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

Aloha Willy, you're making good progress, I've been following along since you started. I'm down in Maui now for 4 weeks, is there any cruises or car stuff going on over the next few weeks? I probably have missed the Peggy Sue's night, but wondering if there's anything going on for St. Patty's day maybe? Still got that nice little Chevy pickup? I've seen it around the last few years. Keep up the good work, Bill

 

Hiya Bill,
Yup, Peggy Sue's on first Sat nite, and McDonald's in Kahului (Dairy Road) on second Sat. nite. I was at Peggy Sue's on the 5th with the 58 chevy truck, only three of us showed, was rainy, guess only us hard core guys drive in all weather....

Stop by our track, the repaving is in progress, and is looking good, some pix here....
http://www.islandracer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1248
scroll down for the paving pix....

Rolled 'er out of the shop for the first time on Friday, steering and brakes all functional, and loaded 'er up for the trip to the track on Sat. for chassis certification....



Link To More Pix....

And I passed the certification inspection, got a chassis sticker says the car is good to go for 8.50 or slower....

I was told recently by an NHRA rep that our track is one of the few true club operated all volunteer tracks left in the US! We do pay our working members who man the computers, staging lanes, security, starting lanes, and the safety guys down at the end, but it's not a lot! I'm very thankful these guys and gals are willing to put in the effort so we can have a safe and fun track here on our little island!

Aloha,
Willy

 

The car is looking good Willy! You didn't waste much time getting down for your chassis inspection, glad all went well for you. What are you hoping to run? The track is definitely looking better too, it was getting in pretty rough shape. Should be all broken in for your first run

 

Hi Bill,
The NHRA inspector is only here once a year, usually in Feb. so we can get cert or re-certed (every 3 years). With the track paving work, it was put off to March this year. Was quite a few cars there, both new like me or for re-certification. Want to run in the tens, but if I do get into the nines, want to be "legal". If that happens, I'll have to go for an NHRA license to run in the nines, but that's a popular group at our track, and all good racers, it is very competitive! The tens are too, so either one, I will have my work cut out for me to get very deep into the rounds at each event!

My partner at the "Old Dudes Race Shop" runs a nine second "altered" roadster, 509 chevy, but he's rebuilding it this off season to a 540, it's almost done. So I could be running against him, and he's a tough competitor........

We think the best of all worlds is we wouldnt get matched up until the final, take out all the others, then run for first and second..... (Dream on Willy !!!!)

First things first, just want it to go straight and safely!
Started pulling wire yesterday, ordered a fuse box and other stuff, should be here in a couple of days...
Aloha,
Willy

 

Started working on the electrical system....
Made some clamps and mounted the battery in the trunk, and wired in the cutoff switch....

Gonna have to treat that rust at the taillight openings while I have those out of the car....



then started laying out the parts for the MSD ignition system. Using the model 6, with the blower boost retard control, and the distributor with the adjustable timing control......



Link to the "electrical" web page....
Aloha,
Willy

 

Eh Willy,

Do you know of a 55 HT that was somewhere on the way up to Kula - maybe Makawao? I sold my 55 to a guy named "Fats" Yoshida in '66 and he sold it to someone up that area. They put a straight axle on it I was told. Never heard anymore about the car so just wondering if it's still around. Nice build on your gasser, I'm doing a 55 myself at the moment.

Mahalo,
Vic

 

Been here since '67 in the Makawao/Pukalani area and don't recall a car like that. Will ask around some of my buddies see if any of them recall anything. There's a nice '56 with solid axle up front, and the right "attitude", but it seems to hardly ever leave the garage these days....

Aloha,
Willy

 

The color of the car was dark metallic green with white & gold tuck and roll upholstery. The guy I sold it to was Stanley Yoshida, nickname "Fats" from Kahului I think. '66 was a long time ago! Vic

 

Hey Willy looking good

 

Took awhile to "digest" all the info MSD provided, and I had a piece of 16 ga galv laying around, so I made up a 9x12 panel and mounted the parts on it, came put pretty nice, now to mount it up under the dash so it will swing down for easy access....



The adjustments for the blower boost timing retard and the overall timing adjustment will mount up on the dash where I can easily reach them....

And found a fuse box I liked, will mount it up on the firewall under the dash near the steering column....



Link to the "electrical" web page....
Aloha,
Willy

 

Got the ignition modules mounted up under the dash....



And the timing controls mounted on the dash within easy reach....



Ran the batt cables up front, put in a ground junction panel there, now to go through the floor to the starter....



And ordered a buncha gages, now to mount them where I want....



Once the gages are mounted then I can really start pulling wire all over the place....

Link to more photos (please scroll down for updates....)

Aloha,
Willy

 

lookin good your gettin closer

 

Got the gages in....



Worked late last nite, with beer and bbq......

(smoked venison on the weber.... mmmmmmmm !!!) (yes, we have deer here, some sort of spotted asian deer, big racks on the bucks, can run up to 200 lbs but best eatin' is at 100 - 150 lbs does....) (they have become such a pest/nuisance to the local farmers and ranchers, and a danger to cars on the road, that it is open season year round now, hunting on private property only, which means the ranches and plantations, with the owners permission, and as an old sugar cane aggie I have no problem there, so get lots of venison in the freezer, marinated and grilled, it's better than tri-tip!!!, and the smoked stuff is "broke-da-mouth" good.....)

I had a buncha good buddies chippin' in last nite (our weekly "Fender Friday" gathering), so got the holes cut, had to enlarge all the holes slightly on the sides to take the angled bezels....

Put 6 toggles in the dash, first three vertically are from the top: ignition, fuel pump, cooling fans; then the next three are from the top, inside cab lights, under hood and trunk lites, and backup lites....

They are heavy duty toggles I got from Ron Francis, rated at 35 amps, but am using relays for the fuel pump and the cooling fans....

And I left space between the toggles and the oil pressure gage for a 30 psi low oil pressure indicator light, want something to really catch my attention if the oil pressure suddenly drops while making a run at the track!!!

And the toggles are set so with a sweep of my right hand from right to left and can shut all six of em off immediately. And there's room for up to three more toggles if I need 'em....

Am also thinking I should put a second shut off master switch mounted on the left side cage leg next to my left hand on the battery cable as long as that cable is right there. Might come in handy just in case, I can easy reach it and shut down the whole system in an emergency.....

Ya just never know, if this car actually gets to running in the low 10's or into the 9's. Now that it's certified the chassis is legal, I'd just need to do some licensing runs and pick up a NHRA license to get completely legal for the nines, but that's pie-in-the-sky thinking for now, I just want to get it running solidly and safely, and ease my way through the 11's and into the 10's. Have only run in the 12's for the past dozen years in the 58 pro streeter, so headin' into faster territory, at age 69, I figure I better take my time and see how it all goes....

I went surfing "dawn patrol" every morning this past week, I can still catch 'em, head high waves, and crank some "off the lips", made me fell good and 20 years younger !!! :toast:
Thank god for Advil each following morning though..... :thumbup:

I had a heck of a time getting the bezel off of the ignition lock, had to use brute force and a large pry bar to get it off, think the lock core is supposed to come out first, but I have no idea how to remove that. Maybe it takes a special GM key to release the core and pull it out?
Anyone know how that is supposed to work?



Gotta run, working on my garage extension this morning....
Aloha,
Willy


Link to electrical page, scroll down for latest updates....

 

Paper clip trick in the little hole allowed me to rotate it further CCW and pull the lock core out, slick, thanks to you guys who suggested that....

UPDATE:
Got wires strung all over the car, time to pull the instrument panel and light switch and get them cleaned up and ready for new wires....

The old instrument panel was "frozen" in place, got all four screws out and it just refused to move, for quite awhile....

Finally poured a single malt and sat down and worked with it slowly and it finally decided to move and come loose, a little at a time, and finally popped out!!!

Cleaned it up and the light switch too, and tomorrow will start wiring in all the instruments....

 

Got all the wires for the rear pulled back there (8 of 'em...., plus + and - batt cables), and lost count of how many I pulled through the firewall up front, including tubes for mechanical temp (both water and oil), oil pressure and boost gages....

There are wires EVERYWHERE !!!

Aloha,
Crazy Willy




Link to more pix, please scroll down for latest updates

 

I took a break from pulling wires and since I pulled a wire for the fan thermo switch control sensor, and a tube sensor for the mechan. water temp, took a look at the heads and intake to see where to mount the two of them, no place on the al. edelbrock heads for either sensor, so looked at the intake (an Offy dual 4bbl modified by Don Hampton for the 6-71 to fit on the Olds motor) and it has a 1/2" pipe thread hole, and both the sensors are 3/8" pipe thread.

Found a 1/2 x 3/8 brass reducer at my local NAPA store, and the thermo switch wouldn't fit in it beyond one turn! The NAPA guy said, "hey that looks like a metric thread, where'd you get that sensor?", so he goes and compares it to a metric threaded sensor of some sort from back on the shelves, and sure enough it does look like a metric thread!

So get on the phone to the supplier this am, he can't figure it out, says they always have fitted as a 3/8 pipe thread, but says he will check it out. I go out and rummage around in my shop, finally find my 3/8 pipe tap and compare to the thermo switch thread, it matches! So I cut the threads in the reducer bushing deeper (they are a tapered thread), took several cuts and tried the thermo switch each time, until I got a nice, deep fit of the switch into the reducer bushing, looks great!

Now I have to cut one more hole in the intake next to the existing hole, but this one will be 3/8", so I can mount both sensors there, without a lot of plumbing to fit both into one hole, hate how that looks, this will look pretty cool I think, when all is done....

Just wish I had a nice aluminum bung to weld onto the aluminum manifold so I could have a little more thickness for the thread, but it's not like it's real high pressure, as long as I am careful boring the extra hole and threading it, it should be fine.

Always something, and never trust the opinion of an auto parts store clerk....
Aloha,
Willy

 

Mounted a 2nd emergency electrical cut-off switch on the left cage leg near the steering wheel, where it would be easy to reach....

Ran the 12v+ cable inside the car from the rear battery up to that switch, then down through the floor to the starter location (on the left on an Olds motor)....

Also ran a 12v- cable from the battery to a junction block on the floor near that same cage leg, then a short cable through the floor to the starter location. That will be bolted to one of the starter mounting bolts. Heavy duty ground straps will be added from there both the body and the frame. Any grounding I need to do in the dash will all terminate on this grounding block....

The 12v hot leads for the MSD system and cooling fans are being connected to the switched side of this switch....

A 10 ga lead is also going from this switch to a 12v+ junction block up under the dash above the fuse box, and all the 12v+ leads, such as the volt meter, interior lights, trunk lites, backup lite, will all take off from there....



A pair of leads across the emerg. switch goes to a fuse holder (empty for now) where I can plug in a 3 amp fuse to feed the clock, stereo memory settings, stuff like that, but in an emergency if the switch is thrown off, that 3 amp fuse will blow instantly and the system will shut down. Got that hint from the Ron Francis Wiring catalog...

I also did this same thing across the real mounted emerg. elec. shut-off switch....



View in front of the firewall of the 12v+ and - cables going to the starter location....



This was suggested by my buddies, unanimously, as a safety measure if I really "bang it up" at the track and really need to shut everything down quickly, and also as a great 12v hot point to feed the necessary to all the gear under the dash and under the hood....

More later....
Aloha,
Willy

 

I've been down with an old recurring back problem, really got me this time, lost a whole buncha weeks, but am slowly recovering now, so....
I started working on the motor....
Most of the wiring is done, some stuff still to do, but laying under the dash hooking that up really hurts my back, so putting that off for now....
So.... Time to start putting the block together and fire it up, plus I needed to put the motor in to finish up the front end wiring, clearing the headers, fuel system, and attaching the mechanical sensors for the temp, oil pressure, oil temp, stuff like that.
Aloha,
Willy



Posted a bunch of pix on my motor page #3....
Link to motor build page

 

Assembled the rest of the rods and pistons (no rings yet, have to file fit them...) yesterday, man, twisting in 4 spiralocks (2 each side) into each piston will give you a set of sore fingers!!!

Assembled all the valves and springs, rocker studs and pushrod guide plates, and found I had used the rockers on another project, so had to go order another set. Am using the Comp Cams Ultra Pro Magnum™ Roller Rocker Arms: Ford 351W style; 7/16" Stud, 1.7 Ratio.

Yeah, I know, aluminum heads are not considered "Old School", but I like 'em, so I'm usin' em....
Aloha,
Willy



Link to motor build page

 

Got the JE pistons mounted on the K1 rods, they're almost too pretty to go putting in a motor!!!

Fingers are sore from twisting in those four spiralocks per piston....
Aloha,
Willy


Yeah, there's only seven, the number one piston is already in the motor....

Link to motor page....

 

Looking good! Keep up the progress. Your buddy's 63 Lemans is sweet also! Partial to Pontiacs. Maui is a beautiful place!

 

My buddy has four rigs he's constantly working on, lakamoney keeps these projects moving slowly, as it does with alla us in our group....
(We call ourselves the "OD RACERS", which in small print says "old dudes racing group"....)

The LeMans will get a big motor of some kind, probably a chevy, the chassis is done with a big motor setback and driver seat setback, a total outlaw race car! I have a buick 455 I built up not in anything yet I can put in, but I think he wants something bigger, much bigger!

I'd have done it different, but it's his car!!!

He's just finished fabbing up a chassis for a roadster, 283 sbc powered (it was just sitting around), wide ratio M21 I had sitting around and donated to the project, big sticky tires (on 15" rims, we like lots of sidewall rubber) all around, wants it to be like a big rolling skateboard, he's a big guy, wanted the roadster shell big, roomy for him and his wife, so he's fabbing up his own design that sits really low and wide, no doors, just swing your butt over the side to get in...

His race car is a collection of misc parts, he calls it "Darwin", as it is always in a state of evolution, runs low nines he's now aiming for 8's with it, carbed, race gas, no nitrous or blowers, all straight motor....
It started out as a Pontiac, but has just kept evolving!

And he has a 59 ford f100 pickup, mustang two undercarriage, big block ford reworked to 514 ci, runs 10's at the track and is a street rig. Pump gas, no power adders...
Last trip to the track he twisted off the pin on the front of the cam where the timing gear mounts, looks like only a couple of valves got bent so think we can fix it pretty easily, it had a pretty massive cam in it with solid roller lifters, sounded really gnarley!!!

It's fun being around him, I much appreciate that he gave me a space in his shop, it was an old flower packing shed (his dad had a flower farm there, the flower fields are now rented out as horse pastures, big horsey set in his neighborhood...), and he converted it to a hot rod shop, 4 bays, plus a clean motor building room, I'm in there now, and room for me to work on rebuilding my '62 HD chopper I put together in '70, and now getting a total rebuild from one end to the other as I find time between working on the gasser and helping my buddy on his rigs.....

All in all, good fun times, a perfect "retirement" for me...
Aloha,
Willy

 

File fitting rings, man, I've lost my touch, want 20-21 thou end gap for a street blown motor with these rings JE provided with their pistons, it's a mild boost (5 psi is the goal), and having difficult time hitting it! Trying to sneak up on it a little at a time, like 14 thou, then 18, then 32????? How'd that happen? Now got two top rings and one 2nd ring "oversized", called JE and they are sending me 3 spare tops and 2nds, hope I don't screw up any more!!!!

I could use those "oversized" rings, but would get increased blow-by from those pistons, might as well get some more rings and do it right!!!

I'm using a powered ring grinder, and the key is to develop a feel, just "touch" one end to the grinding surface briefly, make each "touch" exactly the same, and count the number of "touches", like count ten "touches", hand file off any "flashing" on the ground end to clean it up, compare the two ends to make sure the ground end is still squared off, and check the increase in end gap in the cylinder bore. Used to have a good "touch", could get 'em right on the money after about three approaches to the ring grinder, but seem to have lost my "touch" with time!!!

Using JE's recommendations, 21 thou on the top ring and 22 on the second ring should be just right, last couple I did I was hitting more like 22 and 23, that's ok, not "perfect", but will work just fine. Would rather have 'em just slightly loose , rather than slightly tight !!!!

It's also a time consuming procedure, have to bite my tongue and just DO IT! Actually, as I am recovering from my back injury, it's a good thing for me to do, keeps me away from laying under the dash finishing up the wiring job!!!

Hope you all had a GREAT INDEPENDENCE DAY!!! We went to 4 BBQ's over the weekend, one each evening starting on Friday, good friends, good fun, great food, excellent music, some dancing (not me, I play the music and drink the beer....) (Well, dear, ya see, it's me back, gotta take care of it, OK????)....

Much Aloha to all....
Willy

 

OK, Lots of questions here today, solved most of 'em, but still got a couple....

Got all the rings fitted and installed, used up all three "spares", on the "missed-fits" the closest one was .025" on a .021" target (top ring), marked that one and stashed it away, worst one was .035" on a .022" (second ring) target.... (Ouch, how'd that happen???). Actually marked them all as to fit and put 'em back in the box, who knows....
Could use 'em in a stock bore probably....
This bore is .030" over (4.155")...
(Yeah, Willy, where you gonna find a "clean" 40+ year old Olds block!!!!)

Short block is now together, all torqued down, had an adventure using my new rod stretch gage when torquing the rod bolts! ARP 2000, 7/16" by 1.8", ARP recommends using a rod stretch of .0068" to .0072"! Ooooooohkay......

Number one rod got up to 65 ftlbs and only saw .002" of rod stretch, got on the phone, called the rod manufacturer, K1 Technologies, they laughed, said to get my zero reading with the rod gage, take off the gage, torque the bolt to 85, take a reading, and sneak up on it in 5 ftlb increments, should be between 95 and 105 ftlb to get the .007" stretch I'm shooting for!! Wow, Really ??? YUP!!!

And DO NOT USE MOLY LUBE!!!!!!!!
ARP has run into long term problems using moly lube on torque settings, seems that with time the moly lube must get absorbed into the metal, or forms a slick coating, or something such that the torque setting recommended becomes too much with time and can over-stretch the bolt or stud and cause failure! So bolt stretch is a better indicator, or a small torque setting and then additional degrees of turn, such as for my rod bolts, 30 ft lbs and 60 degrees of additional turn! Snap-on has a tool that can do this, but I opted for the stretch gage approach!

ARP and K1 supplied Extreme Pressure Lube #3 instead of Moly Lube for this purpose.

I found this system to be amazingly consistent, at 85 ftlb would get .005", and usually, using 5 ftlb increments, would get the recommended .007" at 95 to 100 ftlb.

Torqued down the main/girdle studs and am ready to go topside now....


SETTING UP THE CAM AND VALVE TRAIN....

These Edelbrock Performer RPM Olds heads use the ford 351W spec rockers, 7/16" studs, guide plates, 3/8" pushrods....

Comp Cams lists a nice rocker for this application, the Ultra Pro Magnum XD, and lists them with both a 1.6 or a 1.7 ratio...

The last Olds 455 I built up, I used an earlier version of these rockers in the 1.6 ratio, they worked great!

Thought I'd try these in the 1.7 ratio, get a little more valve event going for me in both intake and exhaust....

Unfortunately, the 1.7 ratio rockers place the pushrod a little closer to the rocker stud (compared to the 1.6 ratio), and during the last 0.100" or so of valve opening, the pushrod comes into contact with the inside of the pushrod hole in the head, on the side closest to the rocker stud!

I need to go back to the 1.6 ratio, or remove enough aluminum inside the pushrod hole to give a safe clearance. Not sure how much that might be, could be as much as 0.1" to 0.2", that should be a safe amount to remove, but thought I'd toss it to the forum experts here to comment. That metal removal would be only on the inside radius closest to the rocker stud, and only on the upper part of the hole where there is presently contact between the pushrod and the head. It looks like the guide plate has enough clearance, but I won't know on that until the pushrod safely clears the head itself and I can run it through the whole range of motion.

I was degreeing the cam with light springs on the #1 valves when I ran into this, and the pushrod popped out of the rocker pocket as the valve approached its full open position, lucky I did not have the full set of springs in there, probably would have damaged something! Most likely a bent pushrod!

I'm still undecided, might just send back the 1.7's ( or stash them for a future Olds project, have a '67 400 block that would make a screamer some day!!!) and order the 1.6's and finish up putting it together!

I'm closer to coil bind with the 1.7's, so would have to deal with that also, not a factor if I use the 1.6's.

Aloha,
Willy

 

Still having some back problems, keeping me from working on this project as much as I want to, but have been working on the motor a bit, here's an update.....
LINK TO MOTOR PAGE W/MORE PICS
Got the motor mostly together, a few bits and pieces still to locate and fit on, like the oil pump and water pump.....
Aloha,
Willy




LINK TO MY GASSER HOME PAGE

 

Finished painting the pan, now fitting it to the block and the girdle, trying to minimize leaks....

LINK TO MORE PIX....
Aloha,
Willy

 

Am back from family visits in Oregon and Washington, always good to get back home....

Between my four married children there are now six grandkids, man I tell ya, keeping track of birthdays and anniversaries is a challenge!!!

Did pick up some parts for the gasser project that I needed, a cam button setup to control cam walk (Olds motors with roller cams are prone to that....) and some other parts, and am back to work on the final assembly of the motor....



Still need to cut some holes in those valve covers and install some breathers....


LINK TO UPDATE PAGE ON MOTOR BUILD, MORE PIX....

I want to get it running in Sept, we'll see...
Aloha,
Willy

 

Still working on it as I find time (and energy) and it is coming along....

LINK: Updated my web page on the motor build...

Motor is getting closer to installing back in the car and hookup...

Still have some wiring to do before I can fire it up, and more before it is street legal, but getting there!!!



As I get close, I get more excited about it, can't wait....
Aloha,
Willy

 

Just thought I'd post a little update....

I tell ya I'm never gonna finish this motor!!! Family keeps showing up and we just "hafta go to the beach and party a bit"....
Oh well, why live on Maui if I don't take time to do that once inna while? In this case one of my 3 sons and his wife and two kids, ages 2 and 5, it's boogie board and sand castles time at the beach....

I do take a cuppa black joe or two at 6 am and go to the water (15 min away) every day that I can and paddle my 12' surfboard for half to an hour, great workout, and sometimes there is surf, so do that instead for an hour.... (that board charges like the Queen Mary once you get 'er goin, I do both knee and prone paddle when working out, it's a great dive board too, tie my gear on the nose and paddle a 1/2 mile out to the deeper reefs, crystal clear water and nobody else around, except "the man in the gray flannel suit", who has never bothered me in 50 years of diving...)

But I needed to make a 90 deg swivel water neck for my motor to clear the blower and the blower drive belt, and only a 45 deg swivel neck was available for the Olds motor, or an oem fixed 90 deg neck straight ahead neck (right into the blower belt........

So with some cutting and tig welding.....


...and bolted in place it is perfect, now just need to fit on a hose when the motor and radiator are back in the car....




LINK TO MOTOR BUILD PAGE 4....

Aloha,
Willy

 

Finally got back home after a month of travel, and ran my dial indicator to see if there was much misalignment between the bell and the crankshaft centerline. Found that I had 0.005" misalignment, which is acceptable, so I don't have to fuss around with offset dowel pins or any of that....

The clutch and tranny are now mounted....

Tomorrow I'll put it back in the car and start hooking up stuff....

LINK to more photos

Aloha,
Willy