Yesterday and today I have been steadily working on a bunch of smalls. I wired up most of the left bank of switches and installed them under the dash. Once installed, I started checking some circuits and it was pretty cool seeing things functioning. With the electrical under the seat, I put some juice to the keyed circuits and I checked the interior lights, the fuel pump turned on, and then I realized that there was a whirring noise - turns out the heater fan switch was on and it was working, the switch to change from heat to defrost was on and one o-head light. I checked everything else and the entire upper console was functioning. I have to tell you I felt pretty good about that. I got a call later in the day from Greg who did my pinstriping and said he looked at the pics of what he had done and realized he did not put in the headlight bar and V8 insignia on both the door renderings of my roadster. He came over this morning and did that, we took the ****** off my workbench and got it on the dolly and he pinstriped the center of the 62 Impala wheel I am using. It’s simple - I’ll get a pic out tomorrow. Today I wired up the decoder for the gear selector display and found a place to mount it but that is still in the works. Sorry for no pics but there wasn’t anything really picture worthy. I am just happy stuff is getting done and I am moving forward .....
Forgot one thing from yesterday - mounted the rear front fender brackets .... I finished up the mounting of the gear selector decoder box. You have to set the gear selector and that requires pressing a small ****on on the decoder so I had to make it fairly easy to remove. I did not realize that fact initially and drilled holes to mount it to the firewall like a dope. So, I used those two holes and mounted a piece of oak and screwed the decoder to it. Should only take a minute to remove it .... Next up was the heater defroster hose connection. It’s getting crowded under the dash and I must admit I did not plan out how exactly to hook the larger, stock defroster hose with the smaller heater hose. Fortunately, the heater hose slipped inside the defroster hose so I was golden - dumb luck again! . A few clamps, a little work (that took awhile!), and it was done ... I have to order some handles - I can only find two of what were on it. I will test everything again tomorrow. The driver door is now complete. I repaired the felt strips and had to reinstall the outer horizontal strip but it’s done. I installed the panel and handles ..... I will not be installing any additional upholstery on the door. If memory serves me, your knee leans against that portion of the door (well, mine does!) and this will provide a little bit of comfort. I hope to find some stainless screws to replace the ones in the pic. One final thing - I am using a 62 Impala wheel a reminder of my 62 Impala I converted from a 6/auto to a QB block 409/409, stock to the bone including the correct carbs, dual exhaust, 4-spd, and floor shifter plate Anyway, the center ****on has the Chevy Impala insignia on it so I changed it to make reference to what will be in this vehicle for power with a little help from Greg the pinstriper ..... Big difference from the 409! Lol! I continue to chip away at the punch list ......
Not much garage time available today but got something done. Started working out my sun visors. I had a pair from a mid 70s Cutl*** or Monte Carlo that I stripped off the material and padding from seeing what I could use and I ended up cutting the board to match the new vision ... The visor frames I bought for the truck are from a 32 Ford 3-window coupe. I picked these because the truck’s original visor holes had been covered up and I wanted a visor without the spring which would require a large hole. I also wanted two mount points. So the old visors also had that metal piece and thought I could use it but the rod on the new ones were smaller and would have had too much play. In lieu of anything better, I had the red tape you see which I have used in the past and is really tough. I will pad what you see and upholster the front side first with vinyl, then make a vinyl panel for the back side and glue it on and perhaps add Chicago rivets if need be. The visor mounting is simple - two holes on either end that I will need to drill and tap. As for a rear view mirror, I will use a 40 coupe unit and mount it just like the coupe. It will not interfere with the visors. I hope to hear from my engine guy this week ..... fingers crossed ......
While I wait for some parts for some other smalls I am working on, I decided to tackle the p***enger door gl*** install. Normally a two person job, I decided I needed a pair to f magic hands just like Forest Gump’s magic legs. I made a stand for the door gl*** frame beside the door that would place the upper edge low enough to facilitate installing the felt strip brackets. They are a real pain, especially with the side window gl*** right there ..... Thank nice I had the vertical strips in, I slipped the gl*** in and sat it on my stands. I have the outer felt strip installed abd I will work on the two inner pieces tomorrow. I put the little clips on the felting after marking their location, popping them into the holes with whatever little wedges, wood, screwdrivers, etc. It was a short day but a productive one ....
The p***enger door gl*** install is done - all the felt strips were put on and I was able to raise the gl*** in the two vertical channels and have it stay. I removed my wood supports and installed the window riser ...... Unfortunately that was all the time I had today but I am as able to cross off one more punch list item .....
For those who might want a blow by blow, here it is and use the above pics as a reference .... I just completed the p***enger door and I was able to do it all on my own - here’s the step by step: 1- install the vertical channels 2- make some of my “stands” to hold the gl*** just under the top of the door to allow felt strip installation. I drilled holes I the door to hold them in place (check pic) 3- tape up the top of the doopr and slide the door gl*** into the door with the front edge of the gl*** pointing down 4- rotate the gl*** so it’s in the felt channels and in it’s normal horizontal position resting on the door gl*** stand(s) 5- install the horizontal felt strips and upper door gl*** channel surround 6- I lined up each felt strip and marked where the clips go and I installed the clips first then popped them into their respective clip holes 7- Once done I pushed the gl*** up and the vertical channels provide enough tension to hold the gl*** in place 8- I rotated the riser bracket to about 3/4 fully open position and slipped it into the door 9- I popped the arms into the left and right channels 10- I lifted the window by hand, gently getting the riser into it’s position 11- I installed the five screw bolts but kept them loose 12- I checked window travel, making adjustments with only two bolts tightened until it all worked smoothly 13- tightened all the screw bolts Once the stands were installed it took about 2 hours taking my time
I had some things to do in Richmond today so I took the coupe out for some exercise! When I got back around 2:30, I checked all my circuits today - all of those that would work at this point. So far so good but I have to check on the wiper switch ground - I do not remember hooking that up as it was a non-op. I am also waiting on this little screws that hold the upper door channel in place but I noticed a new area where the fabric had pulled away. Out came the glue and clothes pins .... With most everything else in abeyance, and since I had the clothespins out (Lol!), I started putting fender welting on the driver running board where it comes in contact to the front fender ... Around 5PM my 33-34 phaeton door handles came in but I had stuff to do and could not try them out. Tomorrow is another day ....
So the 33-34 phaeton outside locking door handles worked great - I had to modify the shaft to match the original door handle shafts. I had to cut the shaft down and for the p***enger door, ground in the indentations found it n the original handle. For the driver side I just sliced in the end of the stock shaft being careful the cut out portio was in the same location as the stock one. Both methods worked out great .... Sorry but the pics I took were videos and I cannot attach them here as far as I know. They are iPhone videos. Once I find out how to use one frame of the video as a pic, I will post it. The locks work great and I plugged the stock p***enger door lock hole with the lock I was going to use. I do deed a bullet with this save ..... As for the wipers not working, I did not ground it. Once it was, it worked great with a variable intermittent mode and 3 set speeds. Small steps as of late but happy to accomplish what I did.
Hey, thanks fellas - I rather like the look myself. To be truthful, I was just happy to have so etching go right with the whole handle/lock situation. If it didn’t go well it was on to an unknown Plan C! Maybe a fence gate latch with a padlock? Lol!
Cleaned up the shop today and got the short ends of the running boards with fender welting. That was it - nothing picture worthy. But let me ask y’all a question ..... I am running a/c and I have a thermostatically controlled fan. The engine fan is small- 13” - due to clearance issues so running the fan will have to be mandatory I am thinking. Now with this fan kit you have an option of being able to overide the fan sensor by turning on the fan when you turn on the a/c OR with a manual switch. If it were me driving it mostly I would install the manual switch. But, since the wife will be driving this I am leaning towards the a/c option and adjust the sensor more towards say 175 for it to turn on. Your thoughts?
With that 4.3 engine, I would run a 180 thermostat, otherwise you won't get sufficient heat in cooler weather, even in VA. That said, with no AC operating, fan on at 205 and off at 190 is a good operating range. Using the trinary switch, the fan would come on whenever the compressor is running. Some would disagree with these opinions, but I feel this is a good starting point. Hope this helps.
Thank you for your thoughts - I appreciate it. I have a 180 thermo in it but it is a high performance engine and that was why I asked for input - again, thanks Phil!
I have my SBC set up with a 180 t-stat and tried having the fan come on with the a/c but disconnected it and let the fan controller take care of turning it on and off. The reason is I didn't want the fan running when the engine is cold and doesn't need it. Also, I have the fan controller turn it on at 205 and off at 190 because when I'm running at speed it doesn't need the fan, the temp stays around 190-195 on a hot day. I think a 180 t-stat will work just fine where you live. Rich
My rod is like RAK described above. The fan goes on/off based on coolant temp. It doesn't care if AC is on or off. I want fan to run as little as possible, even though it is a quality brand. In practice, the fan rarely turns on except when I'm at a stop light on a hot and/or high humid day.
Ok - I may switch and run a switch. If the thermo is set right I should not have any problems as it will go on when it’s supposed to. Thank you, Gents for you input ..... So I had a honey do project to take of and my only progress was to touch up the p***enger door screws. That door was empty when it was painted (the cab side of it) 12+ years and the screws to hold in the door latch were old. So that’s done. Btw, the little screws to hold up the felt channel in the upper part of the door were so much of a pain in the backside I just put weatherstrip adhesive in the taps where those screws would screw into, installed the felt channel and rolled up the window - it looks great. If and when it has to come out I will deal with it then. Got the visor mirror I ordered and I will get back on the visor upholstery starting tomorrow. The mirror is similar to the clip on one my Mom made my Dad get for her for our ‘58 4-door Belair right around 1959 - funny the things you remember when you now spend half the day looking for parts or tools you laid down and can’t find 2 minutes later!
Been working on a few things but first some pics from the completed p***enger door gl*** install .... The window felting ended up looking pretty good - it came together nicely and I am happy with it. I touched up the door latch screws as well as they were raw from wherever they came from. I got my vanity mirror in and completed the upholstery of the visors. Not a professional job by any means but they are decent ... I wrapped them in the ceiling material foam, double layering the p***enger side so the mirror clips would have something to hold on to. I wrapped the “up side” first, leaving whatever cuts and stuff for the “down side”. For the p***enger side, I just made up two end panels to hide things. I just folded over and taped things together then spray glued them in place. For the driver side I made a full panel for it. Again, just a little detail for the wife - I will install them once I know where the 40 Ford rear view mirror is located so it’s not blocked when the visor is down. Next up are the side view mirrors - I am going to use the chromed curved hinge pin 40 Ford car ones for the p***enger cars. The hinge height is shorter on the truck vs the car but I have an idea for that ....
The mirrors worked out pretty well today. Since the car hinges are taller than the truck, I needed to fill the gap left open - all I had around that fit the diameter of the pin with little or no slip was some brake line that fit the bill. I first tried this on the bottom of the hinge but things were too loose and the pin, when fully installed, did not keep the mirror tight to the hinge. I moved it to the top and things were a lot better .... When the door opened the mirror would rotate and not stay home. I needed a way to fix it to a certain position on the hinge. You can see the driver hinge has a threaded hole to accept a set pin but it would not line up with the hole in the hinge and the p***enger door upper hinge had no such hole. However hole in the mirror bracket is just drilled, not tapped. I tapped the hole with a 1/4x28 tap and used a set screw to hold it in place .... This worked out great and I can tuck the mirror arms to be inside the running boards. Once the seat is in I will set the mirrors when running with or without the camper ... I have all ready primer sealed the brake line shims and I will touch them up with paint when I paint the front fenders ....
Sorry for not posting - been working on other things but I hope to be back “on the job” come Monday ....
Well, it has been awhile - a seemingly small project at the house morphed into a huge one that has finally been sorted. I did intersperse working on the little camper by replacing the electric brakes, greased the bearings, working on removing the anode rod out of the hot water heater, but that’s about it. Yesterday was the first day I did anything on the truck and that was to trial fit the bias ply ww’s on the back with the hubcaps I intend to use when running them ... The rear fender is askew but it will get better once the running board is installed but I like the look. As for the radials and powder coated rims I have had on it, I have decided to sell them and opt for rims that can accept the 40 Ford center cap and the rims will be painted satin black. In the shuffling around of things I will also change the rim color on my coupe .... ... and in doing so all three of my cars will be running something different as a wheel/tire/rim color combo. The wide whites and full hubcaps can also fit on my coupe but I am not sure if I would actually do that but you never know. Today I will bench bleed the mc and hopefully the entire brake system checking for leaks and such. I have a new vacuum bleeder I am going to use which I have never done before. We will see how that works out. As for my motor, the shop owner and principle engine guy’s wife is not doing well which has required him to be out of the shop for the last week or more. So, in order to move forward, with the weather breaking, I will finish the brakes, finish the body work and paint the fenders, and retrieve my exhaust manifolds and motor mounts from the engine shop to install another 4.3 I have to finish the exhaust and park brake. More work for me but at least I am moving forward while praying for the best for my buddy’s wife ....
Got the mc bench bled and I just finished bleeding the brakes but still checking for any leaks. Once the car is running I will bleed them again. The piston fell out of the vacuum gun bleeder so I just used a bottle, tube within, added brake fluid to it and just cracked open the bleeders starting with the p***enger rear. Worked out pretty well but I will find out more when I bleed them once more before taking it for a test drive. Been painting rims, mounting tires, cleaning up the rest of the hubcaps (they were pretty grungy after hanging around since 1999 and three moves!), will do a quickie shop cleanup before starting back working on the front fenders. More to come later ....
Couple catch up items - to access and fill the mc when bleeding the brakes from underneath, I initially had a had pump directly into the large brake fluid bottle. This proved not to work very well . My buddy Gabby here on the HAMB gave me this little squirt bottle which worked out much better .... It shoots out a fine stream which does not fill the bowl all that quickly but you also do not end up spilling and wearing the brake fluid during g the process. I also mentioned painting rims ..... These are the rear wide whites, one was pictured previously with the hub a hubcap, now sporting a new rim that will wear that cap. This is just epoxy metal primer with a satin clear coat and fairly close to the truck color. Tomorrow new coupe front tires will be mounted to their new rims, and the rear truck tires mounted to their now newly black painted rims. Heard from the engine shop - they were looking for intake gaskets to mount the newly cleaned intake. It will be going on the run stand soon. The principle owner/operator of this shop has had his life turned upside down starting last year when his son p***ed away and his wife is now in rehab from a stroke. He has had some real heart wrenching hits and is one of the good guys .... my heart goes out to him ....
Simple and it just suits the truck to me .... Hope to have the coupe’s new rim color all done tomorrow. Been masking off the rear tires for their paint job .....
So all my rims are painted. For the two back coupe rims I masked them off- I had a hard time getting them to seal when they were put on and they are good now. I just did not want to disturb them ..... At first I tried to “cut in” the outer lip of the rim with an artist brush but my hand wasn’t steady enough so I taped. I could never be a pinstriper I can tell you that. I picked up a Snap-On balancing machine that I just need a power cord for. I have looked all over but the cord has a transformer in it to reduce the voltage for the electrics. I anyone can give me a source for one, I would appreciate it. Here is the cord end coming out of the unit .... Once I have that cord I can balance everything. Off to see the grands now and the weather is fantastic - it’s gonna be a great day all around ...
The Jalopy Journal
