Rear Wheels

Got the two rear tires swapped over from the stock wheels to the new chrome smoothies today. I am getting a new plain blackwall mounted as a spare on a 5th smoothie. That way all 5 wheels can be mounted at either front or rear and fit without scraping calipers. Besides, the spare was an old bias-ply Atlas that looks like a mid-60's tire. No way I'm keeping that. The wheel looks pristine though! Too bad it won't work with the calipers.

Drive

Took the day off from car stuff for the most part but one of the things I wanted to do today was to take Lucille out and spend some more time breaking in the new brakes and getting a feel for how comfortable and reliable they felt. So at the end of the day I went out and cruised for a little more than a half hour. This time of day most folks are home getting the evening meal so there was minimal traffic. Lucille's brakes feel just as good to me as the first test drive. They are very sensitive but not grabby and they feel very confident.

With the steering upgrade that I did two years ago and the front suspension rebuild I did last year, the addition of this brake conversion makes the car a real pleasure to drive and much safer too. Yet the flavor of the Eisenhower era car is still there, still just as tasty as it always was. Maybe the mechanical foibles of the original are part of the experience for some. I think that when the car was new, the design flaws did not manifest themselves the way they do now, so not having them there may be a truer experience than we know. All I can be sure of is, I love driving the car when it works smoothly and feels safe. It never will be as safe as a modern car, of course. But is a huge improvement.

Oil Change!

[114248] I converted the filter over to a remote unit made by Trans-Dapt. Uses a Fram PH8A or equivalent filter now instead of the canister filter that dumps oil all over the engine when you change it. 5 quarts of Royal Purple 10w-40. No leaks!

The Fruit of My Labor

You know how you start a project and it turns out to be a huge hassle and lots of things go wrong, you run way over budget and you really get to wondering why the hell you ever started this mess?

Well I found out the answer to that question today.

Today was the day to take a test drive on the streets of Los Angeles. Sink or swim, the new brakes had to perform. I made sure I had my cell phone and my wallet with AAA card handy and I didn't stray more than a few blocks. The results? Just amazing. Driving along and applying the pedal gently, the car slows immediately without any hesitation or harshness, and pressing harder produces exactly the amount of additional braking you expect. They are smooth, sensitive without being overly touchy, and straight as an arrow. The pedal is firm. They feel very confident and capable. I am extremely impressed and happy.

I still have a few details to attend to. There are a couple of clips to attach lines to the frame I need to add, some wire bundles I need to re-secure, the wire for the brake lamp to connect. And I will need to finish off the heater system. I may want to lower the pedal height slightly. I think it would feel a tad more comfortable for my leg if it were 1/4" to 1/2" lower.

So, why did I start this mess? Because I thought and hoped that I would get to this outcome. Would I do this again? Yes! But I would do it right from the get-go instead of trying to salvage the original pedal setup. I know better now. I already have a Scarebird kit for the Pontiac and am planning to order one for the '49er. I have the tools and I have gained a lot of knowledge. There was a lot of pain involved too, but I'd say nearly all of that was due to trying to save the old pedal. No need to even think about doing that again.

I am so relieved that this is largely done and working so wonderfully. It truly is a joy to drive a car with excellent brakes you can trust.