Technical What are you working on?

The stock car I purchased had a fault in steering lower shaft . The double u-joint had no support at either end on shaft causing the joint to flop over on itself when turned . So I made two supports on either ends and problem solved , steering now turns smoothly. The duct tape is to keep dirt out of shaft ends .

 

Installed the pistons back in the rocket installed the solid roller from Ross.

 

Been busy with other projects, life and work. Decided to take this nice weekend to do some work on my 51 ford. It's been sitting idly by in the corner of the shop for the better part of a year and a half. Had some cracking coming through in the quarters and I've planned on stripping it down anyway. No surprise was more than I thought was going to be there.

 

Productive day, I THINK.
When I moved about a year and half ago to my new place, one of the guys helping me move decided to pick my Merc transmission up and load it on the trailer alone. The torque converter dropped off and hit the floor bending and boogering one of the flex plate mounting studs.
I chased the threads, that went ok. Then put a nut on the stud and tried to bend it straight using an offset box end wrench. That would just flex the wrench.
Plan B, take a 1/2” extension and a couple pound sledgehammer to knock it straight. It worked, but really had to wail on it. I took about half the bend out until it would fit the flex plate. Worried I’d damage the front pump or something if the kept at it. We’ll see….

 

I doubt you'll hurt the pump, the pilot on the front of the converter locates the converter in the crank, so the studs are just along for the ride.

 

Oh, I should have mentioned I was wailing on it with the converter on the transmission. Kept moving around trying to bend it and knock it straight on the bench or floor.

 

oh...hmmm....

 

Got a ways to go, but here's more progress on the oil to air filtration upgrade:

 

Hmm? Seems the 57 was a late build.

 

It has been about 35 years since I have built a Torqueflight but here we are. I serviced my parts washer and was totally surprised at the current price of mineral spirits.

 

Master cylinder and pedal install:

 

Yesterday's project to weld up the cage in Jeff and John Hager's 33 Chevy Stock car/Hot Rod project.

The body is an old Middletown (Orange County Fairgrounds) Speedway (NY) car. The chassis and cage are built by the Hagers the frame is a 49-54 Chevy which were the hot ticket for oval track racing from the early 1960s until the early 1970s.



Luckily John brought some vintage how to for me to study.


Photos by John Hager and myself.

 

pulled my 54 IH out of it's shed for pics, soon to be for sale in classifieds...

 

The project I am working on these days is preparing my mother's house for sale. She has moved into an assisted care facility and will not be going back to her home, dad passed away 10 years ago. She has lived in that house her and Dad built, for 56 years. There is a lot of stuff to sort out before it will be ready to be sold. I have 2 sisters, the one locally is helping, the other is in Texas and can't get here until May. Mom is on a self pay at the assisted care facility so the proceeds of the sale of her house will go for that. The way the system works is when her money is gone, Medicate and most of her SS check will foot the bill at that care facility until she passes.
We have been plugging away on this project since March 1st, when Mom decided to sell her home. Getting to that position was difficult. Things are intensifying now that we have gotten past Easter. Fortunately, the house itself is in great condition. We believe we can have it on the market by mid May.

I'd rather be working on hot rods.

 

It's hard to put a "like" on this, but I wish you the best.

 

I've been preparing, routing and securing battery cables, a transmission cooler and lines, painting a few body parts and generally getting things ready to install the engine, hook it up to the transmission, plumb the cooling system and fuel supply and wire it up just enough to run in the engine sometime before June 6, the 50th anniversary of the day I bought my '29 Model AA. Slow going, especially when I can't seem to get the right fittings for brake lines, trans cooler barbs or double flare brake and cooler lines. I entertain grotesque fantasies of meeting up with the asshole who invented those cheap tubing flaring tube kits that just don't work worth a damn.
I took photos but can't figure out how to transfer them to my computer now. Nothing you haven't seen before, but without pictures, it didn't happen, right?

 

That is how life works. Sometimes its a ball of fun, other times its not. I have two sisters and the three of us are all in lock step on the process we are going through with Mom. We will get through this just fine.

I believe we have to have those hard times so we know how good the good times really are. Without hard times, we would have nothing to compare the good times to.

The wider the distance between the hard times and the good times is, the better our perspective becomes.

The better our perspective is, the better we are at controlling our emotions.
Our emotions are about the only thing we really have any control over in this life.

 

@gene-koning Hang in there Gene. We've all got to do those heartbreaking things life throws at us. When that work is over, the garage will still be there waiting for you. Good luck & hope it goes as well as it can. - Dave

 

My neighbor & friend milling an adapter bracket for the TV cable on our Elco. Trying to get it ready for Round up.
Then cleaning all the stuff I dont need off this Model A frame while its nice oustide.

 

Finally! Engine IN car.
Cam break in later in the week. I’m swamped with work outside of my shop lately.
Sure is nice having kids interested in cars. My 16 year old did 90% of the on the ground work like motor mounts, starter, trans cross member, ect. Saves my old back.

 

Dyno time !
I uploaded a video of the transmission my son rebuilt at school for the Henry J, kid did good.

 

Today I woke up the t-bucket from it's winter slumber, all systems a go



Then I started clearancing the lower fender sections on the Henry J, since I switched to big block and moved the engine back another couple of inches they interfere with the collector.



I decided to replace the skull hole fillers on the 41



With a pair that light up, I'm going to wire them into the line lock button

 

Last week was get it done so 57 would get out and about for Granddaughters invite to the prom. However she declined because boyfriend had another vehicle in mind.


Today I reworked adjuster bracket as well as remove old charging system wiring from loom and replace with new wires. Much better.

 

I just spent close to four days assembling a Neway valve seat cutter. Had to set up to grind the carbide inserts to allow for the small dia seats needed. Bitch to adjust but longer story short I got it to where I was satisfied, ready for test cut yesterday, was late so figured I'd do it today.. Today I can't find the f'in thing to test it..

 

I had a 10 second brain fart and just before bed remembered where I had it last. Today I was out with the dog and now I can't find my eye glasses.

 

Wife found glasses, guess I'll keep her around for another 30 years!

 

Little Truckdoctor and I started working on our 1950 3100. It’s going to Bowling Green in June, and other than maybe 2 trips a summer into town (9 miles one way), it hasn’t been driven regularly in 20? years. This fall, it’s getting a 230 or 350 (not sure yet) and a fully synchronized Muncie? Saginaw? (SM326) three speed. Little Truckdoctor really wants to keep it a 3 on the Tree, I get that, but it will be tough to install a small block with 3 on the Tree. I suspect he wants to show off his 3 on the Tree skills at high school. Anyway, the truck needed a battery and I’m not buying another 6 volt battery just for the summer, so we are working on the 12 volt conversion. Dad and I rewired Old Blue when I was 14/15 with a kit Dad bought at JC Whitney. As I look at it with a journeyman truck Technician’s eyes (who works on electrical systems and computer diagnostics everyday), I’m really impressed with the old JC Whitney kit. What scares the shit outta me is how badly I routed the wiring and the poor connections. Do you guys ever go back and work on stuff you did years ago and think, what was I thinking/doing??

 

YES! I can’t believe some of the work I did 30-40 years ago now. Buying back a car I built 33 years ago is a reminder of that lately.

 

30 years hell I've gotten better just over the last ten years. I care more now.

 

I wired my Fargo the first time thirty years ago, how everything worked is beyond me. When I pulled the motor out of the valiant I drove to high school I discovered that apparently 16 year old me felt two bellhousing bolts were sufficient.