nbb350
Active member
$20,000
my insurance agent picked that number based on "an internet search" and I agreed. lol
Sterling #130 (aka American V8 ~ Chapter 2)
- Thread starter nbb350
- Start date
my insurance agent picked that number based on "an internet search" and I agreed. lol
nbb350
Active member
My recent obsession over the last couple of days has been "what happens if/when it breaks down?" If I can push it home, that's choice #1. But if I'm too far away to push it, what then? With a 12^ Approach Angle, it's too low to fit on my trailer's 17^ ramp approach angle (both measured by me). It's likely too low to fit on a commercial rollback or tilt trailer. Do I buy a new-for-me drop-deck car trailer? There's a used one near me for "only" an Arm & a Leg. Do I buy a "tow dolly" and modify it to work? That's the cheapest answer... But a trip to the nearest trailer dealership is in store for Friday so I can take some measurements...
Beautiful car. And nice photos. That profile shot is excellent!
And you were complaining about your increase in insurance rates?!
nbb350
Active member
Sunday was HOT here, so I got some time in the Shop to connect the Canopy to the Body! And then I promptly realized that the side mirrors needed to be installed first because the canopy hinges block the bolt holes. So OFF came the canopy! Lots of swearing getting the power mirror wiring harness snaked thru the canopy frame...
nbb350
Active member
The trailer can be SOLD to reclaim my money...the car has to be CRASHED to reclaim insurance money!And you were complaining about your increase in insurance rates?!
I love the articulations on those trailer wheels. Never seen a set-up quite like that. Very clever!
nbb350
Active member
Got the backup monitor mounted - hated it. Redid it. Forgot to install the flash card, gotta remove it again.
Got the canopy gasket installed - but it only makes contact with the body at about HALF the perimeter. The gaps vary from 3/8" to 1 1/2"...no gasket covers that kind of range.
Sprung another tiny leak in the main copper coolant pipe, tried to fix it, made it 100x worse. Gotta drain all the coolant and rebuild the whole fucking thing now.
But at least the new brake light switches went in with only one trip to the neighbors for a socket and one trip to Harbor Freight for new sockets...
Got the canopy gasket installed - but it only makes contact with the body at about HALF the perimeter. The gaps vary from 3/8" to 1 1/2"...no gasket covers that kind of range.
Sprung another tiny leak in the main copper coolant pipe, tried to fix it, made it 100x worse. Gotta drain all the coolant and rebuild the whole fucking thing now.
But at least the new brake light switches went in with only one trip to the neighbors for a socket and one trip to Harbor Freight for new sockets...
What canopy gasket did you use - the one from the group buy a few years ago? Are your guides on the left and right lined up and sliding smoothly? Curious if you have any hot days up there and just left the car out if it would help warp/ settle the canopy to close the gaps.
Brett Proctor
Well-known member
Maybe something like this would work. It resembles the oem gasket that the cars originally came with. This is the first one I came to; they may have others that will work.
Flexible Edge Trim | Utility Truck | Steele Rubber Products
Steele Rubber Products offers the best quality seals to effectively fill gaps between body panels. Bonded with an adhesive strip for easy installation. Available by the foot and in 10 and 30 foot lengths.
www.steelerubber.com
Look on the bright side on the water leak, at least you weren't miles from home and no way back. And you have a pattern to make a new one. I wonder if the antifreeze that your using has something to do with those leaks
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nbb350
Active member
the canopy is warped at both front corners - been that way since I bough it. oh well, it'll just be a noisy ride...IF it ever sees the road again.
sector
Active member
As others suggested, I had great luck straighting fiberglass parts with heat. I did hood recently, by heating with heat gun, placing weights and letting cool. Since fiberglass tend to spring back I would gradually over stretch until the exact shape is achieved. Worked perfectly for me.
Brett Proctor
Well-known member
The gasket I got from that group buy is worthless. A worn-out seal was used as the pattern. I don't know why I still have it, I can't use it for anything
This is the seal from the group buy.. as you can see it wont seal nothing
This is the seal I got from David on the Nova sight. Copied from a seal that was still new or should I say new old stock
As you can see it can seal a 1.5" gap. Not by much but it can.
That style of seal that steele has is close to the oem seal.
nbb350
Active member
So I considered the fact that 2 out of 6 of the copper elbows have now leaked. Do I trust the other 4 and risk leaks down the road OR eliminate those copper elbows now when I have the coolant drained?
I debated my alternative options:
Option A) buy another Copper pipe (one of the existing ones is long enough to work) and 4 short hoses and adapters to connect to existing hoses. Pros: self-supporting down the length of the car. Cons: 8 connections for potential leaks. Copper pipe is SPENDY!
Option B) buy 1.5" hose and run hose in place of the copper pipe. Pros: 4 connections for potential leaks (half of Option A) Cons: not self-supporting, so I have to build a "supporting cage" for the hoses. 1.5" hose is SPENDY!
In the end I decided to eliminate one type of metal from teh system (copper) and go with hoses...more flexible, easier to repair (cut, coupler, clamp) and the new "cage" can also support my (never-to-be-used-by-me) AC hoses. it's only $$$, right? sigh...
I debated my alternative options:
Option A) buy another Copper pipe (one of the existing ones is long enough to work) and 4 short hoses and adapters to connect to existing hoses. Pros: self-supporting down the length of the car. Cons: 8 connections for potential leaks. Copper pipe is SPENDY!
Option B) buy 1.5" hose and run hose in place of the copper pipe. Pros: 4 connections for potential leaks (half of Option A) Cons: not self-supporting, so I have to build a "supporting cage" for the hoses. 1.5" hose is SPENDY!
In the end I decided to eliminate one type of metal from teh system (copper) and go with hoses...more flexible, easier to repair (cut, coupler, clamp) and the new "cage" can also support my (never-to-be-used-by-me) AC hoses. it's only $$$, right? sigh...
Brett Proctor
Well-known member
What about using aluminum tubing instead or copper. Prices are lower for aluminum.
nbb350
Active member
Availability. Even though I live in a city of 3M+, retail sales of metal are hard to find - there's like THREE locations. Wholesale is easy...but I don't need a semi-truck load of it! lol
BUT, the same place that I have to go to buy steel angle also sells aluminum tube - for 3x the cost of steel. I'll look to see if they have any "drops" while I'm there...
Brett Proctor
Well-known member
WOW!
Using 1.5 dia tubing with a .125 wall thickness gives you only 1.125 inside diameter.
Don't know where your radiator is mounted at but that sounds kind of small to me. But if you aren't having any issues of overheating, never mind me.
I'm using 1.75 dia tubing with a wall thickness of 0.065 and my radiator is mounted up front. But I haven't put it on the road yet so I don't have any specifics to report on it.
Using 1.5 dia tubing with a .125 wall thickness gives you only 1.125 inside diameter.
Don't know where your radiator is mounted at but that sounds kind of small to me. But if you aren't having any issues of overheating, never mind me.
I'm using 1.75 dia tubing with a wall thickness of 0.065 and my radiator is mounted up front. But I haven't put it on the road yet so I don't have any specifics to report on it.
Brett Proctor
Well-known member
Just to let everyone know
Pipes are measure on the inside diameter and tubing is measured on the outside diameter
So, a 1.5"diameter pipe has a 1.5" inside diameter, while 1.5" diameter tubing with a 0.125 wall thickness has a 1.25 inside diameter. (I screwed up the calcs in the previous post)
Pipes are measure on the inside diameter and tubing is measured on the outside diameter
So, a 1.5"diameter pipe has a 1.5" inside diameter, while 1.5" diameter tubing with a 0.125 wall thickness has a 1.25 inside diameter. (I screwed up the calcs in the previous post)