Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023
The cruise last weekend was a success, though one new distressing development arose — the headliner began ripping along the top of the rear window due to the wind blasting with the windows down.
Admittedly, the headliner fabric is old and dry rotten, and its no surprise it has ripped. I just have to repair it long enough to get through the next couple of months. I tried to use tape, but the dusty old fabric wouldn’t stick to the tape. Right now I’m going to try to use some hot glue to tack the end of the headliner to the rear window gasket — just to keep it intact.
The installation of the headliner requires removing the rear window (according to the shop manual) because originally, the headliner material wraps around the top edge of the rear window opening. I’m hoping that someone who knows what they are doing can install a headliner without requiring the removal of the window. We’lll see.
AIR CLEANER PROJECT. This evening I grabbed my grease and wax remover and started cleaning up my spare original 1956 Plymouth oil bath air cleaner. It was very grungy, dirty and has some minor rust. The Prep Sol worked OK, but I’m going to need something more volatile (gasoline or kerosene) to get it really clean.
I’m going to take the air cleaner to my favorite local parts store and get a couple of modern round paper air filters fitted to the oil bath air clearner. My plan is to modify the air cleaner and cut away most of the oil bath center section to allow room for the paper air filters. This way I can retain the original look of the air cleaner while having much-improved air filtering.
MUCH NEEDED REPAIR. A repair I really, REALLY need to tackle is the filler hose connection, the rubber hose that connects the fuel filler metal tube with the fuel tank. When I’m putting gas in, if I do it at more than a moderate speed, it leaks out on the ground beneath the car. At this point, I’m guessing the problem is the rubber connection line, but it could be anything. I should take a look ASAP so I’ll at least know what I’m looking at.
Another repair is the fuel-sending unit / fuel gauge. It doesn’t read correctly, and that bothers me. I want it to at least offer a vague fuel level so I can avoid running out of fuel (again!).