Projects Mish-Mash Nash -'52 Rambler Wagon

Relying on a 50+ year old oddball heater with a circular heater core is a bit of a risk, so I decided to improve my odds and picked up another TropicAire heater today. This one is a bit more presentable, but the price was fair, and having an exact, drop-in replacement ready to go in case the first one leaks is a good thing.

 

Road trip to Frankfort, IL, to pick up a '62 Olds F-85 steering column. I should be able to figure out a way to make the column shift collar work, by removing the cast-in pointer and or making the lever ribs a tach holder or...? TBD.













Not all that keen on the welded on u-joint, but that can be changed. The turn signal cancel cam works properly, always a good thing not to need to replace that.

 

I also received the '61 Thunderbird (thanks again for the positive ID @squirrel ) fresh air dash cable I inquired about elsewhere, which I should be able to mount just about anywhere on the dash, as long as the cable reaches its destination. A quick test mount on the extreme left side of the dash in an existing hole looks promising:

 

I purchased a '61 Olds F-85 factory service manual, which should be helpful for both the Olds 215 V8 and reassembling the '62 Olds F-85 steering column. It appeared the '62 FSM was more of a supplemental thing, hence why I went with the '61 version:





Also arriving today, and pictured above, was a Jeepster cowl grille. I was watching a YouTube video, saw the piece on a crumbled up body, and thought it might work as a partial cowl section in the Rambler, but it doesn't look promising. The shape is close, but it's a bit too large overall, and I'm just not feeling it's a great fit here.

I also placed the block, bellhousing, and transmission back in place, to confirm where the mounting points for the transmission line up. I knew I needed to make a new trans mount, but the rearmost brace holes (technically not the weight-bearing mounting point, but used to externally brace the tail housing and main case) line up directly on center with the forward channel brace which runs across the floorpan, connecting the two framerails:







This channel brace (at extreme right in image above) was perfect when a bench seat was being used, as both it and the rear brace were covered by the seat once installed. If I want to use bucket seats, both braces will stick out like a sore thumb between the seats, but I could place a console between them and, problem solved...or, I could find another bench seat. I'm not a big fan of bench seats, but they do have a certain charm. I don't forsee any shifter interference with a bench seat, so maybe I should consider a bench seat more seriously.

I have, up to this point, intentionally tried to avoid removing one or both of the factory channel braces, as they are an important part of keeping the unibody together, and both are in great shape. I think I can make a new mount for the trans, and tie it into the existing channel brace with some new steel, without needing to create and entirely new crossmember.

The rear end of the driveshaft tunnel has a slit cut (maybe part of the stamping process?) into it for...well, I'm not sure what the purpose was honestly:







The driveshaft tunnel is a bit narrow, as the original driveshaft was puny, so I'm hoping I don't need to widen the tunnel along its full length. There is plenty of vertical clearance, but I think side-to-side clearance is going to be very tight. I am already making a new tunnel section around the trans, so it wouldn't be a huge deal to make a new driveshaft tunnel, just a lot more work.

I'm also picking up another (fourth, for those keeping score) vintage heater tomorrow, and I have high hopes for this one, as the shape seems much better suited to the space I'm working with. I'll find out soon enough.

 

Following along, you have taken great pains to select the best part for the job, and worked to integrate it well. I've got faith in that new heater!
Could you porta-power the tunnel wider, or is the height too close too? The tail on the trans looks like it's below the plane of the floor.
If it needs to be taller and wider, there is no way but replace.

 

The entire floorpan and tunnel is funky in this car, so it could all end up being replaced... we shall see.

The heater I picked up appears to be a Hadees (Ha-dees?) which was in a Crosley, with a matching Crosley control switch. Makes sense, as this heater is very compact, and would be perfect for a small vehicle. It looks like someone was inside the heater once before, judging by the newer hex nuts I can see, but I'l disassemble and go through it anyway. Still need to test fit it inside the Nash, which should happen later today.















Two Yankee Owlite headlight housings were part of the deal, too, but I don't know much about them. I'll have to search for a HAMB thread discussing them tonight. *edit* Found it: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/anybody-have-any-idea-what-these-are.183698/

 

The heater looks to be an excellent fit, and tucks up under the dash nicely. I wish it was one third larger to be honest, but I think it will work fine for spring and autumn heating.

 

Not to call you out, but someone who can recreate missing quarter to tail joints should have no problem adding an inch or 2 in the middle of a solid box. Just a matter of deciding to put the time in.

https://www.meicorporation.com/pdfs/HeaterCores09.pdf

 

^^^& then add to core, bigger fan, etc. All fun, no? . Maybe find another & mount them side-by-side? Although you probably don't need heat for -20*F anymore... .
That is a nice little heater.
BTW, if you want additional heat, you could copy what Chrys did in the ~46-48's, which is put a core alongside the kick-panels on each side. Very thin & outlet was vertical alongside the door jamb. Not much for the feet, but that's what the little Hadees is for.
Or Studebaker, which put the defroster alongside the pass kick-panel & the larger heater under the pass seat. Lots of options. .
Marcus...

 

@nrgwizard , that's why I included a core dimensions and picture catalog. Gotta encourage the madness!
Heck, it may be easier to build a box that could incorporate the front fascia rather than expand the current one.

 

Thanks for the link, @RodStRace

I bought a NOS heater core for my '98 DD which I ended up not needing, and it's compact, all aluminum, and has slightly adjustable inlet and outlet tubes, so using that is an option, too. I have fiddled around with alternate heater "faces", but nothing I have on hand really struck me as looking quite right, so I keep looking at other options. I'm still undecided on how to use and/or handle the stock fresh on intake on the firewall, and still need to resolve the entire cowl section, too.

Kick panel fresh air intake vents (ala GM's late '60s Astro ventilation) could work, as there is plenty of space between the fenders and the body structure, but the kick panel areas on the Nash are neither flat nor parallel to the length of the car, and structural.

This is what makes me think I might be overthinking the heater thing a bit. I only need enough heat up front to take the edge off at the extreme ends of the driving season, and there should be plenty of air volume and velocity to defrost the small windshield, too.

I looked into driveshafts this morning, too, and should be able to make a smaller diameter driveshaft work. I have to re-measure, but I think the rough length is around 48", maybe a little less.

 

Imo, you're not overthinking it at all. There's a little more to it than that, at least for me. I'll post more thoughts(your cue: "uh-oh...") on things I've learned the hard way(suffered? ) over the last 5.5+ decades. Maybe a little will be worth your time considering, idk. Part of it involves a/c, but not for the "usual" reason. Can't remember iffen you're considering it or not.
Marcus...

 

If'n?! I thought that was an Ohio thing? I'm not planning to have A/C, so that should keep things a bit simpler...*knocks on wood*

Here is my biggest hangup at present, the upward arching windshield base:



It looks a bit exaggerated above, as it's only raised three inches at the center, but it's a lot of vertical height to make up over six inches horizontally.

The good news is there's plenty of space for a traditional type cowl air intake/flow path, clear down to the kick panel area. That seems like a reasonable way to introduce fresh air into the cabin, provided I plan for rain/water diversion. There is plenty of space behind the front fenders to use for something, and adding some structure for an inner fender (there are none currently) to mount to would be a good thing, too.

Right kick panel area, in bare metal, looking straight forward:



Looking across the lower cowl, toward the RH fender top:



Looking rearward from where the RF tire would be located:



There's probably 8-10" of space behind that fender, more as you go forward with the horizontal 'V'. It's a shame that space is so wasted, but, unibody reasons, I guess.

I used the battery recess I made for the right side to check for power brake booster clearance on the left side of the firewall (though I am planning to use manual for now), and the '57 Chevy pedal bracket's brake master cylinder studs should be centered side-to-side in the recess, so I need to make a second matching recess, and add a flange to both. Most of the remaining space at the outer ends of the firewall will be covered by the fenders, so I'm going to keep it simple, and leave some clearance for wiring to pass through. I know how I want to finish the lower edge of the firewall, and there is room on the inside to connect to both defroster ducts, so I'm calling that progress for now.

A parting shot with the Jeepster cowl piece resting on the lowered stock cowl panel...not gonna work:

 

Love this thread- Thanks for keeping us posted!

 

I can understand your concern over obtaining a proper heater. Several years ago I spent a week in Minnesota in February. Man, you folks have some brutal cold weather up there. In fact, if it were mine I might be putting a couple of them in there! Carry on.

 

Our winters have been much milder than they used to be even twenty years ago, but hopefully I never need to resort to driving this car in January nor February.

I finally cut the stock heater core base section out of the center of the firewall, creating a blank space for something new. I liked the new battery recess position, so I kept that and "made" new panels which fit on both sides of it, using some pre-beaded steel shelving. The shelves have a nice small radius (1/4" or so) at one long edge, so with that pointed downward, I had a consistent rolled edge which slightly overlaps the brace just below it. I also added some thick, 45 degree bend bracing behind the curled bottom edge, which added rigidity and a convenient place to hook the curled edge over. It makes for easy repeat test fitting, too, of which there was plenty.

Once both panels were held in position with some Clecos, I trimmed the lower front edge of battery recess until I got a good fit against the curled edge, so the lower edge of the firewall is mostly finished:







The firewall panels and battery recess will be tack welded to each other once I am sure they don't need to be removed, but I still need to add a bunch of braces at the outer ends, center, and beef up the area around the brake master cylinder mount.

I was unsure how to mate the top edges of the new panels to the existing top few inches of the cowl, especially at both outer ends, where the cowl slopes downward. Once I mounted the fenders it became clear the outer ends would barely be visible, so I don't need to do anything fancy there. The middle area will be covered by the new lowered cowl, so mostly the same there, too.





I may end up narrowing the fenders in the future, or at least moving the mounting flange outward, but not more than a few inches.

Also took a short road trip to McHenry, IL Friday to pick up some 15x7 unilug Keystone Klassic rollers. It took a few months of looking to find a clean set in this size with four identical tires which held air, but these will work great as rollers.



I also stopped at the Dog n Suds in Richmond, IL, for lunch on the way home.

 

@In_The_Pink, you don't strike me as the kind of guy that has a messy engine compartment, so this may not apply to you, but I like stuff that is well thought out and suited to the task.
A battery tray should be something that can be rinsed off and not collect water or fluffy corrosion. The whole area should be protected from off gassing and the nastiness you see around batteries in general, even if the current builder is meticulous.

 

I *think* I have covered my tuchus as far as the potential toxicity of the battery is concerned:

1. I'm using a sealed Optima battery
2. The base of the battery recess is sloped a few tenths of a degree, to allow gravity drainage off the front edge
3. The front edge of the recess will be fully welded to the curled edge of the firewall
4. I will be seam sealing all joints, but the lower corners of the recess are 90 degree bends, with only some very small gaps at the rounded rear corners... which I will fully weld closed.
5. I will be adding a battery tray of some sort, with an integral hold-down

I do like a clean engine bay, but I'm realistic enough to know that rarely happens on a street driven vehicle, so, I try to plan things out well from the start to minimize problems later on. I still have much more work ahead in the engine bay, but I always try to keep water drainage in mind when making panel and braces, especially in areas like the from frame rails, which slope downward toward the firewall.

I have some ideas on how to address certain areas and pieces, so time will tell if and how those work out in practice.

 

Visited a salvage yard today and picked some bits off this 1950(?) Plymouth Cranbrook, namely the dash knobs and switches, and the HVAC control unit. Should work well mounted under the bottom edge of the Willys Aero dash.







The lever operated cowl vent was really neat, too...might have to grab that in my next visit and incorporate it somehow.







Also grabbed this red '63(?) Thunderbird cowl, even though it's way too flat. The grille section might come in handy if I don't find anything better.

 

Hey, Pink;
I sorta-almost forgot about the htr-post I was going to do. Managed to get seriously sidetracked, & did forget most of what I was going to write. So, I'll try this.

Airflow from just below the w/s front is really nice, as it's a high pressure area, so if you can...

W/o being there, I'm having a hard time visualizing the fender-area(s) available for air flow, or storage. But I do like foot-well cool-air ducts. Either Stude-style, or later-type w/o the thru-fender-vent, fed by either the cowl opening or the open area between the wheelwell & firewall, Just have to close off the airpassageway end so flow is forced into car. Could mount a htr core in the duct, but make very sure you have a total bypass around the core(s) for fresh air. Other than a hardware store ballvalve, no std htr valve shuts off completely, they all always allow some coolant flow thru. Having a couple, or more, of small cores is really nice, esp to balance-out heat, or for differing amounts for each side. Pain to install, de-areate, & flush, but... Also a big believer in being able to totally shutoff flow. But that leads to increased maintenance, due to cores plugging up, at least partially. Just like the good old days. Which is why nothing shuts off now. & why it sucks so bad to use those as fresh air source - bonus heat when it's 100*F!

Which brings us to a/c. I'd run the physically smallest a/c system I could find. Not for "hanging meat" temps, since I don't like a/c all that much, except for very rare occasions. What I do like a/c for, is when used simultaneously w/heat, it dehumidifies, & dries out the interior. I learned along time ago - like more than 5 decades, that humid windows on the inside suck - so does frost -, & that the a/c/heat gets rid of that problem.

Also learned that a divider 'twixt the front seats & rear seats also helps w/comfort. Faster cooling, faster heating, less noise from the rear. If you're not carrying anyone back there, thin plastic sheeting works well, although my OT xuv used glass behind the pass seats. Sliding glass in a divider is a cool way of doing it, if the front seats don't recline much.

As for the fender-hood-w/s area, you could use a large dia tube, like a semi-exhaust pipe, form it to the correct curve(sand & heat bending?), section it & there's your roll. Just have to flare-in the corners & ends. Easier said than done, but... From the head-on pics, the curve looks real similar to the front-fender-top(drop) curve from an S-10. Close enough for almost-pre-formed-roll, idk? Another thing could be the whole roll could have grill-slots for air intake. Which means the engine air cleaner could be hooked up to that area too, if there's room. Also might consider what Cadillac did w/the '68-> Eldorado rear hood edge. It was rolled up w/a large smooth lip, coming close to the w/s, hiding the w/s/wipers & also giving the w/s a chopped look from both the front & a little from the side views. Not quite sure how to incorporate that into the lowered hood n fenders. ???

Just ideas...

So far, build is coming along very nicely, what w/all the mix-make parts used. I like it... .

Marcus...

 

Marcus, I think we are thinking along the same lines in some areas, so I just need to work the ideas out on the car. I looked at (actually brought my loose cowl piece with me for direct comparison) at least 50 car cowl panels yesterday, and maybe five were close to my panel. The red T-bird cowl I bought was the best match, and though it's very flat, I can remove the front bend and add some arch if needed. The windshield base area will take a lot of work to blend with whatever ends up below and forward of it, but I may yet find something which saves me some effort, while still looking decent.

I think the small Hadees heater I have will work fine, and I wouldn't be opposed to adding heated seats, either, as driving comfort is rather important. I sat in a '62 Buick Special bench seat today and... yeah, even with a full reupholstering, there's not going to be much support nor comfort. Seats are easy, though.

Back to HVAC stuff, A/C is always a nice thing to have for defogging windows, but cracking the vent windows open and relying upon the venturi effect will have to suffice, combined with warm air directed at the windshield.

I actually removed a few parts from a '63 Pontiac LeMans today, and looked at the cable operated kick panel vents close up:



I have space for something like that, and it should work well enough to bring in fresh air, too. I saw multiple GM cars with that style of vent, so I should be able to source the guts at least...'62 Buick Special here:



Speaking of that '63 LeMans, it had and interesting under-dash mounted parking brake:







I like the fact that it's neither floor nor kick panel mounted, so I'll keep it in mind. Running both cables (no equalizer) aling the trans tunnel would work in the Nash, too.

I took home the dash knobs and switches from the Buick Special, both alternator brackets from an early Buick V6, the fan and fan pulley from a Buick 350, the steering wheel and upper column collar from the aforementioned '63 LeMans, and a turn signal lever arm from a Buick Wildcat, which matches the dash knobs well. I had no steering wheel, and while the one I got is very rough, it'll be good as a placeholder and for mocking up driver position eventually:





It's a wonderful thing to have access to old parts, so I'm taking full advantage while I can.

 

Hey, Pink;
I actually like that steering wheel/horn ring shape. I do think iffen it was mine, I'd waste a little(lot? ) of effort doing a re-cast on it. There are few threads on here about that, but I think it could be a showpiece. Have seen "jigs" that are unbelievably rough, get nice results. Might require a bit of creative-adaptation(copying via silicone-molds from some-or-another-wheel rim-shape). Anyone for, say, a chromed oem wheel-ring, coated in translucent color-of-your-choice & clear plastic, maybe w/metalflake in the casting plastic? . A good start: Smooth-On.com.
Also like the htr controls in the last pic, nice & compact.
Yup, a/c is a dilemma, I get it...
Marcus...

 

For the fresh air feed, you've got enough real estate under the fenders on each side of the firewall to get something going. Just remember that it should be like a covered porch, with enough overhang to allow air in but shed water over and outside the opening even when parked at the curb with a good slant.

 

Previous experience with '71-'77 Mopar vans has taught me the importance of proper water diversion and cleanliness (ie, don't let those pine needles and other detritus build up) at the kick panel vents. Drain holes are a must, too.

I may send it to you when I'm done with it, then, Marcus.

The collar I bought will need an adapter to work with the auto column I have, or I could (and probably will) just grab the '63 LeMans column and use it instead. The auto shaft has a u-joint welded to it at the bottom, and IIRC, the '63 LeMans column/shaft was all stock and still connected to the steering gear box. I suspect there were some oddball things happening with the GM Y-bodies in '63 compared to '61-'62, so I need to do a lot more research to see what my options are.

I test fit the new-to-me alternator bracket and fan pulley/fan and discovered the raised pad on the 215 block prevents the bracket from being properly positioned on the 300 head, so the pad (and the engine ID with it) will be removed, and the problem solved. The fixed fan fits the same as the thermostatic fan I have on hand, so no changes there.







The engine, bellhousing, and trans main case are all in place, so hopefully engine mounts will be completed by the end of the weekend. The mounts aren't in an ideal position, but I will add some plates and braces as necessary to carry the weight if the mighty 215.

 

Hey, Pink;
"discovered the raised pad on the 215 block prevents the bracket from being properly positioned on the 300 head, so the pad (and the engine ID with it) will be removed, and the problem solved."

I get the need, but for personal reasons, & maybe to ward off the legal-demons, I'd document the #/location w/a good pic, & then stamp the exact# sequence onto the block in another area that can be seen w/the heads, manifold, etc on. Just might need it someday, down the road.
Marcus...

 

I have photos of the block numbers if needed.

I wanted to tie the front crossmember to the frame rails a bit more, both between and above them, at the spring tower/upper control arm braces, to strengthen everything a bit, so I made and welded in some brackets and straps. The spring tower areas are a bit funky in shape, so I kept it simple using mostly flat pieces and focused on good weld penetration and strength. I re-welded some of the gaps and welds on the crossmember, too, so it only needs a skid plate welded to it for oil pan protection. Some welds are nice to look at, others a little less so, but most of them got kissed by the grinding disc anyway.





The brackets which tie the spring towers to the framerails holes for plug welds:



Next, I have to finish boxing in the LH frame rail, then make the engine mounts, which will be welded to the just-added straps on top of the crossmember.

Speaking of the engine, while it was still resting in place, I test fit the Olds 215 heads and valve covers, as I would still prefer to use a set of 4-bbl Olds heads, if I can find a good pair. There's just something about the look of the Olds valve covers I like, maybe the fact that they look familiar, but not obvious?:





Clearance (about 3/4") is about the same as with the Buick parts-- tight, but sufficient, and allows room to fit the fan and radiator up front.

 

I kind of like the look with one each; Buick - Olds.
Haha.

 

I remember reading an article about hopping these engines up in an early '60s Hot Rod magazine, and I believe that if you put Olds heads on a Buick short block, you ended up with very high compression.

 

Maybe it's just the angle of the photo but the ports on the Buick head look larger. Is that true?

 

These are '64 Buick 300 heads, and yes, the exhaust ports are a bit larger than those on the '61-'63 Buick/Olds 215 heads.

It may have been this article?: https://www.seight.com/images/tech/...ww.seight.com/images/tech/magreps/1961hrm.pdf

Or this one?: https://www.teambuick.com/reference/library/affordable_aluminum_v-8.php

Olds heads will not swap onto a Buick block, but you can go the opposite way, due to the extra bolt holes in the Olds block and how the rocker shaft stands bolt into place. There is some parts interchange, but the heads are where things are very different between the two. They are...quirky.