Restarting My '70 Nova Project

[Fuddyduddy1952]

I know it's been a while, but I had a little derailment in my recovery from the back surgery, on the eve of Easter, my gallbladder decided to get extremely angry, so I spent Easter Sunday in the hospital getting it removed. For about five weeks after that, I just felt like crap, pains from the muscles where they poked four holes in my abdomen, a constant feeling of being bloated and frequent heartburn.
But, I'm much better now, back to concentrating on back surgery recovery, which according to the doc when I saw him Monday, is going better than he expected, the fusion looks very good for the point of recovery I am in. That was great news.
So, I have been working on the vent window assemblies, getting the new seals installed, mounting the windows in the frames, assembling the friction washers in the correct order, and installing the stainless trim on the inside and outside of the vertical tracks.
As usual, tracking down the parts takes 10 times as long, or more, as it does to install the parts. This was the case of the stainless trim pieces. After searching through every likely storage box, I finally found them wrapped in paper towels secured with rubber bands. I unwrapped them and got the ones for the passenger side installed, and the onside piece for the drivers side installed too. But, I couldn't find the one for the outside of the driver's side. Back to searching through boxes and anywhere I might have stashed it. Another search for the channel the door glass slides in came up empty too. Apparently I never ordered those, so I ordered those this evening from ChevIIOnly, should have them in a couple of days, then I can get the door glass in and get the doors fully assembled.
Once I get them done, I'll pull them off and roll the body upside down and get to work on the headliner.
It might end up taking me two years to get this thing back together, you never know.
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Hope all is well. I had my gall bladder removed I'm guessing 15 years ago then had acid reflux so I take Omeprazole which works. Worst pain I've ever had, I'm sure you know...like a tight band around my chest!
With the Nova.

 

[BravoXray]

. Worst pain I've ever had, I'm sure you know...like a tight band around my chest!
With the Nova.

A pain I hope I never have again.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

Three funnies with my gall bladder, looking back.
Mine hit hard as I was driving home from work right as I was at a traffic light at a walk-in clinic. I parked...barely walked in...room full of people and I'm this 50 something man bent over clutching my chest squeaking out "heeelllppp". A gurney appears out of nowhere...an elderly doctor says " lift your tongue" as he pops in a nitro glycerin tablet...EKG machine hooked up as I hear sireens . I'm loaded onto ambulance speeding the 4 miles to hospital. All these tests made as this pretty nurse (how come there are so many pretty nurses?) gives me a shot. Seconds later I jump up hugging her saying "thank you so much! Wow! I feel great!!!" She laughed " Hold on...that was morphine!". ER doctor comes in "Mister gall bladder!"...so I knew what it was.
I had laproscopic surgery like you. All was well. Next day another pretty (REAL pretty) nurse comes in "you can go, as long as you can pee. Sure...so I go into bathroom...but she followed me in! I said, "no offense, but this won't work!"
She waited outside and I was free to go!

 

[dodge man]

I’m glad I’m not the only one who starts a 10 minute project that takes several hours. Continued good luck on the Nova.

 

[MossRoad]

I know it's been a while, but I had a little derailment in my recovery from the back surgery, on the eve of Easter, my gallbladder decided to get extremely angry, so I spent Easter Sunday in the hospital getting it removed. For about five weeks after that, I just felt like crap, pains from the muscles where they poked four holes in my abdomen, a constant feeling of being bloated and frequent heartburn.
But, I'm much better now, back to concentrating on back surgery recovery, which according to the doc when I saw him Monday, is going better than he expected, the fusion looks very good for the point of recovery I am in. That was great news.
So, I have been working on the vent window assemblies, getting the new seals installed, mounting the windows in the frames, assembling the friction washers in the correct order, and installing the stainless trim on the inside and outside of the vertical tracks.
As usual, tracking down the parts takes 10 times as long, or more, as it does to install the parts. This was the case of the stainless trim pieces. After searching through every likely storage box, I finally found them wrapped in paper towels secured with rubber bands. I unwrapped them and got the ones for the passenger side installed, and the onside piece for the drivers side installed too. But, I couldn't find the one for the outside of the driver's side. Back to searching through boxes and anywhere I might have stashed it. Another search for the channel the door glass slides in came up empty too. Apparently I never ordered those, so I ordered those this evening from ChevIIOnly, should have them in a couple of days, then I can get the door glass in and get the doors fully assembled.
Once I get them done, I'll pull them off and roll the body upside down and get to work on the headliner.
It might end up taking me two years to get this thing back together, you never know.
View attachment 798942View attachment 798943View attachment 798944

Nice to hear your back is healing well!

I miss those wing windows. Our Outback has little triangular pieces of non-opening glass. Last week one of our kids said "Hey, wouldn't it be neat if you could open just those?" Wife and I had to laugh!

 

[BravoXray]

Still working on getting the doors reassembled, and it's not going smoothly, but it is going.
I have both vent window assemblies in the doors, after some head scratching as to why the rubber seal at the bottom had notches cut in it where it laid on the outside of the door. Well, the seal goes inside, and the notches clear the vent window friction assembly.
As I am still waiting on the runs that the windows slide up and down in, I decided to put the inside door latch assemblies in, as they really won't be in the way to install the glass. found all the parts after only a 15 minute hunting expedition. Got everything cleaned up, put the actuator and rod in, but the rod wouldn't go in the hole in the arm on the latch. Pulled out one of the old ones, and the rod fit fine, and discovered there is a clip that holds the rod in the arm that was still on both old latches. Got them off, then cogitated on how the enlarge the hole without taking the latch assemblies out (again, don't ask). After some measuring, I discovered the required hole is the size of a #19 letter drill, but how was I going to get a drill in there to drill it out?
I have and old 1/4" drill chuck with a 3/8" bolt shank that I have used as an extension to get into deep places, so I took the bolt shank off, chucked the bit in it and was able to get it in and turn it by hand to ream out the holes. Put the retainer clips on and the rods snapped into place. Now everything on the door latches works as it should.
Now it I can just get the window runs so I can get the glass installed in the doors. I think I have everything I need to install the quarter windows. If I remember right, those were SOBs to get apart, so I doubt they'll go back together really easy. New adventures await those who decide to completely dismantle a car and then put it back together 10 years later.

 

[MossRoad]

....New adventures await those who decide to completely dismantle a car and then put it back together 10 years later.

Thanks for the warning... I took a '71 Toyota FJ40 completely apart in 1985. It sits in pieces in 3 garages/sheds waiting for me to retire.

 

[MossRoad]

Still working on getting the doors reassembled, and it's not going smoothly, but it is going.
I have both vent window assemblies in the doors, after some head scratching as to why the rubber seal at the bottom had notches cut in it where it laid on the outside of the door. Well, the seal goes inside, and the notches clear the vent window friction assembly.
As I am still waiting on the runs that the windows slide up and down in, I decided to put the inside door latch assemblies in, as they really won't be in the way to install the glass. found all the parts after only a 15 minute hunting expedition. Got everything cleaned up, put the actuator and rod in, but the rod wouldn't go in the hole in the arm on the latch. Pulled out one of the old ones, and the rod fit fine, and discovered there is a clip that holds the rod in the arm that was still on both old latches. Got them off, then cogitated on how the enlarge the hole without taking the latch assemblies out (again, don't ask). After some measuring, I discovered the required hole is the size of a #19 letter drill, but how was I going to get a drill in there to drill it out?
I have and old 1/4" drill chuck with a 3/8" bolt shank that I have used as an extension to get into deep places, so I took the bolt shank off, chucked the bit in it and was able to get it in and turn it by hand to ream out the holes. Put the retainer clips on and the rods snapped into place. Now everything on the door latches works as it should.
Now it I can just get the window runs so I can get the glass installed in the doors. I think I have everything I need to install the quarter windows. If I remember right, those were SOBs to get apart, so I doubt they'll go back together really easy. New adventures await those who decide to completely dismantle a car and then put it back together 10 years later.

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That last photo reminds me of when I had norovirus.

Last thing I remember is looking at volunteer firemen in my bathroom through a tunnel before waking up in the ER.

Nice job on getting that drill bit in there.

 

[BravoXray]

Thanks for the warning... I took a '71 Toyota FJ40 completely apart in 1985. It sits in pieces in 3 garages/sheds waiting for me to retire.

You have my condolences, and sympathy.

 

[Jstpssng]

Thanks for the warning... I took a '71 Toyota FJ40 completely apart in 1985. It sits in pieces in 3 garages/sheds waiting for me to retire.

I hope that you took pictures... and still know where those are.