Bare Bones

Okay - other than the engine; transmission; exhaust system and axles the chassis is bare and Grover looks like a boned fish.

A lot has been done to get to this point and it has been a very interesting experience. To make this post a little easier to read I'm dividing it into sections and therefore the info, and photos, may not be in chronological order.

Anyway, here it goes.

Steering Column and Bulkhead

I thought that the removal of the steering wheel would be easy, not the column mind you, but the wheel it's self. I was wrong. There is this nut and bolt that goes through the steering column that holds the steering wheel in place. I removed it but the wheel would not come off!! So I pried the horn button/dust cover off just to make sure there wasn't a nut and lock washer holding it down. There wasn't.

From what I could tell the steering wheel was just stuck to the column. So, I doused the inner part with PB Blaster and left it over night.

The next day it still would not budge. So, I grabbed a rubber mallet and a block of wood and gently whacked it. It finally came off. Once off I was able to see what was keeping it so tightly attached. There is a hard rubber sleeve/shield, as well as a copper version of it, between the column and a dust cover.

Anyway, here are the pics.

Here is the dust cover attached to the bottom of the steering wheel.








Inside the dust cover.











You can clearly see the horn connections.















If you look close you will see the copper sleeve/shield and the hard rubber sleeve/shield under it.

I also ran across a couple items while removing the column that made me think "huh?".

The first item is on the brace that holds the steering column in place on the cabin side of the bulkhead.

Anyway, you can see an extra part that looks like a metal spacer but it's only on the one side. I have no idea what the part is for and if I need to get one for the other side or get rid of this one.

The next item is really two; they are these funky washers attached to the cover for the steering column seal.

Here is the cover, seal and the washers.










This is a better picture of the washers.

#1 - what are they there for; &

#2 - why are the bolt holes offset?

If anyone knows the answer to these mystries please let me know.

And here is the bulkhead - waiting to be stripped and painted.







The Engine and Transmission

Okay, there are many pics of the engine and tranny, so let me just throw them out there.

Passenger side.












Driver side.

When it's all done that generator will be replaced with an alternator.





Okay, I've thrown this picture in just because I think it's neat.

I'm not sure what the wire is for (the one tying the bolts together) but I seem to remember someone telling me - I just don't remember. So, I wonder if the wire is original and the engine has never been taken apart, or, if it has and the wire was replaced.

Engine and tranny.












Another view of the tranny.

Look real close and you can see the number - 25148664B.




This next picture is also one of those 'fun' ones.

Can you tell what that is in that engine depression? It's a muddober's nest.






I found a few more in the engine's nooks-n-crannies.

Chassis and Suspension

After wiping some of the crud off the chassis you can clearly see either the original paint or part of the protective coating added by a previous owner.

Even more than the chassis the suspension system really bothers me. It is old and getting worse and needs to be replaced. This is probably going to be the biggest expense.

This is a picture of the front passenger side leaf spring.

It is starting to separate and bulge out. The other three are not this bad, but are getting there.

Here is one of the bolts from the same leaf spring. Luckily it is the worse one of them all.






Brakes and Miscellaneous

At some point before I bought Grover the brake lines were replaced. As you know, I had trouble removing one of the lines from the 4-way brake line junction fitting.

Eventually they all came off without a hitch.

To help insure that the lines would not get messed up before reinstalling them I hung them on an old tool storage wall.


The tags you see attached are notes as to what line it is and where it goes.

Towards the center of the picture you can also see what's left of the rear brake line.

On the shelf below the lines you can see the air cleaner system as well as the clutch and brake assemblies and the the linkage parts for the carburetor.

Here you can see the rear 3-way junction fitting.

At some point someone did some work on it and rounded the nut off. It should be fun trying to get the old line off.

For grins-n-giggles check out this next picture.







Here's what's left of the electrical rat's nest that was in the dash and engine compartment. There's more of it still attached to the engine.

I've had several people ask me what I was doing with all the nuts, bolts, washers and other fiddly parts I've taken off Grover. Here's the answer:

I have bagged and tagged all of it!

Each bag contains the bit parts of specific areas such as 'Dash'; 'Passenger Side Floorboard'; 'Jump Seats'; etc.

On the shelf below these, and on the other side of the cabinet, are the various parts for the dash vents.

Speaking of parts...

I have no idea what these parts are for. I found them while cleaning up the other day.

They are made out of aluminum and look homemade. I believe they are shims for something. Any thoughts on what they might be for?

Bare Bones

As the title says - here are Grover's 'Bare Bones'.

Front...













...rear.













Well, that's about it for today. Hopefully I'll get to work on Grover a little bit tomorrow.

Till next time...

Cheers!
Larry