Rust In Peace Chevelle /NOT

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The work session went well. You can get alot done in a few short hours. The worse part was the back bumper bolts. They had to be cut off. After that it went pretty smooth.

This was one of those work session with what we was doing we had more workers than work. I didn't get to do nothin'..

I know its way too late now but why did not someone think about finding a rusty convertible and convert it to a drop top so she could run around topless when she wanted.

She didn't want a ratop. We tried.

looks like you guys got alot done,lookin good.You guys had alot of help maybe it was agood thing we couldn't make it out there Steph was getting released from the hospital and it looks like you guys had to many hands!

Just an update. The Chevelle is still in the picture. Rob and I have been working on it a little here and there. We have been grinding down the welds and some of it is ready for some fiberglass filler. But, the exciting thing is that between yesterday and today, Rob and I managed to completely take the transmission out. Since it has been sitting so long I guess the transmission seals have eroded. Anyway, it has been leaking badly so it had to come out. Other than one phone call to Steve to ask about supporting the motor, we did it on our own! Next, we have to put it back. Sure hoping to get to drive it this year even if part of it still looks like frankenstein .

Good deal!

What a pain to get that tranny out! It took us about ten hours spread across two days to get it out. I guess that's not too bad considering it was two people who have never done anything like that before. We had to cut the coolant lines off, take the drivers side header off, and slide the entire transmission off the jack onto a folded over blanket. We could not get the car high enough to just pull the trans out on the jack. The coolant fittings rounded off and we had no way of getting vise grips or anything in there.

All the front pump seals are leaking. I'm going to go ahead and pull the pump off and replace them, (if I can even find them without buying a whole gasket kit), along with the input shaft/pump seal. I think the pan gasket is leaking also. It was cheaper to get that gasket with a filter with it.

We bought a chrome deep trans pan today at a small peddlers mall for $20.00, new.

Do you have to use a filter extension to use the deep pan? It seems like you would need it, in my mind.

Does anyone have any tricks to get the front pump off safely? I was reading in my TH-350 Handbook to thread a couple bolts into the pump and pull with a small pry bar. Anything else I should try?

Yaaaaaa! Rob and I got the transmission out, changed the seals and filter, and today........ WE PUT IT BACK! Today went so easy it was amazing. The hardest part was yesterday when we had to put the transmission under the car then get it up on a jack. Not a lot of room to move under there. We still have some small things to do but I am hoping to have the motor at least running in the next two weeks even if I can't take it out yet until I get the interior put back. We have gotten some more of the body work done too. I am NOT giving up on it. My goal is to at least take her out a few times this year and finish the body and paint next year.

Good news for sure.

Good deal ... little here and there and before you know it you will be done

get-r-done......

From FB
Navonda Patterson

Does anyone have any Chevelle REAR bumper bracket BOLTS or inner bumper bolts? I do not need the shiny chrome ones.
I am also in the market for fender bolts and unuts/clips but they need to be in good shape. I have some pretty rusted ones that I do not think are usable.
Once I get the bumper and fenders and glass put back on, she is drivable! I'm not sure that I am going to make it by the first cruise date, however

We need some updated pics!

Just seen this lol.

Nothing looks any different for pictures. Just getting ready to start putting panels back on just to get it driving.

Needs little patches here and there eventually. We're just getting it running for now.

I think we are going to get some Peal N' Seal to put small patches over the holes for now so no more water gets in the car if we get rained out.

We are going to get someone out here to do the glass. We need to see how someone does it before we can do it.

It is running good, though. When we replaced the tranny we didn't put the purple wire back on the correct terminal. It needed to be on the S terminal. Damn, 6 months of that lol.

It cranked but, no fuel.

The bumper needed to be hooked up to make a full circuit path for the fuel sending unit.

It still wasn't getting fuel but, now we at least smelled gas. So we took the fuel pump off and it wasn't pumping. Replaced that, then it fired right up. Almost instant.

We have a couple of sets of bolts coming in the mail. We have a complete front Chevelle bolt kit coming. Everything, U-Nuts, inner fender bolts, hood bolts, etc.

Momma' is going to go try to find the rear bumper bracket bolts tomorrow. And valance bolts.

Someone with an impact gun and no Dubbya-D wrecked a couple captured nuts until they just spun. The nuts were sandwiched in between two pieces of sheetmetal so one side had to be cut upen to get the nut out. I'm going to try to get some pics up.

This picture is on the right side of the car looking into the side of the trunk. There was supposed to be a channel spot welded in between the two pieces of trunk sheet metal. The square nut was supposed to not turn or move so that you could thread a bolt upward from the bottom. The impact gun wrecked the channel and made the square nut just turn and turn.

The only way to get that out and fix it was to cut the second sheet metal side that is in the trunk. The one above is mangled because someone took a 4" hole saw to it...

So I have been thinking how to replace that to original-ish. I think we should bend, in my vice, a channel like was originally there. Instead of sheetmetal, 1/8" steel. Then we could tack weld a square nut into the channel and it will be just like factory. It would be simple to make and spot weld in and still be original. -Ish. A rubber grommet at the bottom will keep water from coming in.

Right now, though, we should just bolt the bumper in. Replace the rest of the metal later.

It won't be long and this car will be back on the road!

Got these today in the clubs email

hmmm

Well the Chevelle is now here at Hilltop Hot Rods. All I can say is I was a little shocked when I seen the poor car. Enough is enough. We are going to fix this thing the way it should have been fixed years ago. No more fooling around.