Greetings Everyone,
Chris Hawkins and I got the front brakes bled successfully on the '60 Le Baron last night. Then I took it for a little spin around the back yard. We have got the old beast running and stopping, to a degree, and looks like our work is still just beginning. My Dad and I rebuilt the entire top of the engine and it seems to be running real well. However, the transmission is not catching right, there is a real delay between pushing the buttons and anything happening. We adjusted the linkage between the transmission and carburetor and I guess next is the cable adjustment. The manual says to run the car for ten miles before adjusting the cable wheel. I don't quite know when that will be. The manual also calls for removing the neutral switch and I don't know why that is necessary, anyway, it looks like more effort to reinstall the neutral switch than to adjust the cable. The transmission fluid is clean and I guess since a rebuild was
done, the filter was cleaned also. The car moves along fine once it gets itself in gear. It was really being stubborn this morning. I guess I will press on and hope we can get all these "little" things taken care of over time.
I hooked the vacuum line on the power brake booster back up to the engine and nothing happened. I can't tell that the power brakes are working at all. This car has a replacement (1956 era?) brake booster, maybe I am still missing a connection. The power steering gearbox is leaking from the top so I have to get that fixed too. I am at a real crossroads in that I have a chunk of money invested now but don't know that I want to invest much more. Oh well, I have come too far to quit now. It is off to the brake shop to have the rear brakes done (currently capped off) and get a new exhaust system. I only did the front brakes so the car could be maneuvered around the yard and to the brake shop. So you see, the spending is going to really start now. Up until now the biggest expense has been new master and 6 wheel cylinders and hoses. The previous owner said the car was running great when he parked it. I don't
think now that his illness was the only reason it was parked. It must have run like a slug in salt, there were so many things not adjusted or correctly working. The after market distributer also seems to be a problem and my Dad is rebuilding me an original off the parts car so that should help too. About half the exterior lighting is working but I think a flasher and some new bulbs should correct that. I also have some brake wires to fix at the master cylinder as I pulled off one of the connectors checking for corrosion as the brake lights were not working.
My little drive was gut wrenching, after the excitement of getting the thing to move under its own power, the reality of whats left to do still seems daunting. I guess I will throw a little money at it and see what it does. We've fixed so many things, and using the parts car, have replaced many after market, incorrect, and missing parts on this car. We have replaced a broken hood hinge, a mashed rear bumper, straightened up the front bumper, repaired dogleg rust out, scraped and cleaned and lubed the front suspension, replaced all belts and hoses, replaced all top end gaskets, ground the valves and seats, rebuilt the carb, drained and filled the rear differential, installed new spark plugs, and replaced the fuel tank. I totally stripped and cleaned the interior, got the drivers window to work, and have working blowers, albeit on a jury rigged switch. We found that the engine and trans had been rebuilt, the cylinders are 30 over. It is running
a bit rough but after four years of sitting, and an incorrect distributer, it could do that. I think some driving time will clear it up a bit. Two lurches forward, one step back.
Richard Burgess
'60 "LeCrown" Sedan
'60 LeBaron Sedan
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