Hot August Nights in Reno 2013

It's been a tradition for my "car-guy" friends and I to make the trip up to Reno for Hot August Nights for a few years now. Usually the 100F+ heat is so intense that we're forced, kicking and screaming, into the nearest casino bar the minute the clock strikes 10:30 a.m....but this year it it literally rained on the parade...so much so that Thursday night's activities consisted of sitting around in the hotel wondering if the power would come back on....Fortunately, by Friday morning it was back to sunshine and blue skies, but the temperature never did get about a very pleasant mid-80s. In fact it was perfect weather for looking at cars...and consuming the occasional cold beer.

This year the world-famous Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction pitched up in Reno for the first time, and while it was a fun event to witness, I'll be surprised if they come back next year. Certainly they won't be selling so many immaculate cars without a reserve price any time soon. Not after parting with a show-condition 1960 Bel Air and a very smart '74 Corvette went for a paltry 7K apiece. If Reno proved anything to the Barrett-Jackson folks, it's that the High Rollers hangout elsewhere. To say most of the consignees took a bath would be a understatement. They really suffered the kind of cleansing one can expect following exposure to high levels of radiation, followed by a dozen laps around Lake Tahoe without a swimsuit!

Barret Jackson:

Boss 302S: not street legal

while the motor was away...

The engine came back this week. It was at the machine shop for just over seven months. After about four months I remember wondering who had lost the most interest, them or me? Funny thing is, I'd begun dreading the return of the motor....because I'd accomplished so little on the project since it went away.

Clean, shinny and ready for the rebuild!

So, what exactly did get done in seven months? A while was spent on the heater rebuild. I was planning to do some more reassembly (side windows and door internals, wiring harness, new seat belts etc.). But before that I wanted to do some sound proofing in the interior.

Started by emptying out all the stuff I'd been storing inside the car.

Tore out the interior....again...

And then I was back up against a familiar problem: no room to work in because the entire garage was filled with bits of car. Fortunately I created some more space in the tiny attic by laying a bunch of leftover shelves across the joists....which I then stuffed full of seats and whatever else would fit.

I was eager to trial-fit my new three-point seal belts before the project went much further. I'm fortunate that the '68 has appropriate factory-installed mounting points everywhere I need them...but I still wanted to make sure of the fit. Even re-installed the seat to make doubly sure!

Then (after taking out the steering column once again...) I applied extra sealant at all the seams in the body work. I used the approach that far-more-than-necessary should be enough. I also abandoned the dedication to neatness I've adopted elsewhere.

Started work on applying heat/sound insulation to the firewall and behind the dash. This was quite an enjoyable part of the project...so much more fun than covering the same area with my wire wheel! To be cont'd.....