Hot Rods Bringing my 39 back to life

Got the head off that had the stuck valve and it don't look good. Looks like an overbore is gonna happen.

 

Jason I think I have the same adapter "in inventory". I bought a box of misc. parts years ago at a swap meet and these were in the bottom of the box. I looked in an old Honest Charley catalog I have (circa 1961) and found the adapter. The other piece is a GM Powerglide adapter.

 

That looks like the one I have. I ran the part numbers on the castiron piece and it says 56 to 61 vette powerglide adapter. But im missing the sheetmetal portion.

 

I even got a Schiefer aluminum flywheel for it in that same swap meet box.

 

Thats awesome. The flywheel that was on this setup must be some kind of conversion flywheel. No other hole drilled in it but it had an early ford clutch bolted to it.

 

I believe that is the case with this aluminum flywheel, too. It bolts to a Chevy crankshaft but it is drilled for Ford-style pressure plate. I will check it when I go to the shop to see it there is a part number on it.

 

Been a while since i updated tbis but finally have some good progess on it. Got the old butchered cross member out and the new one welded in and painted. Hopefully I'll have the front end back together tomorrow and bolted in.

 

Also cooking up a new intake for it.

 

Cool project, very unique exhaust , I think it should stay in even if it's just to hear what it sounds like once but that's just my 2 cents


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I had wanted to keep it on there just to hear what it sounded like.....But in order to get the motor out i had to cut the pipes off at the manifolds. They are now in the crap metal pile out back. I have a set of fender well headers and a set of 55 chevy exhaust manifolds that i can use. Haven't decided which one to use yet.

 

Going this weekend to pick up 37 a cowl to use the for eliminating the battery box on the firewall. Tried to find a 40 cowl but could not locate one near me, for a reasonable (cheap) price. This one should do the trick, and cant beat the price! I'm thinking i might be able to use the drivers side off the fire wall to fill the bulk of the hole and that will give the the firewall character lines. But if that wont work this one has a real good battery box in it so i can always just replace that section and keep the battery on the firewall.

 

Just found this thread and read it all. You appear to know what you're doing and are taking the time to ,do it right.
Just keep the faith and don't rush things and get sloppy! You have the makings of a great car there and I will be following things from here on.

 

Thanks Dave, It's taking longer than i want to get this back together but im making progress. Hopefully in the next few months i have this back together and running. I have all the stuff to assemble the new 283 for it, really all i need parts wise is two more tires for the back and a wiring harness. Im trying to get the 39 back together and on the road by Oct this year, so i can take it to The Old North State Invitational show next fall. Great show and looking to take a different car this year.

 

Here is a link to pictures of the show last year. Awesome show and tons of good people. Drove the roadster last year, the 39 would be nice to take this year. Pictures are on page 2.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...-invitational-winston-salem-nc.1031821/page-2

 

If you early model Chevell exhaust manifolds they clear the steering box like they were made for it, no twisting and turning like rams horn manifolds. I had mine on my 40 since the late60's. Just my 2cts. Worth Frank

 

I ripped the front end part last week for new king pins in the spindles and clean and repainting. I couldn't believe that I could pull the perch bolts out by hand. They just twisted right out!! Spindles were a bit tougher but not to hateful. The wish bone is the nicest I have ever had. Almost no surface rust, just road grime. My pal D-Russ here on the HAMB was nice enough to reverse the main leaf for the front spring for me to help get it down a little more.

 

Lookin great.

 

Just found this thread, subscribed. Go man go!

 

I have a set of those manifolds and i will mock them up when the motor goes back in to see how i like them. I also have a set of 55 56 chevy manifolds and some fender well dump headers as well. I'll just have to see which setup i like best.

 

While your picking up 37 parts grab the temp gauge setup. It's the same as your 39.

 

Here are some updates on the 39. Making some decent progress. Front end is all rebuilt and installed, though I need tho add a leaf back to the front spring I think. It's mighty close to the steering box mount. Got the steering box all rebuilt and ready to go in. I had a set of TCI bolt in motor mounts but they don't jive well with the stock trans in it so I will be using an old Hurst front mount I forgot I had. Also swapped out the two piece trans adapter for a NOS old wilcap adapter. The motor in it is just for mock up. Once all the mock up is done I have a 283 to rebuild with an 097 cam so it out to sound pretty good. Looking at having it move under it's own power by the end of June.

 

How many gallons of white lightnin' will the trunk hold? Just kidding...great looking project!

 

47 gallons stacked nicely. @gpohl6

 

Nice. So on mine i found that they had to cut the front passenger motor mount biscuit ALOT (nearly in half) to get the fuel pump to clear. Maybe check yours. I have a pic of how mine is cut to clear. I have the same hurst mount. I think i may go to a different pump. I dont like how much has to be cut.
What kind of headers are those you have mocked up? They look good.

 

But maybe our cars are different enough...

 

@Black Clover Custom yeah its the same deal with mine. The way the Hurst mount (or any front plate mount on a small Chevy) it puts the pump so close there is no clearance. Plus on a 35 - 40 frame, and I believe 41 to 48, the front cross member is in the way and needs to be notched for the pump. I may go to an electric pump. even though I really don't want to.

 

So now I need to swap out the mock up motor to be able to mount the Hurst plate on the front of the block. Reason being, is that on the pass side of the block the holes for the mount are not drilled or tapped. the bosses are there just not drilled. I have never seen a small block that wasn't drilled there before so I never bothered to look. the casting numbers on the block say it is a 64 to 67 283. Was this common on these? anybody else encountered this. I have a stok pile of small block stuff so another block isn't an issue for mock up. Just never see the holes not drilled before, and this is the on that was closest to the car...

 

Never paid too much attention to those holes not being there. They were there on a '62 327 I had, but it was bought from GM as a replacement short block. Using side mounts on the '73 350 block in my roadster now, and I'll try to remember when I'm at shop later today to check for the holes on it.
Years ago I used a Hurst mount on a '53 Studebaker with that 327 I mentioned above, and a '65 Chev 283 in a '34 Ford with another Hurst mount, and neither required an elecric fuel pump.
The Brookville provided, P&J built repro '32 frame under my '31 "A" roadster is pinched in the front and the frame rail was too close to engine to use a hi-po Holley mech. pump and I had little choice but to use a Carter electric.