Technical What are you working on?

Almost 84,so work way slower then I did,but another update from post #4728 and then post #4886.
Got the motor oil drained< looked good an no cooked smell. Then cut open oil filter and spread elamint< Dose not show and bearings { Flashy/shiny junk }= Good,I did not kill bearings,rods or crank.
Next plan is water flush block> look to see what comes out? Then also old rad do same?
I had a brand new rad to fit in{ not %100mn same;but as close as I could buy,right now !
On word,,,,, Check back after next step.

 

I have a '57 2 door I'm rebuilding! Nice Soft top!

 

Been working on this chassis for my 1952 AD pickup. Slow but sure progress.

 

Threw a skim coat of Duraglas on the weld repairs in the trunk of my 62 Biscayne.

 

@surestar,

So did you put the shin protectors on the running board brackets ahead of time or did you have to run into one first?

 

And my buddy Tony powder coated the wheels for the Tempest.

 

Back at work on the 49 today. the first thing right out of the box was to check the trans pan gasket. Its dry, and the fluid level is above the gasket! I'm going with it. I did clean the area again so I wouldn't have any doubt if it was leaking, then started the truck and topped off the fluid level, still dry as a bone. Moving onward. I sat the truck back on the ground.

Pulled the throttle body off and cleaned it really good, and installed a new base gasket. Then I checked the distributor cap and rotor, I did replace those, and I screwed in the new spark plugs.

Next up was the thermostat, gasket, and the housing. Since the radiator drain didn't function, I loosened up the hose clamp on the lower radiator hose to drain off the cooling system. I considered draining down the entire system, and replace the apparent defective petcock, but I'm not sure I can remove the petcock without removing the entire radiator. That would require a lot more work, and the petcock is sort of buried, so its a pain to drain with it located as it currently is. Another project for another time, maybe. Loosening up the lower hose allows catching 99% of the antifreeze easy.
With the coolant drained below the thermostat housing, it was time to get after it. First I need to remove the alternator to gain access to the thermostat housing area, two bolts and I can move it out of the way. Then I had to remove the heater hose from its nipple on the intake manifold, then I could gain access to the housing bolts (from straight above with a 6" extension). The thermostat housing itself is formed sheet metal. I have been intermittently loosing about a cup of antifreeze a month, over the last 3 months, and the only sign of any antifreeze leak has been a pooling of green in this area that you can't see with the alternator in place. I did pull the alternator and checked the tightness of the hose clamps a couple months ago. I couldn't detect the source of the small antifreeze pool then. The radiator and heater hose clamps were tight, but I could see evidence on the housing that the hose or housing occasionally, was leaking. Once the housing was removed and I was able to inspect it better, I suspect the housing itself to be the culprit. From there the worst part was making sure the old gasket was completely removed, and then getting the bolts started back into the holes with everything lined up. I can not get my fingers into the area at all. I'm happy to say I got that job accomplished as well. Its all back together, and I ran it out on the highway a mile or so to be sure everything is working.

I need to adjust the trans kick down cable a touch, I had to go online to find out how to do that, but the 3 videos I watched had a different connector then I have. I finally found a video with the correct connector this evening, so that adjustment will take about a minute, tomorrow. I will also need to re-torque my aluminum wheels in 50 miles. The truck needs a good bath too, its got grubby hand prints all over it...

I will have to figure out where I'm going to mount the back up camera screen as well (and run the wires for it). I have it temporally stuck on the dash, but its not staying there. There are a few options with the back up camera set up I have to make decisions about, but it is nice to be able to see what is directly behind the truck.

There are a few adjustments still coming, but for the most part, the truck is ready for the summer.

 

I was only keeping an eye on the weather for the most of the day, had high winds and threat for tornados

 

I spent the past 3 days working on my '29AA, attaching the body to the frame, installing splash aprons and running boards (gotta shim now that everything is in place), installed the new fan and one-inch spacer (had to detach and move the radiator). I got about 1-1/4 inch between fan and radiator, between 1/8 and 1/4 of an inch between the fan and the crank pulley and less than that between the belt and the lower radiator hose (hat tip to Lumpy 63 for tipping me on an aluminum elbow that fit perfectly to eliminate a direct conflict with the two).
It's about time to attach the cowl and now-empty fuel tank.
I got a little painting to do. Touchup on the body, then black acrylic enamel on the front fenders, hood rails, radiator shell, front splash bib, and that must be done soon so that I continue to assemble the rest of the body. A little delay to the painting caused by today's 50+ mph gusts. I want to start wiring soon after that. I'm leaning strong on ambition and attitude but wiring this thing will be a challenge for me. But that's okay. Two years ago I rebuilt the AOD transmission with vital assistance from Saltflats, so it's a great feeling to know my H.A.M.B. brothers and sisters "got my back."
I've got a whole week off for Spring Break and I plan to spend most of that time in the garage with Rebel harness, a few wiring diagrams and all the stuff I need to move this project forward towards a start-up/break in.

 

I think you got something in your eye lol

 

just a friendly reminder,
there is a forum dedicated to off topic hot rods and customs for those that wish to share that stuff

 

Fabricated new throttle linkage from the carbs to the vintage MOON pedal. What a pain in the ass, heim joints, rod threading, washers , bolts , spacers, adjust, adjust again, take back apart, adjust. Ok, I'm better now and so is the functioning gas pedal. Time for a beer. Tomorrow I will start mounting the seats. Despite the struggle, it's the most fun I had all week.

 

This is Little Truckdoctor disassembling his 350. When we got this engine, it had a bunch of core plugs missing. I just hope the block isn’t cracked.

 

Battery hold down

 

Great son you have there ! Wish I was near love to BS and work with the two of you . Great job Dad

 

Worked on welder for days . Spool,is 24 v operating system , welder system is 12 v . Lots of wiring , relays , mind bending thinkin , talkin about someone’s Mom !

 

Nice and organized

 

Figuring out the oil filter adapter.

Looks like the bypass is goofed

 

New bypass plates are cheap. Just get a new one and use the canister filter. Throw that other oil leaking POS in the junk pile.

 

I like the canister style filter on my car.

 

Found a good one in my parts pile
Considering a canister. Don’t have one with any of the 283s I have.

 

Doing the outside bed sides under the stepside fenders, stripped it down and gave it a coat of Eastwood's rust encapsulator paint, tomorrow black paint over that.

 

Ta ...



Da....



Lol

 

@swade41,

I realize I'm kinda dense but please explain why you did just "underneath the fenders" instead of the entire bedside. I just know that you've got a reason but I don't understand.

b-t-w; what you did looks really good.

 

Protecting the bed and saving the patina on outside of bed.

 

This is the shifter that my wonderful friend Lloyd gave us. I’m new to shifters like this, but with a few adjustments, it works great! Thanks Buddy!

 

Like what fastcar said, I'm very undecided on what I'm doing as far as paint goes on this truck. So I decided I'll wait till all of the new pieces of the truck are on before deciding on what I'm doing.
I'll finish the under side and engine bay but hold off on exterior, it'll kind of be a patchwork of sorts for awhile.

Blue, green, different blue, black, turquois/red/gray

 

I see, I see, said the blind man to his deaf wife.

 

dang this intake is rough