Technical What did you do with your car today? * NEW*

I've been out of town for the past 2 weeks, traveling with the wife across this beautiful country of ours. Yesterday I threw the battery charger on the old Model A pickup and gave the battery a low 2 amp charge for a few hours while taking care of other things, then fired it up and took it for a short drive up to check on my 47 coupe in the storage lot where I usually have our travel trailer stored (I traded parking spaces between the trailer and the coupe for vacation). That wasn't enough to scratch my itch, so I drove over to the bank to make a deposit. Man, that thing is a blast to drive! Now, it's back to normal routine, work this morning....

 

Street. Maybe an occasional pass at Sears Point for a talking point.

The body is a stretched and chopped 1929 Model A closed cab pickup. The nose is in my profile picture. The rest is under development.

Probably two radiators, ahead of each rear tire.

 

There are quite a few folks here that do not like anything unconventional, and/or just do not like me as a person.

Threads are automatically deleted when enough reports are made, not just when a moderator does it.

 

Got the 351W block, crank and rods at the machinist, and the cam, lifters, timing set and roller rockers arrived over the weekend. Soon I'll deliver those and the heads to my machinist and wait for the word. I've waited 47 years to put this '29AA together and maybe, just maybe, I might get it assembled enough to fire up by the end of the year. It all depends on the budget at this point, but supplemental income begins again in late August (I'm a substitute teacher), so progress depends on how often I'm in the classroom from now until next May.

 

Prayers Sir.

 

Drag races in reverse really nail it

 

Totally!

 

Looked at all of then, then started the OT diesel truck the only thing I have that will haul 2,000 pounds of brand new calendars.
And I am off to get them,,,, film at 11

 

I've been picking away at the brakes on the 1960 Plymouth Valiant. This isn't ever going to be anything radically customized, it was bought new by my great grandmother and is generally original. My patents drove it as a daily driver for a time in the 70's or 80's. It's got some rust, my dad picked up a new front fender, brake parts and a headliner, so I'm finishing what he started and maybe my son might drive it when he gets his license.

The car didn't really have so many miles it needed a full brake job, but my dad had brake shoes, wheel cylinders, hardware and a brake line kit so I've been picking my way through the project only to find out he got brake shoes for the later self-adjusting brakes therefore I needed different hardware, and some of the brake drums had cracks on the edges so I decided to get new brake drums - only to find out the front drums don't come with hubs, and the studs are peened over at the factory so when you press them out unaware of this you ream the hub holes to be oversized... And the whole LH wheel studs are LH threaded deal.

I've gotten through most of that and I'm down to brake lines. This isn't the car's first brake job, but the brake line from front to rear and the brake line from front left to right are still original because they're the longer harder ones to route. And also the place the system probably finally gave out and leaked prompting my dad to take on this brake job. As it turns out, the lines in the brake kit are not as long as the factory lines, so I need to reinvent the routing. But I'm pushing through, maybe I'll have it done this week or next depending on my ambition after I get home from work.

Looking forward to being able to start the car and use the engine to move it so I don't have to use my deck to stop the car again when I'm not fast enough on the pushbutton transmission controls.

Oh yeah, I figured I'll put in new shocks. How hard can it be. Yes the front went in without issues. The rear... broke the stud right away. Just another day, rather be dealing with that than changing oil on the wife's Ford Flex.

 

Thanks , I guess that was for me. I fit the rings this morning and then had to get some rest.

 

On my 31 A ,put the Big 32 headlights and drop bar from Roadster supply co. (thanks Ray for hooking me up)
Looks really cool. Now just have to put the 46" Ibeam in and tuck the tire under more . Ihave rocket rims on the front
that the narrowest they come is 6" ,So Im going to narrow the rim to 4 "and put the narrow Coker /Firestone 155r 15 560f tire on the front .

 

I admit it, I'm not your biggest fan but I do find the build creative and very well done from what I have seen. I, for one, look forward to the finished car.

 

Shit, that’s terrible. Bloody drunk drivers. I hope they throw the book at him(or her). I hope your business doesn’t suffer to badly.

 

Your not selling are you? I mean it’s yours to do whatever you like but I’ve followed your build story and got kinda attached. I am keen to see the El Camino progress too.

 

I'm curious; doesn't putting the crossover and upper hose on the back of your engine shortchange how the water flows thru the heads.

 

Want to, but of course the crackhead didn't show up lol. Need money to build the El Camino

 

I 3D simulated the flow in CAD.

It actually increases flow across the heads, and the rear cylinders.

Conventional flow short changes cooling to everything at the back of the block.

 

Spent some time trying to breathe some life into the paint on my 51 woodie. It is an ancient enamel job but I want to try and save it and do spot repairs. I started with wet sanding after a clay bar treatment. I used 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000 grits followed by McGuires #7. All done by hand. Pretty happy with the results.

 

Started making a fan shroud for my coupe; sheared and bent the side pieces up over at my kid's house. Have to jack it up tomorrow and figure out the bottom; looks to be a little complex.

 

I got to spend a little time in the shop today. Got the block on the table so I can put the cam bearings in. Knocked the freeze plugs in, filter adapter and motor mounts on. That was about all I could take.

 

Followed the wife to Pendleton, OR for Hotrodarama this weekend. GIDDYUP.

John

 

Sold it! The wagon that is now it's time to move on to the El Camino

 

Finished the brake lines on the '60 Valiant on Tuesday and went to bed happy with myself, yesterday was to be the day I'd fill the master cylinder, bleed the brakes and no more would I need to run into my deck to stop the car!

Nope... the brake line from the master cylinder to the junction block leaked at the junction block. After pulling it out and trying to thread it back and being unsuccessful, swearing a lot and starting to think about a dual master cylinder conversion I decided it was time to call it a day and come back again another day. That and lower the lift so my brake pedal operating assistant (wife) could get out of the car.

 

Ya, not a good idea to leave you wife in the car on a raised car lift and call it a day if you know whats good you.

 

Made a narrow body cart to allow me to work on the underside "rockers" to better fit the frame. Shout out to Gary of Blackboard Hot Rods, I used the chassis crate material my frame was shipped on, even reused the screws. Cheap Chicom casters from Amazon make it somewhat mobile.

r

 

Looks like the pooch is pooped too!

 

I touched the grill on my shoebox as I walked by.

 

I took a DA to the paint on the fenders, radiused the welds around the frenched headlight rings with some cartridge rolls, and dinged out a couple small dents on my '47. Looked back at the sills on my friend's '33 and uncovered the mount holes and made sure the screws would tighten, found the raised pads on MacPherson inner sill on the driver's side were not right. Devised a way around it and drilled some new holes. Have to make up some pegs to transfer the hole locations to the inside of the new covers. Jacked up my '35 and started figuring the lower parts of the shroud. No pictures as nothing looks any different.

 

Got the gas cap on the cowl welded up and filled. And got a tach cup in the mail.

 

I get it, one too many projects.