Well i was hoping to have the short engine put together over xmas but as usual with any well laid plan something went wrong, Every thing was going well until the conrods were set free from their box, It wasn't obvious at first until i did the usual checks on dimensions, the rods were 15 thou shorter than the 6.750" they should of been. 15 thou don't sound a lot but would of affected the quench so they had to go After a bit of searching i found out that these rods were the hot ticket way back when aftermarket rods wern't available, They are actually Oldsmobile 455 forged rods and to use them would mean having 15 thou taken off the block decks, seeing as the block was finished this wasn't possible so a set of the correct length forged h beam rods have been ordered and will be here next week, I hope I'm glad i found out before polishing them After this little episode i thought i would check that my Cad Parts stage III shaft mounted rocker kit would fit, It did, went straight on and seems a well made bit of kit.
Been scratching around doing small jobs while i wait for my new conrods, finished off my tailpipes last night. I belled the ends initially but decided i didn't like it as everybody does that so thought i would do something different so the bells were cut off. Came up with a trim piece that mirrors the chassis bracket shapes. I started looking for some stainless tube that would slide over the 2.5" tailpipes but couldn't find anything, anyway Steve (rusty coupe) managed to find a piece of stainless pipe that was slightly under 2.5" so i could bore it out and slightly thick wall at 3/16", the outside would be easy to turn down. First the piece was cut into 2.5" long pieces and bored out to be a nice slide fit over the 2.5" tube. Once the inner was bored the outside was turned down to size, here you can see it half done, its then turned round and turned down to suit. We now have our tube to size, the inside was semi polished to get a nice slide fit onto the polished tailpipes to avoid scratching them. Next the shape was marked and cut out and ground smooth and then polished. Once they were polished they slipped on to the tailpipes a treat, They will be welded on the ends once the tailpipes are finished and the weld polished out.
Thanks for the positives, Costs not as bad as you would think really as i tend to pickup offcuts and scrap stainless for peanuts. its also handy that people know i do stuff in stainless so they are always popping in with bits and pieces of it.
I just read EVERY last page of this thread and i came to a conclusion............ 1. I wish i could weld that awesome. 2. I wish i could have found a body that nice. 3. I need a new pair of draws due to me letting loose. 4. I gots to see more sir !!!! 5. And now i will most definately be building a hot rod instead of those stupid race cars !!! lol
Hey Langy, how about a picture or two of the overall car as it sits now? You know, just a refresher of sorts! LOVIN' this build!
2 hours reading, & looking. Reading twice & looking 4 times... Your are really enjoying your self.. Just looks exciting,( either piece by piece or together..) Very dedicated to watch you engineer & problem solve each piece, weld ( oh Boy can you!) Polish, photograph, assemble & then still have the energy to post here.. We are very lucky to read & see, and ask a question.. Hats off ! Thank You -41-
Cozy up to a chicken processing plant, they always have some extra stainless kicking around. Most food factories have extra stainless around, but chicken plants change stuff around more than most, and if you know someone you can get it cheap.
Just read the whole thread. Unbelievable work! Fantastic! Detail, Detail, Detail! I'm inspired to weld better. Check out my build. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=468936&showall=1 Jerry <input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">
That goes for breweries & paper plants also! Lots of stainless. Caution though, alot of it is pipe, not tubing , it is a thicker gauge and is not as easily bent.
Still no conrods so been fiddling with bits & pieces, i'm using Thru the frame fittings but didn't want to use catalogue parts so came up with the same fitting but looking different and cost pennies instead of $25 Here's a normal catalogue Thru the frame fitting, looks like a bolt don't it Here's a 9/16" or 14mm stainless bolt that will look like a different Thru the frame fitting First job was to drill it through the centre with a 8.5mm drill (this is the tapping size for 3/8" UNF) Next the head end was tapped 3/8" UNF to accept a stainless banjo bolt. The other end was drilled to be tapped 1/8" NPT to accept a stainless 90 degree brake adaptor. Here it is fitted up with a brake hose. Here its trial fitted in a piece of frame material.
The Jalopy Journal
