Thanks Mike!! - I’m gonna paint the frame the same color as the body. I planed to paint it kandy pagen gold- over a gold flake base. I built a rotisserie for the frame a few years back. Pretty positive that’s gonna be harder to paint than the body. I plan to use a kandy base coat mix using concentrate and clear base coat. The base coat flashes off faster and builds up just the same only it stays where you spray it. The engine is getting painted pearl white with flake in the clear. It would be so much easier to paint stuff than to plate it.... but the end result is gonna be spectacular in chrome! I talked to Sean @fatlucky and he said he would upholster it... if for some reason he can’t because he’s moving shop, I’m going to do it myself. I’ve always loved Sean’s style- from way back when the H.A.M.B. started. He did the seats for the Hex my old shoebox in pearl white tuck’n’roll. I don’t envision anything really crazy for the interior just really clean and smart! (-;
Seriously man, your roadster is shaping up to be a custom show rod of the sixties, a dream I've also envisioned most of my life! When I first bought Andy Southard's book on Hot Rods & Customs of the 1960's, it blew me away, dreaming of having a rod like those featured. And we all know that it's difficult to achieve this kind of rod unless we do most of the work ourselves, with help and guidance here on the HAMB for opinions and such. For me personally, watching you build your roadster will have a great impact on achieving the same goal with my coupe! Still shakin' my head with the planned future of your roadster! Go man GO!!!
Everything looks to fit just right. I think this guy might know what he’s doing. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
You know I love your roadster. So much. I cannot wait to see it in person.. I may just stick around long enough for you to get tired of me. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Not Possible Matt- ha! Well if all goes as planned I'll be hauling the enclosed down behind the Expedition with all of the girls- Should be fun! I have a spring break coming up... that'll be the last big push to get stuff as far as I can. Just looking forward to talking hot rods with all of you guys- should be fun to kick tires...
So the frame and motor should be painted for the Roundup? Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Engine I think- frame no-! I plan to get it together in bare metal and run around with it before blowing it apart for chrome and paint. I won’t have it running for the roundup.
SUPER STOKED. I ordered all of the bearings for the motor. I managed to find NOS bearings on ebay by Federal Mogul. They don't make them anymore and they're good quality bearings. The CAM is on its way- .490 lift from @73RR who RULES btw! I have an ongoing thread with him that covers most of my dumb questions. Such a wealth of hemi knowledge I thank you Gary! I found an extra set of Mains for the block. I'm going to try and machine one for a 392 oil pump as per Gary's 73RR's advice. I installed the rod bearings because I could and it was easy. I'm hoping I can bring the block down to @titus 's place next weekend and install cam bearings if I can align with him. I'm just going to be focusing on the hemi and intake right now. Starter is covered and rebuilt. The intake: I ordered new studs and stainless nuts. The fuel rail I ordered 3/8" chrome hose barb and a Stewart Warner Liquid filled 15psi fuel pressure gauge to mount to the end facing me. I think I'm just going to run black gas line. I got the double wire hose clamps too that I'll chrome. The carbs: I got all of the parts for the carbs I needed... which is a lot. About a grand worth. I even found the flush mount inlets that hold the needle- CHROME. I can't thank Clive and @bobbleed enough for the help. I'm running .43 jets with 71 power valves. I'm really excited to get the intake together with carbs etc. Plan is to do a final polish on the intake and install the studs. Then I'll do a final polish on the SP tops and put everything together. This HEMI will be together and running this summer... I just keep thinking to myself HOLY SHIT.... I took this shot digging for parts in the Mezzanine- Tuck-
This is from 73RR: Installment number one; oil pump swap for the 51-53 331 Chrysler. As has been noted in previous threads, the 51-53 331 pump is a one-only pump design. Although the pump 'looks' like the Early DeSoto they do not interchange due to the slight change in the mounting bolt locations (see previous posts). Additionally, there is a minor change in the length of the rotor/shaft assembly. There are just two 'foot' patterns for the several different pump body designs so we will modify a 51-53 331 main cap to accept the 'other' pattern which is common to the 392 pump and which is, as of this date, in production from Melling: the M-50. Because we are dealing only with the pump and main cap, do not forget that you will also need to deal with the oil pickup tube and screen assembly for the particular oil pan configuration that you will use. The first step is to set a piece of soft all-thread in the cap. We used Locktite 242 in this job. Be cautious about using a bolt that could be harder than the cap material because we will be drilling through both materials and a hard bolt could force the drill bit to drift into the softer cast. If you use a bolt you should anneal it first. The next step is to make things flat: While the cap is positioned in the vise we will also enlarge the oil transfer slot just a wee bit: Now back to the bolt hole... We located the new hole center with a transfer punch through a 392 pump body. Now it is time to drill and tap the new hole: We now have a 51-53 331 Chrysler main cap that will accept the Melling M-50 pump without any other modifications. No adapters, no questionable shafts, just stock parts. If you want to use an A-LA distributor you only need a new intermediate shaft assembly just the same as if the original early pump was in place. Could this be done by a handy hot-rodder with a good drill press? Possibly, since the oil transfer slot is not critical but rather 'just nice to do'. The big hurdle will be to make sure that the new plug is dead flat to the mounting surface when you are done. Can it be done at home? Yes Should it be done at home? Maybe not. The next installment will be to modify this same main cap for the Melling M-72HV pump (340 high volume). Stay tuned. .
RIGHT??? You guys on the Hamb and my friends know how long a journey this has been. It seems surreal knocking down these milestones. But... to fire it up and put it in gear for the first time... man... I dream of this. DREAM OF THIS!!! Heres a vid of the first time I pulled my 34 out of the shop (needed some clutch adjustment) and a few weeks later drove it to the Hunnert Car Pileup. ha... HOT RODS!!!
I just wanted to say that your old build threads were one of the things about the HAMB that I loved so much. And to see you posting on here, just as excited as you sounded all those years ago, makes me so happy for you. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Some real Strombergs on top of a hemi - does it get any better than this? Maybe.... Looking forward to hear that engine run!!
The Jalopy Journal
