Hot Rods A 1957 chevy with a 283 motor story

Back in the early 80s my brother had a 57 chevy.He had too many beers and crashed it in to a Quarry rock wall.Still had a good drive train though. He found {DIG THIS } a 1957 chevy convertible with no motor and trans for $100 bucks the next town over. We towed it home with a chain. Got the other motor and trans in the car and he was putting in the points and he dropped the dist. screw. So he pulled the dist.out and the screw went bouncing right down the dist hole. Well he found another one and put it in and when he tried to start it the motor would not turn over. He was so pissed. We pulled the motor and thought he was going to rebuild it. Dragged the motor around the back of the house and then through my dads green house and through the cellar door {that led in to the green house, this door was more of a crawel space that a door}We got the motor in and he flipped it over. I said let me see something just for laughs. I pulled the oil pan off and took the fan and turned it backwards and the little screw fell out. The motor then turned over by hand!!!!We put it back together and put it back in the 57 and she fired up with no damage done. We couldn't beleive it. After that I taught him how to use a magnet on a screw driver , that way he would never loose a dist screw again. You cant make this stuff up. Too bad we don't talk any more .Had some good storys. LOL. Bruce.

 

Yep, I had that much energy when I was young! Good story, Bruce. Of course, anything with 57 Chevy in the ***le grabs me like a magnet. Just returned from family trip to TN, warmest Christmas ever recorded in Nashville, 76 degrees!

 

Cool story, Bruce. Sorry that you and your Brother no longer talk.

 

Hi. Just a thought for what it is worth. Send your brother a link to this post or just copy post and mail it to him. Who knows it might start someone talking. It could be worth much more that the effort to do it.
Good luck, Jimmie

 

Hell, a story like that I'd send him a magnet and give him a call.

 

Been to that movie ... needed to clean the carb on a '50 Ford truck. Had it unfastened, pulling it up when the br*** ferrule nut for the vacuum line slides off & into the left hole. Quickly grabbing a Ray-O-Vac & the fingers, I leap up on the fender & peer down the hole, spotting the little ^%@#%. Carefully, I ****** it out ... I get it up to eye level to admire my work, & of course it falls off the tool, straight back into the manifold, & around the bend this time ... the truck got parked.

 

Back in the '70's, Chevy had the Rochester single bbl carb on their 6 cylinder engines.
There was a "cross bar" screwed to the air horn of the carb, over the throat of the carb. This cross bar had a vertical threaded rod to hold the air cleaner in place.
The screws that held the cross bar would vibrate loose, then the screw would fall into the throat of the carb, then the screw worked its way into the combustion chamber, then get beat to hell by the piston.
The end result could go from a meaningless mark on the piston to a replacement engine.
All because two screws would vibrate loose.
P.S., as suggested, forward the thread and a magnet to your brother.
Tomorrow is promised to no one.

 

CHEVY57DUDE. It was 68 Christmas day here in Sevierville T.N. CRAZY weather this year .Now they are talking about light snow here Friday and then going back up to 60. Just plain crazy this year. Bruce.

 

Yea, lothiandon, like a lot of people he took all dads money when he had old timers diease and I couldn't prove a thing in court because he covered it up so good. Oh well what goes around comes around and it is with health issues with him now.Bruce.

 

Great story on the chevy Bruce, I love this stuff. Sorry to hear about what your brother did. Always remember YOU are the better man.

 

Sometimes Bruce it's the "little things that piss us off" just think a tiny screw had you guys pulling a motor and dragging it to the cellar! Good story. Joe

 

Bruce, Sadly stuff like this happens in a lot of familys,it's almost always about money but you can be the better man here...if his health is bad try extending your hand one last time before it's too late..I don't know you or your brother but from just talking with you here and through PM's I know you are a good man,take the high road!HRP

 

My step brother called me at work to say he dropped the air cleaner wing nut down the carb. [55 chevy with 327] Told him to use a magnet to remove it but he tried with needle nose and pushed it further down the intake. Told him to "NOT start the engine" and remove carb to get it. He calls me 20 mintues later to say he started the engine to move the car because it was parked in the way. Said it made a lot of noise.
He scored one cylinder so bad it needed a new block...dumb ***.

 

................Ouch! Tough pill to swallow.

 

............Sorry,Bruce. I would much rather be screwed over by a total stranger than my own flesh and blood. You're right about the karma, I'm a firm believer.

 

DAMN... Tenn. WARMER than San Diego... WHAT-DA-HELL???

Another GREAT story Bruce!!! Have a couple '57 150's, both 2-dr. sedans. 'Ramon' was an AZ border-town car with a 235. Runs a lil' better with a 3/4 cam and headers, Vega 4-speed and 3.08 gears... CHEAP FUN!!! The 'Widow is a Utility Sedan the PO painted like a Black Widow and installed a 283 FI. Runs *****IN, nice lope and slight tick-tick from the 097 Duntov cam, pulls from 1200 up!

chevy57dude, PM sent!!!

 

Funny you say that because I took care of my father when he had Alzheimers. My brother didn't work because he was "disabled" by a knee problem. I had to hire a caregiver at $17.50 per hour to stay with my dad during the day and I stayed at his house nights and weekends. I would take dad with me to my house to sit in a chair while I mowed the lawn. My brother lived 2 hours away, didn't work but his knee problem didn't stop him from doing anything he wanted to. In the last two years, he came to see dad one time. When he was there, I asked if he could stay with dad while I went and mowed my lawn because it was very hot and I didn't want dad sitting in the sun. Somebody had to watch him at all times or he would wander off. I came back 3 hours later and found dad wandering down the street several blocks from his house and my brother no where around. When my brother came back I asked him why he left dad alone and he said he asked dad if he would be okay alone and he said yes.

My brother accused me of taking my dad's money even though every dollar spent was very well do***ented. Everything was paid for by check and all bank statements filed. He, like you, claimed I had a way to hide it. I don't know what the case was with your father but it usually ends up with one child taking care of a parent and the other children accusing the sibling of stealing everything because they don't realize how much it costs.

 

When we don't know we ***ume the worse. A past story I read here on the HAMB some time ago retold differently. Imagine removing an engine that's rebuilt and turned before installing. Now it's installed and won't turn over. Locked, no matter what size breaker bar nor trying 2 batteries will it turn. Removed the engine and it turned again ! ? Problem, the 4 speed was in one forward gear and reverse at the same time.

 

OHHHH! Thats a good one Johnny.

 

Joe you should of seen the tiny door way that went between the cellar and the green house.Bruce.

 

H.R.P. I think you know I am an easy going guy but there are just some things you cant let go of.Real bad story there. Bruce.

 

You are very welcome Bruce. I am in the same boat you were. My parents are old, but in fairly good health, however there is many things around there home they can no longer do. I gladly take care of it, but my sister does not help out, EVER. She only goes to their house on Thanksgiving and Christmas day. Her loss, I enjoy spending time with mom and dad.

 

Engine man , mine was a lot like your case. My brother always mooched off my parents and followed them every time they moved. He even tried to stop my move up here to Eat T.N. because my dad wouldnt lend him{my brother} money when he was in his right senses. They would strap him down when they went out to buy stuff with his money and had the door knob lock turned around and locked so he couldnt get out if he could get unstrapped .. I saw the lock on the door turned around my self and 1 of the nurses came over unexpectly and found him strapped down. Very sad and hard thing to forgive and forget. Me I have no regrets with my parents. Before my dad moved up he to be with us I would bring my mom flowers every Sunday and My wife and I would go shopping for them. Mom p***ed just before dads move up here. Thanks Bruce.

 

Buddy of mine had the carb off his car rebuilding it on his bench. Another buddy of ours called him and wanted to borrow something from his shop, welder I think. 1st buddy told him just go get it, it was inside the shop door. When he got in from work, his car had been moved to the side yard, away from the shop door. He called up buddy #2 to see if he pushed it over there, and stated no, he DROVE it over there. Said it must have had the choke stuck or something, it wanted to flood real bad then tried to run wide open. 1st buddy ran out to the car, yanked the hood open, the gas line for the dual line was still where he laid it, with the open end pointed down into the intake!

 

Back when I was 17 trs. old me and my buddy earl were working on my 69 nova, 327, 671 blower. I was changing some gaskets on the carbs and asked earl to change the oil. He did a wonderful job, changed the filter, and dumped in the new oil. As he dumped in the last quart, I said ,hey earl, did you drain the old oil out? The look on his face was priceless! Sent him back into town for more oil, and I drained 10 quarts out of my sb.

 

Bruce...... What I enjoyed the most in your story is the '57 Chevy CONVERTIBLE for only $100 bucks.
Talk about being in the right situation at the right time.

 

Guys I will try and remember more OLD car stories without including family matters.I think I have said enough on the family part.Thanks for letting me vent. Back to the old cars now!!!! Thanks Bruce.

 

Hey Bruce, seeing the nose of that 58 Buick brings up an old Buick story of mine. In Oct. 67 I got my drivers license. We had a 58 Buick station wagon and a 63 Buick LeSabre. I didn't have the bucks to put insurance on my 55 Buick yet so on rare oc***ions I got the 58 wagon for a night out. I was at a school dance one night and was getting razzed about driving a big old boat Buick wagon(to make it worse it was pink!) I put up with it as long as I could and told a couple of the wise ***ed guys that i could show them the end of the speedometer if they had the stones. Our HS was out in the country and there was a long straight stretch so off we went. When we got enough of the speedometer red ribbons filled up to 110 they were yelling OK,OK we believe you but I though we still had some road so I went for it, just barely hit the peg and let off as there was a gentle curve at the end of the straight. Somehow we made it around it and I got it slowed down before the brakes faded from the heat. We got back to school and they both were white as bed sheets! Went I went to leave for home I noticed the left front wheel cover was gone, knowing my Dad would see that first thing I back tracked my "race track" for over an hour and finally found it and beat it back on. I had scared those two guys so bad and it got around school pretty quick so I never had to prove how fast that old wagon was again and boy was I glad! Ain't it amazing how many stupid things we got away with and are still here to tell about it?

 

Buckeye buicks . Boy I think we would BOTH like to have that buick station wagon now hu? LOL.Bruce.