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111 Posts
Well ladies and gents. My 68 1800S's 20 year slumber is officially over. She is tagged, insured and inspected.
I did all of this work... spent all this money... but I have never ridden in a 1800. This was my first time to ride in one.
First impressions:
This thing is a tank
This thing is a slug (I've got some engine issues... keep reading)
This thing has some serious blind spots (rear view and side mirror are a joke)
This thing needs a some serious suspension stiffening
This thing is the absolute coolest car I've ever driven
Quirky... very much so
Neato.... off the charts
I did all the work myself except for final tuning. I don't know the in's and out's of these carbs or the motor so I let a pro do that. Compression test shows 3 cylinders have 120 lbs and one has 50 lbs. Since it is not smoking, I suspect a valve was in the open position for so long that the valve or seat has rusted. I'm going to drive it around for 50-60 miles to see if it gets better. If not, it's valve job time...
You won't believe this... the car came with the A/C. The compressor was not seized and was STILL holding pressure. Put 2 lbs of freon in it and I've got a Brrrrrr.... cold air conditioner. Unbelievable.
Now the question:
The overdrive is not working so need some assistance. First the O/D switch is missing. Funny thing is that when I move the high tone horn selector (looks like the turn signal lever but on the right side of the steering wheel), I hear a relay kick in and the red O/D warning light in the dash comes on. I haven't chased down the wiring but has anyone heard of this conversion?
Next question:
If done properly do poly bushings squeak 6 months after install. First months no prob, but what about after.... Anyone have experience with poly bushings? I prefer stiff cars so I may go with poly anyway.
Last one for now:
Bisteins or Bisteins that have been re-valved in the rear... is the extra $200 worth it? This will be a street car that sees occasional track time.
I did all of this work... spent all this money... but I have never ridden in a 1800. This was my first time to ride in one.
First impressions:
This thing is a tank
This thing is a slug (I've got some engine issues... keep reading)
This thing has some serious blind spots (rear view and side mirror are a joke)
This thing needs a some serious suspension stiffening
This thing is the absolute coolest car I've ever driven
Quirky... very much so
Neato.... off the charts


I did all the work myself except for final tuning. I don't know the in's and out's of these carbs or the motor so I let a pro do that. Compression test shows 3 cylinders have 120 lbs and one has 50 lbs. Since it is not smoking, I suspect a valve was in the open position for so long that the valve or seat has rusted. I'm going to drive it around for 50-60 miles to see if it gets better. If not, it's valve job time...
You won't believe this... the car came with the A/C. The compressor was not seized and was STILL holding pressure. Put 2 lbs of freon in it and I've got a Brrrrrr.... cold air conditioner. Unbelievable.
Now the question:
The overdrive is not working so need some assistance. First the O/D switch is missing. Funny thing is that when I move the high tone horn selector (looks like the turn signal lever but on the right side of the steering wheel), I hear a relay kick in and the red O/D warning light in the dash comes on. I haven't chased down the wiring but has anyone heard of this conversion?
Next question:
If done properly do poly bushings squeak 6 months after install. First months no prob, but what about after.... Anyone have experience with poly bushings? I prefer stiff cars so I may go with poly anyway.
Last one for now:
Bisteins or Bisteins that have been re-valved in the rear... is the extra $200 worth it? This will be a street car that sees occasional track time.