Various Odd Fixes

[John Simion]

The same friend who helped me with the engine miss and electronic ignition problem also fixed several other nagging problems, which had odd causes:

1)  Squealing Front Disc Brakes:  I neglected to mention that I’ve also been having problems with them skidding easily.  Upon removal of the wheel, we discovered that the driver’s side rotor was being fully wiped by one side of the discs but only partially on the other.  My friend (I take no credit for anything except retrieving tools) recognized that the rotor was not fully tight like it was on the other side.  He also discovered that the wheel bearing wasn’t even completely full of grease.  After tightening the rotor to the spindle, lightly greasing the disc brake pins, and applying the CRC Stop Squeal liberally, he reinstalled the brake and now the disc brake pad rubs evenly.

This is not the usual reason for squealing disc brakes, but my friend believes that the loose rotor was the culprit, setting up a resonance as I applied the brakes.  The other side was okay although we did grease and apply the anti-squeal to it, too.

2)  Loose turn signals:  When I drove Murphy home from the *&^% upholsterer, the entire turn signal unit broke loose and a little chrome piece shaped like a flattened “C” fell out.  The turn signals still worked but required two hands.  My friend knew how to remove the horn button and the steering wheel, whereupon he/we recognized that the “C” piece slips into corresponding grooves on the inside of the turn signal unit and a screw passes through it, wedging the entire unit to the steering column.

Upon reassembly, we were also able to straighten out the “Forever Sharp” steering wheel that the “professional” had left off-kilter.  Once the steering wheel was reinstalled, I could see that the reason the turn signals broke loose was that they had been snugged up too close to the steering wheel and lost their grip on the correct part of the steering column.  This should not happen again, but the down side is that now I have a gap of about 3/8″ between the steering column and the turn signals.  It is somewhat unsightly but better than having loose turn signals.  The takeaway here is not to try too hard to snug up the turn signals and the steering wheel.  It would have been helpful if the chrome trim piece from Forever Sharp had been 3/8″ deeper than it was, but so be it.

So far, the “professional” mechanic:

*  Didn’t install my brakes properly;

*  Didn’t install my steering wheel either straight or with the turn signal unit properly aligned;

*  Didn’t align the throttle linkage on the Weber Progressive carburetor, making it impossible to get idle speed until my friend realigned it; and

*  Apparently didn’t use the proper coil when installing the electronic ignition.

About the only thing this jackoff did right was to lower and narrow the car.  So far, so good on those fronts.  Oh, and my friend says the steering and new shocks are good.

johnsimion2016-04-21 23:36:55

[secretagentcat]

Holy cow, I feel violated! Did you report that guy the byuro of automotive repairs? Or at the least, give him a crappy yelp review. You never know if youll save some other guy the heartache.
I sure wish you were out here, Stacy, Jack and the Boys at Blodgets Bug Barn in San Bernardino are really great. Theyve been in business for years for parts and fantastic service. Ive been taking Eliza Jane there for years.

[Author]

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