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Projects Modified Lakester Build (THUNDERCASKET)

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by patmanta, Nov 12, 2012.

  1. Six Ball
    Joined: Oct 8, 2007
    Posts: 5,776

    Six Ball
    Member
    from Nevada

    "You've made the mistake of using your work space as storage space!"
    You are absolutely right! I need to build a new work only shop. :D
     
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  2. patmanta
    Joined: May 10, 2011
    Posts: 3,872

    patmanta
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Woburn, MA
    1. MASSACHUSETTS HAMB

    True enough I guess, but it's still a bit of a drag not being able to source bits & bobs to do the thing you can otherwise figure out how to do. I'm about to try exhaust clamps :/

    That's one way to do it; just leave the mess and move in clean, LOL!
     
  3. patmanta
    Joined: May 10, 2011
    Posts: 3,872

    patmanta
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Woburn, MA
    1. MASSACHUSETTS HAMB

    So, i just scored a Mallory ZB-247-AX Distributor for the 8BA.

    I know the ZB's are early and have some sort of vacuum interface but a mechanical advance (if I'm not mistaken).

    What I DO NOT KNOW is what caps and rotors fit and how to get them. I think this was originally a 2 piece cap unit but can I run a later cap on one of these or did I just buy a paperweight?
     
  4. Six Ball
    Joined: Oct 8, 2007
    Posts: 5,776

    Six Ball
    Member
    from Nevada

    You can make it work and you can find the right cap and rotor points and condenser.. There is a lot of interchange between models. I am converting an old Mallory Dual Life for a Pontiac V8 to run on my my Chevy L4. A big problem is that no one at Mallory now can answer questions about the older units. If worse come to worse you can pit a Pertronics HEI in it. Post some pictures of it and do some searches on the numbers. It's all out there somewhere.
     
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  5. patmanta
    Joined: May 10, 2011
    Posts: 3,872

    patmanta
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Woburn, MA
    1. MASSACHUSETTS HAMB

    Thanks, yeah, I did some quick research but I only had like 20 minutes to make a decision so I ended up lowball auction-sniping it and won. I know it's an earlier version (or, I think I do) based on what I found here on the HAMB and Fordbarn. But as far as parts, I don't know what will interchange yet.

    So far it looks like it is a non Magspark unit but it has mechanical advance so it is a major improvement over the 8ba unit which won't work well for what I'm building. Maybe @GMC BUBBA will happen to see this and chime in with his deep knowledge on these.

    I'm hoping I don't NEED to track down rare NOS parts and can use/adapt more readily available parts, caps, and rotors. These apparently started life with a 24215-B rotor and a 24004 two piece cap and look to be dual point.

    Also attached here is a PDF of Mallory numbers and applications I compiled and made searchable too. Here are the images from the ePay listing.

    s-l1600 (36).jpg s-l1600 (37).jpg s-l1600 (38).jpg s-l1600 (39).jpg
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Mar 7, 2018
  6. patmanta
    Joined: May 10, 2011
    Posts: 3,872

    patmanta
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Woburn, MA
    1. MASSACHUSETTS HAMB

    Digging around more seems to indicate the cap is a 4004 but the complete one I found said 24004.

    Are they the same thing? If they are then "the Mallory YC uses a NAPA replacement of MA5 cap and MA7 rotor"* would seem to be a reasonably good place to look into for replacement parts. I'm also wondering if I can just buy a cheaper and complete vintage Mallory for any other V8 that uses the 4004 cap and rob it for the parts I need.

    *I found this thread on the FordBarn:
    https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?p=245153

    Here's an identical but complete unit I saw here on the HAMB for slae.
    https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...-dual-point-distibutor.1031791/#post-11680706

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  7. patmanta
    Joined: May 10, 2011
    Posts: 3,872

    patmanta
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Woburn, MA
    1. MASSACHUSETTS HAMB

    Mostly non-build stuff to report though I did get the Mallory I bought finally. It's getting warmer and the days are longer, so I'm planning to get the engine cleaned up and back together as soon as I get my steering and exhaust finished... after I finish the shop reorg and overhaul, which I did more of Sunday.

    My new benches are drop-leaf. I made them with 550lb locking hinges and 3/4" oak plywood doubled up. I may do this on the other side too. I'm liking them a lot so far.

    IMG_20180401_164347_458.jpg

    IMG_20180401_154219_198.jpg IMG_20180401_154219_199.jpg
     
    Last edited: Apr 3, 2018
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  8. Tim_with_a_T
    Joined: Apr 30, 2011
    Posts: 1,358

    Tim_with_a_T
    Member

    Nice. I like those. I hadn't thought of using locking hinges like that. Where'd you find those?
     
  9. patmanta
    Joined: May 10, 2011
    Posts: 3,872

    patmanta
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Woburn, MA
    1. MASSACHUSETTS HAMB

    Amazon Prime has a bunch of different ones in various strengths.
     
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  10. patmanta
    Joined: May 10, 2011
    Posts: 3,872

    patmanta
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Woburn, MA
    1. MASSACHUSETTS HAMB

    Well, still no movement on the car; I'm still making my shop a bigger mess in order to clean it up.

    I tore down one of my folding benches that I just made in order to make a doorway, which I think was the right call.

    Here are pictures of my neighbor's chop on his 34 truck instead of boring pictures of a torn up garage.

    20180407_121610.jpg 20180407_121524.jpg
     
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  11. Beau
    Joined: Jul 2, 2009
    Posts: 1,884

    Beau
    Member

  12. patmanta
    Joined: May 10, 2011
    Posts: 3,872

    patmanta
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Woburn, MA
    1. MASSACHUSETTS HAMB

    Just a little update with no pictures here. After about a year, I finally picked my tools back up and put them to use on THIS car. I thought it had been longer, it sure seemed it. I'm glad it wasn't.

    Anyway, I pulled the firewall out and started cutting on it... made a mess... but I can probably get it together. The first thing I tried didn't work out the way I planned so I've cut more out. Hopefully I don't have to start from scratch, LOL.

    I'm trying to get a flat sheet in there now, level with the lower inside tabs or thereabouts. I'll post pictures at some point.

    Anybody got pictures of their T-V8 firewalls they'd share?
     
  13. patmanta
    Joined: May 10, 2011
    Posts: 3,872

    patmanta
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Woburn, MA
    1. MASSACHUSETTS HAMB

    Ok, here's a picture to prove I'm not BS'ing about getting back to work. I trimmed this sheet and the firewall to slide into each other and drilled a couple quarter inch holes to keep it together for now. Since this picture was taken I put a 90 across the top.

    20190302_141133.jpg

    I decided to buy a new bead roller so I can make better rolls by myself. I have the old HF roller, which is just a bit much for my wingspan with that silly crank. Aside from the deflection issue with these, the reaching just messes my lines up. SO, I ordered the Eastwood Elite 8" Heavy Duty Bead Roller because it was the most economical answer to these woes. Between the 4 post wheel/crank and the shortened distance, this should cover most of what I'll be doing and address the reaching and deflecting issues the HF machine gave me. Plus, the shafts are also 22mm like the HF roller, so the dies I already have should fit.

    I'm going to try to tip the 15" R transmission clearance once I get set up to give me a lip for the trans tunnel, put some strengthening beads through it, & do any offsetting adjustments I may need. Then I'll be punching the hole for the steering and trying to get that back in the car and assembled finally.

    Once I finish this I think I need to address some stuff I'm not satisfied with in the subframe I made. I should have built it flipped over from how I've got it now. So, I can either, A, blow the whole body apart, cut the subframe up, and rebuild it all or B. rework it as it sits and then cut out what is in the way. Option B is how I'm going to go unless it turns into a big mess.
     
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2019
  14. patmanta
    Joined: May 10, 2011
    Posts: 3,872

    patmanta
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Woburn, MA
    1. MASSACHUSETTS HAMB

    No meaningful progress this weekend. I only managed to set up my new bead roller and my new heater. The heater ended up having me go to the hardware store for better fittings. While I was there my OT truck got doored by some woman who decided to park too close to me with the wind behind her and open her door "to air the car out" (I thought that was what windows were for) so that's what I'm going to have to deal with this afternoon. I fired the heater up after finally not smelling a mess of gas and it promptly heated my shop and ate the last of the gas in my bottle. I'm not sure if the 30K Mr Heater is supposed to fire all bricks at the lowest setting or not.

    Anyway, I did get to play with my new bead roller a bit. I'm very rusty with one of these but so far I like the size for working solo. The plate is a good half inch and I did not observe any deflection on 18ga.

    received_383293085784822.jpeg
     
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  15. patmanta
    Joined: May 10, 2011
    Posts: 3,872

    patmanta
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Woburn, MA
    1. MASSACHUSETTS HAMB

    Thought I'd mangled yet another piece of perfectly good metal but managed to salvage the firewall project this weekend. I'll have to shrink the piece down a bit because of what I had to do to save it but nothing that will stop me or slow me down too much. Just gotta apply some heat next time I fool with it.

    Got the bump out for the steering shaft support bearing made too.

    IMG_20190330_162805_536[1].jpg
     
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  16. patmanta
    Joined: May 10, 2011
    Posts: 3,872

    patmanta
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Woburn, MA
    1. MASSACHUSETTS HAMB

    Everything you get done is one less thing to do... unless you ruin it or just decide you need to tear it all apart and do it over... which I haven't yet but got close.

    20190406_155426.jpg
     
  17. patmanta
    Joined: May 10, 2011
    Posts: 3,872

    patmanta
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Woburn, MA
    1. MASSACHUSETTS HAMB

    So, that offset bump-out I spent a couple days fooling with ended up being totally useless and I have NO idea how I was SO FAR OFF with hole placement. I ended up taking it off entirely.

    I messed up my second attempt too but only by about a half inch. The hole needed to be over to the left and maybe up a bit. I'm not sure if there is a trick to this or not but I sure don't know it if there is!

    I also mocked up this steering column tube again by slotting the bottom to hold the mower bearing with a hose clamp. The bushing would get pushed in from behind I think but it's easier to pull out again this way since I'm not committed to this yet. Regardless, I am much closer to having a steering roller now!

    20190415_163016a.jpg
     
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  18. Stogy
    Joined: Feb 10, 2007
    Posts: 26,345

    Stogy
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    So Tater with the Yellow 57 Chevy said everything he's done on the car has been done twice...:D...and I have that kind of learning curve periodically...so keep climbing the mountain Pat...its just life with Murphy looking over your shoulder...enjoying your journey in Hotrod
     
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  19. patmanta
    Joined: May 10, 2011
    Posts: 3,872

    patmanta
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Woburn, MA
    1. MASSACHUSETTS HAMB

    Here are the long awaited and long overdue pictures of the car!
    (I wish I had rolled her out as soon as I finished the nose but I'll cover that in another post)

    I'll start off by being dramatic.

    20190420_164318.jpg
    20190420_165038.jpg 20190420_164348.jpg 20190420_164357.jpg 20190420_164306.jpg

    Here's the first peek out of the shop since like, January of 2017:
    20190420_163536.jpg

    And here's a look around at how she sits now.

    20190420_164257.jpg
    20190420_164334.jpg 20190420_165022.jpg 20190420_165117.jpg 20190420_165136.jpg

    And the coveted overhead view (from the toilet on my second floor)

    20190420_165252.jpg
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Apr 22, 2019
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  20. patmanta
    Joined: May 10, 2011
    Posts: 3,872

    patmanta
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Woburn, MA
    1. MASSACHUSETTS HAMB

    NOW, on to the bad and lessons learned here.

    My big takeaway from getting the car outside of my cramped shop for the first time in over 2 years is that when you're building something this ambitious and coloring outside the lines, you really need to be able to get a GOOD LOOK AT IT. My little shop really only let me see a section at a time so I thought it was looking cool though something did feel a little off; I just couldn't place it.

    Something does not work with the relationship between the wheels and the body.

    20190421_162342.jpg
    20190420_164102.jpg

    While I'm overall pleased with the wedge shape of the body, the way it is sitting just does not work for me.

    The nose feels just a little bit too far forward.

    The rear end and its 32" tires look tiny, almost smaller than the 29's up front.

    The whole car is sitting overall too high for a body like this.

    I already knew I needed to revise my floor and subframe, and I'm sure glad I hadn't started that yet because the new plan is to pull the torque tube, cut my kick up tacks, and move the rear end inboard until the crossmember is inside the tub. This is something I should have done from the start that would have saved me A LOT of grief.

    I was going back over my older Instagram pictures from before this car really took shape and found the prototype shot I took a few years back. The rear end is situated in a position that I think will totally change the look of this car to be more in line with my vision and taste.

    [​IMG]

    I am going to do this first since it is actually easier than making changes up front and I want to look at it again once I do so before deciding on a plan of attack up there but I think I am going to have to go spring behind axle to get my wheels a little closer to the tip of the nose AND to drop me down a few more inches. I'm sitting HIGH still with the bottom of the frame like 13" off the pavement at the firewall.

    I've got room for it with some modifications:

    20190420_165605.jpg
     

    Attached Files:

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  21. Six Ball
    Joined: Oct 8, 2007
    Posts: 5,776

    Six Ball
    Member
    from Nevada

    I agree with your assessment and your plan. That said your progress is great. It is always tough to design and build at the same time, especially in a tight spot where you can not see the whole project. Credit to you for being able to look at your work truthfully. That is not a common trait.
     
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  22. patmanta
    Joined: May 10, 2011
    Posts: 3,872

    patmanta
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Woburn, MA
    1. MASSACHUSETTS HAMB

    Thanks, @Six Ball , yeah, if anything I've learned through my experiences over the past few years, it's the value of looking at your stuff and being honest with yourself.

    And yeah, my shop situation is part of what ground me to a halt back in the beginning of 2018. This weekend's movement has highlighted that and I'm trying to think about how I want to re-configure things further to maximize my space.

    This is where I was at Saturday morning. I had actually gotten the steering linkage mocked up at this point however! So that was a win among the entropy.

    20190420_155157.jpg

    And here is how I closed up after @BOSTONCAMARO helped me get the car turned around on Sunday:

    IMG_20190421_171805.jpg
     

    Attached Files:

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  23. Six Ball
    Joined: Oct 8, 2007
    Posts: 5,776

    Six Ball
    Member
    from Nevada

    That is a tight spot.
     
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  24. hfh
    Joined: Oct 22, 2012
    Posts: 476

    hfh
    Member
    from Western MA

    If you're going to think outside the box you have to expect some setbacks. Getting all the components to look right together requires a lot of adjustment and readjustment. Accepting and learning from your mistakes will get you to where you want to be. Keep going. Roll it outside often.
     
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  25. patmanta
    Joined: May 10, 2011
    Posts: 3,872

    patmanta
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Woburn, MA
    1. MASSACHUSETTS HAMB

    Yeah, it really is. I've been fighting that since day 1. The shelves in the back of the bay seemed to help the situation in the shop at first but years later I'm finding they mostly just hold stuff that collects dust and is never going on the car. So those may get shifted down into my basement this year in favor of getting that 20sqf of floor space back.

    This is certainly the lesson here. This whole thread is part journey of discovery/learning and part cautionary tale, LOL!

    So here I've made a photoshop to get an idea if changing the wheelbase and height will take this car in the right direction. This shot is what I think I can do reasonably and without making major changes throughout the car that would set me back quite a bit. Rear end in 6" Front axle out 3" with 2" drop overall (what I think the spring behind perch will do; I can kick the rear accordingly). The front end of this car already has a 4" drop axle, reverse eye spring, and 32 style front crossmember (about 6" of drop from a stock A).

    20190421_162342_2inch_Drop.png

    Here's the car with about 4 inches of drop, which I don't think I'm going to be able to do without switching to a suicide perch which is not in the cards for this car without major changes to the steering. I may need an adult to talk to ma about getting this low though; it is not impossible.

    20190421_162342_4inch_Drop.png

    Either way, I'm going to get this set before I mess with the floor again.
     
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  26. Stogy
    Joined: Feb 10, 2007
    Posts: 26,345

    Stogy
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    :rolleyes:...those mods do look better Pat...I like both...tough call for me on which one though.
     
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  27. slv63
    Joined: Aug 4, 2008
    Posts: 151

    slv63
    Member

    Cool! It’s fun for me to see more of the vision you’re going for. I agree with moving the rest end forward. That helps a lot. What does it look like with the rearend forward, but front end left alone. I normally don’t like noses sticking out, but in this case I kind of like it. Depending on your Photoshop ability, or rattle can inventory, I think seeing the back panels in a darker color will help too. It’s too cut up with the different colors right now to get a good idea of what to tweak. Keep going, you’re getting there!
     
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  28. patmanta
    Joined: May 10, 2011
    Posts: 3,872

    patmanta
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Woburn, MA
    1. MASSACHUSETTS HAMB

    Yeah, ME TOO! But kicking the rear end in is going to be my first move. Then another rollout and photoshoot ;)

    We'll see what that does because it's damnsure easier to get my torque tube shortened to fit than it is to re-do the whole front end. If it fixes the issue (which I highly doubt), hurrah, if not, I've still done part of the work that needs to be done.

    Thanks! Yeah, I'm going to need to get some primer on at least the one side of the body so I can see it. Right now it's tough to see because the car is basically camouflaged. I tried to fool with that in Photoshop but it was just going to be a time suck. If I get a dry enough day next week I will try to rattle can some on there.

    I made a PSD file that's almost like a paper doll so I can play around with placement a bit. Here is the rear end in / front end unmoved.

    20190421_162342_Rear in_only.png
     
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  29. Stooge
    Joined: Sep 9, 2015
    Posts: 504

    Stooge
    Member

    If your ready to build something cool, be ready to blow it apart and redo it a few times! Good to see it outside and i think your definitely headed in the right direction with the photoshop you did. Maybe its the front wheels being slightly higher up with the lowered body that makes the nose look a little less long and "off" and kicking the rear forward a few inches seems like it visually shortens the whole body a bit. Going to be a cool car for sure!
    I like this version you did and sounds least invasive
    20190421_162342_2inch_Drop.png

    20190421_162215.jpg
     
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  30. Stogy
    Joined: Feb 10, 2007
    Posts: 26,345

    Stogy
    ALLIANCE MEMBER


    Hi Pat...just a few inspirational mods to ponder...you have
    come along way with this Hotrod and its really starting to come
    together...I was thinking as another option you could run the exhaust to the back stack style
    and up in the same shape as
    that push bar nerf thing I did back there...

    For some reason I'm thinking of the Tommy Lee era on this one...so to capture that
    the steering wheel and buckets might have to go older...

    ThunderCasV1.jpg


    ThunderCasV2.jpg


    ThunderCasV2x.jpg


    ThunderCasV3.jpg

     
    Last edited: Apr 24, 2019
    OFT, brEad, Six Ball and 1 other person like this.

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