We Finally Have Gotten off the Ground

Well, since I last wrote on this blog we have done a lot. My father and I moved the car closer to the building and onto a concrete pad so it is easier to work on. Then we jacked the car up and took off the wheels. We got under the car and found that it was undercoated which basically saved the car. The only rust hole in the floor is caused by the rear window leaking into the car. However, the hole is small and should be easily fixable. The car is still up for a lot of sitting which is why I ordered stainless steel brake lines so they wouldn't rust. We then took apart the front brakes and are going to have the old rotors lathed again. They will rust and get pitted again but that's okay. We just want to get the car stopping so we can drive it around the parking lot. It will make the car more manageable along with helping us figure out what other problems it has. The other goal of getting the brakes to work is so we can try to coax the problems that the transmission is supposed to have out of the car. The final thing that we have done is wrap a plastic tarp around the rear window. Yes, it is very redneck but it would be nice to try to stop some of the rust. The rear window rusting has caused most of this cars body problems and it would be nice to try and stop more rust from spreading. I almost forgot, I took off the backing plates and sandblasted them to get the grime off. Then I repainted them and slapped them back onto the car. It is actually nice to see this car being taken apart. For the first time since I got the thing it is actually going somewhere positive. It is nice to stop cleaning the thing and actually start fixing it. Over the next week or so we will install the brake lines and drop the trans out to get it fixed. Slowly but surely the car is coming along. The Monte has already gone from a lawn ornament to a proper (albeit broken) car. It's nice to know that its days on the road are far from over. If this restoration goes well this car will last much longer than I will and that brings up a rather interesting point. You never really own a car, you just look after it for the next generation.