Casey Family Build Thread (coupe)

[CHOTIS BILL]

Wearing gloves around spinning machinery is very dangerous. If the glove accidentally gets caught by the grinding wheel it can pull your whole hand into the grinding wheel and cause some serious damage. I know a lady this happened to.

Please be careful.

Bill Lomenick

[QSL]

Yep, 100% agreed. However the safety police crap on these threads so much that she now tries to pose with stuff we don't even usually use. What you don't see is that she also took a birth control pill just before using the machine.

[MRSQSL]

Mike warned me about that and I was very careful. It was actually good I was wearing them because part of my finger got close and I'm pretty sure I would've lost skin had I not been wearing a glove. Thanks for the concern. As dangerous as we may look, Mike does an excellent job of supervising and warning us what to do and not do. He was very very clear that the glove could get caught and it would really really hurt.

[NukeMMC]

I think it would be cool to bring both cars to HB. Might be an option!

I think Coupey might need a rollback ride for such an occasion!

[NukeMMC]

Yep, 100% agreed. However the safety police crap on these threads so much that she now tries to pose with stuff we don't even usually use. What you don't see is that she also took a birth control pill just before using the machine.

LMAO at BCP!
As I am living with a former Industrial Health RN and work at a very safety-conscious company, I have learned that OSHA belongs in the workplace, not at home, and not on internet boards, especially on threads by someone who as a businessman in an industrial hose company(?) is quite aware of OSHA and workplace safety.
Some folks just don't find posed pics with stilettos humorous ... sheesh!

[xlr8or]

Working on the coupe in high heels just cracks me up.

[Cobradavid]

...What you don't see is that she also took a birth control pill just before using the machine.

Working with a bench grinder can lead to unplanned pregnancy? Who knew?!

You can learn so much on this forum!

[jayguy]

Is that a Buick Regal T-type? Nice! Wish my first car was as cool as that.

[QSL]

its an 84 regal grand national. Its a rare year since they made so very few, but the newer ones have more power so are a bit more desirable. I picked this up with a deal for a new business we acquired. It was sitting in the warehouse for 10years on a Non Op.

[QSL]

Working with a bench grinder can lead to unplanned pregnancy? Who knew?!

You can learn so much on this forum!

Yes, we learned that from our first kid. Never operate a grinder without proper birth control.

[MRSQSL]

Yes, we learned that from our first kid. Never operate a grinder without proper birth control.

So why do we have two kids?

[Hankl]

So why do we have two kids?

Wire Wheel...........

[QSL]

Here are this weeks pics... before julie posts this time!!! yay!

[xlr8or]

She's obviously slacking on this weeks update.

[tenncobra]

Maybe she is too busy working on Coupy.

[MRSQSL]

Week 45:

On. Off. On. Off. I broke my 4x rule by at least 4x.

First of all, Mike used the Dremel on that last upper control arm so I could slide the heim joint thing in and finish up that section of the suspension. I needed a little help whapping the spindle/knuckle into submission. I had the brain power, but not the muscle (as usual).

So then it was time for the front brakes. I now know what those adorable little silver dots of grease are for. Well, not really but I can tell you what they touch and that removing the rotor multiple times leaves this really neat pattern that looks like hundreds of leafless trees. Anyway, the rotor went on and then the caliper. The pads looked almost even on each side, but the rotor wouldn't turn freely, so off came everything and a washer was added. Back together. Hmmmm...still not right. Took it apart and added another washer. Hmmmm...too big. Turns out the washers weren't all the same size. In fact, by the end I had found super skinny ones, medium skinny ones and thick ones. After a couple of tries, the rotor spun freely and I wasn't all that frustrated because removing the lug nuts and bolts and stuff was not difficult, just tedious. I should mention, though, that the lug nuts and other wheel pieces and parts were all in one of the wheel boxes, not a small chunk in each box. Of course I started by opening one with nothing in it and then a second with nothing and later a third with nothing. I was ready to give up and call FF on Monday when Mike suggested I open the last box just to be sure. Yup. All in the bottom box (of course).

It was getting late, but I wanted to quickly get the passenger side done. now that I knew it was two thick washers, it should be a piece of cake to install the same on the opposite side. Stop laughing. I know you are all laughing at my naivety. I pulled out a couple more lug nuts, hefted the rotor up onto the hub (installed the bracket for the caliper first), plopped the caliper on and realized something didn't look right. Oh. Brake pads. Right. I forced them in and reapplied the caliper. I was feeling awfully smug as I tightened down the last couple bolts. I reached over, grabbed the rotor and yanked really hard. Imagine my shock when it didn't spin. Anger glare. I undid it all and changed the washers. No spin. I undid it approximately 5 more times with no success. I was confused. I didn't feel like I had the wrong combination of washers. It felt like there was something more. The caliper didn't go on as easily as the other side. I was done. I was dropping stuff and getting frustrated and my neck was bothering me from staring down for so long. Mike had been working on his intake and I told him we should just call it a night and I'd try again during the week. Since the battery in the Dremel was dead, Mike put it on the charger and told me he'd work on the calipers for awhile. Okay, but good luck. He tried and tried and I ended up getting sucked back in to help. After another 10 or so tries, Mike made an amazing discovery. If we took the brake pads out, the rotor would still bind up. This truly confused me, but it was like a lightbulb moment for Mike. He explained I never checked to make sure the height of the caliper was okay and it wasn't. It was too low and was grabbing onto the rotor. That's possible? Is it fixable? I guess all we had to do was throw a washer on each stud looking thing and that fixed it. He had to take things off and on about three more times before finding a spacer combination that worked. Of course I'm not done. I still have to take things apart and locktite and stuff. It's just a relief to have that figured out.

The rear brake parts arrived Monday (replacements), so I plan on working on those this weekend. Well, Mike and/or I may have to work this weekend, but we'll see. Also, Mike will have to do the safety wire. If I have to try again, I'll be throwing rotors and hats through windows.

[Gordon Levy]

Changing the topic for a minute, I thought you would like this. http://www.musclecarszone.com/the-sm...ion-only-45cc/

[Ray]

Submarine? You have my attention. I have always wanted to do two things. 1) ride in a tank. 2) ride in a submarine. Well, maybe the sub doesn't have to move. I just want to go inside one. I'll bet it's nothing like what I picture in my head. Do people get seasick in a sub? I wouldn't think so. Seems like it would be smooth underwater not all bouncy like on top of the ocean. I get car sick if I can't see out. Maybe I should stay out of moving subs after all.

Julie,

Yes we do have a sub-tour here in San Diego (http://www.sdmaritime.org/b-39-submarine) Give me a call and we'll all go.

Also, thought that I would let you know that we have a friend who serves on a sub based in Pearl Harbor. He's 6'8"......

Ray

[Gordon Levy]

The Russian sub, the water tight door opening get smaller as you go forward.

[Barrel]

The Russian sub, the water tight door opening get smaller as you go forward.

It might be the heat (111 degrees here) and the beer but I don't get it?

[MRSQSL]

Tiny V8 engines, submarines. Love how we can talk about all sorts of stuff. By the way, that engine is amazing. It sounds a lot smoother than I would've expected.

Week 46:

Scoopy got the bulk of the attention this weekend. Mike is in the garage as I type this. I think he's getting really close to being able to start the engine again. Fingers crossed it all goes well and the problems have been resolved.

If I told this story already, forgive me. We were working out in the garage a couple weeks ago and a couple walked by with their dogs. The man looked up, looked down and then immediately jerked his head up again. Here it comes, I thought. We always get asked one of about four different questions. He saw me standing by the garage door and yelled out "Is that a real Grand National?". Mike and I both replied simultaneously that it was. He gave us a thumbs up and off he went. This is the first time, I've been asked if it was real when it wasn't the Cobra. Mike and I giggled for a few minutes before returning to our projects.

Okay, so I worked on the coupe. The first issue arose immediately early Saturday morning. I couldn't find the thread lock. I used it when I built the rear shocks and I know I put it away, but it was gone. I looked high and low. No dice. Mike said he needed to get gasket cinch stuff. He had looked high and low the previous week and couldn't find it. I'm pretty sure we have beasties gobbling up our chemicals. There's no other logical explanation. Hee, hee. Anyway, since he was going to have to go out anyway, he suggested we go in a few minutes after he finished installing the wipers on the Cobra. They gave the impression of being installed before, but were actually not functional. I'm proud to say he was able to get them working and it didn't take all day (just a few hours). In the meantime, he noted my hubs were not pressed into the knuckles in the rear. Noooooo!!!!! We were going to need a press. Off we trounced to the store (finding a delicious new restaurant along the way). I discovered a new factoid. While every automotive parts store I've ever been in has a full oil recycling bin, Wal-Mart accepts oil and their's is not full. Shocker, right? I had to sign something saying it was just oil and not all my missing chemicals though. We also found a pretty nice Harbor Freight where we found a nice silver 12 ton press on sale. Score.

We got back to the house and prepared to assemble our new press. Mike ripped open the box and discovered it was orange. Orange!!!!! He was sad. The two of us got it put together and I dismantled the rear end so I could get the hub to the press. Nothing went smoothly, but in the end we succeeded. I reapplied the parts to the car. Yay! I want to say it was late enough that I decided I was done for the day.

Sunday morning brought about a new set of problems. I had plopped on the floor ready to build my rear brakes when I discovered I couldn't find a socket that would work. Mike pointed out the bolt is a hex head. Oh. Confusion floated across my face. What does that mean? He showed me what I would need. Okay. The problem turned out to be that the torque wrench that does inch pounds is say a 3/8 and the only socket with hex attachment thing was 1/4. We used to have an adapter, but it broke. Back to the store. I had to wait for Mike as he had gasketed and RTVed the intake and needed to torque it down before we could go. Unfortunately, it turns out he needed an adapter socket thing too. He torqued down everything but the center ones which he had tightened, but couldn't check the actual torque setting. Off to the store. We ended up getting home really late and I didn't do anything else to the car. Mike went out and torqued the center ones. I think I heard him start the engine a minute ago. Wooooohoooooooo!!!!!!

[Gordon Levy]

Barrel, the door openings literally get smaller as you go forward in the Russian sub in San Diego. As a big gy when I was taking the tour by the time I got to the last hatch they were getting pretty hard to get through.

[Barrel]

Thanks Gordon. I thought there may have been a "punch line" to go with that but you were serious!

[QSL]

julies pics!! not much to share, but here they are!

[Gordon Levy]

I see you have the hard job

[QSL]

Supervision is tough, but I do it because I love her. Lol

[WIS89]

Great picture of you and your son! We always had the beer and the root beer...

What did he do to his "wheel?"

Thanks for keeping us going with all your updates. Love the build!

Regards,

Steve

[QSL]

we were moving the press and a part of it fell off and hit the ground and then his foot. Nothing some ice and duct tape couldn't fix. He is good as new now.

[WIS89]

we were moving the press and a part of it fell off and hit the ground and then his foot. Nothing some ice and duct tape couldn't fix. He is good as new now.

Duct tape? That's new. My Dad always told me to rub some dirt on it; mud if I was REALLY hurt!

See, now he has a great story to tell the ladies when he takes them for a ride (assuming Julie will let him). He can tell them how badly he hurt his foot while "he was building" the car! He doesn't need to be THAT specific!! HAHA. You can award him the "purple foot" for being wounded while building.

Glad he is OK.

Regards,

Steve

[xlr8or]

Updates? Is Julie sleeping on the job again?

[Gordon Levy]

Mike is such a slave driver

[QSL]

Sorry guys, we went on vacation. Hit up the Caribbean for a week. Was a great trip!!!

[MRSQSL]

Weeks 47 & 48:

Vacation is the best thing on the planet. Man, I love getting away from it all. We took a cruise from New Orleans to Cozumel (Mexico), Belize City (Belize), Roatan (Honduras) and Costa Maya (Mexico) before heading back to New Orleans. For the record, there are lots of Volkswagens in other countries and driving is terrifying. Honking and passing are two favorite pastimes. Yikes! We didn't see any Factory Fives, but the roads were a little rough in places. It was a glorious vacation and I have lots of pictures to prove it (just not of the car variety). We should be back to working on Coupey this weekend (I think).

[Timb]

Glad you had a good vacation. How was the experience compared to HAL?

[MRSQSL]

HAL is still an excellent cruise line. There are some definite advantages and disadvantages of each. Overall, I'd say take HAL if you are looking for a relaxing cruise and don't want to spend a ton of money. If you want to party, HAL is not for you. NCL is way above HAL if you are getting a suite though. The suite perks on NCL are amazing. We were treated like kings. On Holland America, the suite was nice. It's a big room and you get a different color card as well as priority boarding and disembarkation and tendering. That's about the extent of the perks (at least that I can recall). On NCL, we had all that same stuff, but we also had a butler and concierge. We had a whole section called "The Haven" which is a lounge area, pool, hot tub, sauna, exercise equipment, snacks/drinks and a sun deck that we only shared with other suite guests. We had access to breakfast and lunch in the steakhouse at no extra charge as well as reserved seating in the shows and priority seating at all restaurants. The butler would take your order for dinner if you didn't feel like going out and he'd serve you in your room. It was quite an experience. We were spoiled rotten. Not all NCL ships have The Haven, but the jewel class ships do (Pearl, Gem, Jewel and Jade). I believe the Epic, Breakaway and Getaway do as well, but I'm not positive. I don't think I'd cruise with NCL (first choice anyway) if we weren't in a suite. It seemed to be crowded by the pool and the buffet wasn't nearly as good as Holland America. If you have any specific questions, let me know. I could talk about cruises for hours on end.

[68GT500MAN]

Julie, you ARE the cruise master. Someday I will take a cruise somewhere.
Doug

[MRSQSL]

I did a TON of research before we ever booked our first cruise. I feel like I could be a travel agent with all the knowledge I've accumulated. Everyone should try cruising at least once in their lifetime. It's my favorite way to go.

[SoCalMike]

Julie, Have you guys been to Alaska yet. That was the most amazing cruise we have taken. Absolutely beautiful area of our country. I would recommend that cruise to anyon?

[MRSQSL]

The cruise before this one was to Alaska. It was absolutely gorgeous. I would recommend waiting until at least June before going. We went in May. The salmon weren't running so the bears weren't really out. Also, I wouldn't get a balcony cabin for that. We spent more time on deck. Actually, ncl has the perfect stateroom for Alaska. If we get the chance to go back, that's the one I'm booking. No balcony, but floor to ceiling windows. Sitka might have been the most beautiful place I've ever seen. The sound of a glacier calving in glacier bay is incredible. Yup, loved Alaska. It's not as relaxing as the Caribbean because it's cold and you have to bundle up though. If I could find a way, I'd cruise around the world. There are so many places I'd like to see.

[NukeMMC]

If I could find a way, I'd cruise around the world. There are so many places I'd like to see.

Go see your local US Navy recruiter!