Friday, February 28, 2014

Happy Birthday Ol' Rusty!

46 years.  My, how the time flies.  Coincidentally, I also purchased Ol' Rusty in February of 2008 so it's kind of an anniversary of sorts, 6 years!

This has been a fairly good year for her too.  During 2013-2014 she's had:


  • A new convertible top.
  • Shoulder belts
  • Head rests
  • Power Steering
  • A new steering wheel
  • Dual exhaust
  • Halo headlights
  • A new stereo system
  • And last but not least, a seat platform 1" drop AND a new carpet (coming soon to a blog post near you!).
So here's to many happy years with ya Ol' Rusty and hopefully, many more.

Happy Birthday!


13 comments:

  1. Not sure if you should be calling her ol' rusty anymore Alex, we all know there isn't any rust on her now. :) How about something like ol' blue?

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    1. Yeah, I know but it was a title granted by our then 8 year old daughter so now maybe it's like an ironic name? You know, like when a really tall guy is called "Shorty". :-)

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    2. Well, I suppose we can't go against the 8 year old :D

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    3. LOL! Well, she's a bit older now but the name has grown on us.

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  2. I agree Grant - she needs a new name. She ain't rusty no more. Maybe Pearl...because of the white interior?

    Alex - I need you to put on your 'way'back' hat. Way back when you attached the rear bumper, there were 4 foam/rubber/gasket thingies that go between the bumper bracket bolts and the sheet metal. I don't seem to have these in any of the boxes of parts that are left. Did you order these new or have the originals? Are they thick, thin, firm, soft? Can I just waterjet some out of thin rubber sheet? Thx!

    rj

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    Replies
    1. I used repro rubber washers that can be purchased from NPD or CJPP. http://www.npdlink.com/store/products/pad_bumper_bracket_to_fender-102867-1.html

      You could also water jet them out of rubber sheet since that's all they are.

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    2. They're about 1/8" thick rubber, fairly firm, about 2" in diameter. I believe the originals were made of high density foam rubber.

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    3. Do they prevent the bracket from making metal to metal contact with the body? It seems that as soon as the rubber relaxed, you would have a loose bumper. That is what is worrying me. Maybe the ID of the rubber washer is large enough that it allows for the metal-to-metal contact and it is just there to seal the hole in the body? Thanks for the insight!

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    4. Yes, they prevent metal-to-metal contact. Don't worry, they won't cause any issues with the security of the bumper. They compress enough to hold it more than enough once torqued to spec.

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  3. Ol' Rusty works for me. My girls gave my fastback the iconic "Eleanor" name after seeing Gone In 60 Seconds, even tho' she will never, ever, ever, never wear an Eleanor kit. Did I say "never"?

    Question...have you decided anything about your steering wheel yet?

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    Replies
    1. I think I'm going to have to hold onto my original wheel because I'm not 100% happy with the "upgraded" wheel. I may go back to the original but haven't decided. I would likely let my spare go though. I bought it at a swap meet and put it on the shelf. I think I kind of promised it to Mike awhile ago but since I'm holding onto my original, technically, you asked first. Sorry Mike. :-( I can snap some pics if you want. It's brown... or gold... can't recall but you can paint it.

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    2. Alex, Mike will be ready for the steering wheel before me. So let him have dibs first. If he doesn't want it, then I'll be in line behind him. I can't blame you for keeping your original. It's a dead-on match for your interior.

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