I figured I would start my own thread and upload pictures of my heap as it goes. Remember this amazing piece of redneck creativity? I set out one afternoon to remove it and replace it with a new 3 Gauge set. Because of how wires were routed and the gauge bracket installed I had to remove the dashpad and top of the dashboard. And the brittle vinyl dashboard shell cracked and broke in many places. See pieces of it on the floor (and it got worse). Note the huge crack next to the pillar.
I did not take any pictures of all of the pieces of the dashboard that cracked and broke off - probably should have. Just the piece that goes over the factory gauge pod alone was in 12 pieces. The only thing I could think of to fix vinyl was a vinyl cement made for the vinyl fencing around my yard (but it's white). It barely holds things together. The gauge pod just kind of floats in there. The dashboard sags in the middle. I think I'll be stuck making my own dashboard out of sheet metal, or aluminum, or fiberglass. Figured I'd build a console for it too and mount the new gauges there.
Built a rough pattern for a console out of cardboard. Note the white stuff on the dashboard - that's the vinyl fence glue I used to put broken pieces back together (for now). Here is the new gauge set from the back. Gauges installed in cardboard console. My son thought it would be funny to decorate it with "ricer" logos. I let him have fun with it! Another view.
Hole rusted through from bed to cab. The corner of the bed had rusted through and was draining into the cab every time it rained. Cleaned it out good and stopped the rust with Permatex Rust Treatment which converts oxidation to a sandable, paintable primed surface. Applied masking tape to the underside surface where it had rusted through to give a backing for my JB Weld. J-B Weld. Awesome stuff. J-B Weld applied, waiting for a 24 hour cure before it can be sanded, ground, drilled/tapped, or painted (I'm only going to be grinding it smooth and painting it with the rest of the bed when I get to that point).
Oh CRAP! Time for a new intake manifold.... I was cleaning some soggy stuff from the intake next to the boss for the temperature gauge and my tool pushed right through... anti-freeze gushing out. Once it was all drained. The twisted red and black wires are from the coil. They are spliced to the bad wires with the mashed connector below. The Edelbrock Performer intake has either corroded or eroded to almost nothing at least next to the temperature gauge boss which has cracked and was seeping coolant (what I was trying to clean up when it all went downhill). Connector in the wiring to the coil. Not sure if it's melted, mashed, or a little of both...
Wow! Everything turns into a can of worms, doesn't it?! Most of it seems normal for a thirty something year old car, but that hole in the intake is horrible! Looks like the boss is cracked too. Do you know how old the intake is? If that is typical failure, it would make me think twice about replacing the original iron intake... Thanks for sharing your progress!
Most of it seems normal for a thirty something year old car, but that hole in the intake is horrible! >I.Mullet ++++++++++++ Time for some more JB Weld! I would use a Dremel or such to clean the top around the hole, and then JB a patch piece over it. I've never seen that on a manifold, but the timing-chain cover on 302/351w is famous for corroding through.
Good argument for regular coolant maint. Flush & refill with new coolant, change thermostat. Try the J B, But don't count on it holding for long, if at all. The connector for the coil probably is ok but won''t lock on the coil, so you could find another one from a junkyard,buy a replacement in the HELP section of your local auto parts store, or replace with standard eyelet terminals. Good Luck
Well, I did consider J-B Weld for repairing the intake. A lot cheaper and faster. However, it won't do anything for any other paper-thin spots on the intake - and one of them might dump my whole radiator into the intake runners and hydraulic a cylinder, or might dump into the crankcase and cause lots of lower end damage.... not likely but then, I never thought it likely I'd scrape off some crud and empty the radiator on the street either! From Summitracing I can get a whole intake kit with manifold, gaskets, bolts, carb, and air filter - way more costly but lots more peace of mind. The wiring is a lost cause. All of the insulation is hardened and flakes off. I'm rewiring it completely under hood. No concern for factory connectors. Probably going to swap the factory electronic ignition module for an MSD 6 box I have and possibly an MSD Pro Billet distributor with vacuum advance.
I feel your pain. My 78 was much better, but I've just finished up building new underhood wiring harnesses. Amazed how much I could get rid of in the process. I went to a 1-wire alternator and got rid of the regulator and associated wiring. A/C gone, too. Along with cruise control.
