One of the cylinders had weak compression, which turned out to be a burned valve, but while I've got it out and apart, I'm going to freshen it up real fast. This is going to be a stock, quickie, cheapie rebuild. The cylinders had virtually no ridge at all, and it ran very well, so I'm not going to bore it. I'm even gonna use the same pistons.
I had the 350 block boiled out and new freeze plugs and cam bearings installed. I'm using the original crankshaft, Clevite piston rings, rod and main bearings, a Melling oil pump, Cloyes single roller timing chain, a PBM camshaft and lifters and a Fel-Pro gasket set to close it all up. My machine shop guy, Tom at NAPA auto parts in St. Charles, Missouri, also rebuilt the cylinder heads for me. It was very inexpensive, because other than the one burned valve, the heads were in pretty decent condition.
In the background of the first photo, you can see I've got the quarter panels trimmed, and sheetmetal screwed to the body. They don't fit well at all. I don't know if it's because they are repro, or because this car has been wrecked so many times. Grinding to prepare for welding, I can see this car has had a quarter panel installed before, on the passenger side, and it looks like the back half of a rocker panel too. And both quarters were hit, fixed, and hit again on the back corners before I got it! What a mess.
If ever there was a car that needed new quarter panels, it was this one. Even the top surfaces of mine are ugly, with bondo and deep rust pits. To do over again, I'd consider buying the more expensive full quarters. I'm told they fit much better. (is this true?)
I bought some real nice straight rust free doors that I mentioned earlier, and I have them fit on. I intend to paint the car with the doors on, just like they did at the factory. Having them on now also helps with quarter panel alignment.
(click photo to enlarge)
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(click photo to enlarge)
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