14 Aug. 2018

Suspension Rebuild

Anyone who has driven an A-Body GM vehicle knows that they sorta float all over the road as suspension technology was not what it is today. I started ordering parts from Summit and local parts stores so that I could completely revamp the suspension for a smoother rider.

To replace the rear axle bushings, the entire rear end had to be removed:

With all new bushings, ball joints, tie rods, TRW springs, and Monroe Sensatrac shocks, the entire suspension is re-installed.

14 Aug. 2018

455 Cubic Inch Rocket

In search of more power, I went down to the local salvage yard in 29 Palms, California and was able to pull a 455 Cubic Inch Rocket out of a 1970 Oldsmobile Toronado. My buddy and fellow Jarhead Mark Jawonowich drove me in his Dodge 4×4 Pickup to get the motor back to my home in Cathedral City, California at the time.

When we arrived at the salvage yard I was a bit confused because the motor still had the front wheel drive attached to it and I had no idea of what that looked like prior to this moment.

The motor was as grimy as you would expect but no worries, plans were to completely disassembled and hot tanked.

As if I knew what I was doing at the ripe old age of 21, I started tearing down the motor for two reasons.

1. I intended to build as much of this car that I could myself
2. To study more how a motor is put together

14 Aug. 2018

Paint Removal

Turns out that the paint job performed in Tiajuana began to just flake off everytime I washed the car. this became frustrating so I decided to just remove all of the paint.

At this point the car looked like a battleship with the cheap over the counter aerosol primer.

14 Aug. 2018

Installing the Trunk

So I decided one day to dig the trunk out of storage and put it back on the Cutlass. Those darn springs however are very difficult to figure out. This project has been sitting up for far too long and in desperate need of some attention.