The further adventures of Little Car

[Gwendolyn Ann Smith <gwen@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

It's a big week for Little Car, it would seem.

First off, I (well, my Brother Jerry and I, 'cuz he has a pick-up) picked up a pair of bumper rails from Joe Fulton (well, from his son Ben) last night.  They're in great shape , and clearly better than what has been on the car.  I spent the morning doing a bit of clean up on the new rails, then went ahead and installed the front one.

This was easier than I anticipated, thanks to Little Car living in such a pleasant climate for much of her life.  A quick spray of WD-40, and the main bolts came out just fine.  I had to do a little extra work on the passenger side, due to the dent on the bumper making that bolt a little less accessible.  Still, the whole take-off-and-put-on was roughly an hour.  I hope to get as lucky with the rear.

Here's what it looks like with the new front rail:

http://www.gwensmith.com/weblog/new_rail.jpg

No more bend on the passenger side, and no more deep crease on the driver's side.  Yay!

But wait, there's more.

Also arriving today (a day earlier than FedEx said), was a radiator hose.  I've had a couple disappointments with this hunt, with one ordered from RockAuto ending up being the small hose near the water pump, and two others kindly donated from another AMC'er both being incorrect.  The latter were shots in the dark anyway, so I'm not going to complain.

Anyway, you can understand my trepidation as I opened the box ? only to see a nice, fresh radiator hose, with this stamped on top: 3166629 AU  GR. NO. 2.038.  For those following along at home, this is *exactly* what it should have said.  That is, what it should say if it is suppose to go into a 1964 Rambler Classic with a 195.6 OHVC engine.  You know, what I happen to have!

It also had a white stripe, BTW, and another code in the stripe, 4025A.  No idea what that one is.  All I know is that I finally have the right hose for this car.  Yay!

Tomorrow I'll be ordering the tower clamps for the hoses, and I'll likely do the rear rail and washer install on the weekend.  Did I happen to say "Yay!" yet?

Cheers,
Gwen Smith

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