Dad came over last night and we got the car running!  We had one minor problem with the wiring for the fuel pump and at first we had one set of plug wires switched around, but we got it all fixed.  The car sounded a bit odd at first and belched out some black smoke.  After we ran it for a couple of minutes we tried to inspect the main jet, but when we took off the cap there wasn’t a jet to be found!  No wonder it ran like crap, it was getting way too much fuel.

The car is going to sit for about a week while John and I are out in Colorado for some vacation and rally action.  We hope to resume prep work for paint on the 25th.

The past two weeks have been very productive and we are very close to starting the engine in the car.  Back on the 4th & 5th I fabricated a new mounting plate for the pedal cluster.  The plate raises my heal about two inches for better foot placement on the pedals and makes it feels a lot more comfortable.On the 6th & 7th I cut a bunch of steel square tube and welded in a battery support frame for the Optima Red battery.  The rules state that if you use a sealed battery you don’t need a completely sealed battery box.  So I only needed to firmly attach the battery to the car’s frame and not buy a “Marine” type battery box.  It took a little longer to fabricate than what I had scheduled, but I’m pleased with how it turned out.This past week John was working on sanding the hood, deck lid, and fenders to get them ready to be painted.  There are lots of little dents, paint chips and imperfections that he’s fixing.  It’s his first time working with Bondo, but the work he’s doing looks pretty good.  We hope to finish sanding the car by the 29th so we can paint it on the 30th.Over the last few days I’ve been finishing up a bunch of loose ends.

1. gas tank mounted
2. fuel hose attached to the car
3. fuel pressure regulator mounted
4. accelerator cable mounted
5. horns installed & wired (with Dad)
6. engine prep (attach cooling tin, coil, dist., generator, fan belt, etc…)

Last night my Dad came over and the three of us (after a bunch of cursing) finally got the rebuilt old engine back inside the car.  It was a very tight fit and took a lot of jiggling to get the engine to sit just right and mate up with the trans.  My Father is coming over again tonight and we *hope* to get it started.