Workin on a lot of details to get Donna back on the road, this time with a borrowed Olds350/400 tranny with an altered cab-frame setup. started mockin the front wrap back up yesterday to make sure it'll all fit on this 'new' set up, psyched to find the 65 TBird fan I powdercoated coupla years ago will fit with this setup (no room last time, between its 390 and the radiator, had to rock a flexi fan). Waitin on someone comin up to buy parts truck's tires before heading back down to the shop for more. Gettin the shifter cable today, install it and the new gas pedal/throt cable before bringing the drivetrain out for final front end work. Just to see the face begin to come together again - even just as a mock up - was a lot of fuel for the spirit, before headin back to fabbin brackets. Workin on a plan to integrate a 55 Chrysler grille into the lower part of Donna's grille (hangin back there on the shelf).
Got some early radials on it, just til I found even better ones. But reminded of how I messed up coupla years ago getting one rim a lil wider than the other and not realizing it til after I'd prepped & powdercoated them, now one of them is a massively tight fit and needs to be dealt with. The air tank I got from a co-worker, it sits so easily in the back, the bracketry just works itself easily with that one. Wish everything else worked out that easily, I'd be a helluva lot further along.
Workin in the front, this past week, finishing the mockup. I 'blasted and powdercoated the core support, fan and rad. brackets a few years ago, and it's then-drivetrain wouldnt allow room for the fan and brackets. Had to rock a Flexlite and then drill & mate the rad straight to the core support. Not very cool. Now have room, mated the TBird fan to an Olds-mill loaner, even have room for them brackets. Just need to mount the rad 4" lower on the core support (GM motor sits in GM front end much lower than Ford motor did on shitty tower mounts). Also fabbed a shifter mount to finally replace the Mustang II shifter with a cool Hurst style. But hate the 2" gap even with the boot. Trying to figure out old radio/amp speaker box-mount (looking for a Schure mic for the handle). Fab after fab. geeze.
When yer working alone, zip ties, stands n blocks rock. Just remember to snip off and actually replace the zip ties before you get to the show... (Paid for by Friends of zip ties, stands n blocks).
Also fitted a 55 F100 heater core Rat Pink gave me for my birthday a coupla years ago. Will work out fine as long as yer willing to drill new holes in the firewall. Box to be painted a matching orange, back piece to be black.
Some of that stuff you do til other help or money/parts on the to-do list. While out doin deliveries, a paint shop I deliver to had a truck loaded for a scrap run, including a pair of scrapped headers. I knew I could at least use the bends. Turns out he had a big box of extra header kit bends, he was more than happy to help me with. Organizing it later, I came across a pair of sideout pipes. I then realized I could make my own lakepipes (I ordered some from Speedway in Spring, but they were too long, I sent them back for other needed project money, but for some of us when ya gonna have lake pipe dough in time for yer season deadlines?). Later today I'll be layin it out, see how much more I need. Timeline's tight, too much to do, today, this week, this month. Good thing I'm not hungover from yesterday.
Going through the C-notch right now, my man Big Bri did some masterful weld work on pipe that fit so perfectly into the frame, there was minimal air gap. Great beads. If only the shop's fuse panel could withstand it more. Cut the first side out last night, managed to not run out of cutting discs til it was done (no acetlyne/oxy for the torch avail yet). Cut patterns to box the frame on either side of the bend. On to the drivers-side.
UM? I do not know about that notch. There isn't much frame left above the pipe. If I were you, I would do a small step notch and then redo this " notch. " That just isn't strong.
The "notch" is reinforced with the boxing the frame, we're installing a panhard this week. More to come.
Hey buddy you disappeared off the face of the earth. How ya been? I know you've been posting I just haven't seen them right? Looks like the truck is moving in the right direction.
Probably not reinforced enough; since you removed all the metal from the vertical plane of the frame.
Agreed on the c-notch; there doesn't appear to be enough meat left to resist the bending moment that will be created by the suspension (leaf springs). If you were using a coil spring ahead of the notch, it would probably be ok. But with a leaf spring suspension, that area above the C will see tons of stress and could likely fail. I'd reinforce it somehow. Just my $0.02.
Hey Tim! I haven't been around here much these days, but nice to see your truck. You gonna make it to Fortuna this weekend? Hope to see you there! Jim
The notch isn't supposed to be any deeper than half of the frame rail. Boxing should be done at least 6" on either side, but the way it is it still won't be strong enough.
Anybody ever considered using a early Ford transverse rear spring behind the differential in a pickup truck??? That should get it down low...
Alright, time to get caught up here... after much suggestion, I've been making caps to strengthen that rear notch, will sandwich the bag mount in between it and the frame...
Also been working on the housing for my air valves, got my father-in-law and stepson in his shop last weekend drilling in its 'floorboard', making a notch in the floor to allow for air exhaust. Some of this week's lunch breaks involved making the air valve brackets. My daily driver's been disabled this week, so I made sure to lug the project-in-a-box around as I carpooled with my wife, keep the progress going. Materials? Thank you neighborhood build site! Got lotsa great old thrown out panel-lights scrap off them...
That scrap's also been going towards brackets I've been making for a lower grille I'm fitting into the 57's stock grille. Thankfully, I have a 'scrap' grille from a parts truck to practice and mold with, before working with the chrome one...
cleaning out the tons of photos in the phone, still unable to find what I was looking for, but it's a reminder of others' different projects I've been busy with, last year. I guess notch this as a random Saturday Morning Catch-Up, on the heels of firin' up the Olds motor, after setting it in twice, making radiator sub-brackets 3 times to get it right (to lower the rad, as the motor sits lower than stock, in the 57's Camaro clip), creating a Frankenstein'ed radiator hose situation, just to get it rollin to a different shop for bent-tubes to be made. Among things on the list.
One of the coolest things this year was getting the inner fenders and core support back on, really get a 'face' back on 'er.
The Jalopy Journal
