460 swap into my 58 fairlane.. need help fellas!

It might not be such a good idea to use bolts from Home Depot. They usually sell grade 3 or less stuff. You should be able to get header bolts at your local auto parts store, they usually have a smaller head. They are also made with the proper grade of steel.

 

thats exactly what i saw and was gonna get! but the girl told me "nooo i dont think those will fit what you got" and i brought in a bolt too off my dad's 460 exhaust manifolds. ugh well i know i was right now.

im about to head over there right now after visiting o'reilly's and buying a buttload of stuff.. im ready to get a lot done today. hopefully.

 

alrighty well good news for today:

1. got my driveshaft in and bolted up with no problems. so thats done.
2. got my headers all in place and bolted up, just gotta put the collectors on them and tighten up the bolts. so thats done.
3. got my radiator bolted in place. thats done..... almost.

i just posted a seperate thread, but i should mention that my clutch fan is awfully close to my radiator:






i know this is my build thread and i did post the seperate thread just in case someone else has that issue.

not sure when ill head back over there because i have class tomorrow and i work the next 6 days in a row, and my dad didnt get to help out today because he was feeling sick. and his surgery is supposidly next tuesday still, unless something comes up. so progress is coming along fairly quickly. i just need to clean up the area soon since i have junk laying around that i dont need. here are a few shots of the car today

 

That clutch fan is scary! My gut feeling is that thing will eat your radiator at the worst possible moment. How about a regular flex fan instead?

 

I know its not too hamb friendly but how about two electric fans and no clutch fan?Rob.

 

I have never ran a fan clutch. I always run a good fan with a shroud.
You need to open up that gap. Radiators are too expensive to take a chance tearing it up.

 

my classes at school were cancelled today so what did i do at 7:55 am? got in my truck and drove to my grandmas and worked on it some more.

took the radiator out, and took off the fan. last night i found myself a good fan online and ordered it. should be here by friday or monday.

so that'll solve that dilemma, and i also found the perfect mounting spot for my transmission cooler, so ill mount that maybe tomorrow or whenenever the new fan gets here.

tightened up the bolts on my headers and they're all set to go. tomorrow i guess ill fiddle with my throttle cables too and get that taken care of.

i kinda wanna fire it up already, put some coolant in the radiator and some oil in the engine, see how she sounds with my new headers. im sort of running out of things i can think of to make this driveable really im not sure if im perhaps not thinking to hard, or if i really am down to the last few things here, (non cosmetic stuff)

 

major things im leaving until last are my brakes and buying two new wide white wall tires. so besides those.... i have a lot marked off my 'to do list'

 

well i guess ill be having no help from my dad for a long time, hes been sick all week and surgery next week, and i work the next few days in a row. i tried shortening my trottle linkage and kickdown linkage but i think i messed up. so that left me frustrated.

i wanna get my fan already and put the radiator in place with the hoses and fill it up with coolant and start it, but im a cautious guy, im afraid something will go wrong, so it sucks not having my dad there to ask if im doing everything right or wrong. not sure when this build will get done now because there are a lot of tiny things left to do but im not sure how to do them, or, i messed up in the process of doing them

 

Hang in there man. There are quite a few of us on here who will glad to help you through all the little bumps. Just let us know and take on the small stuff one thing at a time.
I know what you mean about wanting to get it done. My F1 is so close to being ready for inspection but still gotta wait until I have money for the few more things I need. It will be worth it in the end.

 

i was donig my kickdown cable yesterday and its that braided stainless material thats super thick to cut. i used the grinder to cut it, but its warped at the end, and now when i try putting the fittings back over the braided material, its all frayed at the ends and it wont slip over. know what im talking about? idk how else to cut it smoothly. plus i dont know what i did wrong with the throttle. ill have to take photos i guess..

my new fan should be here today hopefully. once thats here i can bolt in the radiator and put the new hoses on and fill it with coolant and what not. maybe then i can start it. im just worried about fire for some reason lol, im a safety nut and i dont want nothing catching on fire or blowing up knowing my luck

 

As far as cutting braided line, wrap a piece of masking tape or black electrical tape around the line tightly. Get a sharp cold chisel wider than the line and a big hammer. Hopefully you have a vise. Lay the line across the closed vise, hold the chisel 1/2 way down the tape line and give it a strong blow with the hammer. Should cut the hose like butter and keep the end from raveling. I've been building braided lines for all knds of projects for 20 years cutting lines this way.

 

I worked on my car 6 years before I drove it for the first time.

I would walk out in the garage one day and think, "There aint no way I'm ever going to get this done."
Then a couple days later I would walk out in the garage and think, "This wont be so bad!"
Just keep plugging along. I think you are making great progress!!

 

very interesting way of doing that, ill try it out on monday or tuesday when im not working/ at school.

i got my new fan last night shipped to me. it looks very nice and i just gotta go get a fan spacer now. (one that'll be the correct length and give me that 'special zone' for cooling), after thats in place i can finally get my radiator bolted in. either get some new hoses, or reuse the ones i have, ill prolly get new ones just to be safe...

in my mind im thinking, "hmm.. radiator will be in place, i can put coolant in there, and i can put oil in my engine.. should i fire it up?" im thinking about it.

and i dislike how all my bills come at once this month. my truck insurance is due, cell phone bill, gym payment, and paying off my credit card of 1200 bucks. i wanna get wide white wall tires already but i just cant yet.

 

If you can't find the proper lenth spacer, buy a longer one and have it shortened.
I'm just say'n Bought one at Pep sisters and machined it

 

Jay: Sorry that I haven't had much time to check HAMB for your posts. First I will be thinking of your dad when he has the surgery. You have had it rough with your grandpa and now your dad. Keep your head up high.

If you need help with wiring, anything, please PM me. If I was still living in SO CAL, I would be up there regularly helping you. I like everything you have been doing on the 58, and soon it will be up and running, then driveable, and you can take your dad for a ride, with you and your dad having big smiles. Keep up the good work.

 

my mind is racing tonight.. tomorrow morning at 5am my dad will be in surgery while ill be waking up. he was sleeping but just woke up and i gave him a card i made, a get well soon card, heres what i drew him, (his project truck that hes working on)



he told me i should be a cartoonist and that i have a talent he hasnt seen before. (i make cards for my friends like this)

then he said "you know i probably wont be seeing you for a while"
tearing up he said "you turned out good jay, your a good guy"

so i gave him a hug and told him i love you. i wont see him for 3 weeks pending if it goes okay. pretty emotional i guess but im praying ill see him again and these werent his last words to me. i dont like thinking like that. god will take care of him

 

Hang in there Jay, I've said a prayer for your Dad, hope it helps.
He's right, you got some talent there. Keep at it.
All my best wishes, Eli

 

my dad had his 9 hour surgery tuesday morning. the doctor said it went well, but then..

he was having problems with the breathing tubes yesterday. he seemed to have calmed down yesterday, but last night while i was at work, i guess the hospital called my mom saying he was having more troubles and they had to put him in restraints because he kept trying to pull the tubes out and he couldnt breath right. fluid was in his lungs and he was in terrible pain.

my sister is down there now with him. my mom will go back down there tomorrow and unfortunatley im working the next 5 days in a row. the doctors dont understand it, everything should be okay with him, but as usual its my dad's luck that he is having all these complications. im pretty scared ill admit. i tried working on my car today but i just couldnt, i wasnt in the mood. if i knew he was for sure going to be okay maybe i'd be okay to work on it but not knowing if im gonna see him again is the most unsettling feeling i could ever imagine

 

well its been over a week and i guess his pnemonia *spelling?* is going away and he's back to his stubborn self. he had a breathing tube in him but he took it out and got out of the bed and started walking around and called my mom yesterday. the nurses weren't so happy with him but sure enough he is bouncing right back after being so out of it, so thats a good sign.


on another note though with my '58, i tried starting it yesterday, and hooked the battery up. i checked the lights to see if they still work, sure enough, they do.
then i turned the key and i hear 'click'.... it was sparking at the positive ground on the battery terminal but that was it. idk what happened, why wont it turn over now? dead battery? but why would my lights still work?

 

Glad your Dad is doing better. I hope you are not using a pos ground!
Have patience.

 

Glad to hear your dad is doin better.

Go through and check all grounds and all wire connections, mainly at battery and solenoid (still running fender mount solenoid im guessing) my solenoid went bad over the summer and would just click, and smoke. May not be the problem, but a good starting point. Good luck


-LUKEY-

 

well its been a while since i updated this.

status on my dad:
it was a close one. the nurses said he flatlined briefly. in fact my dad told us he saw the white light and was greeted by my grandpa who passed in february and he told him 'its not your time yet you have to go back'. he said the the ground beside him on both sides were lined with people he didnt know, cleaning off the headstones of the loved ones who were about to pass over. and my grandpa was in his prime, a young man again with flawless skin...
luckily my dad survived and he's hanging in there. its just hard seein him in the shape he is right now.


status on the '58.
havent worked on it in about 2-3 weeks. last thing i did was put the aftermarket fan on, and the transmission cooler.
other than that, its been too cold to go over there and work on it.

i went over there today, i put the valve covers on it that i ordered back in february. i also got an edelbrock chrome air cleaner on there now too.

there was something wrong with the rear suspension i noticed from a long time ago.

on my leaf springs, on the rear, it was hanging down, sagging. i've seen photos of that piece being straight up vertically. i tried fixing it but to no avail. i have no idea how to describe what im talking about. ill get some photos soon hopefully.

and i also need to get 2 new tires for the darn thing. i still have yet to start it up. i need a new battery, one small enough to fit into the battery tray, yet powerful enough to keep my 460 going.

still gotta do the alternator and my brakes as well.
but ill be honest. i think im going to just have my mechanic steve do those brakes. its too risky for me to fiddling with. i got the lines hooked up but its leaking from the MC and i might have done some things wrong. its best he look at it i suppose.

oh yea and my dark throttle/ kickdown cables... gotta get that going too unfortunatley.

its just so cold to work on it, winter is not a good time to be working outdoors on a hot rod

 

Paryer send for your Dad!!! keep up the work on you 58 ! great work so far !

 

got some nice update photos for you guys

first off i gotta tell you, i lowered it today to see how its gonna sit. and glad i did. the headers are hitting the cement (as expected, so please no 'told you so' comments), i will eventually get to fixing this *(once i get the money.. and knowledge on how to do it too lol)

the rear suspension, the leaf springs, are still sagging, its all messed up and im not sure how to fix it still. i posted a thread last week and tried everything but to no avail.

my 'to do' list is now shorter.

1. brakes. -the major dilema right now. i went to my family mechanic and he said he would love to do the brakes for me. im not ashamed to take it to him. i'd much rather have him do it, someone who is experienced, do those for me.

2. wire up the alternator/ regulator.

3. rear suspension/ front coils. RAISE IT. it'll cost a pretty penny im sure, but it has to be done.

4. the minor things.... a fuel hose thats long enough
5. radiator cap for my custom radiator.
6. hook up the transmission cooler lines (simple, just hard to get to)
7. seal up the dipstick, it came loose so i gotta get it in there good and seal it.
8. new tires all around.
9. double check all the bolts and make sure everything is where it should be/ tightened, etc.
10. clean up the engine compartment a tad bit, make the wiring cleaner/ organize it more.


here are some photos:









also, gonna paint the roof metallic green, rims metallic green, and the body primer white. in case anyone is wondering about paint.

 

Ok, raising is easier than u think... Front springs from a 61-64 galaxie interchange, they raise it quite a bit, so you may need to trim a coil or so, but thats the easiest way. As for the rear try mid 90s s10 rear springs. We have done this swap on my brothers ford. The wheel is still centered perfectly and it raised his car 2" over the stock sagging springs. I cant remember what year the truck was, so measure front spring eye to axle center, and axle center to rear spring eye. Good job on the build, i am learning alot here, thanks

 

really? i heard of the aerostar van coils to LOWER it, but thats the opposite of what i want. hopefully those galaxie coils are more than enough for me. i kinda wouldnt mind a nose high front end, and the rear slightly lower. ill read more about the s10 swap for leaf springs too. my only concern is i hope i dont have to take apart everything again. im hoping just to jack up the front end with a jack, put the stands under it, and be able to unbolt the coils or something and slide them out. im still a newb myself and learn from you guys here on the hamb... or google

 

Aerostar springs lower it, 61-64 galaxie was a fullsize that was much heavier. They will raise it higher than stock. You wont find much on s10 rear spring swaps. We learned because a buddy put hydraulics on his s10 and we kept his springs. A spring on our ford broke so we just started measuring, and they fit. Like i said, cant remember what year tho.

 

im gonna do a morning bump for this thread, and hope that someone can shine light on the s10 rear suspension swap. i have work in a bit and dont have much time to google it or look it up on the hamb.

 

Ok, i was wrong...s10 rear springs were another of my brothers cars. Check out www.stengelbros.com they specialize in springs and the website has all the dimensions so you can hunt around and find a pair that may fit from a more common car, then go junkyard hunting.


-LUKEY-