Top opening for the first time in 46 years

[Breadbox]

My late father-in-law's '58 is slowly coming back to life. Both of my in-laws are hoarders and the Skyliner was literally buried in their garage in 1968, according to the license plates, when it, apparently, needed a heater core replacement. He died in 2003, and we had to sell my mother-in-law's house last year. The Skyliner moved to a garage I'm renting and I've started work on the suspension and brakes (replacing the original balljoints is a real pain BTW). I've also been working on the top, since that's the whole reason for the car, after all. I got the trunk to work properly last month, but one of the top latches was stuck and the top motor wasn't getting power. The service manual told me how to unbolt the latch from the top, and after jumping the relay, move it up far enough to get the latch released. I unhooked the driveshaft and used a drill to crank the latch till it came out. That's when I noticed the pressure switch under it. Once it was out, the top motor came to life and...

http://vid549.photobucket.com/albums...pseq0tlcte.mp4

[Administrator]

Congratulations on getting the top working! Looks like you're in Baltimore. Hope you're planning on attending the 44th Annual National Convention since it's close to you in Warwick, RI. Details here: http://www.skyliner.org/convention.html. New this year is a "Back From the Grave" award. Your car could be the winner!

[Breadbox]

I'd love to bring it to the Convention, but it won't be running until fall, at the earliest. Next spring would probably be a safer bet. I got the latch motor rebuilt and it works now. I also got the front suspension and brakes sorted out, as well as the power steering and master cylinder. I have 3 of the 5 wheels refinished and repainted, ready for new Cokers. Right now, the rear end is up on jackstands and the gas tank was removed and found unsalvagable. I have a box of rear brake and suspension parts in my car right now, and after that, I'll be ordering a new gas tank and sending unit, along with all the seals. Then the engine and transmission comes out. The tranny started leaking after it was towed to its new home, so I want it gone over by someone who knows transmissions (definitely not me), and I'm going to tear down the engine and clean out 46 years of oil sludge and go over it real good. Then I'll put it back together with new seals and gaskets and new water, fuel and oil pumps. After that, I'll still have a few issues to take care of, like part of the instrument panel not working, and a new exhaust system to deal with. That's just to get it running. It needs new seats and a ton of rust work, although the floor's solid, some body work, a lot of rechroming, and paint before it looks nice. That's just the basic stuff.