I have just another small update; the holidays and business travel have kept me busy. I installed the fuel filler neck and sending unit. I finished installing the AC and heater lines and ran the evaporator drain. And I worked a bit more on my oil canister turned MC fluid reservoir Here's a repeat picture of where the canister will be mounted. First thing I did was weld two pieces of metal from the sides to the center tube. Then I cut the center tube as shown below. As you all know, there is a small orifice in the tube for oil to flow through once it has been filtered, however the hole is usually pretty high on the tube and since I'm not trying to filter the brake fluid I cut the center tube so that I don't have to fill the entire canister up with brake fluid. To cut the center tube you'll need a flexible attachment for a dremel. I used the black abrasive disc to cut the tube and then switched to a tapered stone to deburr the bottom of the center tube where I cut it. I'll post more picture of the repurposed canister when I finish it, but the gist of the rest of it is as follow: - The hole on the bottom of the canister will feed (through a tube) the MC brake fluid. A few posts ago I posted a link where you can buy prefabbed MC tops for the common Chevy or Ford master cylinders. I'll have to fab a MC top for mine. - The "Inlet" hole on the side of the canister becomes the vent. On my buddy's F1 I ran a tube from the inlet port under the cab but it doesn't connect to anything. I imagine some of you may cry foul on the open vent because we all know brake fluid absorbs moister. However, I'm using silicon brake fluid (which has its own quirks - I've read a lot of posts concerning silicon vs regular brake fluid) which doesn't absorb moister. My buddy's brakes work great. Here are a couple of pictures of his set up. Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. I welcome any feedback - good or bad - for the setup. David
Thanks for the added details on the brake fluid reservoir, HiVolt. I had considered cutting a larger hole at the bottom of the tube, but thought that might weaken the tube and make for a riskier lid seal. I'll do the same as you, welding supports high on the tube, then cutting it off low. Winter is here now, too cold for time in the garage, so I'll wait for warmer weather and a re-fill on my shielding gas bottle before making the mods.
Hi,HiVolt.Like the remote MC filler Looks great.Please keep the updates coming. Good luck.Have fun.Be safe. Leo
Thanks guys. It's always fun sharing and receiving ideas on how to accomplish tasks on these pieces of history. Hopefully updates will come more frequently after the holidays. After I paint the canister and get it mounted I'll be working on the wiring.
I really like the detail and creativity going into your truck Dave. Shouldn't be too much longer till its on the road huh?
thank you Eli. As for getting it back on the road, if feels so close yet there's still so much to do but I'm plugging away at it.
This is true, Florida doesn't get too cold so it is possible to work on and drive these classics all year long.
Great work and inspiration to me. Hopefully my 52 will be done this spring. Keep posting thanks for sharing
Please be sure to post pictures of your truck when you're done. I'd love to see another one cruising down the street.
Well, here' another small update. I have the oil canister all painted and installed. I think it turned out pretty good. I just need to run the lines to hook it to the MC. I needed to get this canister mounted so that I can finish up the carpet on the firewall and then on to making a plate to mount all of the wiring stuff. I have a couple of ideas to mount the wiring components but I need to get some metal to attach everything too. More to follow!
X2 Just has the right look, of course. Did you get some Fram decals, or carefully paint around the originals, or what? This is just another great example of making sure each detail is spot on.
Thanks Johnnoy and Osage. I bought the decal kit from Ecklers. Unfortunately the shipping cost me more than the decals themselves. Such is life. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
A couple more items checked off the list. Choke cable routed through firewall and connected. Cowl vent assembly painted and installed. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Here's the beginnings of my wiring panel. Still need to determine where to place the ignition box, fan controller, Lokar shifter control box and relays. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
A little more progress on the wiring panel. I plan on mounting the relays in the vacant space; just have to determine how I want to mount them. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
After thinking a little more on how to wire the truck I decided to put a hinge on the plate where all of the electrical bits will be mounted. I think this will make it a bit easier to wire the relays and such. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Wiring panel is done, time to wire this bad boy up. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I spent a few days getting the wiring panel sorted out; meaning, I extended several wires that needed to be extended as well as getting the relays wired for power and ground. During that process I discovered, thankfully, that whoever pre-wired the relay sockets didn't use Red for power and Black for ground. You know what you get when you "assume". Of course I discovered this after I had soldered the wires and laid them out neatly. Oh well. So last night I was getting ready to officially mount the wiring panel and drill a hole in the floor for the wires to pass through only to discover I didn't have a big enough hole saw. With a little change of plans I enlisted my wife's help and installed the gas pedal and shifter.
That floor looks so professionally done, it sets a high standard for the rest of us. As for that bunch of wires dangling from under the dash, it reminds me of Indiana Jones' "Snakes. I hate snakes!" That's kinda how I feel about the wiring task. Good luck with that.
Thanks Osage, I'm no professional, I'm just trying to do the best I can. As for the "snakes" of wires (great movie btw) it looks more intimidating than it is. Honestly, the wiring kits make the job so much easier. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Well, is started running some wires last night and ran into a bit of a snag, the hole I drilled for the wires to run through isn't big enough. What you see in the picture is the speedo cable and half of the wires. Now I'm trying to decide whether to pull all the wires back out and make the hole bigger or just drill another hole. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
In your predicament I would just add another hole if practical, you would probably end up with more room for future needs. I don't know what type of grommet you used, I've used these with good results to keep things sealed.
You make a good point Johnboy, but last night I ended up enlarging the hole by 1/2". I think this will suffice but we'll see. I know I'm jumping around a bit, but today I worked on the flatbed trying to get it ready to fit the wood and then get powder coated. It was made from some CAD drawings of an original Ford script bed. To help add to the realism I started welding the seems where the metal was cut to be bent. I also plan on replacing the hex head bolt with Allen button head bolts. I'll probably fill in the Allen key to make them look like rivets. I also need to close up the gap between the side rails and the back rail. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The Jalopy Journal
