1976 Superior 54XL Restoration Log

Hardware store none silicone 50 year exterior window sealer,.water clean up paintable are the key things to look for. The make a 25 year to. Dow is one brand, Ace has one with there lable. You can buy 3M all round body sealer for twice the money,same stuff.
 
It was a busy weekend removing driveshaft so I can take it to the shop to replace the u-joints and carrier bearing as well as getting it balanced.

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Both the transmission and differential seals were also replaced.

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The seal on the transmission end was leaking just a little, but the one on the differential end was leaking more and left a thick layer of gunk on the differential housing. Now that it is all clean I will be looking up those numbers to see what they tell me about the differential.

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Since I was under the car I took a few minutes to took the bolts on the transmission oil pan and engine oil pan. Looks like both those gaskets will need to be replaced, they are both leaking a litle. This is now on the list.

I hope to have the drive shaft back mid week.
 
Commercial chassis only had one gear ratio available, unlike standard production automobiles. The numbers shown are casting numbers for the parts, and possibly if you can find it, there will also be a casting date code for when the casting was manufactured. Since you are getting into seal changing, also pull the rear brake drums and check the rear axle seals. If you need new seals, I have some available.
 
Then since you have time. Finish getting the grease off the housing with a wire brush. And paint it. If the casting shows a layer of rust, first a little rusty metal primer then a semi gloss black in a oil base paint Just brush it on.
 
The driveshaft is back on, she should be good for another 45 years! I chose to use the greaseable u-joints for two reasons, one because it will force me to go under the car at least once a year and will give me the opportunity to put a set of eyeballs on all of the components behind the front end greasing spots and they were almost 1/2 the price of the non-greasable ones.

I also brought the car back to the radiator shop to fix the oil leak where the transmission oil line meets the radiator, so there will be one less puddle on the garage floor.

Next on the list of oil drips will be to replace the transmission oil pan gasket and the engine oil pan gaskets and the bigger job of tackling the steering box which is leaking quite a bit.

Finally, I have to figure out where is the leak that is causing oil to seep onto the driver-side firewall and drip on the floor. I will not be able to finish that area of the cabin floor until this leaking issue is fixed. At this time I am thinking that this leak is coming from the hydraulic brake booster, but it is hard to say because the steering box leak is causing oil to splatter all over this general area when driving at highway speed (not because of pressure from the mechanism, but because of the wind in that area). I am planning to degrease the engine, this will hopefully allow me to see where some of those leaks are actually coming from so that I can make a plan.
 
Check the master cylinder for fluid loss, which might be sucked into the engine through the vacuum line. Remove the vacuum line at the engine side, and swab the inside of the vacuum hose. If it is showing signs of oil, then that is a good indication that the brake master cylinder has developed a leak. Fluid on the interior firewall side is usually a leaking master cylinder into the power brake booster. It it highly unlikely that the oil on the engine side of the firewall is from anything other than the valve covers. This is a very common leak that can be resolved with new gaskets properly installed. GM had an accessory item that went under the valve cover bolt that put even pressure on the valve cover further out from the bolt alone. It was referred to as "Valve Cover Hold Down Clamps" which were similar to the small block Chevrolet clamps, but not the same. I bought some for one of my Cadillacs, but presently don't know exactly where they reside in the garage. I will look for them whenever I search for any other parts in the garage. My garage is like a black hole that swallows up only the items that I look for at that time. I usually find what I am not looking for at the time.
If you decide to take the steering box out for rebuilding, do it this winter while the car is laid up since turn around time is about 4 weeks from the time that it arrives at the rebuilder in Missouri (if you use the one that I recommend in the "recommended vendors forum". The same goes for having the power brake booster rebuilt. Most people send parts out for repair in the winter months.
 
I just want to quickly address a point that was raised privately due today.

None of the issues that I bring up in this forum are caused by neglect or abuse or anything like that from any of the previous owners of this car. This car has always been very well care for.

It is after all a car that is almost 50 years old. Gaskets dry out, mechanisms crack, parts become tired and fail.

I think this is a very good example of the work that is required to restore a 50 year old car that is in good shape. Some items I replace may not need to be replaced, but the way I look at it if I'm gonna take apart something might as well replace what I can.

It is easy to imagine how much more work it would be if the car was not in good condition. This is not to discourage anyone, it is just a reality of working in an old vehicle.

When we start a project like this I think it is important to know where our limits are, but it's also important to push our limits to do as much as we can so we learn not only how to fixed things, replace things, but also how these cars were built and how the components all interact together.

I am not a mechanic, I don't have a big garage are fancy tools. My budget is not limitless and my time is limited. I work on the car when I have time and when the weather permits since I usually have to bring the car out of the garage to work on it. While somebody else may be able to do all the work I'm doing in a couple of months, it will take me probably a good three years. It is easy to lose interest when it takes so long, but one needs to focus on the end result which will be an awesome rolling museum. In order to keep things simple in my mind I don't look at this as restoring a whole car, it would be too easy to get overwhelmed this way. I look at it as fixing a piece of trim, tracing a wire, replacing a gasket, etc. Doing a full vehicle restoration would be too big of a gob........

I am certainly grateful for the good care that Tim, Tony, and Bruce took when they were custodians of the car and for the great support I am getting from Ed, Paul, and others during this project.

I hope to have the car ready for the 2024 meet, but if not, for the 2025 meet.
 
A car restoration of a driving car is never done. Your car will be a museum piece on wheels as opposed to the car that is restored and then put into a trailer and delivered to a car show. Personally, I believe that there should be a point deduction for a car that is brought in a trailer, or a point addition to a car that is driven on its own power to a car show. When you drive a car the undercarriage always will get dirty, and if it should rain, then it will be even dirtier than just some road dust on it.
 
In regards to the oil leaks in the engine compartment, after I was able to get the hood open, I took a hard look at what could be leaking thinking of Paul and Ed's comments.

The valve covers are definitively leaking. I took a rag and the white the oil are on both covers and then torqued the valve cover bolts. Every single one of them required tightening. This may help resolve the problem but I will still need new valve cover gaskets.

I did a thorough wet check around the hydraulic brake booster and it does not seem to be leaking. There was no obvious sign of new oil on my gloves. Directly below the hydraulic brake booster there is what looks like a drip tray which had oil and grime in it. It is very possible that the oil in this drip tray comes from the driver side valve cover. It is almost directly in line and is not that far. Directly below is the steering shaft. I looked at the rubber boot and it looks like if it is fairly loose at the bottom which would collect oil from the driver side valve cover. I may be putting too much emphasis on this valve cover but it would make sense. We will see if there is a difference in the next few weeks.20230922_210824.jpg20230922_210817.jpg
 
If you were loosening brake fluid,think boster. if not then it is ok. I have yet to see a older car the didn't need valve cover gasgets. Some can be a real pain to replace. I like to start with a good power wash. Years of collection will be in places one can't understand how it got there.
 
Coming along, room for everything but the pt and the attendant. When you get to doing like your are,rebuilding to spects for a given period of time you understand the necessity of going to the box with the outside storage. You hit the overload of space for required equptment.
 
John ED Renstrom said:
Coming along, room for everything but the pt and the attendant. When you get to doing like your are,rebuilding to spects for a given period of time you understand the necessity of going to the box with the outside storage. You hit the overload of space for required equptment.
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You are correct. Looking at old pictures of car base ambulances towards the end of the aera shows the necessity to retire them and move to more spacious platforms. I want to have the car well equipped, but there is a fine line between a well equipped representative of the time vehicle and a clown car. I want to stay on the right side of that line.
 
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