As some of you know, I've been involved in building a monster 455 olds for my late model daily. Well living in an apartment doesn't make that very easy to put together or install. Enter Tom Peterson, aka Tomcat46 here on the HAMB. Since we both live in SLC, we've become friends due to the HAMB so when I was trying to figure out how to get everything together and in, he offered me his driveway. We got everything over there last Sunday evening (9 days ago) in pieces. I hadn't even put the shortblock together. The plan was to get it together and then in last Wed and Thurs which were my days off. We ***embled the thing while I wasn't working and had nearly every problem imaginable. Tom stayed cool and understanding throughout. I broke a head bold and wasted an entire day on that and the next day got ruined by a lifter not going into place right and having to carefully remove a tiny protrusion in the bore. Then the exhaust didn't line up like it should have and several adapters, clamps and a couple pieces of flex hose made it happen. Everything got together on Sun (finally) and then it was time to ****on up the top end and fire the ***** up. Still Tom was completely understanding and amazingly didn't seem upset with me at all...true stand up guy!! Yesterday before work it was time to fire. My old starter wouldn't turn the moster engine (around 10.7:1 comp) so I got one from work and left early today to take care of it all since the weather was looking to turn ugly. After installing and shimming the starter it still was having a hard time cranking so in went a new battery. Started cranking quite nicely. After fiddling with the dizzy we brought the beast to life and 14 min into the cam break in, the overflow burst. seems the old radiator wasn't up to the high volume water pump and all the sludge got in the way of circulation. Went back to work and got a new rad, overflow, thermostat (just in case that was the issue) and got it all back together. Fired the beast again and ran it for another 12 min for the break in, drained the oil and replaced it and now the moster is ALIVE!! 9 days, countless hours of help from both Tom and his son Dylan and SEVERAL packs of cigarettes along with the head scratching, tool throwing, obscenity spewing, tantrums and everything else that goes with putting an engine in a hole it was never meant to go in. All this totals up to an invaluable sense of personal debt to that man. Tom, I know I've said it a trillion times...THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!! Ladies and Gents, THAT is the kind of man that we need more of in this world. Tom is the real deal. I love that there are so many of you on this site that live along the same lines as he does as well. I know I strive to be such a person and can only hope that I do HALF as good a job as Tom. Tom, I never could have done it without you Everyone stand up and honor this man.
Well ah, shucks golly gee, I don't know what to say except you're welcome. I had fun and Dylan learned alot. Glad to hear that BEAST made it home OK. I'm sure all of my neighbors were glad to hear you leave. Now get that old 307 out of my driveway! Tom
Mmmmmmmmmmmm, big fat Olds motor. Sounds like free pizza and beer for awhile. We need more stand up people , dudes and dudettes, around this big rock.
Oh man, sounds like Tom just likes Oldsmobiles, or at least engines. I hope I don't run into that many troubles when it is finally time to fire up the 455 in my '46! Although the starter, radiator, almost all the accessories are new, still.......you never know.
Here is the car your Olds 455 should go in. I can wait to start her up. I was going to go with a SBC in my 1931 5 window Olds delux coupe until I found a newely rebuilt 455 Olds big block.
Good on both you guys, Tom for being they guy he is, and you for being they guy somebody would do that for... But there is another way to make a friend for life. Be the only guy that sees him involved in marital relations with a sheep, I guarantee you he'll do ANYTHING you ask him to. . Well it's true!
Damn, maybe you're right . As evidence, check out this thread. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=210793 Tom p.s. the GMBs taught me that Baaaah means NO!
Skajaquada has helped me out alot in the new parts department this past week, He's a real standup guy and watch out for that caddy engine he's building.
THat`s why I love going home on vacation. My Dad and his buddies are the best bunch of knuckleheads you could ever meet. They will drop what they are doing just to help fix your car. Hell I took them all to dinner and had to threaten thier lives just to pay the check because they weren`t having it. Great guys that `s for sure
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