Hot Rods Building the Black Rat '40

How about we go back and work on the dash some more for a little variety?

Yellow??? Why Yellow? I used to rebuild, and sell, engines. My brand was "Yellow Jacket Engines".
I always painted them yellow with black valve covers. My new dash is a memory of the engines.

Thinking about putting A/C ducts in the ashtray holes since I no longer smoke.
Time to install the dash.

Got to have some black too like the Yellow Jacket engines!
Now let's put in the stock gauge set and radio grill trim.

YES!! No "fancy schmancy" after market gauges for me! I love the stock '40 Ford gauges.

I have a stock '40 AM tube radio I need to have repaired. Thinking about a Lincoln Zypher V-12
bezel. What do you guys think?

 

Time to try to get the transmission mounted. I took the '39 trans. off, the dummy setup, and replaced it with the '49
Ford 1/2 ton trans. I am using for the initial build up. I'm using a piece of 1-1/2"x 1" DOM tubing which sits on the
lower lip of the stock frame X member. I machined the holes for the rubber biscuit mounts, on my mini-mill, and will use standard Ford shoulder bolts through the open driveshaft rear mount on the pickup trans. I have stacked washers for clearance, in the pictures, but am planning to try rotating the mount 180 deg. to avoid using the washers.
It may not work out because of interference with the speedo connection(which I plan on using with the stock '40 Ford speedometer) Stay tuned! New driveshaft is now in place.

 

Getting ready to put the 324 (bored to 4", now 346.+) Olds engine together. Here's the freshly reground .010, .010
crank, new 371 std. pistons, bearings and new reground Schneider cam. The rotating assembly was balanced by Wayne Calvert at Calvert Automotive in Denton, Texas.

Fresh clean block with new cam bearings and freeze plugs on the stand.
Note '57 Cushman Eagle scooter in the "Q" on stand behind the engine.
Other end of block.

 

Nice !

 

Time to prepare the #10 '56 heads. I was able to get a full NOS set of valves springs and hardened retainers.
Also scored a nice set of Gotha adjustable rocker arms to replace the hydraulic non-adjustable ones, and NOS shafts.

A fresh valve job by Cain's Automotive machine shop in Plano, TX.

Resurfaced the heads with a clean up cut on the exhaust ports.

I lucked out and found a very nice set of Gotha adjustable rocker arms!

New rocker arm set, with NOS shafts, compared to stock set.

Now I need to find out what tubular push rods to use with Chevy solid lifters.

 

Nice

 

That's going to be one bad ass 40 coupe.

 

I have a '56 slant pan(?) Hydramatic transmission, that I'm not going to use, if anybody needs one.

 

That Hydramatic trans. is from the '56 Olds engine I'm building. Has bell housing and torque converter too.

 

Looking good!
What do you have for dimpled valve covers?

 

I have this extra Oldsmobile green set which are in great condition.

 

Those covers may need spacers to clear the Gotha rockers.
edit: (but you knew that)

 

Is that a chrome plated starter switchover down there? Cool
I like the CT engine mounts too.

 

Actually I have a pair of finned Edelbrock covers I plan to use. May need spacers for these too. Where to get some?
BTW Paul, I know you're knowledgeable about Rocket engines.
Do you know what tubular push rods to use with Chevy solid lifters?

 

too many variables, best to assemble and measure, then order to fit.
nice covers, I like to see the same name on valve covers and intake, it just seems right.
I get my push rods from Smith Brothers Push Rods

 

^^^^^^X2
Also, what did you put in this hole here

Suppose to a special bolt with a small hole to allow oiling of the chain. Often overlooked unless you have done these Olds engines before

 

Good eye Paul. Yep it's a chrome starter change over. I modified the solenoid position, on the stock starter, and
mounted it upside down to get extra clearance to the headers.
Kind of a hokey link, to the starter gear engage lever, but it works!

 

Yeah I'm aware of that special bolt with the oiling hole. Actually I think I posted a notice about that, on one of the Olds Rocket threads on here, recommending that you should collect and preserve that piece as well as the plug in the rear of the oil gallery that oils the distributor gear, which also has an oiling hole. The machine shop that does the vatting, cam bearings and freeze plugs are likely to send it back with solid plugs if they don't know. Obviously you already know this Paul but I'm restating it for inexperienced guys to see again.

 

I planned to post more pictures tonight but all of a sudden none of my pictures will open!
Anybody know what might be wrong? Windows 10 HP Laptop

 

Love the build, keep em comin'.

 

I figured out the picture viewing/posting problem.
Here's my new clutch...NOS Wilcap aluminum flywheel and Long style Hays clutch.

 

I need to buy a ready to install black headliner for the '40 Ford coupe. Any recommendations?

 

I'm planning to run side pipes, with builtin glass packs, under the running boards with the option
of running with running boards on or off.

View attachment 3720510
Queen of the shop.

 

EZ Boy Interiors in MA on the head liner.

http://www.lebaronbonney.com/ezb-custom-interior-packages.htm

 

Interesting build.

 

Thanks buddy!

 

Gets me thinking Walt. Looks like my water pump is coming off in the future.Shitski,i cant remember

 

Jim, you would not be the first to overlook it. Usually the machine shop overlooks it and plugs it and then it is easy to button it up. Just one of those "gotcha deals"

 

At the beginning of this thread I mentioned that I was going to set out to recreate the '40 coupe
that I built in high school in '61 with a 303 Olds in it with 3-2's and an Engle cam. I originally
had a Weiand manifold with 3 97's. I decided I would try to find a Weiand intake with 3 97's.
I found one advertised on ebay in Ohio. I jumped on it and could not believe what I received.
When it arrived I was astonished to find that it was my original 3-2 setup that I had in 1961!
When I unboxed it, and saw the red base in the center carb, naw...couldn't be! I was able to for
sure identify it from an easy-out I broke off in the linkage! It traveled from Texas in '61 who
knows where and returned to me 56 years later! What are the odds? I have since gone to 3
2G Rochesters on an Edelbrock because the old 97's always leaked pretty bad.Also to a 324 Olds.

 

Amazing. It came back where belonged.

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