1966 Wildcat 2 door Sport Coupe

Okay, my lack of mechanics and car knowledge is showing. I am embarrassed to admit this. I have the car running great (Thank you Bob at Bernie's Auto). She doesn't scrap entering the alley (New Coils in May), doesn't roll going around corners, other than paint looks really good. But.... when the car gets to 70 KPH (~ 40 MPH) the most annoying buzzing sound, like something vibrating, would start. It would do it if there was wind, or even no wind. I tightened bolts, I oiled everything. I took the passenger side vent apart, lubricated everything and cleaned it out. No change.
:(
I was at my wits end, but since I drive it around town at 50 KPH (30 MPH), I was living with it. Today, I took the dog to the off leash park and, since it was overcast and trying to snow, I had my headlights on. I backed in (telecom training... always pull through or back in), turned off the car and, buzzzzzzz. My headlight reminder I added. I turned off the headlights and, lightning hit my brain (boy, that really hurts
o_O
) It sounds just like my annoying buzz. There is a adjustable speed reminder standard in my car. You can adjust it to see when your speedometer goes above it. It is set to....40 MPH. After walking the dog,I took the car out on the highway. Buzzzz. I adjusted the minder all the way up.... Peace and Quiet. I Am An Idiot!!!!. But, I can be taught.
:oops:
. Anyone else have a similar story! I really don't want to feel alone in this.
 
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I had a young guy come up to me today and ask about the car. He then asked if it was for sale? I said no, it's not for sale. He said "I'll give you $2000 right now for it." I said "That's a joke, right? I wouldn't sell it for $20,000." He said "It's not worth more than $2000" I told him it wasn't for sale at any price, and I just put $6000 into it. He said "Your loss." and walked away. I shook my head and got in and drove away. You would have thought the first no would be good enough. Offering $2000 was an insult.
 
Besides the fact that most kids I meet under 30 are pretty stupid and very rude this one just has no idea. A base price on a running driving 66 Wildcat is around $8k US I don't know what that is in Canadian. He was banking on the fact that you were an older guy who "doesn't have a clue" as how most of that generation refer to us. I wish I was his age again so I could know everything.
 
$8000 USD come out to around $11250 Canadian. Yup, I was insulted, but remained polite. If he ever hopes to to purchase a classic car like mine (but, not mine!), he needs to do some research before he spouts off. I think he was looking at the fact it needs a paint job. As you said, I wish I were in my early 20's when I knew everything. I sometimes wonder why my Dad didn't cuff me in the head when I spouted off my opinions. I was always polite to him, just clueless.
 
I am torn. I have the parts now to start stripping, cleaning and undercoating the car, but, if I do that.... no driving the car. I guess preserving her is more important right now to enjoying her. This way, I can enjoy her for decades to come. I guess I will have to drive my F150. Much less fun....
 
I can sympathize with you but remember that you can stop at any time if you want to drive the car.
Last year I didn't get my rebuilt engine back until the last week of August and didn't get it into the car until Aug 31st. That doesn't mean running just not on the engine stand anymore. Once I finished up assembly and did the cam break-in it was the second week of September. I did get to spend the rest of the month putting on break-in miles which was smile inducing but it was torture not being able to get on it just to see what it would do. Got the first oil change done took another ride in early October then the great rains came and my season was over. I started it to move it a couple of times but yet to drive it this year.
 
I took the car today back to the dog park. Got some comments and looks, but didn't stay long with the car. My Springer Spaniel isn't the most patient when we get to the park, so I excused myself and walked the dog. I have to admit, when I am about 1 KM (0.6 Miles) away and I see a person looking the car over, it does make me nervous. So far, other than the young guy the other day, all of my encounters have been positive. I am about to go out and put the car up on jack stands, drivers side rear, remove the tire and start stripping away (the underside of the car, not me. No one wants to see that. o_O). Wish me luck!
 
No fuel leaks. No vapours. Thank you for the warning. I did the back drivers side. I used the compresses air to blow all of the dirt out of the crevasses and frame. Took me about 3 hours to get the rust down. I then used my compressor and a blowgun to blow all of the loose dirt and rust flakes off. Then, I sprayed two cans of rubberized undercoating along the bottom. It drips! With my blowgun I was able to blow all of the dirt out of the box frame. Looks good, but a lot of work. Worth it though. I have two more cans, but.... another day. There was a spot where the covering on the dash was loose. I glued it and clamped it. Leave it until tomorrow. Today, I have already walked 5.5 KM (3.3 Mils), played with my Granddaughter (harder than the walk) and worked on the car. Time for a rest.
 
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Today I was too sore to lay under the car. Our age does come with it's limitations. I got out the backup camera system that I purchased last month. The instructions were, how to put it, confusing and read like they were translated by a 4 year old. The diagram was little better. It took me 4 hours to install, but mostly because I refused to drill any holes in the body anywhere. I used existing holes, put the wires behind the chrome trim and soldered the joints. I used the hole for the license plate light to get out of the trunk. I had to gently pry the bumper out about 1/2 inch to get the connectors past the bumper. I used my light to verify the backup power since both wires were green 🤔???? Ah well, it wasn't too hard to figure out. It came with double-sided tape so I didn't have to drill any holes in my bumper. Finally, I tried it out and, nothing. Now what? I checked the trunk and, of course, I verified the power and forgot to plug the camera back in. Try again, upside down. No problem, turn the mirror over. There, now I will feel better backing up into the parking down at the dog park. The posts and wire are too low to see in the mirror. I don't want to dent my baby.
 
I installed the windshield washer monitor I purchased for $1 at a thrift store. I had one a couple of decades ago and really found it useful. When I found a new one for a buck, wow, I'll buy that. Took around 45 minutes, but hid all of the wiring in the split loom. The worst part was deciding to drill the top of my washer reservoir. Installed now. With spring here and roads wet, it will be a good thing. I am thinking of checking out installing my fuel sending unit. I am nervous about fiddling with the fuel system. I might wait until we go to Ray's to do this work.
 
Today, my wife and I sent the Granddaughter back home next door for a nap and I asked my wife if she wanted to go for a drive in the car. We are both going a little stir crazy. As they said in Muppet Treasure Island, we've got Cabin Fever. Up north, we used to call it being "Bushed". Off we went for a short drive, just a 30 mile round trip. The car ran like a dream. The annoying buzz..... gone. Now, we did hear whistling through the windows a little, but I knew it needs new seals. The plastic I put in the doors cut off the drafts through the doors. My wife enjoyed the drive. She said it brought her back to her teen years, cruising with the other teens in Whitehorse Yukon. For me, it was more akin to when we first got together and couldn't afford a new vehicle. Either way, it was way too much fun. Have to do it again, although I might have to keep a closer eye on the GPS for my speed. Easy to speed in the Wildcat.
:cool:
. Have a good day all....and... stay healthy!
 
Chuck, You're making me homesick for my Wildcat! It's still in warehouse storage and at the back, so I can't get to it. The Plague has destroyed our retirement income in the short term, so no play money for the car for who knows how long. I will have to live vicariously through your posts until mine surfaces again. Stay safe, Gary
 
Took the car out yesterday and purchased 8 more cans of rubberized undercoating. I know what I am going to be doing for a while. Grinding while the sun shines. Do a section, blow all the area clean, wipe down and spray. repeat. Not today though, -4 with snow. Southern Alberta is spring. Two days ago, +20 and sun, today, well, it sucks. This shows as our last day of "wintery" weather. Famous last words though. I will have to wait a few days to drive my girl. I picked up a 10 place fuse block. I am going to rewire all my add-ons to it. It is starting to look like a dogs breakfast under the dash, and I don't like it. I like neat and tidy. Another day though...
 
Chuck, You're making me homesick for my Wildcat! It's still in warehouse storage and at the back, so I can't get to it. The Plague has destroyed our retirement income in the short term, so no play money for the car for who knows how long. I will have to live vicariously through your posts until mine surfaces again. Stay safe, Gary
Sorry, not meaning to make anyone homesick for their "baby". I just enjoy driving and even working on mine so much I wish to share.
 
This Pandemic has also played havoc with our finances too, as well as keeping me from going up north where I can paint my car. Have to wait as I have no desire to risk my Mother-In-Law's health. I will just have to keep working on her down here with what I can do and wait for this situation to pass. I am going to purchase the paint so I have it on hand. 2 gallons of aqua, 1 gallon of white and 2 gallons of primer. I can wait, but not too patiently. The boys are going to get me my new rear springs for my birthday. There are a few things on the headliner I can work on as well as the door and window seal. I also need a full set of felts for the window-door seal.. It seems that every time I think I am done, another thing bothers me. the joys of a classic, I guess. It's like bodywork. A small spot works out to be a larger area. Keep me out of trouble. That and my Grandchildren.... Baby Shark doo doo doo doo... my brain is melting.
 
Hopefully I'll get at mine by next weekend. I sure could use a more fun diversion right about now, but who wants a perfect car? There's no fun in that! There is always something that needs doing that only require elbow grease. I have the seals along the roof for the windows to replace, so I may have a go at that in the meantime and the shifter rods to convert to console shift still have to be worked out. I enjoy reading about your progress and hope to be behind the wheel of mine by next week!
Have fun with your 'Cat
 
I Have to agree, there's little fun in a perfect vehicle. My '12 F150 is in perfect shape, and I just drive it. My Wildcat has things to fix, and I spend far more time with it than my truck. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. It is hard to believe that I only started working on the car in the end of July, 2019. That means that I have been working on her for 9 months. Wow, I have really accomplished a lot in a little time. This was supposed to be a multi year project, but, OCD got in the way.

Our Wildcats are getting to be a rare beast in the wild. We have 100,000 people in Lethbridge, and only one other Wildcat. There are a lot of classics here, a lot of retired people with time on their hands. When I went to Street Wheelers last summer, I was hoping to see another Wildcat, to get some ideas but, nope, the closest I saw was a late 60's Electra. Close, but no prize. The mechanic across the street keeps trying to get me to just clearcoat the car, but my wife wants that new look. Happy wife, happy life. Besides, I also want that new look for her.

Well, bedtime for Chucky. Thanks for your encouragement with my'Cat Gary. I know you will have your girl out and about soon.
 
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