Installed the fenders and running boards. Still working on wiring the lights . Took the car out on the road for a short ride and it's a beast. The brakes work better than i expected i just need to push harder on the brake and give more time for stopping. After running the engine i determined it has solid lifters , i will need to set the valve lash.
Solid lifters?..... "owner bought 289 from Ford dealer"?...Might be a 271 HP /Hi Po 289! Pretty rare. (maybe!) Seems to idle pretty nice with the tunnel ram too. My guess is it will need a bunch of initial advance to give max performance. Light springs in the distrib.........limit the total advance to no more than 40*!(36* is ideal) 20* initial advance may not be too much. That Hi Po cam and tunnel ram will thank you!!! Neat find 6sally6 Please think about some 4-tube headers for it!!
Notice the distributor with no vacuum advance. That's pretty much a dead giveaway that it could well be a hi-po. Or at least a hi-po distributor!
I installed and wired the lights . I confirmed the engine is a solid lifter with 10.5:1 compression. I need to do some final tuning with the timing and carb settings. I drove it around the block a few times with no problems. I plan on installing the top next.
It's cool how much of restoration you have done. It would have been so easy to make your changes to the car and only you would be the wiser.
I finished all the wiring. Installed new light sockets in the tail lights. The old sockets were shot. I tack welded the new sockets into the holders. Cut new cork gaskets.
I installed a new wiring harness i bought from Rebel Wire. I called them many times to get help with the wiring. They were great and always walked me through any questions i had.
Here is where i am now with the build. The engine is running great. Next i will install the top for the car
I just used a universal tail light socket . Cut the old one out and filed out the hole so it was a tight fit and Tack weld. Speedway and most part stores have them
I really like what you have done with the old rig. It'll be great when you are able to take Frank out for a drive. Can you imagine how it drove with that hi-po motor, high fours gears and that sketchy back axle location? Wow.
The truck looks great. Did you have a problem that you needed to put that cover the steering box? Wow long is the radiator reservoir that you have? Also how many pounds is your radiator cap?
I'm sure it was scary to drive. That would be a great ending to this build if frank and i can take a drive together in the car.
I don't know if anyone has said, but that does not look like F100 steering. Could it be Chevy truck? I believe they are recirculating ball.
In response to your questions The reservoir is a 3” dia. X 12” long stainless piece. Due to having so little room in the engine compartment I had to run an electric cooling fan with a thermostat switch that turned it on and off. I prefer the look and function of a conventional fan but I couldn’t make it work. I never had any issues with this truck running hot or overheating. The radiator cap is a 15 pounder on a new aluminum radiator Concerning the “turbo wrap” around the steering box: I didn’t have space for the engine headers, engine mounts along with the steering box all in the same tight quarters. I shifted the box location back about 2 1/2” inches but that changed the steering column angle and it pushed the steering wheel up into the cab and against your chest. So I rotated the steering box and shortened the column and shaft. Just the same I only had a fingers width of clearance between the header and the box hence the cover. I was concerned about cooking the grease out of the box. I also paid a “Performance Coating” facility to coat the “inside” and the outside of my headers to help bring the temps down. The combination works well with no issues. I want this truck to live for another 92 years
I am making some progress . I installed the glass windows , the old quarter glass had lots of scratches so i installed new tempered glass. The glass in the doors have been replaced by someone over the years they are safety glass in good shape. Installing the headliner and interior fabric now. A family member is good with a sewing machine so that is a big help. I have saved all the old fabric and cards so i can use them as templets if needed. This is a first for me and it's a pain to get the fabric to look nice.
I am working on replacing the boards that hold the door and kick panel material. The panels are warped so i am installing new ones. The first panel i took apart has the Road Runner name written in glue. This was the name of the original builders club he belonged to .
I finished the top. I used some strip caulk to help seal the top. I marked a plastic spacer to help find the holes punched into the metal roof. I used a nail set to help me to stay away from the paint. The nail set fits over the nail and the punch is inside
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