Coming together. The white board list is getting shorter. Henry the wonder dog says he ready to go for a ride and quit all the manual labor crap. I tend to agree.
You should have no trouble making to Woolaroc now. Not sure if I’ll get mine done in time, but I’m making a run for it
Nothing much to report here. Doing the piddly things that go unnoticed. Filling radiator, adding oil, installing floor panels, gluing down carpet, installing brake light switch. With that said, we did put power on today and we had tail lights, brake lights and even a tag light. Also, the stereo picked up the Bluetooth signal from my phone automatically, so that was kinda cool. We hooked up the emergency brake and went down and picked up a new belt for the generator relocation project. Only 2 tries and we nailed it. Usually, it takes about 10 trips. Still have to install the headlights, but I have one I need to repaint, so maybe tomorrow.
So, 1 step forward and 2 steps back at the old Dust Bowl Speed Shop. We had a near miss today, but our fearless hero averted danger once more. More about this in a minute.... I decided to remove the plethora of brass fittings and S curved fuel line. This pic is only half of the fittings and line. I would guesstimate there were 10 brass fittings over the length of the line, not to mention the fuel pressure regulator inline. I don’t care for the dial type regulators and not really impressed with the output of the current pump, I opted for a Holley Mighty Mite. It is regulated 4-7 psi. A hamber told me about this And said he used it on his tripower with no regulator. Works perfect. I figured I would give it a try. Well, I opted for 3/8 stainless line or -6 AN for you aircraft guys. It’s overkill for the 265, but the previous owner had plumbed the fuel line out of brake line. The car always had a hesitation if you flogged it around 4,000. It would just nose over and start to cough.... Back to the crisis we averted..... While pulling the fuel line I was locked in and focused on the line getting hung up on the rear axle, in the meantime, the other end found it’s way into the battery shut off switch. Dead short across the posts. It got hot quick, fuel vapors at ground level from the removed line and the fuel line was glowing red. So, the wife hit the battery shut off, but that didn’t matter because I had shorted across the bottom of both terminals. This melted the brand new wires I just installed for the USB charging port. Oh well, what’s 2 more hours? With a few 3rd degree burns and a lot of luck....well, they say God watches over drunks and idiots and I don’t drink so.....
Nah, I am replumbing. I like things to be nice and straight. I’ll not be working the next couple days due to being on “wife support”. Maybe by Saturday I’ll be back on it.
*****Lunchtime update****** Came in for like lunch so I thought I would post some progress pics. Just trying to get everything g back where it needs to be, so that my upholstery guy, we will call him “Procrastinator Man”, ever gets done, we will just pop the seats back in and stab a few panels. It became glaringly obvious that we did not miss our calling, as upholstery folks. Anyway, we did ok for a driver. I hate to throw anything away, maybe I am turning into my grandpa. So, I found a place for all of the leftover insulation. I know it’s an open car, but I like the solid thud when closing the door. It’s a weird fetish. So, the panel behind the seat, got a double dose of insulation. Also, I got the new shift knob to match the new interior.
Now, back to the fuel lines. I am getting close to reinstalling them. I removed the previous owners brake line fiasco and about burned the car down in the process. It had about 10 connections and 4 pieces total. This will hopefully just end up being one piece until it gets close to the Push Lok house in the front. It’s all going to be 3/8” Stainless tubing with SwedgeLok fittings. These are my newest obsession. They are a high pressure compression fitting used mainly in oil and gas etc. I have had 30+ years of AN fittings in the aviation industry. I am leaving them behind. These things are way cooler and faster. Also, they make adapters to your AN hoses. Makes it simpler. Finger tight then one and a quarter turns and you are done.
Maybe you should let your wife take over for you Chris .... the roadster is coming together nicely. What is the GPH of that Holley pump?
It's not much Glen. I think somewhere around 32 GPH. The one that was on there took about 20 minutes to pump the last 2.5 gallons into a gas can. I was amazed the car even ran.
Great roadster. Swagelok is the best. I have 35 years as a research engineer doing lots of strange experimental projects, and the only plumbing system used in every lab I worked in wa Swage. With the tubing they sell, most of the plumbing is rated for between 2500 tp 3500 psi working pressure, with burst pressures to over 6000 psi and above. It is also fatigue rated for cyclic pressure applications. This stuff is not cheap, but then again we don't need no stinkin' leaks! BTW there are other brands that claim to be fully interchangeable with Swage, but don't believe it. Also this stuff is dissassembleable many times and will seal every time.
I am now their biggest cheerleader. The fittings are similar in price to AN stuff. It just keeps going up. No flares to have to dick with, no leaks and they are stainless. I love em! The local sales guy was giving me all the psi info etc and asked what kind of pressures I would be running and I said 4.5-9. He thought I meant thousands....he was stumped when I told him it was just 4.5 psi.
Not doing so good on the second week of vacation. I find myself piddling around. My upholstery guy, Mr. Procrastinator, isn’t going to make the goal I am afraid, so I am not killing myself. I’ll still get done, but the urgency is gone. I did get the valve covers painted and on. I added an oil pressure gauge that used to be on dad’s 265 C/Gas engine. Also, fabbed up the rest of the fuel lines. I keeping getting sidetracked on stupid crap, but I may bust it off Wednesday. We will see. Oh and if you are wondering about my cordless drill, I was able to prime the engine and got oil to all of the rockers. I’ll prime it again, just wanted to make sure the oil would make it to the rockers prior to installing the valve covers.
Man great call on painting the black between the fins. The balance of shiny black, sealer black, and white feel really balanced. Cars turning out great!
Sorry Chris I know you were busting your ass. The progress you have made is nothing short of fantastic.
The Jalopy Journal
