Wheel Caps

Svettlana came with some some none-original wheel caps, they're chrome emblazoned with a large W and "Western". The wheels aren't chrome so the caps didn't match, not to mention they're generic so the fit isn't perfect.

With my second visit to Tim Nines at the junkyard I picked up some original plain alloy caps that go with the rims. They're from a junkyard car so they were really rough, dirty, oxidized, and 2 were pretty badly dented.

So they were wire wheeled, and I hit them with staggered decreasing grits of sandpaper to get a finish similar to the sandblasted rims. The two dented hubs I heated up with a torch and tapped out the dents from the back until I was content with their surface. Once they were done I clear coated them to prevent further oxidation.

Washer Motor Rebuild

The wiper motor doesn't work. So apart it comes.

Taken all apart

Base magnets are rusty as can be

Rotor is OK but the brass contact plates at the top are corroded. Common known problem so 600 grit sandpaper is the solution.

Cleaned out the old grease and the rust from the body

all the washers, C clips, and screws from the assembly

The brush plate. The #1 problem with these old Lucas motors. I'm going to get a new brush plate cause the springs have nearly rusted in half.

Here are where the studs for the plug pop in

Putting things back

Washers and clips almost all go here on the outside

All put back together. Even with the relay isn't working properly. Brush plate still needs replacement so it may be the issue.

EDIT: Relay wasn't working, so I got a new one, this didn't fix the problem. I could hear the relay energizing (clicking) but the motor wouldn't come on. So I replaced the brush-plate, that's in a later post.

Reservoir Strut

Got tired of looking at this nasty rusted reservoir strut and the rusted bolts that go with it. So I did the reasonable thing and redid it.

Looking rusty, beat up, and in general bad shape

The cap area was so corroded it actually makes getting the cap off a struggle

Forgot to take pictures of the strut out of the car but there it is.

I tried to match the color of the steering rack. Got pretty close, but now the valve covers are 2 or 3 shades darker blue.

Wiring

What with the whole wiring harness ripped out of the car it was time to put all new wires in. That's been the current undertaking for the past month or so.

Everything that was in the car electronically that I've replaced.

Spark plugs, ignition coil, distributor cap, distributor rotor, and spark plugs leads.

Random transformer that was wired in parallel with the distributor. It seems dingus was 

trying to use it as a ballast resistor, which of course isn't needed with the aftermarket ignition system. 

One of dingus' quality splicing jobs, this one was next to the starter 

 It looks like one of these wires burned up, and then instead of replacing it he just spliced in a new one.

The set of  headlight relays, working on the inter-relay connections. 

Soldered on the quick disconnect trailer connector

Labeled and finished connector

Set of relays installed

From further out

All the wires are in heat shrink, makes it look better. 

See? You can barely see the wires.