Captain Obvious

Thanks guys. Hope someone comes up with a couple pics. I know there was/is a special tool recommended for the job, but I'm looking for homemade cheap caveman options. And I saw some references to pics on Blue's site, but unfortunately the site is still dead. Here's to hoping that wonderful reference source comes back soon. My unsuccessful attempt was to bolt the booster back to the firewall (to hold one side of the shell) and then try to turn the other side using a two foot long bar I made out of angle iron which I had drilled for two of the mounting bolts and the center plunger. Fit great, but the angle iron couldn't take the force and started to buckle. The case didn't budge. I'm not sure what I'm going to find when (if?) I get it open. All I know at this point is that the main diaphragm is intact at this point. The booster holds vacuum, but doesn't boost. I theorize that the valve is gunked up with crud due to drinking brake fluid from a master cylinder failure that occurred before my ownership. I figure the worst that happens is that I tear the diaphragm splitting the case and I'll have to replace it with remanufactured sooner rather than later. I'd like to nurse this one along until the off-season and do a more permanent replacement then. I'm hoping that if it's just a clogged valve, maybe I can clean it out and continue to use this one until I take the car down for the winter. I'm thinking that even if I tear the diaphragm, it'll still be a suitable core, so no loss there. And besides... I've never been inside one before and it would be a learning experience.

That red wire is the ground connection? Really? Respectfully submitted and no controversy intended as I've never seen one of these things in my life, but from what I see in the pics, my forensic intuition doesn't like that conclusion. I know you guys must have figured this stuff out as you've got working parts, but I'm thinking maybe I'm missing something. In general, the ground connection goes to lots of places on the PC board. Usually more connections than any other signal, and sometimes will encircle some or all of the outside perimeter of a board. In general, the incoming power passes immediately through a section of circuitry to regulate and condition the power input. Certainly not a sure fire way to tell, but I use that as a litmus test. The black wire passes that litmus test while the red does not. It looks like the red connection goes immediately to a couple components and nowhere else. Also, the negative sides of all the electrolytic capacitors are connected to the black wire. Also, there is a little "+" and "-" circuit printed on the board. The "+" is next to the red, and the "-" is next to the black wire connection, just as I would expect. That little "stud" looks like a feed-thru capacitor to me. Intended to prevent high frequency noise from entering or leaving the inside of the metal clamshell on that wire. Presumably used in this application to prevent high frequency ignition noise from getting in there and messing with the internal oscillator? And lastly... If the case was connected to battery+, then wouldn't this thing dead short out when you bolted it in place? Is the mounting bracket electrically isolated, or is it connected hard to chassis? Like I said, I've never seen one of those and know nothing about it other than what I can glean from the pics, but it just doesn't sound right to me. Is all this stuff reversed Down Under?

Going commando, huh?

My brake booster stopped boosting last night. Kind of a surprise, but thankfully no brown. I took the booster off my car and I would like to open it up to have a peek inside. I've tried a couple methods to get that sucker open but have been unsuccessful so far. I know several of you guys have succeeded in getting the booster open, but I couldn't find pics of any of the rigs used to accomplish that feat of strength. Has anyone got any pics of what they used to hold and twist?

The pics in the 73 FSM don't show the wrap, so I believe the 73 wrap was added at a service call just as you said. But by the time they got to 74, I think they were adding that wrap from the get-go. The pics in the 74 FSM show the wrap.

I wouldn't call it totally unnecessary. Without it, you could have trouble keeping the spindle pin centered in the knuckle while you tightened the nuts. You would likely completely bottom out one nut before the second nut got tight. If that happens, you might not have enough threads engaged on the second nut because the spindle pin got pulled all the way to the other side. In other words... Ten threads sticking out one side, and only one or two threads engaged on the other? Once everything is cinched down tight and centered, the pin is not a big deal But getting to that point, it might be a bigger deal?

Haha!! So you were thinking you could use tighter staples as a country facelift? Nice!!

Dang! Seriously? What the heck are you doing to yourself??

Gotcha about the epoxy resin. I didn't catch that before and thought you were planning to use polyester. And I found the foam commercial I was talking about. It's Loctite Titefoam. What caught my eye was the consistency and finer texture of the bubbles. It didn't have the large voids that form with some of the brands I've used: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB603veuD68

Couple thoughts: I saw a commercial the other day where the product in question was expanding foam. They were touting their foam as being better than the "bargain brand" because it had a finer texture and smaller, more consistent bubbles. Don't remember who it was, but there was something in the pitch about "gap control" and ended the commercial with a shot of the pitchman's teeth (with no gap between the two front teeth). If that's not enough description to find the stuff, let me know and I'll see if I can dig up who it was. It was one of the big name brands. Also, I've heard people concerned that the fiberglass resin would eat the original foam. I've done no investigation into the concern, but you ought to make sure that's not the case before you slather large portions of your dash foam with the resin. And third... I was in Horror Fright the other day and was looking at their "vacuum storage bags" which are these large bags where you put stuff to be packed away in a closet for long term storage and then suck out the air with your shop-vac. I was thinking to myself that there might be some application where you could substitute one of those bags for a vacuum table or resin form bags for something like.... recovering a dash maybe?

That's an externally oiled cam, right? Your spray bar in good shape?

Matt, Your car looks beautiful. Welcome to the party! I just posted a couple new pics in that bumper thread. I usually make it to Carlisle, so if you are going, make sure we can get together while we're there.

Seeing this thread come up elsewhere reminded me... I've made some progress and have pics. I got a pair of donor bumper shocks from gwri8 which I drilled and drained. Thanks again Greg!! After remounting the front bumper on the drilled shocks, I collapsed the shocks and pushed the bumper in as far as it would go. Then I fashioned myself some homemade bumper ends. The bumper ends are temporary solutions that I still need to improve on, but from a distance, they look fine. They passed Canadian visual inspection. Here's a couple shots of the results. It doesn't lose it's "280-ness", but I think the lines are better than original. I'm not sure if I'm going to change the rear. The front was certainly the biggest bank for the buck.

Woof. I don't know what to do about that either. Especially in situ. Do you think that happened in the accident that resulted in the liberation of the engine?

Well good luck with the dash work. I'm going to have to do something about mine in the not too distant future too. Hoping you come up with something extraordinary.

There's no magic. Don't worry... The problems will be back.

That 30,101 was reserve not met. No-sale. This is at least the third time it's been listed, and one of the previous times it was listed, it hit 58K and was no-sale due to reserve not met.

I've not done any dash refinishing work, but looking at my failing dash, it appears to me that the expanded foam underneath is suspect too. Using your forensic analysis skills, what do you think was the progression of events leading to the dash failure? Do you think it's possible to permanently fix a dash without addressing the underlying foam?

Excellent! Glad it was that simple.

There is sometimes very little to be gained by simply looking at electrical stuff, but... Can you take a couple pics of the parts in question anyway? The relays? The alternator?

That's awesome. Sounds like a room of angry hornets to me.

No leaks? Looking at the route of the storm, you might find out for sure tonight if you go on your regular neighborhood tour!! Just like when we tested your windshield. Stay safe!!

Congrats on getting it to fire up! I can only imagine how big of a smile you were wearing!

I think I've got a copy of that around here somewhere. Everyone always talks about it and I've never read it. Maybe I should someday...

You do nice work. Now you've also got to do something about your console lid. Your shiny console now makes the lid look chalky. "You created a neatness."