1952-59 Ford 55 Ford Fairlane Blogaroni

I finally got mine sorted out. Seems the fuel I was using was pretty rough stuff. I drained the unit, filled it with kerosene instead of diesel (these units can burn either, supposedly) and no more problem. It fires right off and gives out plenty of heat. Of course, Kerosene is whole lot more expensive than diesel. I might try a 50/50 mix but I don't know if that is recommended or not.

 

Very nice Daniel, and a good tutorial.

 

Someone gave me 20 gallons of K1 kero that he had sitting in his shed for 5 years. The cans were still sealed and it lit right off. I've had older heaters that ran on almost anything.

 

Today I had some time to install the sway bar with the new Energy Suspension brand polyurethane bushings and the stabilizer hardware kit to attach the sway bar to the lower control arm. I had snapped more photos but my camera went haywire when I got back inside the house and my SD card was EMPTY! go figure. The nice things about these ES bushings are: polyurethane, the 7/8" size was in stock, they come with new brackets, and the bushings are greasable! I used a synthetic grease from Super Lube. I also like the small plastic caps that cover your Zerk fittings but I don't know how long they will last. No modification needed for the brackets - they fit the frame perfectly. Basically, I laid the sway bar in position and let it rest on the lower control arms. I then slipped a bushing on each end (I greased them inside first too) and slid them into position on the bar so that they would go right up the frame. Next, I put the brackets on loosely and checked the fitment. Once I was satisfied with it I pivoted the bar in the bushings back and forth to get the grease worked into the bushings and bar real good. Then I installed the hardware kits on each lower control arm. Notice that the hardware kits were not cinched down too tightly. I think it will be best to tighten those down once the weight of the car is back on the front end like it should be. I did cinch down the brackets to the frame however, and after doing so I greased them with synthetic lube. The sway bar is a station wagon sway bar with a 7/8" diameter. I think I got it from a 56 Ford Ranchwagon. The hardware kit and the bolts that attach the brackets to the frame have a 9/16" head by the way.

100_2655 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 7:30 AM

The photo above is the difference of the old worn out bushings in the station wagon sway bar and what the new ones look like. Think it will help?
On to the Backing Plates and the Spindle Arms. They cleaned up nicely. I only put one coat of Rustoleum on the inside of the backing plate. Not too sure how the paint will hold up in there anyway but thought it would be good to at least try to control some of the rust. I use silicone brake fluid anyway so we should be ok. I think it worth mentioning here again about the location of your bolts that hold the castle nut and cotter pin. I like to make sure I have mine oriented all the same way and in a location that I can get to just in case I have to start fishing those cotter pins out again anytime soon. I face them up so I can find things easily and see how to twist/turn the ears made by bending the cotter pin so as to get the cotter pin back out more easily next time. I also used a little anti-seize on the threads. You will need a 3/4" and a 9/16" wrench to tighten them down, but only one each... the grease guard plate acts as a head stop on the front side.

100_2712 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 7:22 AM

100_2714 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 7:22 AM

100_2715 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 7:22 AM

100_2719 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 7:22 AM

A quick word about hardware and an explanation of what to do. I like using as much of the old hardware as I can, provided it is in good condition. Two reasons... odd ball sizes as far as lengths can be a pain to locate at the local hardware store and it saves money in the long run. A while back I started using a small Ultrasonic Cleaner to degrease hardware and parts. You would not believe how well it does with carburetors!!! I stopped using solvent and Berryman's a long time ago. Basically a bottle or two of the $ store "Awesome" brand cleaner and some water in the tank. Heat it up with the touch of ****on, set the unit to run for several minutes and you are good to go. Take out the parts, rinse, dry, and then over to the blast cabinet. Blast cabinet you say? what about all those washers and nuts that fall through the cracks? Well, here is the answer - a cricket tube from Wal-Mart. It is the perfect size to hold in your hand. You can rotate the tube while you blast and you can see everything in it. There is no way for any part to escape. Shake the tube when done and all the media falls out and you are left with clean hardware. I like it and it has served me well. Bolts that need to be chucked because of wear or corrosion show up pretty easily.

 

That's a great idea on the cricket trap I'll have to remember that one

 

Could we see a photo of your sandblaster Daniel? Is it a professional machine? Ive got the blasting gun / nozzle but I've never used them since they were given to me. How about the blasting cabinet?
Great work.

 

I thought I had a photo of my blast cabinet already out there... oh well, here is the best I could do. The Y block in the photo is obviously the focal point, but if you look to the right, the blast cabinet is the gray box with legs that sits along the wall. I bought it from a US company named TP tools up in Pennsylvania. I have owned it not for about 8 years and it has been one of my "go to" tools in the shop.

100_1512 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 7:23 AM

My sandblaster is a unit I bought from a place called Tractor Supply Company. It is a Chinese-made knock-off and it worked ok for the blasting the frame, but it is very touchy to say the least. I think the mixing valve is a real choke-point. It is also an air hog, as all pressure pot sandblasters are and my 5 hp 60 gallon air compressor has a hard time keeping up with it..
EDIT: can't get my photo to load up here. If you go to the TP tools website you can see what I am talking about. My cabinet is the entry level model that has the door on top, not on the side. I do have an extension on the side however so longer parts can fit.
The sandblaster is pictured in a previous post in this thread when I show the frame after blasting. It is a red canister and says "Job Smart" on the side.

 

OK Daniel, thanks.

 

A set of KYB 4503's is on its way to my house this week. I reckon they will fit the front end well. Thanks Jeff and all you guys with the leads... I was hoping to be able to rid myself of that crazy bracket and just use mounting tabs from the shock itself. No problem

 

Been down and out the past few days with a serious sinus infection. I started antibiotics yesterday and only just a few hours ago have I felt any better. At any rate, my KG4503 KYB front shocks finally arrived so I was a little motivated to move out to the 18 degree garage and install them up front. I must say, those things are gas charged and tight! It took me quite a bit to force one in on itself to bench test its "action" The shocks came with new washers, nuts, and rubber grommets of course, but they also had instructions written in about 57 different languages with plenty of "well duh!" diagrams so you get the mounting correct. What in the world could be the issue with mounting shocks you ask? The only thing I see that someone could goof up would maybe be the grommet positioning? Either side of the grommet is different as you can see in the photos. The larger lip goes towards the washer and the smaller diameter lip goes toward the bracket or the shock tower mount on the frame. I ***ume most people know this but I thought I would point it out. I had already cleaned, blasted, and painted the original brackets even though I thought I had a lead on shocks that had its mounting tabs on the lower end that would work for the lower control arm. So, I simply pulled them back out of storage and mounted the brackets on the bench, making sure I did not get the "grommet bulge" past the washers. As you can see in the photos the shocks came with two nuts per stud, so I ***ume that one is to lock the other down. To be honest, most of the stud shocks I have ever seen only had one nut, I am not sure why this came with two unless there is something for a different application or what have you. I obviously decided to use the extra nut as a lock nut on each stud. I must admit that I cheated when installing the shocks. I used my floor jack to raise the bracket into position after I had attached the upper stud to the shock mount on the frame.

100_2770 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 7:17 AM

100_2772 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 7:17 AM

100_2775 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 7:17 AM

100_2776 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 7:17 AM

100_2784 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 7:17 AM

100_2785 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 7:17 AM

I also decided to replace the lens in my bead blast cabinet from TP tools. I will post photos on that later. Some of you have asked about the cabinet before so I think it a good time to show some of the maintenance work that needs to be done from time to time.

 

My lens protector on my TP Tools Skat Blast Cabinet was getting kind of fuzzy. I have to replace it about twice a year. I have owned the cabinet for about 8 years, and it works very well. I have only had to replace the nozzle 3 times, and I would imagine I use this cabinet about 4-5 hours a week on average. I have had to replace/refill media also on 3 different occasions. I have tried all kinds of brands from TP's gl*** bead media (the best I have used in my opinion), to Harbor Freight, to Tractor Supply Company. I have only ever used gl*** beads in the cabinet. I would like to find a way to put another light in the cabinet because of the "shadow" effect with just one light bulb in there. Sometimes it is difficult to see what you are doing in there.
Whenever I replace the lens protector, I always get off all of the old adhesive. Goo Gone works the best for that job, and the new protector sheet always stick to the lens very well. It takes more work, but I never have my lens protector falling down on my gloves and I have never had to replace my lens!

100_2779 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 7:17 AM

100_2780 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 7:17 AM

100_2781 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 7:17 AM

 

Wow, it has been a long time since my last post... I have been busy getting my house ready to sell, making a transition to Ohio, and all that comes with a move. Half of my shop has already been cleared out and many things put into storage or sold. By the way, the most recent contract did fall through. The buyer wanted me to change a window's location, complained about code, went after do***entation/permits on my shop, etc, etc, etc. I think he just had a simple case of buyer's remorse.

At any rate, this has left me some time in the shop and the last few nights I have been a little busy. I reinstalled the tie rods, idler arm, and drag link after a serious cleaning and installation of new seals and grease.

100_2940 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 7:11 AM

The front brake drums and hubs were cleaned up and painted, and the bearings and seals cleaned, greased up well, and reinstalled. Nothing too exciting to show concerning installation, I guess this is all pretty boring material. I did not put in the steering gear just yet because I want to finish up that firewall. Hopefully the rain will stop coming, but it is April after all.

I did get in a brand new fuel line (tank to fuel pump) from Tee Bird Products. The shipping was outrageous - I will leave it at that. I also got a set of bushings in that shipment so that I can rebuild the shifter arms on the column. While I was at it, I ordered a set of brake lines (specific lengths all ready to go) from Jacksons' Auto Parts - the box showed up today, CRUSHED, and all of the lines in the box were bent at a 35 degree angle. They were all supposed to arrive straight. Now what? I guess I will contact them tomorrow and see what we can do. I guess I can bend them back but you know once a line is bent, it's bent.

While the front end has continued to receive treatment, I have also been attacking the 292. I degreased it, removed quite a few bolt on's down to make the engine a "long block" so I could clean it up easier. The timing cover and water pump I just left on the block. I did put on another oil pan that was in much better shape, and I added a NEW gerotor oil pump. There are not many miles on the engine (just several hundred) so cleanup was not too bad and the parts are all in great shape.

100_2936 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 7:11 AM

100_2943 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 7:11 AM

100_2945 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 7:11 AM

The whole "wire wheel" episode was long, messy, and just downright tedious, but that metal was clean by jove! I am not going to reuse the pitted valve covers, so I Ieft them on. I have rubber valve cover gaskets and chrome valve covers to install anyway. When I paint an engine like this, I like to put clean rags in the lifter valley just to keep out the ****. The engine paint is a simple Duplicolor Engine Red. I don't think it is 55/56 Ford correct but it looks good and it was available. The car is not a show car so what's the difference. My father-in-law came over tonight and likes the look of it so on we go.

I have some of the bracketry and other parts on my paint rack so hopefully I can get to install those soon. I also have two good sets of exhaust manifolds that I just brought out of the blast cabinet, cleaned up, and then coated with the Eastwood Hi-temp coating. I have two sets because one is original to the 55 and the other is a 57 set. I will most probably use the 57 set depending on what I do with the power brakes situation. I have not decided what to do about that yet, but will most probably get an aftermarket set up instead of the original master cylinder and Ford's way of doing it in 1955. We want to put a dual master cylinder on it anyway.

Once I get the engine running again I will have to post a video. Hopefully I can figure out how to do that.

 

Thanks a lot for posting so many great suspension pictures it will be a big help for others in the future,GREAT JOB!

 

Yea, thanks for posting! I haven't gone through my front suspension yet, but will definitely refer back to your posts when I do.

 

Unfortunately I am a little pre-occupied with a giant move out to another state, etc, but I don't want to lose focus here. I need to get this thing back on the road moving under its own power and the clock is ticking on me. Hopefully I can continue to take some photos along the way.

 

You're doing a great job, Dan...keep us posted. Good luck with the move and the new location!

 

Tram out the frame definitely. It's a lot easier while the sheet metal is off. With all the slop(adjustment holes in the panels) aligning all them is a lot of work WITH a straight frame, let alone trying with a bent one!! (my $0.3, HA!)

 

Looking good Daniel, keep it up.

 

Guys - I appreciate all your kind comments. I know I enjoy seeing all of your work as well!

Ok fellas... back at it again for the last two nights, cleaning things up, installing new gaskets and even had the chance to put the 292 on the run stand tonight before I got ready to turn in.
First of all, I thought it good to cover something that gets asked quite a bit by newbies... "How do you prime the oil pump?" I don't know if my answer is the best but I will show you what I do when I get a Y block ready to go and then after that I will take you through what I do to get the distributor ready for initial start up. Here we go:
I put an NOS oil pump (gerotor type, not the "spur gear" pump) on this Y block when I put a new gasket on the oil pan also.

100_2938 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 7:11 AM

Look to the left in the photo above to see what I am talking about here. The gerotor has a smooth cover, the spur gear has a sizeable "bump out" for the gear.

When you put one in, the best advice is to submerge the entire pump and prime the pump itself before installation. Well... I'm pretty lazy and did not want to have to clean it up to paint it, etc. So I did put a little oil in the pump inlet just to make sure it was not dry at all. I then installed a new gasket after I cleaned the block surface really well. It is not recommended that you put any silicone or sealer on the gasket for the oil pump. However, I must say that I always use high tack gasket compound (the red stuff) on the gasket at the oil pump to get it to seal nicely. Careful - a little goes a long way here! After the pump was installed, I cleaned it up with acetone before painting. Another word on the oil pump and the oil pan tube that feeds the pump. There is a very delicate tube seal that goes on your inlet tube as it mates to the pump inlet. Be careful to get this situated correctly and do not overtighten or crush the seal. If you have a leak here after priming or after initial startup it will be a PAIN because you will either have to remove the oil pump or oil pan and then reaffix the seal. You really don't want to have to do either, trust me.

Back to priming the pump. Make sure that you installed the oil pump drive rod (get a new one when you put in a new pump - cheap insurance!) correctly in the bore. The catch washer is used to keep the shaft from coming out of the pump when you pull the distributor, so the washer needs to go on the shaft BEFORE you place it up inside the bore of the block. Please don't leave it out - you will just be swearing like a sailor the next time you pull your distributor out and find that the shaft came right on out too... OUCH. That shaft is pretty thin but it is a hex. You can use a 1/4" socket to turn the shaft so that you can prime the pump. Get yourself a long 1/4" drive extension or two, and then a THIN-WALLED socket like the one shown. TAPE THEM TOGETHER so that you don't lose anything while you are messing around in there.

100_2999 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 7:11 AM

100_3000 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 7:11 AM

100_2984 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 7:09 AM

You can see the distributor boss pictured above. That is what we are shooting for here. If you look down in that hole you can see the top of the oil pump drive rod. Take your drill, set it to REVERSE (remember that counterclockwise is the way the distributor and that hex shaft will rotate when the engine is running). Now take your 1/4" extension setup and place it on the shaft... HOLD IT! Did you fill the block with 4 or 5 quarts of oil? Thought so. You did - but I almost forgot. By the way, another thing you should do... ahem, is uh, to walk around your block and make sure you are ****ONED UP! (see Y block follies post for explanation here lol) You don't need to go at super fast rate of speed, just touch it off and let it rotate a little bit. You can actually do this with a speed handle for a socket but this certainly takes the sweat out of it. While you are spinning the drill it will be about 10-15 seconds or so and you will feel a load... yep, we struck oil. "Drill baby drill" Keep going and watching your rocker arms to make sure you are getting oil up there. If you have a new build, it is going to take some time. The rockers are the furthest point away from the pump that the oil has to travel, so every other orifice and what have you will fill up first. If you have an early cam that is "cross-drilled" then rotate your cam so that you can mate up the feed holes.

Now on setting that distributor. With your valve cover off the p***enger side head, take a look at the # 1 cylinder and the corresponding valves. You want to get TDC at the compression stroke so that you can give that ignition initial time. Go back to your crank dampener/timing pointer and bring up the TDC mark just as the intake valve has closed (exhaust will be closed as well... double check this by checking valve lash on both rocker arms for #1). Most guys like to set their initial time to exact TDC on the timing pointer. I guess this is good practice, but since Y blocks like a lot of advance I usually bring the timing pointer to 4 degrees or so and then get ready to install the distributor. You will note my timing mark on the crank dampener. I have removed the black paint where the timing marks are located and I have sprayed it with Clear Engine Paint to highlight the difference from the rest of the dampener.

100_2982 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 7:09 AM

Next, I take the distributor and mark the location of #1 Cylinder/Plug Wire by fitting the cap to the distributor and making a sharpie line right underneath the center of where #1 is located.

100_2988 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 7:09 AM

Something else I like to do is get some anti-seize on both lips of the distributor boss on the block and a little on the distributor itself where it will mate to the block. How many times have you tried to pull a seized Y block distributor? I don't know why particularly, but the Y block is NOTORIOUS for seized distributors. In my lifetime of probably dealing with 15 different Y blocks I have never owned, seen, or worked on one that had the top end oiling problems. But about half of the ones I have dealt with had a seized distributor. You may also note the ACCEL pointless ignition. While everyone and their grandmother go the Pertronix route I have used the ACCEL kit with 100% success and no ignition failures over the past 10 years or so. (lol I say that now, wait until I crank this thing up or take the father-in-law out for the initial ride after all the work is done! :w00t: Seriously though, I do like the kit and with an ACCEL super coil there is no resistor needed. You can leave the key on with no problems, etc.
That's all for tonight - I'm beat. I did get more done in the shop but until next time, here is the engine finally back on the run stand...

100_3013 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 6:54 AM

100_3019 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 6:54 AM

You guys out here late at night can take over for me...

 

Just to follow up from what I posted last night, here are some photos of the Exhaust Manifolds. Now that I look at the casting numbers, I know that the EDB is not a 1955 number. I believe they are to be ECH if they are original to the car right? anyone know? I am not quite sure why the different numbers in the earlier years - maybe you guys can chime in here. I bought a set of the B9's, blasted them too, and have now coated both sets twice and are letting them dry out. This stuff works pretty good in my opinion.

100_3024 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 6:54 AM

100_3023 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 6:54 AM

100_3021 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 6:54 AM

I also cleaned up a couple of nice chrome valve covers and used some contact cement to set RUBBER valve cover gaskets to them. The gaskets work very well when you need to remove your valve covers a few times over their "life" when you are setting valve lash, etc. I know some guys will use cork and seal the cork to the valve cover, then grease the end of the gasket that mates to the head - that works too. I have done that with intake manifold gaskets before.

100_3003 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 6:54 AM

I need to find some chrome or stainless acorn nuts for the valve covers - they would look better with those. I do have new decals to put on the valve covers - I like the 1957 "Ford Interceptor" decals - kind of my favorite FoMoCo look.
I did get the Valley Pan cleaned up last night, and I have a rubber gasket for that too. As you are aware sometimes these valley pans you find can be bent up into a banana shape by the last gorilla who wrenched it down. Since there are only two bolts that hold it down to the block, they are prone to leak also so make sure there is a good seal all the way around. If you use silicone or some kind of a gasket maker, go sparingly with it.

100_3030 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 6:51 AM

Hopefully soon I can start installing the other bolt-on parts and get this thing fired up again, check for leaks, make sure the plumbing is good, time the engine and get it ready to reinstall in the car.

 

Fabulous tutorial and great work. Congrats.
PS - I just found, reading the post above, that my wonderful mind was able to install all the shocks bushings the wrong way...

 

Last night I got back into the shop and installed the valley pan, exhaust manifolds, and the fuel pump.

100_3020 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 6:54 AM

First the Valley Pan: I used some acetone to remove the paint around the rim of the block where the gasket goes. After that I used a very small thin bead of black hi-temp silicone gasket maker, aligned the rubber gasket on the block and then prepped my pan to make sure we would mate up well to the block. As you know, sometimes these things can be interesting because of warpage over the years caused from overtightening. Put a thin bead of gasket maker on the pan as well so that both the top and bottom of the gasket have a thin coating of silicone so that you will get an excellent seal.

100_3031 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 6:51 AM

100_3035 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 6:51 AM

100_3047 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 6:51 AM

The trick with the valley pan is to get your gasket to cooperate as you slide the pan over the block, between the edges of the intake ports on your heads (if you know Y blocks this can be a pain - especially if you have shaved your heads). I use a very small flatblade screwdriver to position the edges of the rubber gasket before I install the two grommets and bolts. Once the pan and gasket are positioned properly all the way around, I tighten down the bolts alternatively until the goo just begins to squeeze out of the gasket/pan mating area. Stop and let it rest for a while and go on to tackle something else while the silicone sets up. I like to install the teapot PCV mount at this time...

100_3041 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 6:54 AM

100_3044 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 6:56 AM

100_3043 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 6:56 AM

As you can see I have the intake manifold on the heads in the above photos. That was simply to see the placement/orientation of the spout so that I did not come too close to the intake. Obviously these photos show the location being too close, so I loosened up the screw and turned the spout clockwise so that is was between the distributor and the intake. I removed the intake and got back to the valley pan. If you will look at the above photos you can see more photos of the intake resting above the valley pan. This was to check for clearance and to check BOLT LENGTH! For instance, in the photo below certain holes on the head go right into the p***age way of the push rods. I suggest you double check the length of your bolts so as not to be in harm's way. Obviously, you will need the valve covers off to verify this.

100_3056 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 6:51 AM

Be sure to check the front and the rear of the manifold. I like to do this check without the gaskets even, knowing that I will have a bit more clearance when the gaskets are placed between the heads and intake.
By the time you get done fooling around with all of this, you can probably go ahead and give a final torque on your valley pan. To be honest here, I really don't follow any specification, but I probe around the pan with my small screwdriver to see if the gasket is tight against the block/pan area. That really is the best way to check because you need to make sure your pan is sealed around the perimeter.

More later...

 

"Interesting".. thats a good choice of words for a warped pan or bowl or whatever one is working on these things can drive you crazy.
Excellent tutorial Daniel. Someone should get this published.
You wont be forgiven if you don post a video of this engine's fireup!
Keep it up. Regards.

 

I am flying to Florida tomorrow morning and had to get quite a few things ready tonight so I did not have much time.

Long story short ... I am very happy. Virtually no oil leaks during the 20 minute or more run, and the only water leak I had was water out the overflow tube when the tstat was taking its time opening up (195 degree). The only drip I had was from the new oil pump cover plate which I did not rebuild/install, I just installed that out of the box. Once I tightened up the offending bolt, she was all sealed up good. Here are some quick photo shots of the action tonight. Only water was used. I will be gone an entire week so I drained the block and the radiator before I came out of the shop...

100_3132 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 6:43 AM

100_3131 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 6:43 AM

100_3129 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 6:43 AM

In the video, the timing is RETARDED a tick, but I got that sorted out quickly. She came to life quickly on a dead cold start so I was glad for that.

 

Here is the latest link to my videos...

 

Awesome engine stand set up, hope all the kinks are worked out and the engine will be in soon

 

I bought that stand several years ago but I had to make quite a few modifications - it was originally made for Chevy Small Block, but the mounts for the block and bellhousing are obviously now Ford Y block and I also put together a simple angle iron frame for the radiator support. Once I removed the original solid steel wheels and put on taller 8" polyurethanes, this thing finally took shape and as you can tell, it is fully functional. This is the 4th engine I have had on this particular stand.
I think the brand name was "Larin" ... I bought it from Eastwood but I don't think they sell them anymore. The main problem is that the units were sold with 4" tall casters. I could not get my engine hoist legs underneath of the frame of the run stand when it was that low. How anybody else ever did it defies belief.

 

Tonight I had a really comedic episode with painting the firewall and other interior parts. Last Saturday I had shot a little more TAMCO direct to metal primer surface and wet-sanded (yep, wet sanded) the firewall down to prep for the topcoat. I don't know about you guys but my sinuses sure like the wet sanding route. I know it's messy and you could put what I know about body work in thimble and still need a microscope, but it beats the dust and all. I have dust masks, the 3M charcoal filters, etc, but if I can get away with not having to wear them I am all for it. By the way, the TAMCO primer is the real ticket - it sprays nicely out of the gun and it is easy (soft) to sand.

Welp, after getting everything prepped for paint I decided to shoot some tonight. You guys know the drill, you get home (about 5:30 pm), eat some supper with the wife and kiddos, then remember you have to mow the lawn because there is a house showing tomorrow, do some general yard work outside, etc. Ok, now what? is there enough time to shoot some paint before it gets dark? Well, everything is masked so let's roll the car out and get the parts out on the paint rack, mix some paint and give her a go!

I'm using the Eastwood brand (I think it is made by Kirker) single stage Urethane paint. I chose to go with the original tutone so we mixed the 60s Mustang Wimbledon White and away we go. As I pour the paint and make sure I get the right ratio I hear this rumble outside. "No way," I say to myself. "Ain't no rain in the forecast and I just came in from mowing and we are clear and we are good." Yeh right... anyway, as I pour the paint in the cup and start sealing the lid I kid you not... THUNDERSTORM! Aaarrrgghhhhh You have got to be kidding! I looked like Scamper the Squirrel running around grabbing parts, the 55, tripping over the air hose, and what have you. Now what?

I have all the paint mixed so what to do? Throw away the paint and wait another day? Nah, too much Scotch-Irish in me for that! I got things set up quickly and shot in the garage after covering a few things. It really was not too bad but suffice to say it is next to impossible to get every speck of dust off the firewall before you shoot the paint! I need a paint booth for sure.

Here are some photos. I was surprised by the high gloss look of the paint - we will see what she has when it all cures. The paint shot well, NO RUNS... imagine that! My wife even came out to give her A+ on the thing! I sent a photo to my FIL and we will see what he says when he takes a look at it.

100_3268 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 6:37 AM

100_3267 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 6:37 AM

 

=) Lookin good Daniel.

 

Excellent work. If I remember, that is your Father-in-law's car your working on?