Nice to see you're moving along- with the attention to detail, it's easy to see why it takes time. You've done a top notch job, and have accomplished two very distinct things; created a car that is truly yours in design and build, and put together a real Hot Rod by utilizing what you like and fabricating what you can't find. Well done! ( glad you got your Dad involved too- I'm sure now he can see what you envisioned a LONG time ago when you hauled home that first truckload of rusty parts.) I can picture you years from now telling some 20 year old "Yeah, I built this when I was a kid!"
Your dream/ work continues and it's definitely coming along nicely. Patience and Perserverance are necessary traits when it come to building hot rods. Keep up the great work, plenty are watching and rooting for you! Being a carpenter (plus that's my last name and amateur woodworker/handyman), any time I see real wood involved in a build is a big plus for me. Tell your Dad it's definitely appreciated. Thanks, Carp
Killer job all around Ben! Really dig your tailight idea as well as dash and separation panel for gas tanks! Looks great bud! Keep up the awesome work man! Hope to see you and it at TROG Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Thanks! I am not going to TROG- running low on funds and time. A lot of people from around me are though- a large New England presence will be there! I got back to working on my car this weekend, and needed to tackle the seat mount. I am pretty short and wanted to have it be semi- adjustable (as in you can adjust it, but it takes time). I am using the old dodge caravan seat trick you all hear about. Here is what I came up with. Uprights- drilled 1/2 inch holes on 1x3 box and they hammer on tight to some protruding prongs on the base of the seat. I wanted it to be removeable, so they bolt to the side of the mount on each end. Top half- has holes to mount rear of seat as well as uprights. Rear seat bolts are metric and factory. The frame is mainly 1x1 box and then 1x3 because I ran out of 1x1. The 1x1 was then drilled with one inch spacing with 3/8 drill bit down the length of the middle struts. Bottom half- I welded the main frame in place in the floor and then welded the 1x3 box on top of it. The 1x3 is drilled every 3" with 1/2" clearance holes. This allows for 5/16 hardened bolts to be used as pegs for someone to set the seat where they want it. I also drilled the front and rear of the piece for mounting. Mounting was done with fender washers. Rear mounts also hold seat belt down. Going to work on floor tomorrow.
Thanks Mike! I enjoy it... So while everyone was hanging out at a beach, I stuck around my carport and got a lot of stuff done... (Follow the link- hopefully it works!) https://www.instagram.com/p/BVOF1r8hNTD/ I mounted the gas pedal, floors, and choke cables, and mounted the Mike bowling approved brake light switch. I then wired the whole car (except for the horn so far). It was tough because none of my terminals were labeled, so I had to do hours of contradicting research. I added lead substitute to a fuel jug and filled the tanks, installed a temporary boat hand fuel pump and filled the actual fuel pump and some of the line to the carb up with fuel, then removed the temporary part. Finally, I added a helper spring on the intake bolt to the accelerator arm in order to ensure the throttle returns. Then it ran. If you followed the link. It runs rough, and I am currently fixing some of my wiring to make it better. Still a lot of work before the street, but it feels good to hear it finally.
So if you don't sell it for $35,000 you should bring it to the beach next year! Sent from my SM-G900V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Definitely- I don't think I'll have to worry about the "sales" concern though. Haha. I have had to redo some wiring and fix some stuff over the past couple of days, but I am trying to figure out how a ton of gas got into my oil. I thought it was my rebuilt mech. pump, but am now diving into the carburetor. Can't afford to change the oil more than one more time...
Think you'll have it ready for the gathering of the faithful? Myself and a few of the guys are gonna bring out trog cars there. Be cool to see your A
Should definitely be well sorted away by October. I want to register and drive the car in/ by July. I have to rebuild my rear end (again, long story) and do all of the small odds and ends before I get there though. I am also eyeing a 5 inch chop in the near future...
I worked a lot on the car over the last week- Worked on the rear end again but only shimmed it; didn't come completely apart. I also found a problem with my carburetor. That bar is from a three barrel Holley and a longer bar is required in order to seal the surface correctly. I replaced that bar with the right one and now it runs a lot better. I thought there was a vacuum leak because I removed the carburetor a few times and reused a lot of the gaskets. As a result, I took it all back apart and put a little bearing grease on the surfaces to ensure a good seal- just enough to change the color of the gasket. Sadly, it didn't help. I currently cannot get the car to idle, as I have to have my foot on the pedal at all times. I am going to investigate the passages to the primary jets and the idle passages, as it seems like the car only operates on the secondary jets (i.e., small throttle). Just hard because I have to sit in the driver's seat to start it and can't see anything. Really want to get on the road for the Fourth of July. Stay tuned because I scored a Hudson Essex hood at the swaps today and am going to use it to make a hood.
Been fighting it, and will give a better update later, but how much oil does a 59a motor hold? My rear main is leaking like a river but I filled it with 4 quarts and am not running the oil filter up top. I am nervous to run it as a result. Help wanted... Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Well at 4qts it is leaking bad. Just wanted to make sure I didn't overfill it to the point where it would just flow out.
Don't know much about flatheads but if there's more than 1 type pan end gasket it'll leak similar to if it had a rear main seal leak. When I bought a truck I'm still driving it had a thicker gasket than the pan allowed at back so it was half pushed out. Engine really was tired so I pulled it anyhow and swapped in another engine and I made sure I had the thinner gasket was at both ends as the pan required. Before it had the right seal it'd leak like a sieve. Hope I can help. Sure is easier and quicker to do a pan gasket than rear main seal in the car.
That makes a lot of sense. The motor came out of a car that didn't leak, and the pan gasket was replaced by a mac's new one. I'll re tighten/ torque the bolts tomorrow and see if it leaks as bad, and then I will pull the pan. Maybe just use RTV and no gasket- I doubt anything would actually leak out the side of the pan.
4 quarts is what I got on a google search. I have a 41 59ab as well. Sent from my SM-G900V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Yea- since I have a 221 block, I believe I have the slinger seal, so I am going to ignore the issue for the time being because there are more issues on the horizon. Edit: wanted to show some wiring highlights because I completely skipped it. I was able to get cloth coated wire because I split the costs in half with someone else who needed some wires. This was cool to me, as I like the look of the cloth and the price was not a killer. I am using a stock oil pressure sender as well as a couple stock temperature senders in order to make sure my 46 dash works properly. Here is what my 46 gage set looks like with the runtz reducers installed. I did not do the ammeter or the fuel tank sender but both wired Gage's work perfect! I then scavenged around some old parts and found the heater firewall port that would allow the passenger to "turn the heat on or off". I reversed it and slit it at the bottom in order to feed some wires through it. I think it looks cool. Also just wanted to note that I found this fuse panel and wired it into the car. Uses Bus fuses, and is pretty unique. I made a plate to mount it to and placed it on the driver's side in the area where the gas tank would have been. My only gripe is that the screws are very short, and as a result, they are hard to work with. Back to regularly scheduled program: Only other large issue was that a couple of studs started to leak on the block. They are critical studs between cylinders, and as a result, I am not taking them out or loosening them to RTV them. Instead, I just retorqued the head to 55 ft lb and hopefully they will set up. So this somehow happened to my carburetor's fuel pump After digging all the little pieces out, wheeldog saved the day by offering up one while all of the local shops were closed in the sake of helping me get it started. I installed it and it worked great. I then could not get it to idle still and thought there could be a vacuum leak to blame because of the fact that I am using a 35 intake on a 59a. I went around suspect areas with bearing grease and the car idled well! The next day I purchased some RTV and went around to permanently fix the problem areas. It looks poor, so I am currently trying a way to clean it up. That being said, the car still will not idle! I can run it for a while, but then I cannot re-start it, and if I open the throttle plates, gas smoke comes out. As a result, I believe I still have flooding. Come Wednesday, I am going to need to get a fuel pressure regulator in order to set the PSI to 3lbs and sure up that issue. I was able to make some progress on my hood after not making much progress on the engine. Using a 1930 Essex hood side, I measured and folded over edges and drilled holes in order to make the sides. I am going to lengthen the top the correct amount today, and then the only body panel left to chase is the elusive rear deck lid.
Small update... Lengthened the hood with 20 ga but it is too light. Going to have to replace it with 18 gauge. Also need to find a rear hold down mount, but that should be easy. Located shocks- Monroe 5752 for rear and speedway black shorties for the front. Found a trunk lid- since I piece mealed my car together, it was too long, so I had to unbend the top flange and rebend it 1/2 inches shorter. Love the look though- and the primer looks good. But here is why I haven't made much progress- Engine needs to come out. Peeing oil out the hole in the bell housing when warm. Huge puddles. Rear end is tight- can't spin well. This happened after I torqued it to 130 ft lbs on each side. Also still makes noise. As a result, I cannot drive it and need to figure it out. Probably due to rust putting on the carrier/ pinion. Current plan is to find a better banjo. I then need to replace the torque tube, brakes, and wishbones with the ones I already have. Hopefully I can find a later one, but this means I will have to weld on the top spring mount because of my chassis. Sadly, the way I put everything together the first time was really the only way because I don't have space to blow it all apart for more than a day. I am currently trying to figure a way out of that too. Not good.
Haha. Don't have the money or time for something like that. I have one more month this summer to figure it out.
I ended up taking the rear end out. Once I had it out, I pulled the drums off to find that the dragging was actually due to the new aftermarket shoes I have. I consulted the experts and they said a 0.012 shim wrapped around the axle taper would push the drum out far enough to clear- and it worked. Reinstalled, and turned the car around to work on the engine. I then took the engine out. Good news is that the rear seal is a cork seal, so no slinger. Also, the bottom half is all mashed near the halfway point, so replacing should do the trick. You can also see how the oil flowed though the seal and onto the flywheel while I was removing the engine. I then loaded it in my truck. It should be an easy fix, but I wanted the local expert- @flatheadtommy- to check it before re installation. Hopefully next weekend I will be all set.
Good choice, Tommy is the go to guy for flathead advice. Can't wait to see this car driving down the road.
The Jalopy Journal
