I made more progress this weekend, and glad to say that I am done with the Tilt Steering Wheel rebuild. I had mentioned sometime back that I couldn't get the ignition in the start position and have the spring return it back to the on position. I took it apart and used Fluid Film on all of the mechanisms that slide the ignition switch gears, and this fixed the problem --- but --- the switch would not bench test both start and accessory at the same time. I could have one or the other, but not both.
I decided to adjust the gold and silver gears by a tooth, and bam, it fixed it. So all along I had it one tooth off, but was positive I had put back it together as it was before. I suppose the PO may have had the same issue as me, and lived without the accessory switch not working maybe. In hind sight, if I had placed the gears properly in place, I think the return mechanism would have worked even without the Fluid Film since this placed the mechanism about a 1/4 inch closer to the switch and the return spring.
![Trigger Cylinder Gas Office supplies Air gun]()
On the steering wheel, I finally bit the bullet and purchased a rim blow steering wheel on eBay. It was in okay condition - wood grain wasn't cracked, but some of the plastic was cracked on the back. I was going to tackle the restoration myself, and watched numerous videos and read a lot of posts regarding this. After buying everything I needed, I chickened out and decided to send it off to the Rimblow Restorations in New Zealand. I got it sent on Friday, and if I believe his timeline, even with shipping, I should have it back in a month. I considered the restorers in the US, but this guy was highly recommended on numerous posts, and there has been some negative feedback recently on the guys here in the US. The cost with shipping included will be less than what they charge here and the repair time should be quicker.
![White Silver Material property Automotive wheel system Rim]()
The last thing I did this weekend was finish up the exhaust manifolds. I had gone back and forth on whether to use the manifolds I have .vs. purchasing headers. I read a lot of opinions on it on multiple forums, and with my current experience on my 66 with long tube headers would make me lean toward shorties (distance from ground, fitment, access, etc). And then the comments on shorties makes me think that maybe they aren't that much better than the manifolds, plus the manifolds will fit and more than likely not leak. So I decided to go with the original manifolds (at least for now), and if I want to upgrade down the line I can. I got them cleaned up and painted with VHT Flameproof Cast Iron Grey Ceramic Coating, then heated them in my oven as per the instructions. I think they turned out good, but I guess I won't know how good until I get some miles on the engine. (First photo while being painted, second is after it had been heated in the oven for several cycles)
![Brown Wood Font Sculpture Metal]()
I decided to adjust the gold and silver gears by a tooth, and bam, it fixed it. So all along I had it one tooth off, but was positive I had put back it together as it was before. I suppose the PO may have had the same issue as me, and lived without the accessory switch not working maybe. In hind sight, if I had placed the gears properly in place, I think the return mechanism would have worked even without the Fluid Film since this placed the mechanism about a 1/4 inch closer to the switch and the return spring.
On the steering wheel, I finally bit the bullet and purchased a rim blow steering wheel on eBay. It was in okay condition - wood grain wasn't cracked, but some of the plastic was cracked on the back. I was going to tackle the restoration myself, and watched numerous videos and read a lot of posts regarding this. After buying everything I needed, I chickened out and decided to send it off to the Rimblow Restorations in New Zealand. I got it sent on Friday, and if I believe his timeline, even with shipping, I should have it back in a month. I considered the restorers in the US, but this guy was highly recommended on numerous posts, and there has been some negative feedback recently on the guys here in the US. The cost with shipping included will be less than what they charge here and the repair time should be quicker.
The last thing I did this weekend was finish up the exhaust manifolds. I had gone back and forth on whether to use the manifolds I have .vs. purchasing headers. I read a lot of opinions on it on multiple forums, and with my current experience on my 66 with long tube headers would make me lean toward shorties (distance from ground, fitment, access, etc). And then the comments on shorties makes me think that maybe they aren't that much better than the manifolds, plus the manifolds will fit and more than likely not leak. So I decided to go with the original manifolds (at least for now), and if I want to upgrade down the line I can. I got them cleaned up and painted with VHT Flameproof Cast Iron Grey Ceramic Coating, then heated them in my oven as per the instructions. I think they turned out good, but I guess I won't know how good until I get some miles on the engine. (First photo while being painted, second is after it had been heated in the oven for several cycles)
