Slow ... and frustrating...
The rear end is finally back together. New brake shoes & hardware along with new e-brake cables.
Now, I wanted to make sure that the pinion flange nut was properly torqued - good idea I figured. So I removed the driveshaft and cleaned & repainted it. Then I pulled the pinion nut, inspected & cleaned the threads. For re-assembly, I figured I would simply apply the brake by jamming a 2x4 between the brake pedal and one of the floor reinforcements, allowing me to torque the nut. But the brake pedal went almost to the floor - and I could still turn the rear drums by hand. WTF? No fluid in the master cylinder for the rear circuit! Argh! I had the shop install my original (rebuilt) brake master cylinder and all new stainless brake lines, so I was a little upset about finding this. I found a slow leak at one of the fittings, so I tightened it, added fluid, and bled the brakes. I kept hard pressure on the pedal for about 12 hours, and all looks good. Still not sure what really happened there. Anyhow, I finally got the pinion flange back on & the nut properly torqued.
I also took a little detour on the shifter. Figured I should remove the shifter and clean off all the body shop dust & grime. It is the original Muncie shifter that came on the original M20 Saginaw transmission. The thing is super sloppy, and it would leave the trans stuck in gear at times. So I talked to my dad, and he cursed the shifter as well, saying it left him stuck in 2nd gear more than once. So, I located an older (read as "made in USA") Hurst Competition Plus shifter. My dad said that's what he wanted to install 'back in the day', so that's what I did. Just finished installing it last night and I can't believe I put up with the original shifter for so long. Night & day difference. I have the chrome ball for it, so with the exception of the HURST logo on the stick, it looks fairly stock. Sorry I didn't take any pictures, but it sure looks pretty!
Then I went to hook up the backup light switch, only to find that the switch doesn't work. Oh well...
