Don't worry I also change my volcabulary to fit you Yanks...lol...

I spent 6 months touring the States some years back and got use to the lingo, but 'rocker panels' was a new one on me

Well done on getting the S started

 

Steve,

You are a glutton for punishment! But I wish I had one in the garage, good luck.

 

Ok I've uploaded 6 pics under attachments hope this works. How do you get them in the message like I've seen.

I don't know if they're "jpg, jpeg, or what" per the "manage attachments" task bar?????

OK under preview post I think it's gonna work....after 5 months on this site I finally got it...sort of.

 

OK it worked so watch out gonna post some pics.

Drove it around the block today!!! Smokes a lot..think it may need rings or valve seals?
Got lots to do now. New suspension first thing to order..gonna spend some money now!!

 

Looking great, Steve!

 

I'll be keeping an eye on this thread Steve.....looks great

 

Oh she is white and shiny too ! Now I am getting jealous.

 

I am soooooooooooooooooooo jealous. It looks like it's in good shape, too! No obvious rust, the seats don't look too bad...

How much did you pay, if you don't mind me asking?

If you mind, then just forget I asked.

 

I just want a ride when she's done! You drive, me backseat.

 

Looks in good nic....... I am sure that interior will clean up with a good valet, from the pics the outside looks good too.


A White S Type, are you thinking of a side line in renting it out as a wedding car? Very popular over here

 

That's a real beauty , thanks for the pics

 

Oh, oh, oh!!! I have an idea! You should put some 24 inch spinners on there! That would be cool! Then get some green HIDs. Bondo the trunk lid and mount the license plate at a 45 degree angle. Put some green neon lights underneath it. Cover the seats with fake zebra fur. Fill the trunk up with $10,000 worth of stereo equipment and a giant plasma TV that you can only watch while parked with the trunk open.

And hang some fuzzy dice from the mirror.

That would be awesome!

 

Sam, have you forgotten where you are lately?...First the Harbor Freight thread, now this....

Don't forget this is the fancy Jagwire forum !!!

 

OK... maybe the zebra seats are a little overboard, but that plasma TV in the trunk would be groovy!

 

She's not as pretty underneath. Sills and inner fenders have some rot and were slathered with bondo and painted over to hid it! Still, for $2,000 I'm not complaining. The interior is really very nice. Looks bad due to surface mold which has since been cleaned up. Seats and door cards were recovered, not original leather, but a very good re-upholstery job. New headliner too. Wood is good except for top of dash.

I'll take some more pictures and post them as soon as lift is available. Today I just got the frame back from the stripper for the 63 Vette I'm restoring for hire. Frame is on the lift to paint this weekend.

The car really needs a complete restoration except for the interior. I'll tackle the mechanicals first, suspension, brakes, steering, etc. Did notice the gas gauge is pegged to way past empty after adding a few gallons (has 2 tanks BTW, flip a switch for right or left). That I surmise is due to it having been switched to Negative Earth from original Positive Earth/Ground. Like I said this is gonna be "Fun". Don't know but I may find it best to switch back. Question for you engineers. If I go back to Positive ground/Earth, will the starter spin backwards causing the engine to try and spin backwards? (Remember someone swapped out the original starter with a 4.2 version) I'd hate to find out by wiping out the valves trying to spin it the wrong way.

 

It's possible that the starter will spin backwards, probably even likely. Unless there happens to be a hefty diode in the circuit to block the reverse polarity. And, the solenoid that engages the starter will probably still energize because it is most likely not polarity sensitive (it's just an electromagnet). I doubt it will spin your motor backwards, though, because I think most starters have some kind of ratcheting mechanism that allows the motor to turn faster than the starter. That's to prevent the engine from spinning the starter too fast if someone forgets to let go of the key once the engine is running. If there IS a mechanism like that, it would just spin and the engine wouldn't turn backwards. That's all conjecture of course. I actually have no idea what I'm talking about.

 

Oh... I can't believe you only paid TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS for that! I'm going to have to start looking for one. I'd love to have a car like that to tinker with.

 

To me (also conjecture, I never worked on a positive ground system) a key question is whether the housing of the starter is it's ground connection or if it has isolated + and - terminals. If the terminals are isolated the starter can be ground agnostic.

 

All of the starters I've seen have a single wire going to them. The housing gets bolted to the engine and that acts as the ground. Now maybe an industrious person could crack open the starter and swap the + and - leads inside the housing. I've never opened one up, so I don't know what's in there.

 

Thanks for the candidness: "I actually have no idea what I'm talking about."
Made me chuckle.

Perhaps the polarity can be changed. I think I'll have a problem with the clock, gas gauge and other unknowns if I keep it negative earth. The starter is similar to a GM standard setup, one lead from the battery to the main solenoid post/heavy field terminal coming out of the starter housing, and one from the key switch to the solenoid side terminal. I've got so much on my plate at the moment I'm not going to deal with it for now. (I should have an old GM starter on the shelf to experiment with.) The suspension is first priority along with making progress on the 63 Vette.

Sam, the car has the old cloth wrapped wiring, and alot needs to be replaced. It will not be cost effective to try and keep everything 100% original. For example the fuel pumps, I was warned, can drive you nuts with errattic function, so I put in a new slim line Auto Zone $60 unit, and I'd have to find an original type starter and flywheel. Actually though that's about it. So if I can get original wiring harnesses at a reasonable price...well I'll consider it. I want to enjoy it..not sink a fortune in it.