Projects Road to Redemption: 49 Chevy Coupe Build

For the Sunday night HAMB crew... My shop helper...

Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

Try smacking the end of the puller with a brass hammer. Sometimes you need to shock them loose.

 

I will try that when I get home...

 

Grinding the puller worked. Still no luck with the wheel. I'm picking up a 54 box and column so this one might get sacrificed to preserve the wheel...

Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

I need a shop helper too; you get her at Harbor Freight? I just love brown eyed brunettes! Might try a "little" heat on the steering wheel hub/shaft, or get a can of liquid nitrogen for the same purpose (drugstores sell it as wart remover by freezing). I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

More like the snap-on truck. I was thinking a little heat might work as well.

Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

Got the body spaced off the frame with a few blocks of wood tonight to make sure its completely free before I have the rugby team come over and lift the body off the frame onto a dolly.

 

Got the body separated from the frame. Randomly, my bro bought home a bunch of kegs from work to make a little money but they were the perfect height. The rockers need replacing which is why I didn't hesitate to set it on there for the night. I'm going to build a dolly that bolts to the stock mounting points.

 

Frame ready for more pressure washing

 

I just cleaned the chassis on my '59 yesterday. I scraped off the really big pieces of grease first. I doused everything with cheap oven cleaner (full strength.. watch which way the wind blows..), let it sit for maybe 20 minutes and hit it with a pressure washer. An amazing amount of crud got blasted off.

As far as the driveway, avoid stepping on the chunks of grease, sweep them back under the car. They'll dry in a few days and can be swept up easily.

 

Frame is drying in the sun right now. Blasted it one more time before I attack it with oven cleaner. Special thanks to @56sedandelivery and @Down South Racer for their generosity. These guys pulled old mags off the shelf to send me photocopies. I want this build to emulate gene Adams olds. While I can't afford a 4-71 or hilborns, I think the look of the car is perfect. Also, I wanted to see how v8 swaps were done back in the day...

 

Craigslist score. $70 for both of these. They're brand new.

 

I have a 56 Chevy axle and found some u bolts and plates in my parts stash. I pulled the torque tube rear and rolled this under it temporarily so I can mock up the motor and trans. The goal is to have an olds rear end under it.

 

if any body wants the old rear axle, trans, and other parts like the inline 6 carb, valve cover, air cleaner, 6V head lights, starter etc... first guy to show up with $100 or something interesting to trade can have all of it...

 

I lay cardboard under the car, scrape the big chunks, dump the cardboard, lay it back under before degreaser, then power wash with the cardboard under the car, it will absorb the majority of the grease, let it dry for a few days, roll the cardboard up and shove it in the recycling bin. Grease is organic, therefore recycleable, ha.

 

So a few weeks ago I found a 327/ 4 speed combo on CL just 10 minutes from my house. It had been up for less than a day, but somebody beat me to it. I was super bummed until I scored this today. The guy was an engine builder and I picked this up from his widow. 327 with forged pistons and fresh machine work, and the no accessory hole camel hump heads with new valve springs, screw in rocker studs and guide plates. Not bad for $500. I'm pretty happy with this one. The heads have a layer of dust on them but the motor was bagged. Gonna clean everything over the next couple of days.

 

If the crank isn't tapped for a balancer bolt is it a small journal crank?

 

More parts... 64 Muncie m20... Rebuilt by a buddy that had it in his massive parts collection. Picked it up for a song...

 

So after a few months of collecting parts, I mocked the motor up tonight. This is a big step forward, allowing me to start all the fabrication projects. I spent a few minutes making engine sounds once it was in. Thanks to @Lancer for the hook up on the bell housing.

 

The Walton motor mounts I used were just to position the motor correctly. I have used them before and I knew they would work perfectly, but I wanted to do a Hurst style front mount with my own twist on it. At the beginning of this thread I stated that I had access to some pretty cool equipment at work, and today I got to take advantage of that.

I drew up the assembly in solidworks so that I knew it would fit. Next was programming the flat file for laser cutting. After that I formed it in our small press break, and lastly, the gussets were welded in, and the whole thing was radiused along the edges with a grinder and file to help give it a cast look. It will eventually get powder coated to look like a cast piece.

 

Here is is installed. Next thing to make is the frame pads.

 

Thanks! @kiwijeff

 

Automotive porn... I like it...

 

Thank you

 

Great project, it's coming along well, the 2 tone blue will look great.

 

Thanks. I usually like more contrast in 2 tone paint jobs but for some reason this one stuck with me

 

I had drawn the mount motor plate in solidworks, and figured I Might as well put it into an assembly.

Here you can see the frame pad detail. I am trying to emulate the manufacturing processes used on the frame, of formed plate riveted together. The pieces will be welded from underneath, but the square holes will have carriage bolt heads to resemble faux rivets welded in, and the round holes will be for plug welds to the stock chassis. I have the pieces cut and I will be welding / detailing them tonight before they get welded to the frame.

 

Just finished up the frame pads. I think they capture the factory look pretty well.

 

I bolted them up to the motor plate and they fit really well. I'm going to get a 220v welder down here by the weekend to weld these up.