Projects I need to quit faking it

Trying to make my motors look a little older after drinking a few beers,the first one is a 57 235 that is in my 37 Chevy p/u that I tried to make look like a 216. It has some noises and looking to find a early 235 to convert to full oil pressure so the present motor will have to do until then,the second motor is a 80s 351-W that is in my 55 Ford convertible I tried to give it a Y block look. It was not built with the cam I ordered so I am rounding up parts to build a Y block in the future so I wont have to fake it.

 

Wrong picture for the 235 and here is the more recent picture.

 

Enjoy as is, why spend money to impress a very small group of people. You have two running nice cars do not screw it up.

 

^^^ I agree 100%. Few people are really impressed by what the motor really looks like. I personally am impressed with stance, interior, wheel/tire combo. What you see when its driving down the road.

 

When it came to the 55 I was bored and needed something to do in the garage to get me out of the house,I hope to get a Y block back in it in a couple years since I need the 351 for another car that needs a little more torque then with the 302 it presently has. Now with the 37 I was drinking a few beers after coming home from a local swapmeet and decided I needed to do more to it when I came up with the idea to make it look like a shop truck like it originally was,I am going to letter it and install a more period looking interior so I got looking under the hood when the idea popped in my head to make it look like a 216 including a 216 side cover. I still have not changed the interior or lettered it but the easiest and cheapest thing to do was to change the way the motor looked so this is the crap I do when I get bored and drink a few beers.

 

Not out to impress anyone but I like to mess with the so called experts and know it alls that hang out at shows and cruise ins and having them wonder what I have in there,I could be doing worse thinks like being on drugs and smoking a bunch of cigarettes or hanging out in the bars every night but I am home tinkering in the garage or walking through a local old junkyard on a saturday morning getting the parts for these stupid little projects that pop up in my mind. The changes to the 37 actually came to be while drinking a couple beers but what I am doing to the 55 came from me hitting my head too many times but it makes me happy in my little world in my garage.

 

Then you've come to the right place...lol Besides faking it good...Just ask my wife...

 

Totally worth the effort to have a cool period engine. It matters.

 

I needed a little project to keep me busy while I was waiting on some material samples,it looks like its time to reupholster and repad the front seat in the 55 so that will be the next project on it. Still have about 2 months of winter so I need to find anything I can to keep me busy and not sitting in front of the tv.

 

I had that in mind when typing it up,this is about the only thing I can fake.

 

Do you own a machine to upholster with...? Kevin

 

Yes I have the equipment to sew the seat,I was looking at the prices for seat and door panel kits and got sticker shock so I am definately going to stitch them myself,my 55 has a factory screw up interior and has three colors in the seats instead of the normal two so it looks like they ran out of the one color and substituted another. Its a mid to late august build and actually has 56 parts so they used what ever they could find to get it out the door.

 

We got threads on rust, patina, how to make a 2012 Chevy look like its 70 years old, distressed leather, faux finishes, you name it. Nothing wrong with your thread. Bring it over to my house. I couldn't tell a 235 from a 216. I'm easily fooled (or impressed).

 

you faked me out.
well, except for the distributor in the Ford.

you can fool all the people sometimes or somebody some days or something like that.
good job!

 

Just trying to make the motors look a little bit older until I can get a correct motor back in them,the 37 will most likely stay with a 216 looking 235 or 261 due to the fact a 41 to 49 tall side cover 235 will be very hard to find since after posting wanted adds in many forums nothing has shown up. The 351 with the Y block look is just temporary until I can get a y block built,I was suprised I was actually able to get the 216 side cover on the 235 and was told it could not be done but when I am told that I will find a way to prove anyone who told me that wrong,

 

Doug " Y blocks are junk, I keep throwing rods" DOUG!!! your not supposed to run them to 8 thousand RPM's !!!! ha ha ha

 

the 6 in the truck is Ok if you sell veggies on the side of the road.

Go get that J2 motor and become a hot rod hoodlum again.

 

I know a guy who has one of those

 

Lots worse things in life than selling veggies on the side of the road.

I've got something similar planned for the 292 going into my 48. It won't be fake but will be painted gray rather than the orange it is now and have finned aluminum valve and side covers on it. Those who know their engines will know what it is and those who don't will think that I hopped up and dressed up the original engine.

 

In my mind fakes are cool right up to the moment I discover it's a fake, then I laugh at it.

I've seen SBC's with Big block valve covers. SBC's with Oldsmobile Rocket valve covers. Why try to be something you're not?

It's one thing to try and clone or duplicate something special from the past, it's another thing to set out to fool people and end up looking like a fool instead.

Better to honor what you got than to get caught faking it. Most won't know the difference, but some will.

 

My 302 is totally painted up like a 54 Ford Y-block...even has the oil bath air cleaner on top of the 4 barrel carburetor.

I did it that way because I like it.

I don't know if it's because I turned 40 recently, but some switch must've clicked in my head because I honestly genuinely just started not giving one small damn about what anyone thinks of my old cars.

I want my 302 to look like the engine that came in the car, and I want my new paint to look like its the original single stage paint job that came on the car.

Do what you like man. If they don't allow you at this or that car show, including all of these "oh so holy" traditional rod gatherings, then screw 'em.

If you want to fake it, and you like it that way, then leave it.

These traditional purist nazis are getting to be as bad as the over-the-top Model A restorers who will run down a car that a guy has worked on for 3 years and poured his heart into solely because it has slightly the wrong stitch pattern on the seat upholstery.

 

its worth the time effort and yes cash !

 

I totally understand why some people shoot for absolutely correct components when they build their cars, and have absolute respect for the time and effort they put in to achieve the look of a certain period in time. It is nice to see cars done that way, but I am just not one of those people. I want mine to have a certain essence of the old days but to have the reliability and performance that have come with technological advancements over time.

The engine in my 27 isn't fooling anyone and isn't meant to. It is a stroker sbf with aluminum heads and an alternator, but I have added some dress up items like finned covers and dual quads to somewhat make it less conspicuous. For me it works, and that is all it was intended to do.

Don

 

There ya go...! Look at the "fillingstation".com catalog for that correct engine gray color paint to use...If you haven't already...! You are right about that veggie thing, too...

 

Gee, Don...I respect your idea and all, but I don't see added reliablity in a switch to an alternator or aluminum heads... Just messing w/you...I'm a VCCA Member...Hope that it helps explain my views on the subject.

 

Haha, there is an Antique Automobile Club locally and they hold a car show every year. They HATED it when modified cars would show up, and some of them were outright verbal about it. We damn hoodlums, destroying all those nice old cars.

Don

 

poping the hood on an otherwise nice car to see they spent no time on making the engine look nice can be a deal breaker for me, Im an engine lover.

to me, its the jewel of the ride, if it looks like shit, than Im going to feel they treat it like shit, I also dont care for fake crap..

 

There is more faking going on with the 37,when I built it I used a car starter and newer coil but always had a hole in the firewall where the conduit came through from the ignition switch to the coil so I done some more thinking and came up with a solution. I gutted the original coil and slid in a internal resistor coil so it looks like it still has the original coil and still 6 volts,I cut the conduit from the switch and now I have the hole in the firewall filled. I like hiding the modifications I do to my vehicles and making people look hard to find out what I have done and since I am getting good at hiding the modifications of the late 30s Chevys I would like to find a close to original 37 panel truck and do what I did to my truck and see if I can sneak it in a all original show and let the judges go nuts finding what i have done.

 

My dad bought the 55 new and over the last few years I had dreams where he came back to life so if it would happen the original air cleaner and Y blockish looking valve cover decals might throw him off for a few minutes.