Real quickly.
I did some more work towards completing the rear seat delete, but there is nothing more to see than what there was yesterday.
I decided to put the new valve cover on permanently, and that required that I solve the dilemma on how to get a -12 bulkhead fitting installed at the rear of the cover for the vent.
I already had a -12 straight bulkhead fitting and the nut,....what I didn't have was the plastic washers to seal the thing. I grubbed around.
I found a couple of stainless washers that used to go to some torrington bearings for a C/O kit that I used to have. They fit really tightly, so much so that I had to clearance them to fit over the threads. But a tight fit was what I was after, so all-in-all they'll work fine.
If you look you can see the cast on "cone" that I had to cut off, and grind down to get it smooth enough for a nut to seal. I guess it serves as a oil baffle of sorts, all I know was that it had to go.
When I had the old cover in place and had the leak, I tried adding additional silicone on top of the gasket to seal the damn thing. That didn't stop the leak. What it did mean, was that I had to pry that one and only cork gasket (that I just can't go down to AutoZone and buy new) back off the head so I could clean it. While I managed that w/o too much difficulty, I did find absolution on my decision to buy the expensive new valve cover.
Hopefully the camera caught the wet oil that was under the bottom of the gasket. This is where the oil was getting past the area where the old cover didn't have a bolt to hold it tight. I just figured that 1/4" thick aluminum bar turned on its end didn'tneed a buttload of bolts to hold it tight enough to seal. Evidently, I was wrong.
Lastly,....that new valvecover just seemed like it was missing something.
I remedied that.
I was able to pry the old script off of the old valvecover. The fact that I could left me even more convinced that buying the new one was for the best. Who knows how long that stuff would've stayed glued together?
Back on the RSD. Today, I went downtown and threw 100.00 at some guy selling upholstery.
I decided that I was going to cover the panels that make up the rear seat delete in a trunk carpet. A really lightweight, backless carpet typically used on sub woofer enclosures. I wanted it because it's more pliable, and way thinner than your typical "no back" carpet.
It is about 1/8" thick. Something I should've considered when I made the panels, but again,.......what's my name?
When every piece was cut to fit w/o the carpet in place, things change after all the edges are wrapped. That meant that the piece that fits in between is now about 1/2" too long/wide/high. Fortunately, only one piece on each side fits that criteria, so its not too bad.
Now if I could just remember which side is up before I wrap it,.......I wont have to that that twice..................again.
I managed to get one side done and fitted. The top piece is made out of three pieces,..(because it's just easier to make 1/2" MDF do what you want it to do when it's shorter, and easier to manage.) In this case, "what I needed it to do" was bend. Significantly.
It was still asking too much of my limited cabinet making skills. I tried to clamp the thing across the top and glue it, but that was not to be. I ended up shaping the thing w/ a grinder, and finished it w/ a sander.
I put (4 )1/4" bolts in the rear firewall (what remains of it anyway) and held them there w/ 1/4" speed nuts when the center unit is placed in there it gets bolted in now, as opposed to sheet metal screws.
Well you can look,...I took pictures.
You can see the curve of the top plate that I had to create. It turned out pretty good all things considered. I will finish the other side tomorrow. What I'm gonna do w/ that gap in the center,..I'm still undecided.
