Project COVID-1953

Episode 13 – Rick works on disassembling more stuff in order to do some bodywork. The doors and trunk are removed; the fenders were already off. Pulling back what was left of the carpet, Rick finds some additional bodywork that will need to be completed. Also, discovered some old neon lights that had to come

Episode 12 – Now that the inside and the roof are done. Rick can move on from the dirty work to something he is very excited about and has been waiting a long time to do…that’s move on to the brake assembly. Working with a Kugel 90-degree brake setup with a T5 five-speed hydraulic clutch,

Episode 11 – Moving on to the interior, Rick gets started on the roof that was burnt in the fire. With the undercoating slightly melted and the dash rusted and warped, he had his work cut out for him. Starting with removing the old dash to make room for working on the roof, he spends

Episode 10 – Focusing on nothing but the firewalls, Rick gets busy wire-welding and removing the rust. Remember, this car was in a fire, so this process is a little more time-consuming. The pop-riveted panels that were covering up holes; were removed, and new patch panels were welded on to create the smoother look we’re

Episode 9 – Now that the engine is pretty much complete. Rick is ready to move to the body. The body has been damaged due to a garage fire and is heavily rusted. Some new fenders and a roof were already purchased. Starting with the firewalls, Rick gets everything grinded, wire-brushed and wire wheeled down.

Episode 8 – The focus in the garage today is on the carburetor. Rick uses a Holley 600 CFM with new needle, gaskets, floats, everything. It takes some work to clean out all the passages, but when finished, it’s like brand new. Also important note, you don’t want to over-carburet an engine, so the 600

Episode 7 – Rick’s been busy finishing up the engine. Timing chain cover and water pump have been installed. He painted the oil pan and valve covers blue to match the engine block. The air gap intake has been cleaned up and mounted to the engine. Once all of that was done, Rick primes the

Episode 5 –Using a typical camshaft tool, the cam bearings were removed and replaced, and a new camshaft was put in. It’s important to not overlook the cam bearings so the engine isn’t starved of oil. Once that is finished, the freeze plugs go in and Rick moves on to replacing the main bearings in