coolmilitary
10-03-2006, 04:34 PM
You asked, so here it is.
Well, it all started back in 1977. Took metal shop in high school, and couldn't put the tools down. I was the one doing projects on the side when the instructor wasn't looking. Loved working with aluminum. Made all sorts of neat stuff for my bicyles. Most of which got stolen when my brothers would cruise down to the variety store on them. I worked at the local gas station (mobile), and a guy came in with a 1964 Chrysler Emperial Crown that looked like it had been garaged all it's life. Asked me if I wanted it for free. I asked to see the engine and when it turned out to be 413 I said yes, (very quietly). High school was a blast with that car. Ended up selling it to go the prom. Stupid! Stupid! Got a job as a machinist from my Mom's friends husband. They asked if I knew how to run an engine lathe, and of course I told them yes. Found out that he was kinda a jerk, and made us work in the summer in a shop with a metal roof. Not much fun with only a fan to keep you cool. Sliced my thumb to the bone and the owner wanted me to stick around and tell him exactly how it happened. I quit. Next job was at Baker Oil and Tool Company. Ran a lathe the size of a Semi truck. And had to use a crane to get the part in the jaws of the air assisted chuck. We used to have "hot chip" contests. Back then ceramic cutters were kinda new. So we would see how much metal we could take off of a steel oil well valve all at once. Looked just like a machine gun. A row of red hot chips curling and snapping off and shooting across the room. Every once in a while one would land in the cuff of my pants, or my shirt pocket, or someone elses. Does anyone smell smoke? This is where I picked up a used 331 hemi from a guy in the parking lot. I was all excited just because it was a hemi and it said "firepower" on the valve covers. I had no idea what I would do with it, but I just had to rebuild it. Then Baker Oil and Tool went out of business, and went back to the dinky engine lathes. Let's just say my heart wasn't in it and I got canned for screwing up very expensive niobium submarine parts. It was the happiest day of my life. Then my little brother thought if would be really neat to join the Navy. So we Did. Spent the next 4 years seeing the world, making friends, getting tattoos, and drinking beer. The happiest 4 years of my life. Was stationed in Hawaii, and bought a 1971 plymouth "twister". All show and no go. Had a 318, cam and headers. Body was absolutely perfect. Metalllic Green with black factory racing stripes and rally wheels. Put in a posi rear end at the base parking lot. Had it shipped home when I got out. Had no clue as to what I wanted to do. Decided to go to college, so I sold the twister. Stupid! Stupid! We lived close to an design college, so I move back home and got a Bachelors degree in Industrial Design. Sounds impressive, but it really means that you make toasters, and coffee makers look cool. I call it a product stylist. Then I moved out of the folks home for the second and last time and got a job drawing instruction manuals for a company called Safariland. They make police holsters and bullet proof vests. Boy was that boring. I thought I was really smart and quit that job and started my own company making instruction manuals. Boy was that even more boring. Then I went broke and gave away the rebuilt hemi motor. I finally got real, and found a job designing shoes. MENS SHOES!". Got married, sprouted two mini me's, and began itchin for a hobby. Found a flathead motor that needed rebuilding on Ebay close to my home and snapped it up. $1,000 dollars in machining later and I have decent block to begin working on. It needed to be pinned. I have heard a lot about pinning these old blocks, But have never heard the story after the engine was built. I will be letting everyone know how well this sort of repair actually works in the long run. I want to build a 28, 29 ford roadster or 5 window as a tribute to the Navy. I don't want to go wild. Just subtle. No machine guns here. Just haze gray paint and maybe chevron tail lights. I have a squid character I will be painting on the doors. It will come along slowly, but I will keep everyone posted. Woops, gotta go. There's a 4 inch crank on ebay. Gotta bid.
Take care.
Ed.
Well, it all started back in 1977. Took metal shop in high school, and couldn't put the tools down. I was the one doing projects on the side when the instructor wasn't looking. Loved working with aluminum. Made all sorts of neat stuff for my bicyles. Most of which got stolen when my brothers would cruise down to the variety store on them. I worked at the local gas station (mobile), and a guy came in with a 1964 Chrysler Emperial Crown that looked like it had been garaged all it's life. Asked me if I wanted it for free. I asked to see the engine and when it turned out to be 413 I said yes, (very quietly). High school was a blast with that car. Ended up selling it to go the prom. Stupid! Stupid! Got a job as a machinist from my Mom's friends husband. They asked if I knew how to run an engine lathe, and of course I told them yes. Found out that he was kinda a jerk, and made us work in the summer in a shop with a metal roof. Not much fun with only a fan to keep you cool. Sliced my thumb to the bone and the owner wanted me to stick around and tell him exactly how it happened. I quit. Next job was at Baker Oil and Tool Company. Ran a lathe the size of a Semi truck. And had to use a crane to get the part in the jaws of the air assisted chuck. We used to have "hot chip" contests. Back then ceramic cutters were kinda new. So we would see how much metal we could take off of a steel oil well valve all at once. Looked just like a machine gun. A row of red hot chips curling and snapping off and shooting across the room. Every once in a while one would land in the cuff of my pants, or my shirt pocket, or someone elses. Does anyone smell smoke? This is where I picked up a used 331 hemi from a guy in the parking lot. I was all excited just because it was a hemi and it said "firepower" on the valve covers. I had no idea what I would do with it, but I just had to rebuild it. Then Baker Oil and Tool went out of business, and went back to the dinky engine lathes. Let's just say my heart wasn't in it and I got canned for screwing up very expensive niobium submarine parts. It was the happiest day of my life. Then my little brother thought if would be really neat to join the Navy. So we Did. Spent the next 4 years seeing the world, making friends, getting tattoos, and drinking beer. The happiest 4 years of my life. Was stationed in Hawaii, and bought a 1971 plymouth "twister". All show and no go. Had a 318, cam and headers. Body was absolutely perfect. Metalllic Green with black factory racing stripes and rally wheels. Put in a posi rear end at the base parking lot. Had it shipped home when I got out. Had no clue as to what I wanted to do. Decided to go to college, so I sold the twister. Stupid! Stupid! We lived close to an design college, so I move back home and got a Bachelors degree in Industrial Design. Sounds impressive, but it really means that you make toasters, and coffee makers look cool. I call it a product stylist. Then I moved out of the folks home for the second and last time and got a job drawing instruction manuals for a company called Safariland. They make police holsters and bullet proof vests. Boy was that boring. I thought I was really smart and quit that job and started my own company making instruction manuals. Boy was that even more boring. Then I went broke and gave away the rebuilt hemi motor. I finally got real, and found a job designing shoes. MENS SHOES!". Got married, sprouted two mini me's, and began itchin for a hobby. Found a flathead motor that needed rebuilding on Ebay close to my home and snapped it up. $1,000 dollars in machining later and I have decent block to begin working on. It needed to be pinned. I have heard a lot about pinning these old blocks, But have never heard the story after the engine was built. I will be letting everyone know how well this sort of repair actually works in the long run. I want to build a 28, 29 ford roadster or 5 window as a tribute to the Navy. I don't want to go wild. Just subtle. No machine guns here. Just haze gray paint and maybe chevron tail lights. I have a squid character I will be painting on the doors. It will come along slowly, but I will keep everyone posted. Woops, gotta go. There's a 4 inch crank on ebay. Gotta bid.
Take care.
Ed.