56 Champion's maiden voyage

[njonkman]

Hi guys
Yesterday morning I installed my re-cored rad, antifreeze etc. Checked everything for leaks and drove it outside on it's own power for the first time since I drove it into the shop 4 1/2 years ago.The road was clean and dry even though there is still a foot to two feet of snow around the yard. The driveway was also mostly clean so I drove her onto and down the the road to see how she acted. The first trip was about a mile round trip. I felt that the steering was a bit too tight in the middle, no play so it felt a bit funny to drive. Back on the hoist and gave the box a bit of free play and gave all the fittings a liberal shot of grease. I hadn't given them any more than the assembly wipe of grease.
Then gave her another run about 1 1/2 mile each way. She drove much nicer this time and you could drive it with two finger tips except when braking it pulls to the left a bit and I heard a clunk in the front passenger side which may be the shock as I can't find anything loose. It had a bit of a miss in it and looks like the number one spark plug is not firing. I had installed the plugs that were in it when I got it but one was badly fouled so I'm picking up a new set this afternoon.
This is what I have spent the last 4 winters working for.
Also the overdrive didn't seem to kick in so that will need some more attention.
Still needs to go on the front end alignment machine too.
Anyway it felt good to be going down the road in her for the first time.
Nick

[FlatheadGeo]

Congratulations!!!!

[63t-cab]

That is such a pretty car,have any more pics of it 'interior,exterior' outside in the natural light You could post.

[warrlaw1]

Wonderful! I heard a "clunk", too, first time out. A shoe retainer had let go on a front brake. It will settle down the more you take it out. Nice job.

[warrlaw1]

If you haven't yet been to an Ontario Chapter SDC meet, we have one coming up in Badenoch, first or second week-end in April. It's just off the 401 near Hwy 6. Cheers.

[njonkman]

That is such a pretty car,have any more pics of it 'interior,exterior' outside in the natural light You could post.

That is all the pictures so far. My wife took that as I backed out. More will have to wait until the weather is good again. We are supposed to get another 3 or 4 inches of snow tonight. Of course there are the pictures in my other 2 threads. Restoring a 56 Champion and My 56 Champion is finished.
Nick
Nick

[EssexExport]

Great news.

[raprice]

Great looking car and the color combination is really nice. All the best.
Rog

[studeclunker]

Beautiful car Nick! So glad to see her restored to life.

[njonkman]

My wife had taken a few more pictures than I realized when we took the car out of the shop and down the road. Sure glad we went out Monday. The road was clean and dry then. Tuesday it was wet due to the snow banks melting on the side of the road. Today we woke up to a blizzard, got about 6" so far on the flat and this is only noon and this is supposed to carry on until midnight. The drifts are around a foot or more deep already. Anyway here are a couple more of the pictures she took. Also put in the new plugs and she now purrs like she should, smooth as a kitten. Looked for the clunk but found nothing loose or detectable but bouncing it up and down on the right corner did make a bit of noise so maybe the shock. Pulled the right front brake drum and everything there looks good so I guess we will just have to drive it some more and see what shows up.

[njonkman]

The above pictures were taken on Monday afternoon and here is one of Wednesday afternoon. The bare spot is where I just moved the car from and the wind is whipping the snow away from there. The driveway is about 10 inches deep now. The only vehicles that have been on the road so far today was the propane truck just before lunch and the snow plow around 1:15pm.
For those on propane the news is good. Our prices were over $4.00 a gall. just 4 weeks ago it has been coming down about .02 a day and was now .75 per liter or about $3.00 gal.
Nick

[Steve T]

Nick--

Yep, this is some ghastly weather...I think we've all had it up to here with this wretched winter...but your pix of the Champion stepping out during the "tease" nice conditions are a real tonic. Congrats on getting her going and looking so sharp. Second Dave W's motion, hope we may see you and the car in a month and a bit at Badenoch...

Steve T

[njonkman]

Yep, this is some ghastly weather...I think we've all had it up to here with this wretched winter...but your pix of the Champion stepping out during the "tease" nice conditions are a real tonic. Congrats on getting her going and looking so sharp. Second Dave W's motion, hope we may see you and the car in a month and a bit at Badenoch...
Steve T[/QUOTE]

Well I have been there a couple of times and probably again this year but not with this car yet. I want to break in that engine some before I take it that far. I won't be plating it till May 1. That way I can run 6 months and pull it off for six and reinstate it May 1 next year. That way I get two years for the price of one plus $10.00. We often Have our male choral festival on that day like last year but this time it was moved up to the May weekend when we go to South Bend so will have to miss the festival this year. I have been singing in a male choir since the spring of 1977 and only missed about two so far. We get about 6 choirs together for that. Used to be eight but it got so we couldn't find a stage big enough in most places for that many men so we split it in two. An Eastern Ontario and Western Ontario region. Since then we have gained a couple again. We did an anniversary festival a couple of years ago where we had all of them together in London Centennial Hall if I remember right, man was that crowded. The first one I sang in was in St. Paul's Anglican Church in Toronto, a day I will never forget. First we had booked a large nearby restaurant for lunch and prepaid them. Well the cook who was supposed to buy the food for us took off with our money so we had to find what ever we could on our own. Secondly we had the Hamilton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra in the centre pit of the stage and they accompanied us doing the Battle Hymn of the Republic. We did the same arrangement as the Mormon Tabernacle do and you would not have known the difference. Every time I listen to the recording of that concert and come to that piece it just stands the hair up in my neck. I have since then digitized that recording and get to enjoy it even more often.
Enough of this off track talk. Thanks for the compliments guys and see hopefully later.
Nick

[Roscomacaw]

She's a beauty! A testament to your talents and dedication.

[Pat Dilling]

Congratulations! I love to hear about maiden voyages or re-births!