Projects My '32 5 Window Project - Done and Cruising!!!

Passed the 800 mile mark! No issues so far.

Swapped the Pete and Jake front shocks for a set of Bilsteins. They are a bit shorter and got rid of a lot of my noise and rattles. After putting a zip tie around the shock shaft it was clear that the front shocks were bottoming out a lot. The new, shorter shocks fixed that problem.

Put the "new" Quick Fuels 450 cfm carb on. Had to up the jets a little, drop the power valve a few steps and sort out the choke but it's working great. Previous owner ran it on one trip and didn't like it because it was a bit small (he had it on a 350 Chevy). Seems perfect for my little 302. The E-303 cam forced the power valve change. PO also had the choke locked out so I'm sneaking up on a better setting for getting it back working. All in all it seems to be a good fit.

Have a friend that restored a gas station a few years ago. I shot all his elevations and helped with some of the engineering and design elements to return the station to it's former glory. Spent a lot of time out there on that project. Slipped out today and took a few pictures. He saw them and asked for permission to use the first picture on the front of his new tourism brochure.

Headed to Good Guys in Des Moines Saturday, stop by and say hi if you are in the area!

SPark

 

Great pictures! I love the old service station. It looks fantastic. Have fun!

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Great news everything coming together nicely. Enjoy the trip.

 

Nice! Very nice!


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On long drives, do your legs and body start to ache.

 

The longest drive I've done in a day is 135 miles and no problems so far. I'm too busy smiling to notice any pain! Seat is very comfortable and I have been playing with the angle of the seat back. Have plenty of room in the car and I'm only 5'-10" tall. So far, so good!
SPark

 

Hope to see you at the Deuce area on Saturday. I'm also looking for door weatherstripping and something to seal the windshield better. Hope to look at other 5 windows and also check with vendors. My medium cabernet red 5w should be there. You went way further than I did in the fit and finish department. Can't wait to see your car.

 

Looking at the position of your seat, it appears more level. (Maybe it`s just the camera angle). Front to rear. It needs to be kicked up in the front. Add a spacer on your front bolts. Experiment a little. You need more support on the bottom of your legs. Just look at your seat in your daily driver. Just a suggestion if it is uncomfortable when driving longer distances. Car looks good and have fun.

 

Comfort. My lower cushion had a good size bolster on front edge. On long drives I put a folded hand towel under my knee (unless it's raining). That helps with leg fatigue.

Phil

 

My 32 sedan has stock seats and they are nice and cushy, but don't provide any side support. I roll a towel into a cylinder and place it in the crack between the seats so my leg has a side rest during long drives. It's the closest thing I have to cruise control.

 

Those newest pics are bitchin'!! Perfect!

 

Re read the whole 25 pages today and loved it, your attention to detail is spot on. I think this project is what kept you going and should be a inspiration to all the people who say I’ll get to it some day. By the way what front suspension did you put under the Unicab ? Thanks frank

 

It is an Industrial Chassis kit that uses Dodge Dakota or D150 pieces. Very nice kit that is currently not in production. Rumor has it that it will be available again.

Thanks for the kind words,
SPark

 

Drove the car to Des Moines today for Good Guys. Good trip. Can check that off my bucket list.

Had a rattle leaving that sounded like a lug nut in a hub cap. Pulled the hub cap off and is was the dust cap. They have always fit bad, need to find a better fitting cap. Also melted a silicone muffler hanger insulator. Might have to rethink that idea. They are from Stainless Works but there is absolutely no air movement around them. Will swap it out and see if a new one is better, the one that melted had some damage from welding it in place during mock-up.

Mechanically it was great. Started right up hot or cold. Water temps stayed between 195-210 all day long. Even a slow cruise thru the grounds only got it up to 220 and it stayed there. The minute I hit the road it dropped to 200 and stayed there the next 2 hours heading home. Oil pressure 50 hot going down the highway. Drops to 35-40 at idle after 2 hours on the road. Pretty happy with those numbers.

Driving wise, it is fun. A little choppy on the highway. Mostly 65MPH 4 lane. Ran between 65-70 all the way. No bump steer, no shimmy, no concerns. Opening the cowl vent and back window kept the temps nice out on the highway.

Good group of deuces there. Took a few pictures for everyone. Maybe you will recognize a few of them!

SPark

 

Steve..the car looks fantastic...glad you had a good trip....i see pics of Chris's yellow coupe....is that Jeff's sedan next to it?...wish I could have made it...

 

And did you guys have any kind of meet and greet this year?

 

As you can see from LM14’s pictures the deuces were all social distanced and I would guess about 1/2 as many as last year. His car looks even better in person.


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Yes, that's Jeff's sedan. sitting next to Chris's coupe.
SPark

 

I had an issue with the exhaust hanger grommets in high temperature blue silicone holding my Porter mufflers one on each end melting in close quarters on my 26 RPU.

After replacing them twice I gave up and got out some brass stock for my lathe and made a set that won’t melt.

The installed picture is on the rear muffler hanger, the front one is about 1” away from the muffler so closer.


They work perfectly and they don’t melt

 

Thanks for the tip, looks like we're heading for the mill. Mine sits almost right against the muffler at one spot on each side. The one at the very end seems fine, gets more air flow and exhaust has cooled a lot by then. Appreciate the tip and pictures!
SPark

 

You’re welcome. I still have the silicone grommets right near the back of my tail pipes and yes they are cooler back there.

Mufflers tend to get really hot and when they’re in tight places those hanger grommets are done.

I tried in vain to find some with a higher temperature rating so I solved it my way.

 

Haven't updated for a while.

Went to a local Ford Power show a few weeks ago. Got 3rd in the street rod class. 1st was a really nice '32 roadster, 2nd was a '32 sedan delivery and there were some other really nice cars there. A couple of Anglias I would love to own. Felt good about that day.

That was the first driving I had done with the new brass bushings in place of the silicon bushings I had melted on the way to/from Good Guys in Des Moines. Didn't like it. Transmits too much vibration into the car. Worked well, held everything where it should be but with such short mounts and being so close to the engine it just won't work for me.

Latest plan is to try another set of silicone inserts and some header wrap in the area. Going to try to keep the heat away from them.

My Lokar throttle cable seems to be getting tighter and tighter every time I drive it. It was all ne when it went in but it may have too severe of a bend in the housing. Will play with that next. Few pics below to get an idea of the curves I have in the housing right now.



On the health front, things are pretty decent. Asked for a blood test on one of the replacement drugs I'm on (when the early treatments killed my adrenal glands). Supposed to be 1.2 to 11.5, I was 23.5 then another of 18.0 3 weeks later after dropping the dose. Oops. Dropped me back on dose again but went too far. Upped the dose slightly and the next test was 0.2 last week. Another slight step up this week. We'll find the sweet spot. Also had a full set of CT scans from the top of my head to my thighs. Everything was unchanged. That's the best we can hope for so it was good news. Been on this med now for 15 months and it's keeping things at bay with minimal side effects. Kind of draggy, little energy but hoping that improves with this last med change once we sort it out.

Thanks for following "The Adventures of Steve". Best of luck everyone.

 

GR8 looking, nice stance...................AWESOME.......!!!!!!!!!!

 

Sounds like the docs need to hook you up to an engine analyzer. Tell them to change only one jet size at a time.

Have you thought about a loop in the throttle cable? Or just raising the rear cable mount on the carb? It won't be level, but it should work.

 

Steve glad to see you back! Been a "fun" summer with all the crap going on. So glad your health has remained constant and you were able to stay away from the Covid!

I think your bind is at the fire wall. Just a slightly longer cable so there is no angle at the fitting. The cable housing should be straight in on both ends, your fire wall fitting is at an angle and the bind is right at the bend.

 

Glad to hear your health is stable. Car looks good too, and that you are getting out and enjoying the drive.

 

Good news on the health front! Car is still bitchin!

 

Glad to see both you and the car are healthy and only need a little adjustment. Great to see you enjoying the fruits of your labor !

 

Nice, very nice. I follow in you shadow.
Question...what was the little control box at front of seat made from?
Thanks...jim

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