23 Commander update

[island time]

Hi Guys,
I hope everyone had a great holiday season, I know I did.
Although progress on the Commander has been slow due to the cold weather here I have gotten a lot of things done that don't seem to show.
First; there has been movement on the engine timing question. I dropped the engine off at the builder in October and got a call from him last Monday. They put it on the dyno and confirmed that the timing is indeed running 38-39 degrees total timing advance.
They assured me that this is fine and timing advance at idle whatever it may be is not a concern as long as it starts and runs well.
They found a couple of things that are easy to correct such as the wrong spark plugs were installed, they suggested a larger hose on the remote oil filter and they didn't like the aftermarket distributor I had supplied. They also suggested I replace my single plane manifold with a dual plane for better low to mid range torque.
The engine right now basically box stock with the 1409 Edelbrock and makes about 270 at 5000.
I am opting to replace the cam,lifters,springs and keepers as well as going to an air gap dual plane manifold and an MSD distributor which will net around 325 Hp in the 4000 range.

Next, up until it got below freezing I had been working on fiberglass repairs and fabrication of the new floor as well as construction of all new seat boxes. I have retained an upholstery company with experience in antique and classic cars and boats. This company will also be providing the convertible top.
Through exhaustive research I have obtained the exact replacement for the upholstery vinyl and found a shop in Oregon that does embossing, that coupled with edge roll and buttons provided by my upholstery guys, the new seats will look exactly like the originals.
With help from people here and on the Commander forum I was able to obtain the original color/grain pattern (Nepal Teak) laminate for the dash and side panels.
I have also found a source for all of the extruded aluminum trim channels and edge forms.
I secured a paint shop to lay on the color once I have finished all the fiberglass repairs. Mentioning color, I found original un-faded gel coat when I removed the dash panel that I used for an exact color match for the unique Commander blue/gray.

I would like to find someone here in upstate NY that does aluminum anodizing, I would like to have the windshield frame re-done so if anyone knows of a place please let me know.

I also have not found a suitable replacement for the original blue floor covering.

Does anyone have a source for windshield hardware? being a 1968 I have the windshield that has the center section that pushes up unlike the 1969 where the center section folds over to the left. I need the arms that support the windshield when open.

Another thing I did one day when I was bored, I polished the rudder, strut and shaft to a mirror finish. Like I said-I was bored HAHAHA.

Well, I guess that's that brings you up to date with my project. When I can get some new pictures I will post them. I can't post pictures on the Commander forum, they use some kind of funky web hosting service that I cannot figure out, unlike here where it's so easy to attach files to messages. But I digress.

Craig

[drrot]

Island Time,
Sounds like you are moving right along. For the anodizer ask a local carburetor rebuilder or chrome shop.

[dreed]

would like to find someone here in upstate NY that does aluminum anodizing, I would like to have the windshield frame re-done so if anyone knows of a place please let me know.

Try Sandy's Bumper Mart in Syracuse 315-472-8149. They did my chrome a few years back. I am not sure if the do aluminum but it is a place to start.

[Tom Gruenauer]

R&J Metal finishing Depew NY for anodizing.
Tom

[island time]

Thank you Tom,
I'll call them tomorrow.

Craig