Alarm Switch Installed

Well, it's amazing what you can accomplish when you have a little time.  I was able to install the alarm lock cylinder into the fender (wires, lock retainer, and gasket), and I was able to get the hood hinges in place and connected to the body and the hood.

I need to figure out how to adjust the hood at this point, and then I can install the hood support (which I received - thanks, Corvette Central!), and then finish plumbing the carburetor.  That would leave simply the headlights, steering column reassembly, electrical testing, door glass adjustment (need to get the battery in place to do the adjustment, which is also why I needed to get the electrical tested, which is why I needed the alarm switch functional and installed).

So, here's my to-do list (yes, it has gotten to the point that it is very specific) :

• Reassemble the Turn Signal Switch and Ignition Switch
• Install the Tilt/Tele Steering Wheel Components
• Have Someone Clean the Steering Wheel Leather (Not sure how expensive)
• Install the Steering Wheel
• Hood Adjustment
• Plumb the Fuel-Filter-to-Carburetor Lines
• Headlights
  
  • Obtain Ford Probe Headlight Motors (model year 1993 to 1997, about $60 for the set)
  • Wire up a Headlight Control Relay (from Napa, EC23 $15 and BK3007884 $9)
  • Manufacture a Bracket to Hold the Probe Headlight Motors (not sure how much this will cost)
  • Assemble the Electric Headlight System
  • Get the Headlight Bezels and Lids Painted to Match (at $300 a pint for the color coat alone)
  • Install Headlights Themselves
• Probe Electrical Connections (before Adjusting the Door Glass)
• Connect the Battery
• Adjust the Door Glass
• Disconnect the Battery
• Install Door Panels
• Ensure Interior Light Bulbs are in Working Order
• Complete Air Ducts
• Install the Drivers' Dash Panel
• Obtain a Map Pocket ($85) for the Passengers' Side and Install (with Springs)
• Install the Passengers' Side  Dash Panel
• Bolt Down the Center Console
• Bolt Down the Parking Brake Cover
• Install Transmission Tunnel Covers
• Bolt Down the Seats and Test
• Connect the Battery and Test All Electrical Components (EXCEPT FOR STARTER)
• Fill with coolant
• Add Oil and Prime the Oil Pump
• Add a LITTLE Gasoline to the Tank
• Add Gear Oil to the Tremec TKO II
• Add Windshield Washer Fluid
• Lift Rear Wheels into the Air (don't want to have the transmission fail to disengage)
• Connect the Battery
• Put some Gasoline in a Glass cup in Preparation to Test Fire
• Test Fire
• Stop Engine
• Engage Wheels with the Ground
• Start, and Drive a Short Distance (less than a mile)
• Return and Check the Oil
• Raise the Back End
• Run the Car in Gears for 20 Minutes Each (Transmission Break In)
• Drop the Car
• Check the Oil
• DRIVE IT LIKE I STOLE IT

Steering Column - Coming Together

With some bad engineering drawings, a bad memory, and some skill with Tetris from growing up, I finally figured out how the steering column's Tilt/Telescopic components fit together.  There were a few steps to get me to a point that the Chevrolet manuals talked about :

1. Find out how the light dimmer switch shaft sets into the housing.
2. Find out how the turn signal switch connects to the dimmer switch (hint - it uses a plastic carrier that sets into a plastic shell that the tilt/telescopic lever runs through).
3. Understand how the wiring fits into the wiper/turn signal switch carrier housing (that also houses the ignition lock cylinder)
4. Locate a suitable pivot pin for the wiper/turn signal switch that connects the switch to the housing.
5. Put that all together in one fell swoop (you kind of have to do this - without the housing, the parts will fall out, and without the parts in the right place, the housing won't connect.

For the pivot pin, I had lost mine, and found out that no one sells a replacement.  Goofing off, I realized that my Honda Civic (metric) had six bolts for the timing belt cover, and (since I had replaced the engine this year) I had the old bolts laying around.  Those bolts fit into the threads for the housing, and the shoulder on the bolt had a slightly larger diameter (that's a good thing) than what it should be (it wouldn't fit into the switch).  I grabbed my drill, slapped the bolt into the chuck, and grabbed a file.  I basically turned the shoulder without a lathe until it was the right size.

Then I ran out to grab the ratchet to install it..... and found the old pivot bolt still in the socket from nine months ago!  I compared them, and they were almost identical, the original had an extra pivot pin on the end (e.g. two shoulders of different sizes with a threaded section sandwiched in between).  The "replacement" would have still worked, but I opted for the original (anyone wonder why?).

I set about installing everything, and had success in getting those parts completely installed (complete with a new ignition lock cylinder).  Next up, finishing the rest of the assembly, which I can now use the AIM for (the assembly instruction/engineering diagrams at the factory).