John S's Journal

Beautiful day today so I backed the GT out of the garage into the sunlight for the first time since I pulled the engine and transmission to fix the clutch and swap in the OD as well as all of the front end work, engine bay cleaning and painting and endless amounts of wire brushing and cleaning. It’s been 13 months since it moved under its own power and that was a short lived trip around the parking lot across the street so that I could get a sense of the overall condition of the drivetrain, suspension, etc. Well, today, after giving it a bath, I took it to the same location across the street for another short-lived trip to see if my work paid off and what might need attention. It ran great until the fuel ran out in the midst of my parking lot shakedown. The gauge was on empty but I wasn’t sure how much fuel was in the tank until it died. Hearing the fuel pump tick constantly was my first clue and once I got the bonnet open, my second clue was the empty filter. A quick trip to the gas station and back got me enough to drive it back up and across the street and back in the garage.

The bonnet release was giving me problems so I grabbed the spare one from my wrecked ‘70 and made a emergency release through the driver side wheel well.

I might have to take the water pump back off and reseal it as I have a small coolant leak. Also need to do a little more brake bleeding as there is more play than I like. I sanded down the front valence and I plan on doing a little hammer and dolly work to smooth out some dings and dents. I’ve still got some of the rattle can paint that was left over from the engine bay work but not sure if it’s enough to cover. Not sure if I can straighten out the bumper but I’m going to try. I’m thinking I might try clamping the bent parts between hardwood cauls and seeing if I can make them better.
It won’t be perfect but I’m not looking for that. Just want it to look presentable.