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69 SC Journey

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Scene One Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Apr/24/2017 at 9:22pm
Looking great Kevin!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote kcsamc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/06/2017 at 8:59pm
The last two weeks went fast!  Last weekend we made a quick trip back to visit family in western PA, and I got to help dad get the reassembly done on the engine portion of his exhaust system on his 68 AMX.  He is looking forward to being at the Gettysburg show with it but had exhaust issues front to back - so it's getting a few fixes and upgrades.  He is hoping to finally make mom happy with an exhaust note that is worthy of the mighty 390!

I've been working on elements of the leaf spring rebuild, of which has me working in several directions at once.  At the moment I'm just one piece away from assembling the one spring.  Late this week, my one side project, the leaf spring wrap reproduction kit, ramped up, and as of tonight is nearly ready for release to those who pulled the trigger on them.  Earlier in the week, the prototype wraps were picked up and tested on the one remaining original spring.  It was quite a bit more challenging to assemble than I hoped, and needed a design tweak to get us all where we need to be, but it was a good experience.  At one point in the process, I grew tired of trying to not scratch the pieces and just went at it with any necessary tool to bent into place.  Got scratched up a good bit - but the first pass was encouraging and really looks good ini the raw stainless remake:


Immediately after doing the above, I went back to the drawing board (CAD file) and reworked the design, and released it back to the fab shop who finished up the production run for me with the new design by Friday afternoon.  I also got the rubber cushion material delivered so the weekend was partially spent developing the first kit and cutting rubber.  This project turned out great.  In the final spring assembly post, I will show my set being assembled with as much care as I can deliver to make them look great on the car.   Exciting stuff!



I've been mixing in a few powder coat projects this past week.  The e-brake pull housing got a nice coat of glass black and the crank pulley got some surface pit restoration and a coat of semi glass black.  Both turned out great.


Last up for this past week, I spent some time doing the re-assembly of the left front fender splash shield.  I've been reproducing the rubber patterns for other American owners and I wanted to get one of mine on to see how it turns out.  After doing a lot of searching out there, the only staples I could find were either galvanized, or square profile staples.  Not good enough....  so I handmade my own correct thickness round stainless staples.  After a couple tries, I figured out the process, so here it is:

1)  Cut your length of wire with side cutters (about 1.125 - 1.25").  The tapered end that the cutters makes helps with assembly later
2)  Find a pair of visegrips with just under 1/2" width on the head, lightly grip the wire


3)  Using a small tack hammer, fold down side #1, and use some sort of a metal anvil to lay it on and then hammer fold the other side down.  Tap it tight to the vise grip head - nice sharp inside fold.



4) Test fit in existing holes in our metal splash panel


5)  Make a whole bunch more!  I was able to get the process down to about a minute a piece after about 10 or so.  You will need 17 - 18 per side.


Last night, I spent about 2 hours assembling the left panel.  I fastened in 3 strategic places first, and then went back and filled in the rest.  I found that not doing anything more than poke all the rest through was important to get alignment and keep my sanity.  You need the rubber to flex to see where holes are, align and push through.  I used a tiny drill bit to run through from the back side for each hole - that got me within a 1/32", the rest was luck and tweaking!  Lastly, I used a small hammer and a paint stick to hammer down the back of the staple.

I had done the galvanized faux painting on the metal a good while back, so this panel looks so fresh and new now - it really pops!  Now I need to get the other side painted up and finish this sub-project!  Pictures have a hard time showing the neat "galvanized" crystalline pattern.





Edited by kcsamc - May/06/2017 at 9:05pm
Kevin Shope
1964 Classic 660
67 Rogue 290-4V 4spd Conv
A-Scheme SC/Rambler (69 SC JOURNEY)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ram Air Rick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/07/2017 at 6:30am
Wow !

Everything looking great. 

Home, shop, design studio, body shop, cottage industry, assembly line... it's endless ! You'd make Henry Ford proud !

Well done Kevin. Keep the pics and progress coming !

Rich C.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote hassyfoto Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/10/2017 at 9:15am
One step closer!  
Attention to detail is awesome!
Murphy's Law:
Any given mechanical job you decide to solve alone will imminently require a third hand, at its most critical moment

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Scene One Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/10/2017 at 1:33pm
Kevin I am more impressed every day, fantastic work!!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Zioamc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/10/2017 at 10:36pm
outstanding work man o man Kevin love it
      .....1969 Sc/Rambler....
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote American67 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/26/2017 at 12:17pm
this project is breathtaking. absolutely stunning...

can´t wait to see it finished! 

My biggest respects for Kevin!

greetings from Helsinki, Finland
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote kcsamc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/29/2017 at 10:37pm
The long drawn out project of restoring the leaf springs at least now has an output.  One spring set is fully complete, and the other set just left the paint booth with its primer coat down on all individual leafs, so they will be moving towards completion soon as well.

I had been withholding much detail on the spring project until I had this first one done so the story on these can be told in one shot.  There is a good deal of detail in the rear leaf springs on a SC/R.  Compounding the issue is that the American springs are only 2" wide so off the shelf pieces to finish them off don't really exist, so I had to make them if I wanted it done right.

First off, photos of the tear down documentation for history's sake:


Spring wraps were bare steel, and got surface patina very early on.


The 5th leaf is stamped by the spring manufacturer with "OSP" and number.  The spring wraps were also stamped with "OSP":



The picture above and just below here show objective evidence that the main leaf in the spring was painted flat silver from the manufacturer.  FASTNASH told me that he remembered that his car had the main leaf silver as well when he redid the springs a couple decades ago.  Both his car and mine were made in the second half of May.  On the one end eye:


Also shown in the photo just above is the white stripe on the front eyelet - it was about an 1" wide and was found on both springs in the same spot.

Below is the secondary factory splash mark across the leaf on the rear half of the spring - both springs also had this white line:



Shown above here is a close-up of the wear pad center press fit geometry.  Most every spring has these nearly destroyed from being thrown around, they get smashed and distorted, then they can't be removed from the spring without cutting it off.

Below is a comparison of an original wear pad and the only commercially available option:


One of the sub-projects on this job was to source factory looking wear pads.  I modeled the original design in a 3D CAD package and ultimately had (12) pads made by a 3D printing service in a process called SLS.  Parts are a solid and durable Black Nylon:




An additional stop in this journey was to match the springs colors in a single stage urethane for durability.  I took a whole spring assembly to my local paint supply shop and they mixed up the silver and a "charcoal" color to match the raw "darkened" processed steel of the spring leafs:



So with the above done, the springs got re-arched, new bushings pressed in, bead blasted and epoxy primed and sanded, then had the urethane top coats applied.  6 leaf springs are a lot of work!

There was some time lag due to sourcing the complete project of stainless spring wraps and rubber cushions - it took a month or so to get things sourced and then I had to do the "OSP" stamping by hand on all the kits made and sold over the past couple weeks.  It was finally time to get one spring assembled this weekend.  I will be posting the process of folding the spring wraps in the Product Announcement posting, and won't bog down this story line with that nailbiting experience.


        (check here after 50/30/17)

The finished product has hours and hours of work invested, but I am super pleased with the result.  Will be kind of hard to hide these under the car!

Photo here of the NOS rubber pads being readied for assembly:


After a long battle with the spring wraps, and paint splash detailing - it was finally done and ready for its photo spread:

white paint splash above on front eyelet








Close-up of the great looking spring wrap with "OSP" stamping - will look like fresh bare steel for ever now!




Well that's about it.  I don't know if there will be much new posting on work between now and Gettysburg.  I am parts vending and need to prep a good deal of stuff to take, as well as prepare the 64 Ambo. for the event.  The red wheel in the background is the spare tire wheel for the 64 Ambo. - getting a new spare for in the car - old one was decades old and dry rotted - one thing lead to another....so new paint was necessary too, you know how that goes...
Kevin Shope
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote LakesideRamblin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/30/2017 at 12:29am
Beautiful job on the springs!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 304-dude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/30/2017 at 6:46am
Long ago when a topic popped up about restoration and how much of the car is considered needed to be original when completed.

At the time I was relying on details that can not be reproduced, and the fact of very few restorers are capable of bringing a partial car back to the day it rolled off the line.

I admit I do not know much about everyone who takes part here on this forum, and may at times be very loose with expectations when pointing at areas of question. So I look bad... well it is not that I am in apology to you or any restorer, it is to the fact that stands out so clearly in particular with your build... you are not restoring one bit, just have been thee last remaining Rambler manufacturing shop that forgot to shut it's doors.

I don't think you could identify your car if mixed in with 100 like cars off the 69 assembly line... unless you have a very keen eye to your processes in reproduction of impossible parts and cladding.

Maybe that is why you are going to drive it and not out it under glass. You need some patina, and a wee functional wear to complete build, as if you would have driven it home from the dealers lot. It would be too perfect if left untouched so to speak.

I wonder if you plan on strapping it on a car hauler to travel from Michigan to a close proximity to the dealer location it was dropped off to, to complete the top shelf restoration. Now I am getting too critical to such detail.
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