[DeTomaso] Fw: On the importance of chassis drain holes....

[Will Demelo]

<<<that did improve shifting, although it's still pretty crappy,
as the original stock trunnion bearing has never once been lubricated. 
I'll
attend to that shortly.>>>>

What is the best type of lube for the trunion? Everything I put on just 
turns to hard crap after a few weeks.
Will

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <MikeLDrew at aol.com>
To: <detomaso at realbig.com>
Sent: Monday, February 16, 2009 8:40 PM
Subject: [DeTomaso] On the importance of chassis drain holes....


> Hi guys,
>
> I've spent today working on #3535, the very original one-family-from-new 
> blue
> '72 Pre-L that sold for a bargain price on E-bay last week.   The seller 
> was
> somewhat near to me, the buyer is down in Orange County, and I have to go 
> down
> there routinely anyway, so I volunteered to serve as delivery agent.
>
> My original plan was to drive it down there yesterday with Claude Dubois.
> But with the entire state getting hammered by an extremely powerful storm, 
> and
> with this car being a relative unknown to me, except that I knew both the
> heater and A/C systems were inoperative, I decided discretion was the 
> better part
> of valor, and so I stayed home with the Pantera and Claude rented a car 
> and
> made his way down there (more on that in a second, separate post).
>
> With an unexpected day off today, I decided to fiddle with the car and try 
> to
> tackle some small problems.   An inoperative passenger window was 
> initially
> diagnosed and fixed by replacing the obviously blown fuse (!), but then it
> would only go down, not up, due to a typically defective factory switch. 
> I have
> some good factory switches in my stockpile, so I got that sorted 
> temporarily,
> although I've ordered a proper Bosch replacement (the driver's side was
> already changed, so now they will match).
>
> I also removed the redundant shifter centering spring, which is done as a
> matter of course.   That did improve shifting, although it's still pretty 
> crappy,
> as the original stock trunnion bearing has never once been lubricated. 
> I'll
> attend to that shortly.
>
> I put the car in the air to inspect for rust, and found it to be among the
> most very rock-solid cars I've ever been near.   However, it didn't have 
> the
> chassis drain holes that the factory failed to provide, but all knowing 
> owners
> create themselves.   So I got out my drill and went to work, and got 
> soaked in
> the process!   The car had been brought here in the rain, and the chassis 
> tubes
> were filled with water.
>
> This just goes to show the importance of these holes; had I not drilled 
> them,
> the water would have just sat there until it evaporated, which might have
> taken a long time; all the while, the bare metal would be rusting away.
>
> If each of you don't have these holes in your car, you are wrong!   Get it 
> in
> the air, get out your drill, and get to work!
>
> Here's a photo of the affected area (the inner wheelhouses, in between the
> mounts for the lower rear control arms), with residual water still 
> dripping from
> the holes!
>
> http://www.poca.com/index.php/gallery/?g2_itemId=4043
>
> Mike
>
>
> **************
> Need a job? Find an employment agency near you.
> (http://yellowpages.aol.com/search?query=employment_agencies&ncid=emlcntusyelp00000003)
> _______________________________________________
>
> Detomaso Forum Managed by POCA
>
> Archive Search Engine Now Available at http://www.realbig.com/detomaso/
>
> DeTomaso mailing list
> DeTomaso at list.realbig.com
> http://list.realbig.com/mailman/listinfo/detomaso