The short list [John]

Just a few things left to do

What's left?

There are few things still, but nothing very urgent.

• The wipers don't work. I took the instrument binnacle off (one more time) today to check the switch, and it appears to be bad. Don't know if the motor runs or not; you have to take the radio and speaker assembly out to get near it. This car won't be driven much in the rain, so fixing the wipers can wait.
• Actually, yesterday it did rain, and we drove the car up and down the hill once. Today, the turn signals seem to have bad grounds. They blink. but dimly and with short duration. We have "solved" this several times before. Maybe it's supposed to be routine maintenance.
• Clock doesn't work. Few 6V automotive clocks do work in my experience. This one doesn't run, has a broken-off adjustment knob, and doesn't light up with the panel lights.
• Backup light housings are there, but one has no bulb socket and neither is connected. Don't know if the switch works.
• There were no horns in the car when we got it. Found a pair on eBay but they don't work. This needs to be fixed. 
• Radio doesn't work. It's original, tube-type, pushbutton. What might be cool is an amp and speakers hidden inside it with a USB plug available. Then we just use an iPhone as source. But it will probably require an inverter to make 12V out of 6V. Might be a fun project though.
• The front door sills came without plates. We are looking for some brushed stainless that can be hemmed and attached to hold down the edge of the carpet and protect the painted sills. 
• There are now three seat belts in the back seat, and we got matching ones for the front. Need to install them.
• Even with the new front springs, the car has a list to the left of an inch or so. Adding a separate air filler to the driver's side rear air shock might cure it. We got the kit but it's not in yet.
• Need a bumper jack for this car, and I noticed the spare tire leaks around the valve stem. Should fix both of those I suppose.

Engine noise

We've been troubled for several weeks by a clicking lifter after driving up an extended hill. Seafoam and CD2 additives quieted the noise for a while, but it came back. By now the engine oil is a diluted mix of SAE 30 and these engine cleaners, plus Marvel Mystery Oil, and it looks pretty thin. Yesterday we changed the oil and filter using SAE 20-50 oil for what is certainly an old, and probably a worn, engine. Five quarts (recommended is six with a filter change) gave a way overfilled reading on the dipstick. On close examination, the dipstick was found to be adjustable: the ferrule on the top has a setscrew. The ferrule was set right next to the handle, making the dipstick as long as possible. We adjusted it so it reads full with six quarts of oil. The engine is now quiet -- no lifter noise yet. The car is much quieter also, thanks to pad and carpet and a little extra insulation.