Entering Dark, Unknown Places

This weekend I went somewhere with the t-bird that I had been dreading. The entire underside of the car had been a pretty unpleasant place, but I had been deliberately avoiding the rear end. It had been covered with grime and mud, and it had been leaking. Because of the holes in the gas tank, it stank. Fixing differentials seems to be more of an art than a science, a kind of expensive black magic.





Frankly, I was a little scared of what I might find back there. There was clearly rust and grime, but I feared decay, neglect, and disappointment. Much like the dark underside of my childhood home. I don't like thinking about that either! But I felt called to face my fears, and enter into this unknown place... the one remaining area of the car that I hadn't yet touched.

Friday started well. I was worried that the drums would be frozen solid on the axles, and it would take hours or days to get them off. I was wrong! A little penetrating oil, and two moderate taps with the light sledge, and they each broke loose and slid off!




It had been a long time since I had worked on drum brakes. I was thinking that would be hard... but after reading the manual and finding the brake tool, it was no problem!















OK, well, the axles have to be hard to get out, right? The manual says I need a special tool, with a slide hammer. I don't have a special tool, but I'll try anyway... Hey, it's pretty cool how the hole in the axle flange lines up with the nuts on the housing!




No hammer required... the axles just slid out!









I took the drums and axles down to Tire Guy's shop, and left them for turning and pressing new bearings, respectively.
I was feeling pretty good about this. It seemed like the car WANTED to be fixed! I began to reflect on how much more pleasant life is when things like this go smoothly, especially when I was expecting the worst. Then I started remembering those times when I had made life unpleasant for others, even in their own pain. I deeply regret the way I acted then.

Saturday didn't go so well. Tire guy told me that the drums had been turned too many times, and were out of specification... the walls were too thin now, and they could overheat. I should think about getting new drums eventually. He pressed the new bearings on the axles, and I took them back to the garage and prettied everything up




While the paint dried, I installed the front calipers, and then the front sway bar. There is a good chance that I got it in upside down, but I won't know until I try to put the radiator, stone guard, and grille in place.















I worked entirely too late on Saturday night, spending nearly 8 hours under the rear of the car with a power drill and wire brush wheel. My hands were numb and my forearms sore. The amount of dirt and grime under there was really remarkable! Especially so knowing that the car sat still, covered, for the last 40 or so years! Where did all this dirt and grime come from? Well, probably from the neglect and abuse it suffered during its first 17 years of life.




Neglect for the first 17 years of life... that got me thinking. At 17, I escaped my home of origin and fled to college. I enrolled in ROTC, so I could be sure of staying in college... and away from home! I closed the book on my childhood, determined to move on and not look back. I found a very sweet, supportive, attentive woman who later became my wife. But I left behind my brother and sister, and they lingered in that neglectful environment for another decade.

How can I possibly clean that up? No amount of wire brushing will restore those relationships! Or will it... I am pleased to say that I now have a close, supportive relationship with my sister, and we relied heavily on each other through Mom's lingering heart disease and eventual death. Now that Dad's cancer has advanced beyond any curative treatment, my brother seems more interested in mending his relationship with me. I have longed for this for decades!

After the wire brushing was done, and the area wiped down with lacquer thinner, I drained the nasty old gear oil and removed the rear cover. I was curious, but kind of fearful.









Well, there are no broken teeth, and no hideous wear marks! There is, however, a layer of varnish, a very sticky thickened oil, on the lower part of the ring gear and casing. I'm guessing that this was deposited as the car sat in a single position, unmoved, for decades on end. I need to consult with Mr. Mechanic, but this varnish doesn't seem to effect the gears when they are turning, and I suspect that trying to get it off would do more harm than good.

I then focused on priming the differential "pumpkin", housing, and springs with red lead "rust destroyer". That's how I left the car for another week, until the primer dries and I can paint it over with chassis black, and start reassembly.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad