Along with the other routine maintenance that we've had to do on cars like the Scion, the Tracker finds itself not immune from the need for maintenance. Squealing brakes caused us to have to grab some brake pads to replace on the front, in order to see if attention will need to be turned to the rear brakes, if the squealing continues. This is fine as the vehicle is being used currently for delivery runs, due to the AC being down on the Scion and the temps starting to rise enough. Hopefully the replacement AC line will be arriving more sooner than later so that problem can be resolved. In the meantime, keeping up the other daily drivers is paramount. On a lighter note, while I wait for the C4 transmission rebuild kit to arrive just as well, I took a moment to clean up the transmission body, as it was covered in 15 years of dirt and grime that needed to go. After a little bout with a parts washer, I managed to clean out the bellhousing pretty good, leaving only some small spots that I couldn't reach with any brush. The transmission body took a good deal of scrubbing just as well to get the body cleaned as best as possible, as well as the inside, especially where the pistons, which had grime inside the cylinders and on the piston assemblies, all from the disintegration of the clutch discs. The tail shaft didn't take a lot of effort to clean as there really wasn't a lot of action going on in this area, but it too is nice and clean. After doing some thinking, I had decided that I really need to turn my attention back to the Elco. It's been a year since I last worked on the car and before I start another serious car project, I would really want to get this one closed out. I still have to finish Truckstang just the same. Once I get the C4 transmission reassembled and installed and running again, Truckstang should be ready to rock and roll and undergo road testing. While there will still be plenty of things to do on the car afterward, just the idea that the car has been brought to the state of being a running and driving car means that the base project is complete. Things like body work, rear end work or HVAC work are extras that don't factor in with trying to bring the car to an operational state. The same goes for the Elco, trying to get the car to the point of being a running and driving car, even if there's a lot of little things to do that would go towards the restoration aspect of the project, is the most important thing. One of the first areas on the Elco I want to turn my attention to is the engine. There's plenty that needs to be done to bring the engine, and the powertrain as a whole to the point of being a running setup. The engine needs plug wires, a carburetor, starter, hoses and other plumbing added, a radiator, exhaust, fuel and a battery. I need to add the adapter to the carburetor to hook up to the TV cable on the transmission, along with the shifter and oil lines from the transmission to the radiator. Of course, a driveshaft has to be sourced. What all this means is that I'll be having to start picking up batches of parts in the right order to allow me to make the biggest headway in each step. My first batch will be plug wires, a starter, thermostat and housing gasket, possibly rad hoses, and a radiator. My plan with the radiator is to measure the opening around the core support and see if I can source a radiator that can fit within that area that comes from another car/truck with a V8. I don't necessarily have to get a rad that fits this car, just one that will go in the opening. My next junkyard foray will have me trying to source a radiator, starter, and even the flange pipes from the exhaust system of an older V8 truck. Since the SBC exhaust manifolds used on most of the trucks are about the same, I should be able to find something that I can use on our exhaust manifolds, even if I end up having to weld the short length of flange pipe to each exhaust manifold. Point is, the Elco will be the next big project on the list to try and finish.
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