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Our latest '70 145 Project - Need a few things. Any Ideas?

Mirror Mirror

I took the base of the rearview mirror off and I think there should be 2 metal rods, one on each side of the bolt hole. They push apart when you tap the mirror in place and the screw on the mirror bottom snaps over the 2 rods holding it in place.

So my base has only 1 metal rod. Where the heck did the other one go? I don't think it was removed by the original owner.

Of course, I could have a totally wrong assumption. If I am correct, does anybody have an extra base?

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Mint2Me said:
So my base has only 1 metal rod. Where the heck did the other one go? I don't think it was removed by the original owner.
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If you can't find another original one, it should be easy enough to make a replica. Measure the rod diameter and order a piece from McMaster-Carr. Spring steel if they have it in the right size. Cut to length.

Beautiful car, and it keeps getting nicer!

I'm in awe of that shop as well. So clean.
 
Mint2Me said:
It arrived in one piece and it was fun tooling around a bit and then the NOS rearview mirror fell off.

The old one popped off and the new one, that looks exactly like the old one, is fighting me to stay on. What is the trick?
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A major pain to install. On my 142 I pushed, shoved, grunted, lubed the stud, tried a rubber mallet ..... Finally put a small bottle jack between the two seats and used a length of 2x4 between the jack and the base of the mirror with a rag between the mirror and the 2x4 to protect the finish on the mirror. Pumped up the bottle jack and it eventually popped into place; but, did take more jacking than I expected (actually stepped outside to make sure I wasn't bulging the roof).

They must have had a gorilla on the production line for that particular assembly step.
 
Mint2Me said:
I took the base of the rearview mirror off and I think there should be 2 metal rods, one on each side of the bolt hole. They push apart when you tap the mirror in place and the screw on the mirror bottom snaps over the 2 rods holding it in place.

So my base has only 1 metal rod. Where the heck did the other one go? I don't think it was removed by the original owner.

Of course, I could have a totally wrong assumption. If I am correct, does anybody have an extra base?

IMG_6322-e1585772285678.jpg
[/IMG]
Click to expand...

Yes, you are missing one of the spring rods. Have a look around - it may have popped out of place when you first tried to install the mirror and may be laying about somewhere. Since it popped out you will likely have to restake the ends (where those dimples are located) in order to get it to stay in place.

If you can't find suitable spring steel rod a twist drill bit of close to the same size may work as a substitute. Cutting it to length will be a pain and it will be much stiffer than spring steel making insertion a major chore. Only try the drill if you can't find the correct spring steel.
 
VolvoNut4Ever said:
I discovered years ago on an identical mount on my 1800E that those rods are the exact same diameter as a wire coat hanger! Just snip off a piece the size of the other rod, drop it in, and you're in business.
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Pure Genius...I cut a piece and made sure it was tight. The diameter is a little bit thinner so I Gorilla glued it and popped in 2 small pieces of a match stick to keep it in place. Rube Goldberg would be proud (if it works).
 
The Dash is done...

I am happy with the way it turned out and so far, the rearview mirror is staying in place so thanks to Volvonut4ever for the tip.

I replaced the ashtray with a Mitchell Aircraft clock with light. The switch for the front fog lights is on the driver's side by my knee. The twin Heuer stopwatches are on a Nato magnetic cell phone holders affixed to the underside of the main dash and in between the lower cover.

The compass...well, they never work right but looks cool. Not sure about the fire extinguisher location. It is placed in between the seats for the picture.

The Nardi wheel was a pain in the ass but I think it works. That boss/hub ain't never coming off 'cause it is on there tight. The horn button drove me crazy and still might continue to do so. The Nardi button as 2 spade connectors, one for power, the other ground. So I made a ground wire out of 14 gauge wire and left the end stripped to touch against the hub and ground. Not sure how long that will last. Any better ideas are welcome.

I plan on lowering the roof rack onto the wagon today or tomorrow.

New-Dash-e1585839622204.jpg
 
Racked

I went for a nice drive. Surprised by the decent pickup and smooth shifting. My Nardi is a little bit off-center. Drats. Missing a few of those clips that hold the badging on but other than that, the rust ahead of the rear wheel and a dented front fender, I am done.

Racked-e1586031526607.jpg
 
Looks good. What is with the 4x4 behind the rear wheel - parking brake issues?

Trust me, with a vintage car you are never really done unless you sell it to someone else.
 
142 guy said:
Looks good. What is with the 4x4 behind the rear wheel - parking brake issues?

Trust me, with a vintage car you are never really done unless you sell it to someone else.
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I have trust issues. When I get to know a new acquisition I don?t trust it for a few weeks. I placed the wood parking brake when I returned from my maiden voyage and left the motor running to check for leaks and smoke under the hood. None there, I shut it down and took the picture.
 
Other random questions if you don't mind; whereabouts was this car found in California, and do you still have the blue & yellow plates?

Looks great with the Panasports, fogs, and roof rack. Perfect level of accessorizing in my opinion. Stay classy, CT.
 
Duder said:
Other random questions if you don't mind; whereabouts was this car found in California, and do you still have the blue & yellow plates?

Looks great with the Panasports, fogs, and roof rack. Perfect level of accessorizing in my opinion. Stay classy, CT.
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Easy part first-yes I have the California plate. Sally Orcutt moved back to Wellesley Mass from PalAlto around 1987. She gave up the car to a small shop in town in 1989 because it had developed a number of issues she didn?t want to deal with. The shop owner tucked it in the corner until last summer when it was rescued by a friend of mine who stumbled upon it. The rest you know.
 
It is pandemic May so here is an update

I’m happy with the 145 but I think it hates me. Of course, all of the events I had hoped to participate in are canceled so going local will be all the fun this year..

A few puzzling things have cropped up:

The most puzzling involves gas. About a month ago I topped up the fuel tank. I didn’t need to but I wanted to benchmark my fuel gauge and usage. It spit out violently when it told me it was full. No problem. I parked it for a week and discovered a puddle under the tank. Fuel was leaking from the fuel sender gasket. An easy fix...I thought. When I received the rubber gasket from VP, I drove around a lot to get the fuel level down enough to change the gasket. The old cork gasket was split so I installed the new one and snugged it down tight. So why is it still sweating gas around the sender? I cleaned it up again and tightened it but it still does it. I removed the charcoal canister up front and was careful not to plug up the hose end in case it is a tank pressure thing. When I remove the gas cap, there isn’t any “whoosh” sound. Lastly, I’m down probably 3 or 4 gallons from full.

The other annoyance...I glued the vent window clips during the winter inside the house with JB Weld clear. Cleaned them well and left them alone for a month before I installed them. Last week I found one of them on the floor.

One last thing. Through Joe Lazenby, the editor of Rolling magazine asked if he could include an article about the project. Not sure if it is worthy but it will be in the May/June issue
 
For the vent windows, I think you really need to use an adhesive for rear view mirrors. Permatex has a product specifically for this: https://www.permatex.com/products/s...repair/permatex-rearview-mirror-adhesive-kit/
So does 3M: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company...-Mirror-Adhesive/?N=5002385+3293082785&rt=rud
As does Loctite, but finding it on there site is a pain in the ass. Here's the amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Loctite-37438-Rearview-Mirror-Adhesive/dp/B000VNAIQ2

I think your car will make a great article for Rolling.

Have you checked the filler hose to the top of your tank connection? The hose could be split or not secured well enough.
 
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