Projects Gasser on Maui..... but it's just another '55

Eh Willy,

It's a pain in the okole with problems like that! Don't know all that you've looked into but a couple things come to mind: is that the correct configuration clutch fork arm or maybe TO brng. too long? I know you said everything initially fit until after you fired it and then all bound up. I know, a mystery. Maybe you better go pound some Ti leaves & spread Hawaiian salt... Curious to see what you find. Vic

 

Is this the same clutch and throwout assembly you had originally? Did it work properly before if it is or is it a new assembly altogether? I'm likely not understanding the issue properly, but it almost sounds like the wrong throwout bearing or a mismatched clutch linkage component somewhere, that isn't giving you the clearance you need. I hate those tough ones to find....lol.......I'm going through that with the clutch assembly in my '33 coupe right now, but haven't got room to take it apart with my '37 spread out all over the shop for epoxy work. Good luck! Bill

 

Yup, everything is the same except for the flywheel, steel instead of aluminum.

The throw out bearing I have is the short one, and the original pivot ball in the bell housing is the one that came from Lakewood, and was too short. So I made my own adjustable ball setup, which was working quite well until I tore it down this time! I did my own custom setup to fit that short throw out bearing, and it was working quite well when I did the tear down to balance the motor's innards.

My original setup on the pivot ball:
Stud mounted in the bell (a grade 8 bolt, cut flush on the outside and slotted once the depth was determined), to threaded sleeve (length cut to put the ends of the two threads in the center), to pivot ball (threads cut to put the end solid up against the stud inside the threaded sleeve). After the threads were cut to the desired length they were jammed together tightly with locktite inside the threaded sleeve. The initial adjustment was made by cutting the threads on the end of the pivot ball a little at a time, and screwing it in tight, trial and error until I got the correct position on the arm and throw out bearing, then it was tightened in place with red locktite. I did not want it moving once I set it up:




To shorten the pivot ball, I need to remove it from the threaded coupling, cut off 1/4" of threads (probably will take 1/8" first and check it, go more as needed), and screw it back into the threaded sleeve tight. That will back up the clutch arm and the throw out bearing, and the link from the lower arm on the bell crank is adjustable, so will need to adjust that accordingly. That link is currently out, as I was hoping that my merely adjusting that link I would solve my problem, but that was not the case!!!

Below is the original '55 Chevy bell crank, it still uses the original frame mounted ball on the left side, the ball I mounted here on the Olds block matches it. The lower leg was lengthened and repositioned to get a direct shot at the clutch arm, and the upper arm was lengthened and repositioned for better leverage and to get clearance with the #7 header tube (fenderwell headers), with an adjustable link added to the clutch arm.




Spent some time under the car this morning checking it out now that the tranny is out.

I'm now pretty sure it is just that the steel flywheel, which is original thickness, not surfaced, is thicker than the aluminum flywheel was, and is setting the pressure plate back just enough that the pressure plate shell is slightly rubbing against the edge of the clutch fork. As it is the short throw out bearing, the whole assembly fits quite close to the pressure plate. I can see the marks on the pressure plate and feel the slight notch now worn into the edge of the clutch fork where it was rubbing. Everything else looks good. So, shortening the pivot ball just slightly and lengthening the link to the bell crank should solve that. Let's see what it looks like by the end of the day.
W.

 

Sounds like you've found the culprit alright. I'd be surprised if that doesn't work.

 

Me too.

 

I took 0.135" out of the pivot ball mount, lengthened the link from the bell crank to the clutch arm, plenty of clearance now, free play looks good, not rubbing anywhere. That DN 5 sp trans is heavy, waiting for a bud to come by tonite and help me stick it back in there, can't quite do it by myself!

Vids soon!!!
Willy

 

That thing is heavier than I thought it would be......

 

Thanks Jaws, I knew how heavy that thing is, good thing you were around to help with that!!!

 

Wired in the new Line Lock switch on the shift lever, and still doesn't work!!!
Gotta to check the solenoid now, and the power source, think there is a fuse in there somewhere, wouldn't that frost ya if it was that fuse all along!!!

Test drive today, ran well, still a bucket o bolts, like an old Mack truck with big balls, the whine of the square cut gears in the Doug Nash, the blower belt whine, the fuel pump noise, keeping the cutouts closed just to listen to the rest of the symphony!!!!

The heavier steel flywheel does mellow it out a bit, easier to shift, as it doesn't come "down" on the rpm between shifts as fast, so way cool for just cruising and making mellow shifts!!! But put yer foot into it and let it come onto boost and it does chooge-a-loog right along!

Need to break in the rings again, need to retorque the head bolts after a couple more runs, need to change the thermostat, it is cycling too high, up into 220/230 before it backs back down, needs to open up earlier.

I was running 20/50 oil the first time during breakin, the oil temp at 220 still had 60 lbs oil pressure, this 10/30 I'm running now, seeing under 40 once the oil hits it temp....
Am thinking that's probably ok....
Like they say, 10 psi oil pressure or more per thousand rpm, got that and plenty more....

The clutch change is working just fine. The car is still a handful, when I get back home after an hours drive, I know I've had a workout!!!

Will try for a vid soon, not today or tomorrow though!!!
Aloha,
Willy

 

That thing is just plain MEAN!

Looking forward to that video.

 

I think it is time for a vid.
Tomorrow sounds good.

The new 160 deg thermostat has done wonders, the motor runs 160 to 180 and the fans did not come on all day, even though it was in the high 80's during the day. The oil temp is much cooler also, 180-190 instead of 200-220 it was before!

Still needs some tuning, and break in the rings once more, but is easy to drive and fun, so will get the camera out tomorrow....
Willy

 

When you dropped me off, I could hear that thing screaming most of the way to your place.

 

Glad the noise is gone... If you could tell over all the other noises. Awaiting the video.

 

Did a vid today, took 40 min. to download it!~~~
Editing and reducing it so's I can post something reasonable....

 

Still can't get the damn vid to work properly, it's like the audio won't sync with the video, and I don't have time to mess with it!
W.

 

OK guys, this is kinda an experiment, lemme check this out with you, not sure I should post this, but want to see whatcha think.....

The video I did is a half hour casual drive from my house around my area, through the towns of Hailiimaile and Makawao, and back to my house. It is huge, so I cut it up into 7 segments. Nothing exciting here, just a ride in a noisy, clattery, fast rust-bucket, with a big motor, and where I was cruising, no way I could open it up. Segment #5 if probably the best one.

So I put all 7 segments on youtube. There's not much exciting going on there, but if you like it let me know. It does give a bit of a tour of the area of Maui where I live. Segment #1 is the view of Maui from my house and a bit of my yard. Kinda personal, but thought I'd put it up just for laughs, and to give you an idea of where I live....

These are "unlisted" postings on youtube, but these links will work for anybody who has them:

segment #1, my yard and the view from my house,
http://youtu.be/76lj4ejVN1Y

segment #2, from my house to the Pukalani Shopping Center,
http://youtu.be/1qN0BYVfqzs

segment #3, loop thru the Pukalani Shopping Center,
http://youtu.be/oaCWel-rXTs

segment #4, from Pukalani down Haleakala Hwy to the Hailiimaile turnoff,
http://youtu.be/TJrNYEmyGeo

segment #5, through Hailiimaile and up Baldwin Ave., The first part of this clip probably has the best run footage....
http://youtu.be/isRRN-9sJmg

segment #6, through Makawao to Pukalani,
http://youtu.be/5YPFiMxxPTg

segment #7, back to my house in Pukalani,
http://youtu.be/zmmpUOtiFU8

I probably won't leave 'em on YouTube for long, just thought I'd try it out....
Pretty Boring, actually....

Our next race is on the 20th, I hope my buddies can get some decent race video footage there. I plan to just do "test & tune", need to get some race seat time in this car before actually competing....
Aloha,
Willy

 

Boring?
Blown 55 loose on the streets of Maui?
Hope you are taking care of my hood.

Me & the wife will be in Maui for Christmas this year for 10 days. Maybe I could visit my hood & get a ride for real. Dinner's on me buddy.

 

Hey Willy, great video. I've driven those roads many times over the years. I was up to visit a guy on the next street up a few years ago that had a nice '34 Ford Coupe and a '55 Chev, his brother had a Model A coupe with a big block in it.

I have to congratulate you for resisting temptation, I'd likely have had that sideways a couple times in that distance.....lol. Kinda hard though on a small island where everybody knows you. We live on Vancouver Island, but much bigger population, so not so risky to wind it up here and there

I'll be down there on the 28th so will be on the lookout for you on the street.

Great videos, thanks for posting them.

Bill

 

Steve, glad to see you are still lurking around, we will be in OR and WA visiting the grandkids for Christmas, let me know via a PM and let's try to coordinate, we will be here part of that time....
The hood looks great!
Willy

 

I've been to Vancouver Island, surfed some pretty nice waves in some awful cold water up at Tofino, had a great time there for a couple of days!!! I can see how you could "open it up" here and there without much protest!
Willy

 

Some of the pix I had posted earlier in this thread of the "rebuild and reinstall" got accidentally removed. So I put them back up on my own website, you can view that page here if you want:
LINK to the 2Loose 55 gasser website....

Here's a couple of those pix:
Putting the motor back in:


Shortening the clutch fork pivot to get clearance for the clutch fork and the pressure plate:


I just ran across those clutch fork pivot ball pix so put 'em on the website....

Been driving 'er a little every day, she's loosening up a bit, feeling better all the time! Getting set up for the drags this Saturday.
Test and Tune only this time around....
Willy

 

At the track today:

Test and Tune session was running really slow, for $25 they told us we could get in five runs, during the two hours between 2:30 and 4:30 pm. Guess I spent too much time adjusting and timing, only got two runs in before they shut it down! But each time I would go line up to run, it took an hour before I got my run in! Only got two runs!

Both runs it did not run strong! Ran smooth, I hit my shifts, both times forgot to turn on the camera, my buddy who was supposed to show to help me didn't, so was by myself essentially and too late to call somebody else. My two runs were 13.0 and 12.9, at 108 and 109 mph. Not good. Not good at all !!! am glad I didn't record those pathetic runs! Am thinking although they sounded like solid runs, in rethinking how the sounds were, I think they sounded like the timing was way retarded! I am using an MSD system that backs down the timing on boost, and have it set at 2 deg per psi, so 10 deg retard at full 5 lbs boost. Need to figure a way to log it and look at it later to try to see what is happening. The recommendation was that at full boost on pump gas it could detonate if I don't retard it enough.

Didn't even sign up for the racing, have done tons of racing in the 12.90 category, don't need to go there, wanted to go 11.90 or even 10.90, so I packed it up and came home. Guess I will have to go to my "secret spot" and do some private "test and tune" of my own. Am betting I am just retarding it too much on boost.

More later, but probably not for awhile....
Willy

 

you'll get it dialed in man, just takes time. gonna be vicious

 

Sure sounds like timing. I run my '33 above the recommended advance (I run 38 to 40 degrees total) and it makes a hell of a difference. The recommended timing just doesn't suit my motor. Mine is not blown however, but does run low 12's with street tires. I think you said earlier that you checked your fuel air mixture under full load, so likely not fuel. I had that issue when I was running an injected engine and turned out to be running too lean at full throttle.

Anyway, stay with it, that power is in there, you just need to let it free.

Bill

 

Naw, it's not fuel, running only slightly fat at WOT, but way, way fat at cruise, and addressing that issue now.
I think it is mostly timing, and me getting used to a launch and shifting a gear slammer, it's been a lotta years since I did it this way....
Willy

 

Gave up on the "Mighty Demons", as I can not get the blanks to drill and custom tune the idle/cruise circuits. Need the blank fuel and air pieces so's I can drill 'em and get the a/f levels I want. Want 14 or so and am getting around 10, blubbery and black on the tailpipe and the plugs.

Received today a pair of Holley 600 cfm blower boost referenced (PV setup), double pumpers, no choke tower, the ultra HP series. Lemme see what I can do with these. I've found that in our climate I don't really need a choke, just warm it up a bit before heading out....

I'm not a tuner, never claimed to be, but not too old to learn how to do these I hope....

Was into the Demon's, until they basically gave me the middle finger on getting the parts I needed to get the tune I needed. Called them something like six times over six months.
Willy

 

These are nice looking carbs, and I can get the tuning parts I need. Hopefully they should be pretty close as is, and will only need minor tuning.....


Forgot that my Demon fuel lines won't hook up directly to the Holleys, different threads, so now am chasing the right parts to do this hookup.

Did one more run up hill nearby before pulling off the Demons, 3rd & 4th full boost run with the total timing backed off to 35 and the boost retard backed off to 5 total, so on boost I had 30 deg instead of 28, and the boost retard came in slower and later, and it seemed to like that a lot. Will be playing with that more after the Holleys are on.
What fun!
Willy

 

Hi Willy,

I was up in Pukulani yesterday and hoped to see you shaking up the streets, but didn't see you......lol. Keep bumping up the timing, it suspect it will really come alive soon.

 

Maybe you should have titled the video Shakey Pukulani. LOL. Nice ride.

 

The videos are great! Leave em up for us to enjoy a little cruise once in awhile!