Yesterday I did adhere the oil pan gaskets to the windage tray and the Milodon oil pan.

The combination of both Milodon products looks like pretty decent oil control.

 

The plastic tray had smaller slots.

 

Bada-Bing!



I left the drain plug UNpainted. The paint flakes off the edges after the first oil change anyway.





The tray sticks out past the pan a bit but that is probably because the pan is shorter than stock as I mentioned before. There is "The Right Stuff" at each side of the gaskets. Block-sealant-gasket-sealant-windage tray-sealant-gasket-sealant-oil pan.
The sandwich is in place.
When I built my first 440 in 2001, I used regular oil and a bottle of Comp Cams break in oil and that habit stuck with me. Over the years I have used Brad Penn, Joe Gibbs, Valvoline VR1, Royal Purple and Castrol. I didn't use a supplement with the Brad Penn or Joe Gibbs oil. I was at the local Speed Shop today and since they didn't have either of those, I bought 2 gallons of Redline 10w30. $48 a gallon ???
The regular oil I used before was often on sale for $20 a gallon, add the $15 for the Comp Cams supplement and I have $50 or so into the cost of oil. This other stuff never goes on sale and at $12 a quart x 6 quarts, that is $72 plus tax.
I know that owning these cars isn't cheap but jeez!

 

I pulled the carpet out of the box to flatten out.



It looks pretty good as it is. Maybe because it was made just before I ordered it and it hasn't been in a box for a year?



I ordered it with the "Mass Backing", it looks sort of like a bonded sound deadener.



I used "Jigsaw" as my table for the carpet. The dogs like to come out to visit in the shop and they bring their muddy paws with them.

 

Sorry for the loss of your pet. That is always a heartbreaker.



I have been there, friend. They get into your heart and become part of you.

 

Still waiting on the drive shaft but that is okay.....I have things to do.

I put a little sound deadener on the tunnel patch.



Time to lay some C A R P E T !!!

The back section goes in first. I didn't have those thin aluminum strips that go in at the bottom of the rear kick panels so I tucked the carpet under the panels.



I used an awl to poke the holes for the seat belt bolts and seat mounting holes, then pushed a soldering iron through to enlarge the holes. This method melts the carpet around the hole and prevents the fabric from unwinding.

Now for the front section.
The center tunnel is easy on cars with bench seats because there isn't anything in the way. A console car has the mounting brackets to cut around.



This carpet has heavy jute backing and that "Mass Backing" mat applied to the backside. I made sure to route the wires where they would reach. The wires seen above are for the electric trunk latch.

 

The old carpet was quite short.



I bought it in 2001 or 2002. I knew it looked short but I didn't know until later that back then, there were a LOT of instances where people got short segments like this and were pissed off enough to send it back. I just thought that this was crappy but par for the course.


Sitting in the back seat, all those wires were visible. Not anymore!



I ran the carpet up above the steering column. I even cut around the clutch pushrod.



That is good because if I cut the carpet lower, I would have had to spray this shiny thing to hide:

 

I cut around the gas pedal bracket and cable. The carpet came with the grommet to put around the dimmer switch. I may or may not use it.








The foot pad looks like it is a bit to the right OR that I may have the whole section to the right a bit. I'm not sure. Maybe the new, taller bulge of the transmission tunnel patch is responsible? I'm okay with it. I use floor mats anyway.

 

I was going to just put the console back in after a wipedown but...



There is a small crack on the back section. I may lay a section of plastic underneath it with glue to keep the crack from spreading.



I also looked at the dingy condition and thought of how it sucks to see old faded bumpers on a fresh paint job. I can't do that!

 

The Tremec does have an internal rail design with this small stub.



The shift lever is part of the kit. The standard was the Pre-1970 shifter with a round , curved lever and a ball at the end. I wanted the Pistol Grip. That cost extra.

 

Yes..These doggies are just a couple of couch cuddlers. They love people as long as the Wife and I see them first.

Regarding the car shows....I'd love to see them happen. If they do, I'll see you there!

 

The drive shaft came in today.








The new shaft is a 3 1/2" diameter, surely more beefy than the stock 3" shaft I had before.
It weighs a bit more too.



Old shaft:



Five pounds. The U joints in the new shaft feel so tight compared to the old ones.

 

For many years, maybe since before I bought this car in 2000, the parking brake wouldn't stick. The release lever had no tension to it. I had to press the brake and push the release lever IN to get the ratchet to hold.



I didn't have a problem with it since for for over 50 years, the car has had an automatic transmission in it. Now with the manual trans, I need a functioning parking brake that anyone could use in the event that the Wife drives the car...... or a buddy drives the car. ( A real GOOD buddy!)

I had planned on swapping the parking brake assembly with the one in the other car, Jigsaw....



I thought that I could rig up some sort of alternate return spring to pull the release lever back toward the firewall.
Then I noticed....



That coiled spring was all the way forward on the rod and touching the release lever. The spring had pushed through the hole in the bracket because....



The plastic retainer grommet had split, allowing the spring to get past the bracket. I pushed the spring back through, reinstalled the plastic grommet and then put a small hose clamp on the rod, leaving it loose enough for movement but snug enough to keep the spring on the other side of the bracket.





I just LOVE a free fix!