Register now to get rid of these ads!

'40 Chevrolet

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by BlackJackPG, Mar 23, 2012.

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

    Six Ball
    Member
    from Nevada

    I'm no expert but I've been running Chevy and GMC 6s since the early '60s. I put a '58 235 in a '49 pickup and used the '58 flywheel with a 12v pickup floor starter. I went to 12v. I put a 55 325 in a 48 Fleetline with the 55 flywheel and the '48 starter. Both were 6v systems. I took a 261 from a wrecked '41 coupe and put it in a '40 pickup. I don't know what flywheel was on it but it took a 12v starter. I now drive a '53 Chevy pickup with a '57 270 GMC. It's 12v and uses the GMC flywheel and starter.
    Here is what I think I know. There is a lot of interchangeability in these flywheels. The two differences I have encountered are some have four crank bolts and some have six. 12v & 6v wheels have a different number of teeth so starters are not interchangeable. You can however use a 6v starter with 12v as long as it doesn't take a loooong time to start your engine. It doesn't work well to use a 12v starter with 6v. I've done it but the engine would not start when it was warm.
     
  2. BlackJackPG
    Joined: Mar 23, 2012
    Posts: 158

    BlackJackPG
    Member
    from Idaho!

    Thanks guys!

    That's a good sign!

    rcp2: I have no personal experience with hardly anything, but I'll confirm Six Ball's info (I've heard it from other sources.) So dido that. ^^ Quick tip from someone who figured it out the hard way- an easy way to see if the teeth numbers are the same is to swap starters. If they swap and mesh with the flywheel, they are the same! It's just easier than rolling around under the car with a big screw driver trying to hand crank the motor and count the teeth.

    Progress from today: The dash board is in. I'm surprised with how well the color combination turned out. Lucky draw with the rattle can paint I guess. Also, I've got my graphic designer/artist aunt re-painting the gauges, numbers and clock so they look new. Finally, we started putting in the windows and all the mechanisms for the internals of the doors. They are going to be a bugger to get back together!

    ImageUploadedByH.A.M.B.1372486330.976292.jpg

    Thanks!

    Pete
     
    Last edited: Jun 29, 2013
  3. BlackJackPG
    Joined: Mar 23, 2012
    Posts: 158

    BlackJackPG
    Member
    from Idaho!

    Progress from today: I cut a big hole in the floor for the shifter. Then we decided to tackle the doors. We've been dreading putting those suckers together since we took them apart. Boy, it's tough. It took us basically the whole day, but the drivers side is mostly done and the passenger side is about half way. Then we found that the passenger side glass is cut too short, so it doesn't seal up in the top. Great. We'll probably re-drill the mounts for rolling mechanism and move it up. I hate cutting corners, but new glass is just too expensive. I sure hope the rest of the car doesn't go together as hard as the doors did!

    ImageUploadedByH.A.M.B.1372570313.707575.jpg

    ImageUploadedByH.A.M.B.1372570324.249033.jpg

    Thanks!

    Pete
     
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2013
  4. BlackJackPG
    Joined: Mar 23, 2012
    Posts: 158

    BlackJackPG
    Member
    from Idaho!

    These last few days have been brutal. The car is not going back together easily at all. Grandpa and I are starting to get pretty exhausted. 12 and 13 hour days with not much getting done is taking it's tole. We're both beginning to get irritable too. The over-100 degree weather is not helping either. Never the less, the wiring harness is in. More dash components are in, tail lights, some of the trim, foot starter components, etc. Really just bits and pieces that we find and decide to put on. Trying to stay positive here, but we've got 6 days left until the car has to be mostly done, or it won't get finished until about Christmas time. Gramps and I are taking off to do our annual month-long fishing in a little cabin in far Northern Idaho (4 miles south of the border.) So it's crunch time! Hopefully our luck turns soon!

    Sorry, I forgot to take pictures today. I'll post some when I get down there in the morning.

    Thanks!

    Pete
     
  5. Hey man, gotta roll with the punches, gets frustrating for sure, but when you look back on all the hard work, its worth it. I'd take the glass to a local glass company, I couldn't imagine that costing more than $30. I did that with my windshield which is double ply glass and it was $50 per piece.
     
  6. BlackJackPG
    Joined: Mar 23, 2012
    Posts: 158

    BlackJackPG
    Member
    from Idaho!

    Sorry guys. I'm embarrassed by that last post. It came across very defeated and negative. I needed an attitude adjustment. I was in the shop alone for most of the day today, and it gave me the time to think. Things still haven't been going any better, but it made me realize that there is nothing else that I'd rather do than sit in that hot, stinky shop working on a car that refuses to go back together. I was able to remind myself that I love working in the shop. I love getting filthy. Just like you said, Rust n' Chrome, the harder you work on something, the more proud of it you are when your done. Again, I'm sorry for that last post. I'm sorry you had to read that. I'm not proud of it.

    Progress from today: More trim pieces are on. The passenger door has it's rubbers. Also, some more odds and ends here and there.

    ImageUploadedByH.A.M.B.1372744796.500105.jpg

    Thanks!

    Pete
     
  7. cleatus
    Joined: Mar 1, 2002
    Posts: 2,277

    cleatus
    Member
    from Sacramento

    No need to appologise....we all get that feeling at times.
    Especially when its hot and things are not going together as easy, or as quick as they had been.
    Just keep plugging away, and eventually you start getting that 'hey, almost done' feeling.
     
  8. just like ol johnny use to say, "one piece at a time" looking good man.
     
  9. BlackJackPG
    Joined: Mar 23, 2012
    Posts: 158

    BlackJackPG
    Member
    from Idaho!

    Thanks guys. I really appreciate the support.

    Progress from today: Tail lights are on. Driver side weatherstripping is on and both doors are hung again. The radiator brace is on. Also, the fenders, hood, trunk, lights etc. should be ready to pick up from the paint shop tomorrow, so we can mount all of that. My graphic designer/ artist Aunt is almost done re-numbering the gauges. We are also expecting a shipment of parts from Chevs of the 40's to come in tomorrow, so that's good. Three days left until my grandpa and I leave for our annual month long trip to the far Northern regions of the Idaho pan handle, so it's major crunch time. We still have time for our luck to turn! We'll see.

    ImageUploadedByH.A.M.B.1372831784.380123.jpg

    ImageUploadedByH.A.M.B.1372831800.561422.jpg

    Thanks!

    Pete
     
  10. BlackJackPG
    Joined: Mar 23, 2012
    Posts: 158

    BlackJackPG
    Member
    from Idaho!

    Progress from today: Gramps and I with the help of a close friend (actually, he did most of it) made the transmission cover in the center of the floorboard. It's not quite finished yet, but it looks really good. Then we got a call from our paint man. Fenders, Lights, Vents, etc. are painted and ready to go! He still has to finish with the hood and trunk, but the other stuff is ready. So we went and picked them up. They look really nice. Also, like always a few more odds and ends are put on here and there.

    ImageUploadedByH.A.M.B.1372908660.844511.jpg

    ImageUploadedByH.A.M.B.1372908673.898270.jpg

    ImageUploadedByH.A.M.B.1372908688.005755.jpg

    Thanks!

    Pete
     
    Last edited: Jul 4, 2013
  11. Six Ball
    Joined: Oct 8, 2007
    Posts: 5,776

    Six Ball
    Member
    from Nevada

    I like the paint. It looks like the car is made out of something blue not like a coating on the outside. Have you checked the shifter to seat clearance? It looks pretty far back. Keep chipping away.(not the paint):eek:
     
  12. looking really good, glad its working out for you
     
  13. BlackJackPG
    Joined: Mar 23, 2012
    Posts: 158

    BlackJackPG
    Member
    from Idaho!

    Happy 4th all!

    Six Ball: Haha, thanks! The guy we dropped the body and fenders off to took one look at our bondo work and just shook his head. We did the best we could, but he basically refused to paint the car until it was right. Gramps was not thrilled about the guy criticizing our work and the bill he got for it, but he really did a fantastic job. It turned out great.

    Yes, we did check for seat clearance. The report was not great. As it sits now, the seat all the way rolled forward will touch the gear shifter in neutral. We plan on building a new gear shifter that has a little dog-leg/ kick in it so it will move it forward a bit. Also, when we get it upholstered, we can always tell the guy to make a little notch in the seat and give us more room. Either way, it's tight but I think we can make it work.

    Thanks Rust n' Chrome!

    Today was a good day. Not just because it's America's birthday, but because we finally made some decent progress! Gramps got most of the wiring figured out while I finished the transmission cover and built the throttle linkage. We also bolted in the Vent just above the firewall and glued it's rubbers in place. We are both so happy. It's a little too late now, but at least things are moving at a decent pace. We certainly won't finish, but we may be able to get things buttoned up enough where we can feel proud. We leave for Idaho early morning the day after tomorrow (July 6th) so tomorrow is really the last day. Wow.

    ImageUploadedByH.A.M.B.1373006696.193806.jpg

    ImageUploadedByH.A.M.B.1373006704.502374.jpg

    Thanks guys, I hope everyone had a good time today!

    Pete
     
  14. BlackJackPG
    Joined: Mar 23, 2012
    Posts: 158

    BlackJackPG
    Member
    from Idaho!

    Well, that's it! The day I have been both looking forward too and dreading for the last year. The last time both you and I will see this car until Christmas. We got a few things buttoned up today like the transmission cover, throttle linkage and the rear window in, but most of the day was spent cleaning up the shop. I'm really bummed not to have finished the car in this time frame but we did the best we could, and had a darn good time doing it.

    ImageUploadedByH.A.M.B.1373075074.014913.jpg

    For now, I'll leave you with this picture. Taken with a tear in my eye, it's the shop right before we closed it down and locked it up.

    ImageUploadedByH.A.M.B.1373075085.651764.jpg

    To sum up for now, I'd like to thank each and every one of you for your input and support. I originally started this thread as a way of documenting the build and making a daily log. Then advice, and opinions from experienced people started rolling in and my reasoning changed completely. This build would not have been the same without all of your input. It definitely would not have gone as smoothly.

    Sorry, this kind of sounds like my final remarks. It's not. I just would not be able to live with myself if I took off and didn't say thank you. You guys are great.

    Anyhow, it's been nice talking with all of you and I hope you all the best of luck on all your current and future builds. I'll be checking the threads every now and then, so let me know if there is any way I can help any of you. I owe it to you guys.

    Thanks!

    Pete
     
    Last edited: Jul 5, 2013
  15. Six Ball
    Joined: Oct 8, 2007
    Posts: 5,776

    Six Ball
    Member
    from Nevada

    Great, It'll give the rest of us time to catch up.:rolleyes:
     
  16. BlackJackPG
    Joined: Mar 23, 2012
    Posts: 158

    BlackJackPG
    Member
    from Idaho!

    Between final preparations for school, I was able to pop on down to the shop for a little while today and make a mess. The rear fenders on! I'm still not too happy with the position of the rear end and how the wheels sit inside the wheel wells. They're too far forward. I may try re-drilling the center screw holes in the rear end mounts and pulling it back an inch or two. Quick question: Didn't most of these 40's have this feature? The rear wheels appear too far forward? Maybe the trunk and spare tire's added weight will make it sit a little lower and get the rear end to fold back a bit. We'll see! Also, more odds and ends like pedals and door latches are on.

    ImageUploadedByH.A.M.B.1375514304.171788.jpg

    ImageUploadedByH.A.M.B.1375514316.117794.jpg

    Thanks!

    Pete
     
  17. looking good, so your back on it now? yeah I don't when chevy started the whole wheel forward thing but it is def a bad feature, looks terrible, they are like that on the trucks too. There are several things you can do. I'm assuming you are running torque tube rear end? May be problematic moving rear end back, not sure as I'v not personally measured or know if the driveshaft can slide back and extra inch, let alone two. You can move the whole spring perches back, or make or buy an adapter that relocates the rear on the springs, I believe CPP has some. Might want to search on here on some people that have done this before.
     
  18. BlackJackPG
    Joined: Mar 23, 2012
    Posts: 158

    BlackJackPG
    Member
    from Idaho!

    No, as much as I wish I was back at it I'm not. Driving to college tomorrow morning and won't be coming back until Christmas time. This is it. Hopefully Grandpa will go out there every once and a while and put something together. I don't think he can resist!

    It's a non original open driveline 55-62 Chevy rear end w/ 3.38 gears. (I know, should have used a Blazer rear end!) I took the measurements off the old torque tube when I re-welded the mounts and hence, it's still screwed up. We'll have to lengthen the driveline again and reposition the rear end an 1 1/2 inches further back to fix it. A costly mistake.

    Thanks!

    Pete
     
  19. Halfdozen
    Joined: Mar 8, 2008
    Posts: 632

    Halfdozen
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    No big deal to fix. IIRC, a '55-'57 rear end will bolt to the '40 springs without having to move the spring pads.
    Make a lowering block of at least 3/4" thickness, make it long enough so that you can drill a pocket in the bottom for the spring eye, and drill and tap the top side for a socket head bolt to locate the spring pad on the rear end. Offset the bolt from the pocket by whatever distance it takes to centre the wheel in the fender opening. You'll need longer U bolts and a longer driveshaft, and check that your brake flex line and parking brake cables all reach without stretching. Shock mounts might also need to be modified, but it's all worthwhile, as it improves the car's appearance so much.
     
  20. davo461
    Joined: May 13, 2007
    Posts: 345

    davo461
    Member

    Pete, good luck with college; I shall be waiting, impatiently, at Christmas, for when 'play resumes'.
    I love your coupe and your 'decent' attitude; you WILL make it; whatever 'it' is.
    Davo.
     
  21. Six Ball
    Joined: Oct 8, 2007
    Posts: 5,776

    Six Ball
    Member
    from Nevada

    Davo, You are right on there. I had lunch with Pete and his dad yesterday as they came through on their way to Indiana. Two really great guys. Seems like Grandpa is a class act too. Pete is wise beyond his years but still a neat kid.

    [​IMG]
     
  22. BlackJackPG
    Joined: Mar 23, 2012
    Posts: 158

    BlackJackPG
    Member
    from Idaho!

    Thank you guys.

    Wow, I haven't been one here for a while. Been real busy. Sorry for the late responses.

    Davo, thank you for your comments. I appreciate that immensely. I have though about that '40 Chevy every single day. Been running through my head what is left to be done. I can't wait to finally "break in" those rear tires when I get home.

    I've been keeping in contact with my grandpa via daily evening telephone calls, and he hasn't had much time to work on the car. He was able to go pick up our grille from the chromers which he says "shines like a full moon in the night sky", but otherwise not much has got done. That's fine though because it's really a project for "us" not just him.

    Only three more months!

    Pete
     
  23. BlackJackPG
    Joined: Mar 23, 2012
    Posts: 158

    BlackJackPG
    Member
    from Idaho!

    Well folks, the day we have been waiting for has finally come! Winter Break! Grandpa and I had our teary eyed reunion this morning. We have a grand total of 4 weeks to finish the car as well as roll around in the filth and soot covering the shop floor - something I have been looking forward to for the last 4 months! Work will resume as soon as the car is finished at the upholsterer some time next week.

    Stay tuned! Things are going to liven up again pretty quick!

    Thanks!

    Pete
     
  24. I couldn't imagine taking four months off of a started project, esp one like this. Congrats your back at it.
     
  25. BlackJackPG
    Joined: Mar 23, 2012
    Posts: 158

    BlackJackPG
    Member
    from Idaho!

    Well, we dragged the Chevy home today! Finally done! The seats look magnificent. There are a few small rough spots that may need to be redone, but I'll hold my tongue for now! We can have them fixed later. At long last, I got to drive the thing! I off loaded the car from the trailer under it's own power and took the long way to turn it around and put it into the shop. I also got to put my foot into it and it definitely set me back in the seat a little bit. Loads of power! I love it! It's going to be a fantastic car! I also fiddled with the carburetors so it would idle okay and took this video:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWLV3D3GeF8&feature=youtu.be

    Here's the pictures from the day. Not much left to be done!

    Thanks!

    Pete
     

    Attached Files:

  26. BlackJackPG
    Joined: Mar 23, 2012
    Posts: 158

    BlackJackPG
    Member
    from Idaho!

    Progress from the last two days: Gramps has been busy so I have been in the shop alone. Naturally, I spent a good portion of that time sitting behind the wheel making "vroom" noises and shifting gears. But other than that I was able to make some covers for the rear shock absorber mounts and finish things up on the dash board.

    Next big things to tackle are the flywheel cover on the underside of the bell housing and putting our temperature sensor in which requires an entire drain and refill of the water jacket. I also need to fit the chrome pieces to the front of the grill and the windshield divider. Then after that there is some wires to clean up and route properly. We have a cool shifter knob on the way. Some steering wheel work needs to be done. I also have plans for a modern radio behind the vintage screen and buttons. Etcetera, Etcetera, Etcetera. Six Ball, how does your HAMB signature go? "Real hot rods are black (or blue :D ), a few are shiny, none are finished!" We still have lots to do, but hey, when I went in this morning and started it up, it fired first crank and never faltered. I love this car!

    Thanks!

    Pete
     

    Attached Files:

  27. BlackJackPG
    Joined: Mar 23, 2012
    Posts: 158

    BlackJackPG
    Member
    from Idaho!

    Well, no pictures from today; only news. Boy do I have news though. We took the Chevy on the road for the first time today! I drove it to a nearby gas station and back. It ran beautifully. There are a few rattles here and there, and the gas pedal is a little sticky (nothing to do with my twitchy right foot) but it's awesome! The one thing that struck me is how short the transmission gaps are. It's not a problem, it'll just keep the RPM's up. When the engine gets a little more broken in I can really give it the beans and get a feel for what it's going to be like when accelerating. For now, short trips around town will be the extent of things. Great car and lots of fun to be had! Let the break-in and breakdowns begin!

    Thanks!

    Pete
     
  28. BlackJackPG
    Joined: Mar 23, 2012
    Posts: 158

    BlackJackPG
    Member
    from Idaho!

    More progress from today: We hooked up the defroster and leaked about half a gallon of hot water under the brand new carpets in the car. Turns out that it was the input and output tubes being bent out of round. After re-rounding those we put it back in and don't think it's leaking any more. (Crossed fingers on that one.) Later we played around with the distributor and timing for a while. We still don't have it quite right though. Anyone have any wisdom to share? We took our timing light and adjusted it so it was all lined up on the flywheel and it made it run like crap. It must be this new gasoline. Right now, we have it timed by ear, but it's not perfect. Any advice helps and thanks in advance! Lastly, we did a tappet adjustment so now the rockers are not clattering anymore. .012 on the intakes and .020 on the exhaust according to a friend of ours. Does that sound about right?

    We did a little more driving today and got a feel for how the car will do in traffic. We are okay temperature wise, but the head loads up pretty quick. Not a horrible thing, it just gave me an excuse to rev the motor every once and a while and do jackrabbit starts out of stoplights, but it's something to work on. We still have some adjustments to make on the carburetor so maybe leaning out the mixture a little bit will help. Lots of adjustments to make! As of now though, we're super happy with how things are going! No explosions or catastrophic failures yet (knocking on wood!)

    Thanks!

    Pete

    P.S. These last 4 posts have been from the last few weeks. I was having some problems with attaching photos and finally got it sorted out, so here they are! I just copy and pasted them from the Inliners International website. Thanks for your interest Rust n' Chrome!
     
  29. Six Ball
    Joined: Oct 8, 2007
    Posts: 5,776

    Six Ball
    Member
    from Nevada

    Sounds good Pete. You guys can pat each other on the back.
     
  30. Nice work, you should be proud!
     

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.