1959 Chevy Kingswood project

I used Testors florescent lacquer when I brightened up my needles. They required a white primer applied first.... but the result is that they reflect the light and are easier to see at night under the very low dash lighting.
Adding a UV coating would render florescent paint to be no better than plain old ordinary enamel paint. But then, the makers of these machines never expected a car 56 years old to be still on the road, did they?





As for the clock. I think it can be fixed. The movement in them is usually bullet proof and could last a hundred years. But the solenoid that periodically winds up the escarpment generally is the problem. That and dirt.

I found that by spraying WD40 on the works and then dumping paint thinner or Naptha over the works cleans the movement (gears and such).
Followed by a quick blow dry with compressed air.


Then on the work bench, hook up the power leads with a 12v power source and let it sit and run. If it stops... clean again and again and again until it runs continuously without stopping. (Provided the solenoid works to wind up the escarpment of course.)
re-set the time daily as most of these clocks are built with an adjustment clutch.
The clutch advances the timing slightly as the set screw is moved forward. Retards the timing slightly as the set screw is moved backward.

My dash clock now keeps perfect time and I couldn't live with-out it.

 

Oh my goodness! That AC mount would be perfect for my 3.3L (200 CID) I6. Mine is on the passenger side, so I'm having to make my own exhaust header for it. If you're willing to sell it, please PM me.

 

Jairus, thanks for the tip on refinishing the pointers.

 

Here's a bit more Chevy Trivia:

http://www.lov2xlr8.no/broch1.html

http://www.lov2xlr8.no/chevy.html

There's lots of 1959 Chevy brochures and ads in there, even a Canadian model Brochure.

Main page:
http://www.lov2xlr8.no/

 

You used to be able to buy quartz movement conversion kits for a majority of automotive clocks. That is what we installed in our '67 Chevy probably 20 years ago. Still works well. I don't know if they are still available or how expensive they are. We got ours through J.C. Whitney.

 

Like others, I truly appreciate this project thread. I wrote up my first one here, quite a few years ago, and always enjoy seeing others' threads. Been busy re-restoring mine again, after a medium fender bender a few years ago, so haven't had much time to scan others.

Very nice work. Kudos.

 

Lisa, what's happening with the wagon?

 

---^^^^^---Me too! ??????

 

We're champing at the bit!!!

 

Bump

 

Bumpity-bump

 

Omigosh I know you all have given up on me. So much catching up to do. I have to admit the last year or so was kind of discouraging - personnel issues at the shop, short-handed for months.... Honestly I became quite bummed about the project and didn't want to deal with it for a while. And in the midst of that we decided to undergo a major house renovation; converting our attic into living space. But now, we're focusing on the car again. I am sorry to leave you guys hanging. I need to figure out a good way to upload photos from my phone. In the meantime, I've created a public album on Facebook that has some more recent pics. The body has been painted! And our mechanic is looking at getting the wiring in. I've bought new wheels that should be delivered this week. Ordering tires will be next. I'm going to try and post a link to the Facebook album: https://www.facebook.com/lisa.auste...89846705617.1073741835.100004238233788&type=3

 

A BUMP in the road....

 

Yeah, this is exactly what happens when you tear a car apart and lose interest later.
Told my brother to keep that '55 on the road and fix things as they come up but noooooo... he had to break it down the frame.
Now... 31 years later he admits he might have made a mistake. Mine, it's still rolling!

 

The brother of a former friend had a '56 Nomad he had done that to; boxes and boxes of parts, but he just could not bring himself to start any work on it. Damned shame.