Author Topic: FYI: I'm getting one assertive billy-goat station wagon!!  (Read 129426 times)

elagache

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Congrats on the repair! (Re: Assertive billy-goat station wagon!!)
« Reply #15 on: March 03, 2013, 09:56:30 PM »
Howdy Stu and WeatherCat fans who are also car caregivers,

Coincidentally, me and a friend spent six hours today under my dash ripping it apart to replace the heater matrix o-rings that have been leaking for the last couple of months. Amazing number of air ducts needed to be 'bent' out of the way/cut/removed to get at them (and then re-assembled). ?1 in parts, 12 hours labour (the dealer wanted > ?1000).

Glad you were able to heal the patient.  Working under the dash is always miserable.

One of those jobs with a real scary moment when you realise you have to run the engine up and hope the new rings are in properly - if not you know the interior is going to get about a gallon of coolant emptied into it real quick. Luckily they are and now we're nice and dry again  :)

That's an especially unpleasant part of working on the HVAC.  Electrical isn't fun, but you aren't going to ruin the carpet when you start it.  I sure hope this aftermarket air conditioning system for my wagon is plenty beefy.  It is a single box with the heater core and evaporator.  If it breaks, you got to take the dash apart and send it back to the factory.

However, all I can do now is lie here, groaning and wondering just how many muscles (I didn't know I had) can either a). seize up or b). create unimaginable pain.

Hope you have a good night sleep and have an easy day tomorrow!!

(You should definitely get the trailer BTW, great fun!)

I'm just trying to get a sense of the market right now.  However, I'm amazed at the number of pre-1970 trailers compared to afterwards.  It almost seems that none survived until after 2000.  However, perhaps that makes more sense than it would appear.  The 1973 and 1978 oil crisis must have really hit the travel trailer industry hard and it never fully recovered until the rise of the SUV.  However, what I'm seeing so far is that you really can find a mid-60s travel trailer that is either restored or in good condition.  If you want to tow something with a 1965 wagon, sure makes sense to tow something of a similar vintage!

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1]

WCDev

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Re: FYI: I'm getting one assertive billy-goat station wagon!!
« Reply #16 on: March 03, 2013, 11:29:12 PM »
If you want to tow something with a 1965 wagon, sure makes sense to tow something of a similar vintage!

Sounds like a lot of work to me :)

elagache

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Maybe I'll get one "already worked on!" (Re: Billy-goat station wagon!!)
« Reply #17 on: March 04, 2013, 11:07:29 PM »
Howdy Stu and WeatherCat vacation travelers,

If you want to tow something with a 1965 wagon, sure makes sense to tow something of a similar vintage!

Sounds like a lot of work to me :)

Yes indeed Stu, you are very wise!    In this case, I might get a trailer that has already been restored.  One restoration project is enough trauma for a lifetime!!  [banghead]

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1]

elagache

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Da' engine has landed. (Re: Assertive billy-goat station wagon!!)
« Reply #18 on: July 29, 2013, 09:42:49 PM »
Dear WeatherCat fans following this particular automobile soap opera,

Just a quick update on my trusty billy-goat station wagon.  True to form everything is going more slowly that it should.  Nonetheless, there was a major milestone on Saturday.  The 448 cid (7.3 liter) engine finally got put into the engine bay:



Guess what, now that the engine is inside - a whole new batch of problems have shown up.  Probably the most serious is that the air conditioning compressor appears to be mounted too high on the engine.  At the moment the hood would not be able to close!!

In other words, the project is continuing just as it has until now  . . . . . . . 

Stay tuned for the next installment in this "mellardrama."

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1]

Randall75

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Re: FYI: I'm getting one assertive billy-goat station wagon!!
« Reply #19 on: July 29, 2013, 11:02:48 PM »
Hi Edouard
 Give it a big Hood Scoup  [biggrin]


Cheers
 [cheers1]

WCDev

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Re: FYI: I'm getting one assertive billy-goat station wagon!!
« Reply #20 on: July 30, 2013, 04:51:59 PM »
Did you really say 7.3 litres???  :) That's a lot of displacement!

elagache

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Scoop suggested and . . . . really big! (Re: Billy-goat station wagon!!)
« Reply #21 on: July 30, 2013, 09:34:44 PM »
Hi Randall, Stu, and "viewers" of the Biquette soap opera,

Give it a big Hood Scoup  [biggrin]

Well, what do ya' know  . . . . . .  that is exactly what Greg, the master mechanic doing this work first suggested he saw the problem. . . . .

Ahem,  I politely informed him - request denied!!

Although I must confess that adding to Biquette the 1967 Buick Gran Sport hood scoops is tempting.

Did you really say 7.3 litres???  :) That's a lot of displacement!

Uh yes, it is a rather LARGE engine!!  I'm definitely in uncharted waters here.  However, the engine design is very much for high-efficiency.  The big-block Buick engines are a favorite among drag-racers.   But the race I'm hoping to win is fuel-economy.  We'll see!!

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1]

embayweather

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Re: FYI: I'm getting one assertive billy-goat station wagon!!
« Reply #22 on: July 31, 2013, 10:43:46 PM »
You could always take out the air con and open a window solves the size problem and fuel consumption at a stroke. Mmmm, thinking what my brother has been saying about the weather in San Jose perhaps not. Worth a thought for the less challenging months thought.

Best wishes

Mike

Thanks for keeping us informed on this amazing project

Randall75

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Re: FYI: I'm getting one assertive billy-goat station wagon!!
« Reply #23 on: July 31, 2013, 10:56:11 PM »
Hi Edouard
 FUEL Economy with 7.3 liter come on you know you are going to Hot Rod it  [biggrin]


but maybe if you keep the foot out of it you just might get what you want [interesting]


Your mechanic  is right you know  [lol2]


cheers
 [cheers1]
Sit back and  [beer]  about 20 or 30 and see what happens

elagache

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JW got 20 MPG with one of these. (Re: Billy-goat station wagon!!)
« Reply #24 on: August 02, 2013, 01:12:40 AM »
Howdy Randall and WeatherCat automobile enthusiasts,

FUEL Economy with 7.3 liter come on you know you are going to Hot Rod it  [biggrin]

Actually as a driver I'm mostly "Mr. Meek," so I have no idea how I'll find driving my trusty wagon will be.

But there is a school of thought that big engines running at a very low RPM can give you excellent fuel economy and Jim Weise (JW) who built this engine has already built an engine that got 20 MPG basically as a accident.  This engine has been really engineered for fuel economy.  So it should do much better than that.

Ironically, that is also why it made 509 horsepower!!

but maybe if you keep the foot out of it you just might get what you want [interesting]

Your mechanic  is right you know  [lol2]

I'm certainly in unexplored territory.  In many ways I'm "building" a car that has never existed before.  So many things are being changed that the car may feel unfamiliar.  Just one small problem with "building a car."  Once you've got everything in pieces - you've absolutely, positively got to put the pieces back together or  . . . . .  no car!  >:(

Latest problem, the new air conditioner takes more space under the dash so the glove compartment box doesn't fit!!  So I'm going to try to custom fabricate a new one that still looks like the original.

Oh well!!

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1]

elagache

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Before and after interior photos (Re: Assertive billy-goat station wagon!!)
« Reply #25 on: September 25, 2013, 10:07:03 PM »
Dear WeatherCat automotive enthusiasts,

I promised to share some photos of the completed interior of my trusty 1965 Buick Special wagon.  As a teaser, here is a photo showing the instrument cluster from the driver's side:



Here is what that same view looks like now:



A lot of the restoration work for dashboard components fell in my lap and I've never done anything like this before in my life.  So I'm really, really pleased with how this as all turned out.    I think I've managed to really strike a good balance between preserving the car's 1960 roots and getting modern amenities. 

For those who are curious, I've got a slide show on Smug Mug showing a number of before and after views:

http://canebas.smugmug.com/photos/swfpopup.mg?AlbumID=32115467&AlbumKey=VZ3Zb4

You can also go to the gallery were you have some additional options:

http://canebas.smugmug.com/Biquette/Drive-Train-makeover/Dashboard-before-and-after

So if you have been wondering what has been keeping me so busy - now you know!!

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1]

wurzelmac

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Re: FYI: I'm getting one assertive billy-goat station wagon!!
« Reply #26 on: September 25, 2013, 10:43:50 PM »
 [biggrin]  You are ... nuts, aren't you?  [wink]

Can't imagine what a lot of work and time you have spent to this car. But it looks as if it was worth it!


 [cheers1]
Cheers,
Reinhard
Reinhard


Randall75

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Re: FYI: I'm getting one assertive billy-goat station wagon!!
« Reply #27 on: September 26, 2013, 06:00:44 PM »
EDOUARD
 Your telling me that with al those fancy gauges tachs and so one that you won't be burning tires drag racing on the back streets and raising a little _ell in the that goat wagon? Yeah right!!!!!!!
does look good


cheers
 [cheers1]

elagache

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Cranky billy-goat drive (Re: Assertive billy-goat station wagon!!)
« Reply #28 on: September 27, 2013, 01:30:34 AM »
Dear Reinhard, Randall, and WeatherCat automobile enthusiasts,

Thanks for the praise.  This project most definitely got out of hand, but I'm very pleased with how the car looks inside and out.  Now the next challenge is to get the car to drive as nicely as it looks.  I got the unexpected pleasure to drive my trusty wagon home today.  The reason: the new hitch is so much lower than the old one that I wasn't sure the car could make it down our steep driveway without banging the hitch.

However, it was anything but a pleasant drive.  The fuel injection system is self-tuning.  However, the computer needs about 250 miles (400 Km) to get the engine to run smoothly.  I was the lucky guy to drive her on her first 6-8 miles (10-12 Km) of that tuning process.  That wasn't nearly enough to smooth the idle and she was one cranky car.  It wasn't as hard to handle as a hot-rod, but I sure hope the idle improves before too many more miles!

Thanks again for the kind word!  [spin]

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1]

P.S. Yes, the car can make it down the driveway to her stall in the garage!  :)

WCDev

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Re: FYI: I'm getting one assertive billy-goat station wagon!!
« Reply #29 on: September 27, 2013, 11:51:42 PM »
Looking good Edouard!