Projects 1948 Chevrolet fleetmaster

Damn dude, I read through your Impala build, now this..amazing....I still am trying to understand how the woodgrain is applied. Anyway, I am super jealous of your abilities, seriously....

 

Yep, I thought that once the rivets were gone, it would fall apart, but Nope!
I tried popping mine out with a press and no dice. I'm going to try to press out the individual wheel studs and hope the hub comes out then. I,m only removing the drum because it is badly scored and oversized, and I have a good spare rear drum which SHOULD go on. You might find that the shoes have worn into the drum and wont come off past the "groove" that they have dug into the surface.

 

Why are you removing the drum from the hub? I've always removed them as a unit.

Is this years Chev brakes different than most front drum/hubs?

 

You can remove them as one unit but it's been done many times over the years where the rivets are removed because it makes it easier to check the shoes and replace or turn the drums if needed..

 

If I keep an open mind, I learn something new every day!!! Thanks!

 

The brakes were changed but the drums were never scored by bad shoes so the drums where never replaced . In order to replace the shoes without breaking the rivets, you remove the nut that holds the hub and the drum and hub are removed as one and now you have access the brakes.

 

before you do all that (first time I've heard of someone going thru all of that in order to try and remove a drum) spray some penetrating oil, heavily, around the area where the hub and drum meets and around the area of the wheel studs (and the area where the rivets were).
Let it sit for a few hours or better yet overnight (spraying once more before you hit the sack). Then get a ball peen hammer and hit all around that area and shoe surface of the drum.

 

Oh yeah-like JC said, You DID take the cotter pin and spindle nut off didn't you? That allows you to pop the front bearing out. Good opurtunity to grease them up. Check your grease seals (on the back end of the hub)- They stop bearing grease getting into the brakes, which makes a damn mess and a pig to clean up.
Also makes your brakes not be brakes anymore!
My problem is a bit different- I have the drum off, but It,s bad and has to be replaced. Very difficult to get spares for here, so i have to be creative!

 

I spent a few hours going through this thread last night. Great work dude

 

thanks guys, im really trying here. not show cars but really nice drivers =)

my computer took a shit on me this weekend, till now I got it back up and running again fine. have been working on the car though. ok I figured out the front brakes, you guys telling me it was one unit and comes off from taking the cotter pin and castle nut were right. and actually made it super easy to remove, I wish the back drums were the same. once I took the nut off, it almost fell out on its own and once it was out I was able to swap out he shoes and cylinder just fine. ill post pics when Im done with the brakes the brake shoe return springs were broken and I cant finish the job till they come in the mail. but thanks a lot guys, advise is highly appreciated and is of great value. you guys were right and no you don't touch the rivets

since sunday, you cant tell in the picture but I rebuilt the master cylinder



and took out all the brake and gas lines. they were still really good, are originals so theyre very thick and heavy duty. flushed them out and blew them out





and put them all back in. brakes are all done just need to bleed them and clean and put the gas tank back in and the whole bottom is done mechanically, just need to paint the bottom and frame but ill do that later





so I hooked up all the gas lines, all the vaccum lines, starter linkage, tranny side mounts, brake lines, carburetor, distributor, connected the clutch pedal and column shifter levers and brake pedal to the master cylinder. just drop in the radiator and hook a battery up and its ready to start =) after its running just get some white walls and its ready, for now. I still plan to upholster the trunk really nice and do up the whole bottom like I did the 59. for now I can just vaccum it and wipe down the dash

 

Really good build fella, love the interior I have a '51 styleline and my mate has a '46 fleetmaster and would love to add some wood effect to ours, it's amazing how well it's come out. That kits big bucks tho, or can it be found any cheaper than the link further back in you thread. Good luck with yours you are getting to the finish line now nice to see a true home built rod!!!


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thanks nitrous. there is actually a cheaper way to do the woodgrain. the kit I got just because it does an exact print of butt walnut which is correct for 40s cars. but ive seen other jobs that look just as nice and were done with other methods. one method ive seen is a basecoat like I did, then they used a propane torch set on high where its throwing a lot of carbon and put it to the dash so the carbon is staining the dash. random strokes make a wood pattern. also if youre very very patient, others used a brush and literally painted the woodgrain pattern on grain by grain. it doesn't have to be perfect because woodgrain isn't perfect itself unless youre doing straight grain. you use a brush and you dab and stroke the pattern on. I did it to get into the parts where the roller couldn't get it and it came out almost exact, you cant tell the difference and blended perfectly.

go on youtube and look up painting woodgraining patterns theres a few videos of people doing theyre garage and house doors woodgrain and that works the same as a dash and window frames. its what I was going to do at first but wanted to save some time. ill post pictures later tonight on the other methods ive seen

 

Hey thanks for that, ill check out YouTube tomorrow, I'm so impressed with how yours came out I might end up getting the expensive kit thanks for the insight tho


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it pays for itself after the first job you do for someone else. woodgraining work starts at $1000 out here. then you can woodgrain other stuff im going to do the dash trims on my f150

another step closer, cleaned up the gas tank. took a bunch of bolts



pour this stuff in



fill to top



and sit and wait for an hour



pour the stuff out after, out comes the coffee



leave just a bit of it on the inside and with the bolts in there shake around the tank so they scrape and scratch around in there for about 30 min doing it on all sides and upside down too. then pour it out



all this came out from inside and this is just what didn't wash away, its what puddled on the side



then just fill and flush out with water about 2 more times and that's it for cleaning it out. from here either install or seal with tank cleaner. but now all that gunk wont be going in your fuel lines and your carburetor. let it sit for a day in the sun to get all the water to evaporate out

 

anyone know how the battery tray goes in? I took it out but don't remember how it went in. I know theres a braket broken off but I plan to weld a new one on. but just don't see how it mounts inside the engine bay

 

nothing like a poncho does this help ??http://vintagemotorcarsohio.com/Details_new.php?id=63# go thru the pictures as it shows the engine bay

 

thanks stimpy, got an Idea now where it mounts, thought it was higher. man that's a nice woody =D

 

Here's my battery , the vertical bracket mounts on the chassis rail bracket.

 

another photo, I couldn't work out how to put more than one on at a time!

 

cool, hell yea thanks roadster I see it now! =D I thought that rail was for some panel I lost along the way, was confused because I thought the battery tray rode higher than that and didn't know if it was long ways or across. thanks guys =)

 

Man you're doing such a great job! Inspiring to see what can be done with hard work and dedication!

 

The whole build is great reading but it's so satisfying to see the finished interior.

 

thanks guys and I hope to inspire. I understand now why it would be difficult for most I realize it now. it isn't the tools, I built the car with basic tools, compressor and good but inexpensive gun. only big tool was the sewing machine that was a few 100. and its not the knowledge of knowing how to do it, old cars are really baisic that's why I post pictures to show how its done. same way it comes off and comes apart is the same way it goes back on and back together and I learned on my own, you can too but im giving a guideline and how to.

the real obstacle is the time. im in on this car from start to finish 3 to 4 months. but I put in 8 hours a day, 5 days a week sunday to Thursday. my other job allows me to do that but for the majority of you its not possible. so that's the real obstacle and I see and understand that now. but with help, you could do a lot even quicker, half the time I bet. and if you do 2 to 4 hours a day in the afternoons, you could finish your car in less than a year easy =) thing would just be to stay motivated and keep at it. a bunch of little steps before you know it turns into a huge leap forward. but if you manage your time right, the time issue wont be a problem or road block

 

today I just wrapped up some odds and ends. put the tank back in and hooked up the gas line from the tank to the pump

hooked up the gas pedal to carb link, oil pressure gauge tube and temp gauge tube

hooked up the vaccum advance and connected the pump to carb gas line with filter

and hooked up all the column to tranny shift levers, brake pedal to master cylinder and e brake lever

hooked up the push button starter pedal and starter

all spark plug wires, distributor and coil

getting ready to swap generator to alternator tomorrow when I get my conversion bracket in the mail

and taking this to get hot tanked to clean out some of the grease that's inside the radiator

so after all of that, I just put a battery in and bleed the brakes and it starts up and runs. should be done by Thursday the latest

 

don't think I can get shit done today, waiting on some fucken parts I needed from truck and car shop in orange ca. motherfuckers are only 30 min away from me and I ordered since last wed and still haven't got shit. and they still charge a handling fee like the shit is going out as soon as payment is made. I could have just drove there last wed and had my parts that same day but honestly just ordered over the phone cause theyre clerks are assholes with bad attitudes except for the two younger guys the Mexican and white one theyre cool. the rest take your order and act like yea hurry and pay up and get your ass out of here. classic industries I get my parts in ONE day, and that's theyre standard shipping and the quality there is better but youre going to pay just alittle more. but now I think its worth paying the little extra you get your shit faster and the quality is better. guess you get what you pay for. waiting on my brake shoe return springs so I can bleed my brakes and the generator to alternator conversion bracket. cant do anything till I get them. sorry for going off, I am very patient and don't go off easy but this is bullshit im 30 min away from them

 

got the stuff in finally, can get back to work tomorrow.

have a question guys, im running an original torque tube driveshaft/rear end. is it bad if I cut a really small section out to access the actual driveshaft? is it greased in there or is it dry? I have something im installing that operates by riding on the spinning driveshaft. thanks

 

There's a bushing inside that's installed after the 'ball' part that bolts to the trans (it usually goes bad) and it lets trans gear lube will drain all that way down it to the rear end. If you cut a hole in the tube, it'll sling gear oil all over unless you put an access plate over it and seal it somehow.

The shaft isn't greased per se but the u-joints are by the trans and generally they're messy inside. Its a good idea to fill the ball with 90w as much as you can before bolting it to the trans to make sure the u-joint is lubed up really good. Check to make sure its in decent shape too and you use loctite or those lock tabs on the 4 bolts at the yoke. You don't want those working loose and chewing up your floorboard...or feet

 

thanks for the info monkeyspunk, I had no idea. when you say fill the ball, do you mean the part where the driveshaft connects to the transmission? or the differential gear housing? and 90w is grease or oil? also thanks for the tip on the 4 bolts, when I put them on I thought it wasn't smart how they designed that with only those 4 little bolts holding it all together, but Loctite will work youre right. so the bushing inside the torque tube is sort of a carrier bearing type thing? is it usually replaces or just ignored? I definitely wouldn't cut a hole in it now that's for sure. what I was going to put in was a back up bell that when it spins the other way when its in reverse it rings a loud bell telling you the car is backing up. its 40s 50s original and the bell sounds like a real bell because it is a real bell, like the ones you hear when youd pull up at a gas station back in the day. it mounts on the bolts off the differential cover. the other is a bumper attatchment that has a speedometer type cable from the spinner attatched to the driveshaft. when the car is in drive it spins the accessory on the bumper its a clown face and the nose and eyes spin. its stamped metal ive been told its pre 50s.

day was long, too damn long. spent the whole day running around looking for the right fan/alternator belt. the og one for some reason didn't work, was too small. went to auto zone and ofcourse nothing, the guy asked me what it went on, he never seen one that thick. so I went to napa and they had one that after I took it home it was too long so I had to go back and return it to find they didn't have one smaller than that one but bigger than the one I had. so I had to drive to the napa warehouse where in 5 min the guy pulled out the right one. I don't know why the original didn't work and would be too small, I used the same pulley I sapped out from the generator




but now I got alternator in and snug, no more generator or have to deal with a voltage regulator



got this now if anyone needs it, works fine 12 volt regulator



and I got my brakes all swapped out and re greased. now I just need to bleed the whole system and im done with the whole bottom of the car and the brakes. this makes the job easy





so by tomorrow afternoon my brakes will be bled and adjusted. all that's left Is have the radiator cleaned out, drop in the battery and its ready to start and drive



almost there, very very close. after i drive it the first time, ill spend the next day finishing up rewiring the dash and lights and the car is completely done, no more working on it its done the way i wanted it to be. and after driving it a few weeks ill go back and do the bottom of the car with undercoating and paint the frame but for now ill drive it as is. so its really almost completely done, what it needs is done in only 1 day =)

 

and sadly I will not be making it to the route 66 reunion in Ontario. I will have the car running, but no way am I taking it on those wheels ill get laughed at. car will test drive on those wheels but not be shown till I get whitewalls on it in about 2 weeks. it sucks, my goal was to take it there but got caught up in getting it to run and finish the inside I completely forgot I didn't have wheels for it =/

 

Sure thing, backup accessory sounds kinda cool, sorry it won't work. Maybe if you swap an open driveline & newer rear end someday? But this one sounds like it'll do for a while.

As for filling the 'ball' yes, the front part where it connects to the trans. It'll help with lubing up the u-joint and driveline. They reproduce the locks for them, but Loctite would be just fine. Filling it is messy, and you'll likely need these gaskets when you reassemble it all to prevent any major leaks. even with them though, it'll still dribble! Inside, they call it the "oakie bushing" and it comes with a seal and its a pain to install from what I hear.

I just left mine and watch the fluid level on the trans & rear end every so often and top it off before I drive a long distance. The trans drains back & then the rear end fills up with excess gear oil over time because of the bad bushing, so I drain the pumpkin's excess out and top off the trans again. Its a cycle I guess cause I'm cheap. But its better to do that then let the rear get too full and squeeze gear lube out the axle tubes and onto the brakes. Its worked fine for me over two seasons so I can't complain. Dropping the torque tube & axle sucks and I don't want to mess with that now since its working.

Car's coming together. Are you going with OEM wheels and whitewalls or something different? Still running the 6 lugs?

Keep the faith. This is the home stretch, my friend.