Building the first rod. Had a few classics of the 60's, worked on a few fullsize Jeeps for fun but this is my first, ground up, rod build. My brother has built a few and is helping a lot. He's the fabricator (I'm doing as much as I can) and welder. Cab is '37 Chevy, engine is '50 Buick 263 straight eight, tranny is '96 Ford T5, rear axle is 73ish Ford 8". Started with this mock-up. Got the frame built and and a grille shell that did not come from a tractor (20-25 Willys-Overland). Used the crane to lower the Buick I8 into place. Got some stuff from Nebraska. Eyeballing the rear suspension set-up. '75 ScoutII front leafs. Will be removing a few, they are stiff! Got the front mounts for those rear springs made and installed. I'm running a bolt through the mount and on through the frame. I don't know...what do you think? Slingshot? Just kidding about that slingshot thing. We moved the cab back to work on getting the tranny figured out. This is not going to be a "patina-ed" rat. The small Torque Thrust style wheels are being replaced with larger ones (I had these on hand). The frame is 2x3x3/8 (edit: 3/16") wall. There will be crossmembers added. The engine needs rear mounts and then there will be a tranny crossmember and a couple at the back. One at the top of the kick-up behind the cab and another for mounting the shocks. I'm planning to build a short bed, about 42" or so. Problem is, the shop is 60 miles away and with work so busy, I am getting only one day a week to work on it. Last week I had to work through the weekend and didn't get to work on it at all. At least I have a nice place to work on it, with heat!
Interesting setup, I especially like the mockup. What are your plans for the engine? Get it driving first I'm guessing, but what would you like it to be when you get it all 'finihsed' (yeah I know they never really are). Couple carbs and some shiny bits?
The engine will be mostly stock. There's just not a lot you can easily do with them. Th cam can be changed but the head is the major restriction. I am planning to build a multi-carb intake. Not sure what form that will take but the engine will be run as is for now. Also a fabricated exhaust header similar to those cone style headers you see around. I do plan to shiny things up a bit as the engine will be exposed. Not gaudy but a few bits at least. Yesterday, I bought the transmission. This weekend we figure out how to mate that to the old Buick bellhousing. There was a story in Street Rodder on a truck built by a fellow in Oregon that used a Buick I8 and he had a T5 on his. He gave me some info on how to do it. I discovered that a pressure plate for a 1989 Jeep Cheokee bolts right onto the flywheel. Long way to go yet....
Yes I did. And I was wrong. I meant to say 3/16". I'm interested to see how much it flexes due to the length. Had to account for that long engine. May need to add some material inside the frame rail to stiffen it. As this is my first build, I have no idea if that may be a problem or not, but I'm going to see. That engine alone weighs 825lbs! And thats not the big one! The 320 weighs even more.
good idea to go thicker than 1/8th tubing for a frame them engines weigh about 800lbs i have a 53 buick str8 8 in my shed i saved from becoming a boat anchor might build something with it some day maybe a boat anchor lmao
LOVE THAT ENGINE YA GOT THERE! Friend of mine had a '41 buick OHV 8. It was an original car and ran smooth as glass. No killer low end torque but on the highway it seemed to wind forever! Emagine how good it will look with 8 zoomies! But the sound.......yeah! Keep us posted with pics!!!!
I was wondering because as I recall there was a factory dual carb manifold for the straight 8. I don't know if there was one for the smaller engine like you have or not.
I think the 263" is the best of the Straight 8's it has a forged crank. I have a 1940 320" with the factory compound carbs. I have seen factory 2 carb manifolds for the 263. I hope to put my I-8 in a 30 Coupe or a T. The engine looks great. Please post the details on how you adapt the T-5 transmission. Good Luck. Lucky667
the 248 came with factory dual carb and split exhaust manifolds they will swap onto a 263 , the 320 is physically bigger in size nothing for big parts will swap to the two smaller engine s buicks.net has a web board for straight eight enthusiast and is a great source of garage knowledge of these burly ole engine s
Thanks for the encouragement guys. When the T5 is on and working, I certainly will post up the info. I've been looking online for info about that swap but haven't found anything. I know others have done the swap but the info doesn't seem to be available. Had to work again today (actually a good thing), so tomorrow is hotrod day. Plan to get the rear springs mounted and get some figgurin' done for the tranny swap. Gotta get some metal repaired in the floor and start making some body mounts.
Ok, got to work on the truck some today. We got the frame mounts for the rear spring shackles done. The shackles in the photos are temporary. We made them for fitting and preliminary assembly. Final length TBD. The sleeve for the bushing is also welded across the back side. Also got the steering box mount welded on and the box mounted. Once that was in we were able to measure the drag link and get it cut to length and the new end threaded. We also did a LOT of measuring and head scratching about the T5 swap. We made some drawings, drew stuff on the bellhousing, did some cypherin'. Think we have it figured out. Using the crane, I got the cab off the back end of the frame and sitting on the floor on its firewall. There is a hole to be filled on the floor behind the driver's seat. Once the cab was on the floor, I used a wire brush chucked into an air drill to de-rust and de-dirt the area around the hole for a clean welding surface. The brother and I also spent about 1 1/2 hours re-arrranging stuff and cleaning the shop up a bit. By now I had been at it for 10 hours and decided the patch will be welded in...next weekend. i have my assignments for the week and the brother has his. We meet again at the shop next Saturday (if I don't have to work, that is).
Thats my progress for one day (I have not included everything we did). In my previuous post I mentioned I had to work Saturday. I meant at my job, not the truck.
Yeah, I figured the 'work' was 'for hire' as opposed to on your personal stuff. So one day with it, that's even better. Do you have space where you can tinker on some of the smaller pieces durring the week?
No, I don't. I don't have a garage here. Just a ramshackle shed with no power and no heat. My brother has a garage and equipment and he does some of the fab work there. I scrounge, locate and order the parts that need to be bought. I do, however, live alone so when the need arises (I'm sure it will), I will build a little bench in the kitchen and do what I can here. The shop is 60 miles from me, my brother is about 40 miles farther than that. I'm working 6 to 7 days a week (for the last 6 months) at my job and trying to build this. Last weekend, I was in Omaha, instead of working on the truck. Meanwhile, the old Mustang is in the body shop for work and paint. One day a week. And not even every week. So far, I have about 8 days into it (about 1/2 of them with my brother helping out).
Logistics, that's important too. Sorry to hear no space to tinker (I was thingking more on a corner of the house to clean or polish stuff). Still amazing to have that much progress after '1 day'. I mean it as a compliment if ther's any question.
No new pics today, what we did just isn't that noticeable. But we got the hairpin mounts welded and smoothed. Got some work on the body done and pulled one door off and got the hinges off from that door and the two better doors I have for it (for some electronic de-rusting). The bellhousing adapter parts weren't done at the machine shop so we took care of some smaller things. Did some head scratching and figgurin' for the K member and rear engine mounts. Got the front axle aligned with the frame and tightened down. Did some measuring and cyphering for the gas tank. Checked on the location of the shifter compared to the seat base, looks like it will just clear it. Installed the drag link and worked out what to do about lowering the tie rod a bit. We also got the smaller welder set up for sheet metal work. Just need to fill the tank and its ready. The bellhousing parts should be ready by next weekend and we can get going on the tranny (Ford T-5) install. When thats attached, the K member and rear engine mounts can be fabbed and installed. One day a week is just not enough work time on it. At work, we're finishing up a big project this week so I should be getting Saturdays off again. That'll help a lot. But then, I'll be heading to Omaha for a week of cell tower work and after that to northern MN for a couple weeks of cell tower work. Its nice to have so much work during these times but the project is going slow. I'm counting my blessings. Meanwhile, I'm buying a '63 Falcon Futura 4 door tomorrow! Found it in a shed. I'll get some pics.
Well, just so happens I'll be up around Duluth next month to work on some new cell tower sites. Then later this coming spring or perhaps this summer, we have a bunch more cell tower work up there. Just ordered some engine mount kits, shocks, a master cylinder, tranny mount and driveshaft yolk for the hotrod. The machine shop made my tranny adapter 1/4" too thick so they will rework it. Should have it for this weekend. Moving along here. So is the money. Bought the Falcon and my friend Jeff is going to take it. He's wanted a Falcon for a few years now but we haven't been able to find a decent one for a good price. We'll see how good this one is when we get it into the shop.
Ok, got some work done. Learning a lot with this project. Currently, my brother Gary is doing the welding. He has been welding for a living for the past 30 years or so. I trust his welding and for the strucural and suspension welding, he gets the nod. When its time for welding on non-critical stuff, I will step in with his guidance. I would like thank him here for all the help. I'd be nowhere (or in deep doodoo) without it. He's building a rod wih his son, and building another for his wife and does all this for me too. What a guy! We fabbed the K member which will also support the tranny. After much measuring and brain storming, we decided on the design and we got to work. Here, we are just starting to weld things in. Mostly done! Just have to get the tranny strap made, but that will go in next weekend. We got the T5 to Buick bellhousing adapter from the machine shop. They, of course, screwed it up. I gave them the original Ford bellhousing so they could get the bolt pattern from it for the adapter and they drilled the holes wrong. They drilled them as a mirror image of what was needed. Not wanting to wait another week, Gary welded the holes shut, ground then smooth and then redrilled them properly. Goofs. Oh well, not really a problem. With that done, the T5 bolted up fine. I got a pilot bearing for a 1996 Mustang as that is what the tranny came from and danged if it didn't fit the Buick crank! Those crazy Buick engineers, thinking ahead! The bearing itself came inside an adapter that was just a wee bit too deep to fit perectly, so I ground off a bit of the back side and God smiled. Here's the bearing adapter before the grindage. And after. In this pic, the bearing looks deeper than the adapter piece and it is. It doesn't fit flush with the front of the adapter as it comes originally so it still works just right. This T5 install to the old Buick bellhousing has been really simple. So far. I try not to get too optimistic. The modern Jeep pressure plate bolts right on the Buick flywheel and clears the bellhousing but the Jeep clutch disc has a slightly different diameter in the splines, so I'm looking for a different clutch disc. I'm planning to use an external hydraulic slave on the side of the bellhousing and theres a nice, flat area right where it needs to be. The Buick throwout bearing fork fingers needed to be expanded just a bit to fit the Ford throwout bearing but it works. A vise, some torch action and they now fit fine. We also set the cab back on to check the location of the shifter in relation to the seat base. I thought it would be a bit too far back and require cutting into the seat base and I was right. Gary had measured things last week while the cab was off and thought it would end up right in front of the base but no such luck. So, bucket seats are going in. Here's a pic. I could use an S-10 T5 which would move the shifter forward about 7" but the S-10 T5 has a really low first gear. Not that great. i could use the S-10 tailshaft housing and shifter on my T5 but there's a problem with the speedo gear not being in the right place and i would have to buy another tranny for the parts. i'll just make my own shifter handle and live with this. We set a seat in the cab and the shifter is really not in a bad position as it is. So it stays. Music on the boombox, sparks flying, chinese buffet for lunch, it was a good day! But we did discover I ordered the wrong brake master cylinder. Plenty of time to get the right one. I'm heading to Omaha for some work in a few weeks, I'll drive down to Lincoln and exchange it then. Have some homework to do and back at it next weekend!
What they said about using the straight eight. If I had one, I'd build a (whatever) jalopy around it......................
The Jalopy Journal
