It’s been almost a year since I wrote about the father-and-son restoration project of my 1962 Oldsmobile Super 88, so I thought I would give you an update.
If you recall, my 17-year-old son convinced me that we should attempt to resurrect this vehicle that I had been hiding since I was 17 years old. Yes, I know that’s a long time to keep an old car and do nothing with it. Needless to say, Mr. Rust and various varmints had taken their toll on the old relic.
We had been struggling with reengineering the braking system for about a year. I refused to put the car back together with a single master cylinder. I’ve been on the failure side of those systems personally, and that’s an experience I would rather exempt my family members from. Please read my last update if you’re interested in the braking repair adventures (December 2010 issue).
We’re currently working on the fuel system and have overcome just about all of the obstacles it has to offer. Of course, the unique fuel tank that was only used in this car was compromised by our friend, Mr. Rust. After much research and searching, we determined that no suitable replacement was available and therefore had to have the original one repaired. Our local tank shop did a masterful job on the repair, and it’s ready to go back in with a restored sender and handmade gasket. It was a great lesson for my son to learn on fabricating gaskets. His comment was priceless and so typical of the generation: “Dad, why don’t we just buy a gasket?”
As soon as we get the tank back up in the car, we can finally put it down on its own wheels and get started on assembling the engine. We’re really looking forward to that part since it’s work done standing on two feet instead of all this floor-and-creeper stuff. Yeah! We’ve rebuilt the fuel pump, and most of the engine parts are ready to go. This job should go quickly, and then it’s off to body repair. That will be the subject of future updates.
When I work on this car, it reminds me of the fact that 40 percent of you do restoration work in your shops. We don’t spend much time on restoration in the pages of BodyShop Business, but I think since 40 percent of you do this type of work, it would be a good idea if we added some information on this topic.
Restoration is more of an art, and there are a lot of very creative people out there. Over the next few months, you’ll start to see stories and articles on this subject. We know it’s not for everyone, but it is part of your business, and we’ll do our best to bring you interesting and informative articles on the subject. In fact, we’ll be showcasing some of your favorite projects in the NACE and SEMA issues (September and October) to kick this initiative off. If you have a favorite project and would like to see it featured in BodyShop Business, please contact us. Thank you!
