Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Spendin' money!

Yesterday was "Cyber Monday", the Monday after Thanksgiving when many of the online stores offer special prices.  No special prices were on my mind but I did spend a few bucks.  I called Chassis Engineering to confirm my order was boxed and ready to ship.  I had prearranged for billing and shipping any time after Nov 25.  They confirmed that all was ready so I told them to send the parts.  By day's end yesterday I had a UPS tracking number in my email showing delivery is scheduled for tomorrow.  Nice! 
     Next, it was a call to Kwik Wire.  Had a list of questions which were all answered, so I placed the order for a 14 circuit wiring kit along with a few accessories.  Powermaster was next on the list as they are the manufacturer of PowerGen Alternators.  The PowerGen unit is a one-wire, 75 amp alternator with internal voltage regulator in a case that looks exactly like the old GM generators.  I needed to discuss how to order one thru Jeg's with a 5/8" pulley instead of the 3/8" that comes standard.  The 6 volt generator that was on the 41 has the 5/8" pulley.  Got the part number for the pulley and called Jeg's.  Placed the order yesterday and the email acknowledgement shows shipping later this week.   That should take care of the electrical system conversion to 12 volt.  All I'll need to order to complete the electrical install is 12 volt light bulbs and a voltage reducer for the fuel gauge. 
     Summit Racing had the best price on a pair of American Racing/Ansen Sprint style slotted aluminum wheels.  Ordered a pair of 15 x 7, 5 lug, 4.75 bolt circle (Chevy pattern) wheels with 4" back spacing.  These should be a near perfect match to the 6 lug wheels on the rear of the 41.  The front tire size will be determined once the front end is back together so I can check tire clearance at the lower ride height.  I'd like to stay with the 215R70x15 tires that are currently on the car but I may have to put 205R70's on the front for clearance.  Summit had the wheels in stock and the email acknowledgement shows they shipped yesterday.  Looking like the wheels should be here tomorrow along with the front suspension pieces. 
     Last call of the day was to Dick at More Power to discuss a plan for the steering column.  I'm hoping we can duplicate the stock shaft and column/tube inside the car while shortening the assembly in the engine compartment.  The connection to the new rack & pinion steering from Chassis Engineering will require a couple of universal joints and an intermediate shaft to complete the new steering system.  Dick pointed me to the Borgeson.com site for a better understanding of the components needed for the steering and how it all goes together. 
     Dan is coming over tomorrow morning so we can move the old front crossmember/suspension out to my shed for storage.  Need to free up some space in the garage.  The fall weather has been very mild this year but it looks like snow is in the forecast.  I want to minimize the amount of time my PT Cruiser has to sit outside the garage so getting the front end back on the 41 or at least getting it rolling is a bit of a priority.  Stay tuned as the rebuild continues.

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