Matt Drayer's Journal

Home Page: Matt Drayer
Marblehead, MA, USA

Total Posts: 42

2023

3, 2, 1, IGNITION! — 2023-08-29

Projects are amazing things. They (mostly) kick off full of optimism and vigor. You attack the...

On The Precipice — 2023-08-27

It's been crazy-time with this project, pushing to get to this point. Everything is coming together...

Cool Headed — 2023-08-25

This summer has been more than a bit of a bust as far as the car goes. I crashed the boards in the...

Rostyle Restoration — 2023-08-03

The weather in July was absolutely atrocious here in New England. While the coastal towns didn't...

Just Do It! — 2023-07-05

I kept coming up with excuses. Procrastination is a wonderful way to get lots of other things done....

Grrrreat!!! — 2023-06-30

It's always amazing how one decision leads to another, and another. The original bendix starter...

Empowerment — 2023-06-27

After months of meticulous, anxiety-ridden work, it's finally time to take a deep breath and...

Inhale, Exhale — 2023-06-24

We're soooo close to reinstalling this engine! The block is prepped, and the top-end is assembled. ...

View From The Top — 2023-06-21

The cylinder head has been calling out, pleading for attention. It's been ready to go for months. ...

Enginification — 2023-06-18

It's finally time to reassemble the engine. It's been sitting on its stand for long enough, and...

Handbrake Healing — 2023-06-16

I'm trying to stay positive about this project but it's getting harder and harder to do. It feels...

Pump It Up — 2023-06-12

The starter was the first item removed from the car back in the beginning. Pretty sure it was the...

Diff Job — 2023-06-11

Believe it or not, I'm almost 50 and while I've wrenched on a bunch of vehicles in my life, I had...

Tankasaurus Rex — 2023-06-06

It was just a small sheen on the bottom of the fuel tank, but I knew there was no good reason for it...

Getting Into Gear — 2023-06-03

I remember pulling the transmission out of the car back in November. I didn't have a good...

Go Go GO! — 2023-06-01

We're in full-on reassembly mode now. The rear hubs arrived -- one replacement, one spare, for one...

Brake Build — 2023-05-30

With the rear end stripped, cleaned, and painted it's time to reinstall the drum brake apparatus...

Hubba Hubba — 2023-05-26

I knew the rear hubs had to come off as soon as I saw the oil in the drums. A bit of encouragement...

Into The Abyss — 2023-05-21

There's a certain satisfaction that one feels when you know you were right about something -- even...

Jalon Six — 2023-05-07

Six months. Six months of oil, grease, dirt, rust, discoveries, questions, swears, and of course a...

Stop It! (Part 3) — 2023-05-04

With the front suspension, steering components, and brake lines installed the only piece remaining...

Spring Rebound — 2023-05-01

Spring is bouncing right along, and so is the project. It amazes me how the magic of editing can...

Good Good Goodridge — 2023-04-29

The pile of parts is getting smaller by the day, or at least the weekend now. We're a bit behind...

Rack Attack — 2023-04-23

Installing the front braking system hard lines has unlocked the reassembly of the steering and...

Stop It! (Part 2) — 2023-04-21

This project is really starting to move now. Unboxing the Automec kit rolled right into...

Stop It! — 2023-04-19

With the keystone component (aka, the pedal box) installed our project is picking up speed. And,...

Step On It! — 2023-04-16

This project has been like a long, drawn-out game of chess. I've been staring at the board, making...

Positive Progress — 2023-04-09

I had planned on installing the pedal box this past week. However, I decided that it would be...

Back On The Horse — 2023-04-02

With temperatures on the rise I've begun clawing my way out of my frigid funk. It wasn't an...

Supergoodenough — 2023-03-26

Ugh. It happened to me. I took a couple days off, and that turned into a couple weeks,...

Primed And Ready? — 2023-01-31

I'm not sure I'm happy with where we're at right now. I know I should be happy -- a lot has been...

Primer Pontification — 2023-01-25

I've been procrastinating on applying primer to the engine bay. It's too cold. It's too late. My...

Gearing Up — 2023-01-16

Life loves to move right in on the vacuum created by a "quick break" in a project. All of that...

Rest Interval — 2023-01-11

There are special points in a long-term project when the time comes take a breath and step back from...

On Track! — 2023-01-02

What a push. I've already put so many hours into this project, and it's just been prep, prep,...

2022

Frankenstein — 2022-12-27

"UNREAL..." I've been stripping and degreasing the engine bay for weeks. I knew we'd need to do...

Carchaeology — 2022-12-18

"Dad, I see yellow!" "Yellow?" "Yeah, in the wheel well. I'm scraping off the black gunk and...

Heart Surgery — 2022-12-12

One more good shove and the clutch should clear...YES!!! The engine separated from the...

Diving In — 2022-12-06

"Good luck!" "Thanks!" I hopped in the Jeep and looked over my shoulder. With the back seats...

The Agreement — 2022-11-28

The car is covered in grease, and oil, and dirt. The garage floor is covered in grease, and oil,...

Realization — 2022-11-13

"Okay....pop it!" It was the fifth time I had rolled the MG down our driveway, prompting my...

The Project Begins — 2022-11-07

"Hi Dad, I have a journalism project I need a hand with..." Sure, I'm thinking, some sort of...