Hi all, Well I finished up the firewall during the week (ground down welds/filler/primer/paint). I should mention at this point that Marc did most of the fab work on it, and it was patched using a variety of hand made filler panels, a section of the discarded Lincoln trunk floor, and a '50 Ford Truck bumper tooth. I finish-welded it, ground it all down, and after paint, it looks pretty factory. The rear wheeltubs are all welded in, Saturday we dropped the motor back in (with Marc crawling around hooking it all back up from underneath.) Amazing: we actually had the converter lined up in such a way that the the motor and trans literally fell into place! I put on the refinished brake booster and the column back in today, after I went over and helped DirtyT and the gang drop his shoebox body back onto his frame. I still need to get quite a few things from the local auto parts store, like an alternator, fuel lines, a brake line to run the length of the car, a new master cyl., a gasket for the trans fill tube, valve cover grommets- the list goes on. We're pushin' to make billetproof, but there is still much to be done. I picked up some 1" square tube today from 62Wagon to start fabbing up a core support to hold the radiator and front fenders in place, that's my next project. As usual, I can't thank Marc enough for his help and support. I called him Saturday afternoon after I got off work, and told him I needed to cut the grass and run some errands before my barbeque at 7 on Saturday, and that I didn't think we'd have time to get to the car today- and he says "Aw, dood, we can at least get that engine in today!" and we did, in about an hour. He looked like a kid in a candy store after we got the engine in and dropped the car back on the ground. I started trying to figure out the alternator wiring today, and it's going to be a mess... I've had a couple inquiries about the color of the engine, it is an '05 Corvette color that I got from a fellow Hamber who also used it on his engine. I did it in BC/CC. The last pic is a detail shot that pretty well captured the actual color. It's a cross between a metallic orange and a red. I think it was called "Sunset Orange". Here are the update photos for the thisty:
GOD DAMN besides gettin a whole lot done it looks GREAT Too!!! Keep at it Man! I can hear Ya now WWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA FEDER
Yeah, that's a sweet color! Especially with the mile thick coat of clear you got on it. You guyz be kickin some azz. Jay
Thats what im talking about! that fucking fire wall looks bad ass. who would of thought you could do all that with parts of a trunk and a few ford truck grill teeth haha
Excellent work! You and Marc are showin' your talents on this project for sure! Give a shout if ya need anything...I may be able to "moonlight" a bit!!
"GOD DAMN besides gettin a whole lot done it looks GREAT Too!!! Keep at it Man! I can hear Ya now WWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA A FEDER" Thanks, man, I appreciate it. Coming from you it's all the more worth it! "Yeah, that's a sweet color! Especially with the mile thick coat of clear you got on it. You guyz be kickin some azz. Jay" It's only 2 coats!!! "Looking Great! You're going to make it! Doubleclutch" I hope so... "Thats what im talking about! that fucking fire wall looks bad ass. who would of thought you could do all that with parts of a trunk and a few ford truck grill teeth haha DIRTYT" Yeah- here's a pic of before & after:
Thanks man! Might need your wiring expertise...looking at this alternator I'm getting a headache already-
Looks GREAT!! I just hope I can get my Lincoln runnin' by billetproof too!! Hope to see the merc there!
Tripendicular!!!! That is some mighty fine work going on there....that firewall could not look better!
Thanks man...every time I go look at it I shake my head is dis-belief...not of what it is, will be, or was...but at the amount of petty things that need to be wrapped up to get this sumbitch rolling. I'm not even hinting at doing any of my bodywork at this point. Just getting it running & driving. I was never one of those guys who would show up to a "show" with tack-welded on body parts and flat black primer to keep the rust away...but I think I am becoming one, out of necessity. A new appreciation has been born. If this thing makes it to billetproof, it will be a 50/50 car. From 50 feet away and at 50 miles per hour, it looks great! "Restoring" cars is much easier. Whomever coined the phrase "anyone can restore a car, it takes a real man to cut one up" wasn't kidding. The amount of work that goes into a 2-1/2 car-garage FRANKENSTEIN project like this, working in your "spare" time is astounding. Last night I took a piece of the square bar that I got from 62wagon and laid it across the frame stubs. I swear the engine moved forward about 4 inches since I last measured. The front sheet metal/radiator fab work is going to be, as they say, a "challenge". We've made awesome progress (Marc & I)...but despite our efforts, I dunno. I did order up a bunch of needed stuff last night that should be here tomorrow, so I can keep going...and I will, to the END, June 3rd, running or not. Today, my factory Ford chrome reverse 14" wheels showed up from an eBay auction I won several weeks ago...they don't fit. Another setback. At least if I don't make my self-imposed deadline, I've made great progress, and I have no doubt that this thing will run & drive this summer...which in itself is a milestone for me! Woodward is in August. Thanks to all who responded to my updates...they really do keep ya going! Mercman
OH NO!!!! I can't believe it!!!! Buck up little camper. Sorry to hear about your back. We'll git 'er going though. I'll give you a ring a little later.
The Jalopy Journal
