[71400] Took Helen to Gill at Woodman Muffler in Arleta. The CAT did indeed have a huge hole in it and there was a big scrape, so someone ran over something they shouldn't have at some point! Got a new CAT and had them add a resonator back to the tailpipe. The original muffler had been replaced once and the resonator replaced with plain pipe. But the pipes were all solid enough to keep using. Amazingly, while the car *is* much quieter, there is still some rumble! Same deal, under power at freeway speeds! This is crazy! But, everything I have had done needed to be done; prices I paid were very reasonable and workmanship has been exceptional. I just wish this rumble was completely gone!

RODZ

Dropped Helen at "RODZ" yesterday. The drive shaft is now fully rebuilt and balanced. Yes, the yoke U-joint was bad... but the rumble, while distinctly quieter and of somewhat different character, is *still* there! OK, time to go get the exhaust checked.

Rumble On

Helen's rumble is still there and I spoke to Mike at RODZ this week. He suggested we get the exhaust checked out. I went to do that this morning but getting on the freeway, I could clearly hear the engine kick down and change pitch while the rumble stayed just slowly increasing in pitch with the speed of the car, not with the speed of the engine. It became quite obvious that it's not an exhaust issue. So I skipped the muffler shop and will hit RODZ up again Monday. I'm pretty sure it's going to be the drive shaft.

Helen is back from RODZ.

RODZ

Helen is spending a few days at "RODZ" starting today. Mike is the guy I'm working with there and he let me know that Helen's differential is making the rumble I've been hearing. But, they won't know if it is just bearings and seals or if the gears need to be replaced as well until they get the pumpkin out. They want to steam clean the engine and whole undercarriage so they can see what they are doing... no charge. They also looked over the rest of the car and found that the valve cover gaskets are leaking... I knew this, the trans output shaft seal is leaking... I knew this too... So they want to replace the VC gaskets, trans fluid and filter along with the seal. And the water pump /timing cover assembly has a water leak... I knew it was leaking a small amount of water in that area but hadn't found the source yet. They will fix all of this including a new water pump, and throw new belts on while they are at it for $2100. But Mike warned me that if the gears do need to be replaced, it will be another $350. I think it's extremely reasonable considering the last time I had a third member serviced, it was around $1600 with no extras. He told me it might be done Friday but more than likely it will be Monday.

As luck would have it, I took my Roadmaster Limited wagon over to my favorite Burbank car wash today, the one right next to Warner Bros., and there was a guy with a super sanitary '60 (I think) Falcon who had a sticker on the back window for a local speed shop called "RODZ". So I struck up a conversation with the guy and asked him about the shop. After the car wash, I went by the place, even though it was Sunday. And they were OPEN! On Sunday! I stopped and talked to a couple of the guys there... one of the cars in the bays was getting a trick custom fabricated third member... I'm thinking these guys can handle my factory stock rear end if they can manufacture a custom one-off third member on-site for a race car. So they are going to give me a call on Monday when the office staff gets in to set up an appointment for me. I'm feeling a lot better about this already! Also started working on the tail light LED experiment, as I now have all the parts needed. Six LED panels, two spare tail light assemblies, and some 1/4" plexiglass to mount the grommeted lights in.

The time has come for Helen to have her third member serviced. She is making a substantial amount of rumble when under heavy load/acceleration, the gear oil is black and looks somewhat thin, perhaps even a bit rusty, and the right wheel looks to be seeping from the seal into my fresh brake job. I am not especially pleased about this! Up until I saw the fluid seepage from the right brake drum, I was willing to try to change the fluid for fresh gear oil and see if that quieted things down. I bought the gasket and gear oil already! But with the seal being bad, it feels like more labor than I am willing to do myself just now in 100°+ heat with an inadequate service area. (Driveway and jack stands.) I do a lot of my own mechanical work but I am just not up for this right now with the heat. Also, this is my favorite car and daily driver, so I want it fixed *now* instead of six months from now when it cools down and I feel like working on cars again. So...
Where to take her? I had my former '79 Cad third member serviced at the Symes Cadillac agency and it ran about $1600, which included an axle, bearing and seal in the bargain. I would expect this car to run about the same, but since this is a Brand B, I was thinking of taking it to Thorson Buick, right across the street from Symes. Alternatively, I could take it to Guy Schmidt in Glendale, or a dealer in Van Nuys. I tend to want to take it to a Buick (or at least a GM) dealer because I think the small shops are cramped in their parking and storage, and I don't want them jockeying my huge boat around in a postage stamp sized parking lot. Also, I have had some of those smaller independent shops do work for me years ago and had some fairly horrible and expensive results. I don't mind paying a higher bill if I am well satisfied with the results. Since I have all GM vehicles, I'd like to have a relationship with a local agency anyway.