Father and Son 1983 SX/4 Project

[kevindpm61]

Sorry for the duplicate message. My computer was acting funky when I tried to post.

[kevindpm61]

 The weather was great for working on the SX/4 today. Sam and I got a lot of things finished today. All frame repairs on the passenger side have been completed. I followed the advice of amcfool1 and removed the outer lip of the trough under the upper control arms on both sides. Seam sealer was applied to any areas that looked like a potential problem. The wheel well was treated to a full application of undercoating for protective measures.
 We should be able to finish up the driver's wheel well next time we work on the car. Just a couple of floor pan repairs to do before we can start assembling the front suspension.

[vangremlin]

Looks better than when it left the factory!  Good work!

[kevindpm61]

Thanks vangremlin. I just have to weld in repairs on the floor boards and we can start assembling the front end. I took the console cluster home over the weekend to disassemble and clean it up. My hand slipped and I accidentally broke the needle off of the oil pressure gauge.  :'(I can't even find the needle to attempt gluing it on. I've been checking Ebay and other AMC vendors but haven't had any success. If anybody has one they want to part with drop me a line.

[vangremlin]

I busted a needle off of one of those gauges the same way.  They don't have much strength to them.  I'll look around and see if I have an extra oil gauge.  Even if it works I won't guarantee its accuracy lol

[kevindpm61]

Thanks vangremlin. I never put much reliability into the factory gauges. If the needle moves and the idiot light doesn't light, I figure things are good.

[kevindpm61]

I found a complete center console on Ebay complete with all gauges. It was more than what I wanted to spend but it looks like I will have some spare gauges......just in case. I might try to sell the console as ours is in very good shape.

[kevindpm61]

Worked on the SX/4 today. My son was not around. I generally don't like to work on the car unless he is helping. After all, it's not my car. I decided to work on repairing the rot on the passenger floor board. There wasn't much that he could have helped with in regards to the welding.
A portion of the floor pan needed to be removed along the frame rail. It seems to me that the original metal wasn't treated with seam sealer from the factory. The floor board and corresponding piece of metal in the fender well that anchors the underside to the frame rail needed to be repaired.
I managed to get the floor pan repaired. I'll work on the fender well portion another day as I ran out of flap discs.
I also managed to remove the Pitman arm and get one of the bolts off of the exhaust manifold/ header pipe, The forward bolt is proving to be a worthy adversary. I need to install the donut and I'm trying my best to remove the nuts without breaking off the stud.

[kevindpm61]

We will be working on the car this weekend. I hope to finish with welding on the passenger side this weekend. I managed to get one nut off of the exhaust header pipe last time. Hopefully, I'll be able to get the forward nut off. I don't want to get to aggressive because it would be a real PITA to break off the manifold stud.
Other plans include replacing fluids, removing the radiator for cleaning and reassembling the front suspension. I'll keep you all posted on our progress.

[vangremlin]

Sounds like a busy weekend ahead for you!  Yeah, I sure wouldn't want to have to deal with a broken stud on the manifold.  That would set you back awhile!  Thanks for keeping us updated on your progress.

[kevindpm61]

Finished the center console for the car tonight.  I was able to locate a oil pressure gauge to replace mine with a broken needle. The housing was cleaned and detailed. Dial lenses polished to remove scratches. I also decided to add some "flash" to the gauges by painting the needles orange for extra visibility.

[kevindpm61]

We had a productive work day yesterday. My son drained the old oil out of the front and rear differentials and refilled them with new fluid. He also refilled the shift housing. I had hoped to get the transfer case done but we ran out of time.
I finally finished rust removal and repair on the floor pan on the passenger side. I had to fab the metal that that joins the floor board to the frame rail. Seam sealer was applied and then chassis paint. Next time I will blend the repair with undercoating.
I hope to get most of the front suspension installed next weekend.

[vangremlin]

Nice work!  You guys are doing this one up right!!

[Jurjen]

I like what you are doing, keep up to good work guys!

[kevindpm61]

Thanks Jurjen. This is the first time that I've done welding repairs on a car. I always wanted to learn how to weld and so I took an adult education class at my local Votech school last winter. I bought myself a Millermatic 211 welder and I'm having a blast! My son would never be able to afford the metal repair on this car. It's a nice project for me to try and hone my skills.
Being able to weld is such a plus for working on these older cars.