@woodhawg yes sir, all to familiar with that.. Look what came home today! I am very proud of these headers... Can't wait to burn them up...
Anybody tell that guy with the "belly button" comment to kiss our ass yet or what ? Don't tell the car .... where he lives either ..... this blood thirsty sonofab#tch Hemified A coupe may well go kick his belly button ass. Why am I cursing ? I think I'm scared really .... this thing is frekn' magnificent standing there on its flying Aladdin magic carpet. I know I should probably be cursing more .... because nothing in my house sits on such a fine piece of woven wool and silks. It probably bombed Iran and stole from it from the Ayatollah himself. Yeah don't screw with this guy. That's a mean mother !
Well let's start this update with the newest news, I SOLD my car! Lame right? Just the body.... And bought a better one. After getting the engine completed and installed, I was sitting around and staring at all the work needed... Out of nowhere I put the body up for sale on Craigslist.. It sold in 6 hours, and with no prospect in mind I was sick. I didn't really know what I was going to do? Just keep working on engine and chassis until a better body (affordable) came along... After chasing down a bunch of cars, I finally decided on this one, and found it right here in Tx... Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I've never seen a nicer model A in this condition/ I mean just a random body, not worked on... Majority of wood is there, solid, all hinges move, and almost no rust.. It was however, missing the firewall. No big deal, found one on eBay and after some metalwork it was ready to install. That's not how you build an A! I had to take this picture, I've got a thing for 32s in this state of assembly... Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Also decided to get a head start on the paint and body before the firewall went in and had it worked/ and epoxy primed... At this time I was still bouncing back and forth between open top and filled top... But decided to at least replace the wood header, the og was falling apart and I wanted to keep it solid. (Somewhat kinda semi pro tip: don't do that shit! )It sucks, and the aftermarket wood doesn't even come close to fitting... Once that was finally sanded to size I welded the visor on and made these little pieces to connect the roof.. After considering the heavy chop I decided to go with an open top with an all new wood kit, (sighs) I'm sure that will be a breeze. Of course it was only after that I found out I can't buy the rest of the top wood without buying the overpriced header again! As far as I know no suppliers will separate the rest of the pieces... Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
First test fit on the chassis... Did I tell you the entire floor was in the car and solid! As I get older I really hate cutting good parts out of cars, but it had to be done. I did however manage to move some of the crossmembers around and retain some of the stock look... Of course it will need to get a little tunnel but I won't do that until it's bolted in place and won't "spring" Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
It's that old saying about idle hands... Along comes thanksgiving and I'm not fooling around with a turkey, so this happened.. It's cut 5" just like the last one... Again wasn't to enthused about cutting this body that hard, but that's been the cars look all along. It's been the picture in my mind for a few years now... Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Everybody likes chop pictures... Currently still working on finishing it up, it's been a lot of work... Focusing real hard on the window openings and leaving out pneumatic tools for hand tools as much as I can... I wish I was better with sheet metal, the corners aren't as strait as I'd like, they aren't terrible by any means, but will need more attention... Funny thing about that stuff, no matter what you do, it shrinks... Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
In the midst of all the metal stuff I've been re-assembling the engine for the SECOND time. (High pitched/drawn out) whaaaaaaaat? As you read earlier it was assembled and in the frame months ago? That's right it was. Took me a while to buy all the external parts needed, the little odds and ends. Even once I had everything I was shuffling my feet on firing it up... I mean, that's some scary stuff. Something you've been working for for quite some time, ready to come to life. So much that can go wrong... I didn't put the rotating assembly together, my machinist did... I did however build the rest/ the weird stuff... Having never done it before I was nervous, not in my ability, but in how it all worked together.... 340 this, hemi that, Chevy this, ford that... Well it went down like this, one random day I decide I want to prime it with oil, that's all, not start it yet, I still needed some cooling hoses (remote thermostat housing) and some attention around there. So I begin the process. Body is off the frame I've got room to fool with it might as well. My method was prime the pump with a drill until it made pressure, then spin the engine with the starter 1-2-3 seconds stop. As to allow both sides to get oil. Then repeat. I've got the valve covers off and am watching the rockers start to seep, all is going wonderfully... About the time I've decided it's good and oiled I noticed the engine slowing down, when turned with the starter, keep in mind I'm only spinning it 3-4 seconds at a time before using a drill on the pump again, then dropping the drive shaft and gear back in, and repeating... Junk battery right? I'll spin it by hand.... nope.... Why won't it move? Must be in the valve train, valve covers are off, it's not there... Pull the intake, valley plate, maybe a lifter is stuck, won't let it turn? Nope.... Well you are already this far might as well pull those rocker shafts, now the heads are loose, yank those, maybe something got in a cylinder/ ring hopped off? Nope, all clear here. Slow down a minute, maybe it's in the trans/clutch? No big deal, body is off, just pull the transmission and check it out... Guess again... Alright, pull the front cover, somethings up with the chain... Well shit, there is nothing stopping this thing from moving!!!! The only thing left is the damned bearings? How in the hell could they have problems? I've spun this thing over by hand a hundred times through assembly and checking valve train... What would cause it to tighten up now???? And that's how my car, all it needed was the brakes bled... Wound up in thousand pieces again... Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
So here I am, Halloween weekend, loosing my mind over my locked up engine. I've done everything right, I've checked, double checked and then checked again. Once I got some help from some friends getting it out we removed the pan. All the rods wiggled, I assumed it was a main. I'll let you decide what happened because I don't rightly know.... I promptly hauled it to the machine shop that did the work and explained what had gone on... The answer I got was that the thrust bearing for some reason or another was coming into contact with the crank on the saddle/lip side as it rotated, causing it to lock up.... I don't understand then why it spun so freely before it made oil pressure??? I know right? Long story short it wasn't hurt because I'm a cautious bastard, It needed some polishing and new bearings. As of right now it is ready to start, hopefully I'll be getting to it soon... Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Good catch right there! Did the bearing start out in a jam and eventually got tight? My stroker 392 had a similar problem - it had to do with the Hot Heads 4 bolt caps and the tang in the cap was not lining up with the tang on the thrust bearing (the rest of them will just move over a little if needed - not the thrust) so my crank stopped turning as soon as the main caps were tight. Eventually found the tang issue and filled the notch in the main cap. Killed the bearing though.
@Dog_Patch no it spun pretty free until it made oil pressure, then got tight... I'm assuming the material from that thrust got into the rest.... Your issue makes total sense though, could be I had a similar problem on the skirt side Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I built a few of these early Hemis. You have to check the dowel sleeve around the rear cap. Also if you fit a Hot Heads conversion oil pump, make sure the intermediate shaft is in alignment and spins free without bind. Sometimes you have to clearance things around the oil pump drive and alignment dowels. It might not be a bolt in and go. Check everything.
It's funny you mention that, wasn't the issue then, but is now... Not concerning the dowl or pump... But the intermediate shaft... Not quite long enough... It engaged the pump until under a load, but then made a mess and ground away enough to not engage the pump/ lost oil pressure... My fault, I should have noticed this during assembly... Both times. But I honestly had never heard about the tall main cap blocks before... Which is apparently what the problem was... (And the only way I know that was searching on here) Looks like I need to get a 392 intermediate shaft and it will be long enough... Again I got lucky and caught it in time... Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Little update, this was a few weeks back, running with a water leak... got that straightened out. Chop all finished up... Currently working on floor pans... Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Are those Crown Royal bag rags under the engine in the video? ;-D Sounds good! Sent from my SM-S902L using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
@loudbang I wish that were the case... I'm working on it man, every day! Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
For some reason I can't figure out how to post a video anymore, but the important thing is that's not my house that little coupe is in front of! Yep, I drove the bastard... a whole 4 blocks. I know, not far... but I'm not near finished and if I drive it more I might decide to be... Finished installing the top wood... after playing hell with the header, this wasn't too bad, I probably owe that to the header fight... Little off topic, but I love this photograph, my 7 year old sons depiction of the coupe!
More floor work I forgot about, about done with the flat stuff... now everything needs shape and I'll have to enlist the help of a friend and his wheel... Just in case you thought I have a bunch of fancy tools, I don't. Windshield frame home from chrome and glass installed. I had the headlight stands I made done too, don't have a picture I guess, I think I'm done with the chrome house on this build, thank goodness... That about brings you up to speed, currently buying paint and interior parts... not any fun to talk about... future plans include changing the rear tires to 7.50s instead of the 7.00s. When the body comes off for paint, I'm going to pick the ass up another inch, just because I think it will settle that much, and I don't want to disturb the wheel well... the interior will be a dark brown, the seat at least will be real leather... distressed look, as a good friend put it, I want it to look like an "old baseball glove" .... going to leave the top open for now, but I don't have any plans for a permanent top if do anything at all. Two reasons, I love the look of the bows, and an open top car is so much fun... (plus I can see stop lights) And that's the other reason I shouldn't have driven it... I just kinda collect parts when I can. But the closer this one gets, we'll then the closer "this one" gets.... as always, thanks for watching...
I like having the top on pickup open sometimes, but most of the time I prefer it closed up. Open is fine for fair weather, when the summertime temps start climbing up, or when the sky gets grey and the temps fall, it's real nice to have that top closed up, makes the car far more enjoyable to drive. If I had to chose between open or closed I'd choose closed. Fortunately, I can remove the insert on mine in about 2 minutes when I want it open.
The Jalopy Journal
