Author Archives: RussD

New Radio Considerations

Posted on October 6, 2025 by RussD

If I want tunes in the Imperial the current radio has to go. There are several ways to do this. The cleanest approach would be to get another 1963 Imperial radio. A working one one be expensive. And this still … Continue reading →

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Frankenstein Radio

Posted on September 29, 2025 by RussD

Time to upgrade the Imperial radio. Before talking about the new radio and the overly complex installation process let’s take a minute to look at the “original” radio. Once again I would really like to know more about the history … Continue reading →

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Dropping the Gas Tank part 3

Posted on September 22, 2025 by RussD

With the jack ready to go there was a gas tank that needed to be dropped! It is a lot easier to handle an empty gas tank. And this replacement tank has a drain fitting. The gas gauge is reading … Continue reading →

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Getting Ready to Drop the Gas Tank part 2

Posted on September 15, 2025 by RussD

With the lathe cutting properly and demonstrating that I can cut M24-1.5 threads I could move on to making a retainer to bolt the frame to the jack. Dropping into engineering design mode I defined several requirements for this part: … Continue reading →

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Getting Ready to Drop the Gas Tank

Posted on September 8, 2025 by RussD

The gas tank is leaking when filled up. Not Good! I had this problem a couple of years ago and fixed it. Looks like the problem has returned… No choice but to drop the tank and fix it again! It … Continue reading →

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Venting part 3

Posted on September 1, 2025 by RussD

At the end of the last post we had a pretty well destroyed dash vent with a broken off cobalt drill bit buried hopelessly deep into it. With nothing to lose we might as well destroy it further and see … Continue reading →

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Venting part 2

Posted on August 25, 2025 by RussD

Step one is to remove at least one of the roll pins. Which are installed flush with the opening in the vent assembly. No way to grab onto the roll pins. Since roll pins are hollow, maybe thread something into … Continue reading →

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Venting

Posted on August 11, 2025 by RussD

Any 10 minute job is one broken bolt away from two days of hell. I’m not sure who originally made that observation, but there is a lot of truth to it. The Imperial has an interesting AC design. There are … Continue reading →

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GridFinity 9: Picks

Posted on August 4, 2025 by RussD

Another useful tool is a pick. I have a couple of them and use them fairly frequently. At times it would be helpful to have different sizes and shapes. Yup, time to hop on the Tekton web site and place … Continue reading →

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GridFinity 8: Other Screwdriver Drawer

Posted on July 28, 2025 by RussD

While my random set of screwdrivers has served me well, it made sense to order a set of good screwdrivers. After exploring various options I ordered a 12 piece set of Tekton screwdrivers. When they showed up ldiscovered they were … Continue reading →

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