Matthew Taylor's Journal
Home Page: Matthew Taylor
Land O Lake, FL, USA
| Total Posts: 26 | Latest Post: 2017-04-27 |
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3-22-15
We spent a few nights during the week, and most of Saturday and Sunday cleaning up accessories. Cole put every piece of chrome and polished stainless through a process: Steel wool and W-40, followed by the polishing wheel mounted to the end of our bench grinder. When he wasn't running it, I was. I used a bit more mild polish, and after a good cleaning, ran the plastic lenses across the wheel.
The main focus for Saturday was the gas cap. The PO had mounted a new gas tank (thanks Larry!), but, it didn't quite line up with the gas cap. We had to center it, and found appropriate spacers in my "spare spacer" drawer. I think my dad said his dad gave them to him. 4, exactly the right thickness, and diameter. I have no idea why I kept them all these years, but there it was. A dab of grease on each one, to hold it to the tank, and we bolted it in. Lined up perfectly.
Next up, the rear piece that the top snaps too. Originally, this piece was glued into the top. Then the piece was attached to the car, so the back of the top was always on the car. Somewhere down the line, the aftermarket top makers stopped adding the pocket for the piece. On most Spits today, as ours was, the piece is panted black, and snaps are added to it. It is then fasten to the car, and the top just snaps on to the piece, just like the sides of the car. In this configuration, since it would show when the top was down, I painted and striped it. Cole pop riveted in the snaps (his first pop rivet job) , and I painted the right half again. The pop rivet gun really shot across that paint fast when it let go.
The other piece that needed to go on was the center tail light assembly. This piece was unique to the '70 U.S. version, known as a "Federal". Although allot of the look of the car would more closely resemble the '69, we wanted to keep the piece. Wire wheeled, I had painted and striped it as well. Next up, the 3 lights fixtures inside got a going over with some 400 grit, and some di-electric grease. Cole polished the chrome caps,and I hit the white - well it turned out to be clear - lens. We changed the bulbs and put 12 volts to it all. No smoke, just license plate and back up lights.
We rounded out the fittings with the trunk handle, and a couple temp turn indicator lights. The hunt was still on for the correct ones.
We spent a few nights during the week, and most of Saturday and Sunday cleaning up accessories. Cole put every piece of chrome and polished stainless through a process: Steel wool and W-40, followed by the polishing wheel mounted to the end of our bench grinder. When he wasn't running it, I was. I used a bit more mild polish, and after a good cleaning, ran the plastic lenses across the wheel.
The main focus for Saturday was the gas cap. The PO had mounted a new gas tank (thanks Larry!), but, it didn't quite line up with the gas cap. We had to center it, and found appropriate spacers in my "spare spacer" drawer. I think my dad said his dad gave them to him. 4, exactly the right thickness, and diameter. I have no idea why I kept them all these years, but there it was. A dab of grease on each one, to hold it to the tank, and we bolted it in. Lined up perfectly.
Next up, the rear piece that the top snaps too. Originally, this piece was glued into the top. Then the piece was attached to the car, so the back of the top was always on the car. Somewhere down the line, the aftermarket top makers stopped adding the pocket for the piece. On most Spits today, as ours was, the piece is panted black, and snaps are added to it. It is then fasten to the car, and the top just snaps on to the piece, just like the sides of the car. In this configuration, since it would show when the top was down, I painted and striped it. Cole pop riveted in the snaps (his first pop rivet job) , and I painted the right half again. The pop rivet gun really shot across that paint fast when it let go.
The other piece that needed to go on was the center tail light assembly. This piece was unique to the '70 U.S. version, known as a "Federal". Although allot of the look of the car would more closely resemble the '69, we wanted to keep the piece. Wire wheeled, I had painted and striped it as well. Next up, the 3 lights fixtures inside got a going over with some 400 grit, and some di-electric grease. Cole polished the chrome caps,and I hit the white - well it turned out to be clear - lens. We changed the bulbs and put 12 volts to it all. No smoke, just license plate and back up lights.
We rounded out the fittings with the trunk handle, and a couple temp turn indicator lights. The hunt was still on for the correct ones.








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