of-operations are daunting. Example: headliner - need to pull all the staples that held down the glue strip and replace with screwed-in new glue strip. The staples are SOLIDLY in metal that is easily scratched.

Carpet - first need to seam-seal spots missed by the shop, then need to drill holes for gas pedal bolts in the replaced floor pan, but need to install brakelines to determine positioning.

Anyway, today I tackled and easier task: taking the old stainless trim from the worn out door cards, polished 'em and installed then in the new door cards.

I also chose to replace the gasline with aluminum after reading that aluminum is kosher for it. SOOOOoo much easier to work around bends while under the car than that bastard stainless line that had a hole.

#Corvair #AutoRestoration progress.

After considering my (expensive) options, I realized that the cheapest way to get the Corvair back high in the air so that I could easily work under it... was to simply borrow a massive 100lb floor jack from a local auto machine shop.

The last time I did this, it took 6 hours and many dangerous small jack stands.

This time it only took 2 hours. My hydraulic lift table was heavy-duty enough to hold the car aloft while I removed all the wheel ramps and wooden block to let the car finally rest back down on my 20" tall wooden dolly.

Next up: remove the suspension so that brake lines and such can go back in

#Corvair #AutoRestoration progress.

Putting the puzzle back together. Shop and assembly manuals are essential. The clutch and e-brake pulley details are especially non-intuitive.

The rubber floor mat in the trunk will be one of the few original pieces not replaced. I mean, why?

#Corvair #AutoRestoration progress.

7 months between the before and after tow truck pictures.

Now I have some other things to attend to while my mind works over how to get this thing back in the air since the bodyshop declined to return the car on the tall wooden dolly I had made.

Space to work in is tiiiight.

#Corvair #AutoRestoration progress.

Coming home.

#Corvair #AutoRestoration progress.

The car will be coming home tomorrow, which means final tiding of the Very Small Garage. I built more hanging storage in a 5 hour burst of inspiration, but will still only be able to exit passenger side, due to narrowness.

Pro-tip: buy an already-restored car. Doing it yourself will cost at least 2x. Nostalgia is still an expensive drug.

#Corvair #AutoRestoration progress.

Visited the 1964 Corvair during its final week of cutting, buffing, and touchup. It is just a touch darker than I'd like, but close enough not to make a fuss about. I'm sure it'll look dynamite in the sun.