Eric, I wish you was here, I got about 100 holes in the firewall to weld up.. I feel like I am standing on my head here and going sideways. I stuck the column through at the "new angle", new floor board cut out, stuck the firewall brake and booster up in under the dash, new cut outs.. now gotta pull the old floor pedals and linkages out. It's now had a shifter in three locations in the floor. It was way cooler before I stuck the truck clip in.. but.. This is going to soon be my daily driver I think. I am probably "done" parking on a construction lot where I can't see my vehicle to watch it. I am looking at a Neat-0 alarm that texts you with the GPS coords if it goes off and status.. and gives options of relay control.. ie.. Taser to the seat tuck and roll buttons??
TOday's nightmare, recut the holes for the booster-mc.. cut cardboard template for the firewall, cut out a patch panel to smooth it, then thought, I got this mirror stainless not doing anything.. It needs other side behind battery box and the middle will have to be shaped with the ewheel, perhaps even a flat mirror hanging from the X-rods under the hood, later.. Steering column bolted up hard against dash, needs some "struts" from the pedal mount-firewall to the dash in rod.. THE top two holes in booster need to be bolted down to stop any stress on the firewall when I stomp the pedals. It's all just stuck together, that rusty booster is pattern only, it does not work.
Good and bad things today, the front end will go on, needs to SHIM upward at least 5/16ths from the frame rail, where I chopped the Body-radiator mount off with lower fender tabs. Bad is the "GM" steering rag joint will not turn that "tight" (I thought it would) and the pins come off the lil slots on one side.. meaning it has to have a U-joint to flex that far. So I still need a Astro van steering shaft. Unsafe to drive till that is replaced. Mirror stainless is in, thou I am comtemplating taking it back out and rolling a checkerboard pattern in the back side. Still will need to make the center piece when I get the engine in place.
I am on the Alieve pain meds again. Had to shower and wash my hair three times to get the black blast sand out. I purchased a "suction" blaster from Tractor supply corp for $20.. it works pretty darned good, thou to use "used" sand you gotta learn to stick the nozzle to the work and back-blow the suction line to dump paint chips and nuts and bolts.. About everything here thou was "burned" off with a 4 1/2" sander lap pad, (cats claw) sanding disc.. there was 7 layers of paint - colors, the first looked like the turquoise they painted 57 chevys with. (once again a sign this was a moonshiner's truck) Change colors ever so often.. Frame rails are rustoleum black, scraped, wire brushed and sprayed. (walmart has rustoleum on sale). The bottom of the bed was lightly blasted and sprayed rustoleum black. Bed is plasma cut apart on the 5/16ths bolts, then I made a jig on my "railroad iron" anvil to hold the fenders while I slapper and Dollie the dents out. Then paint to them in the morning. I can't see the dents anymore, time to shoot black primer and clear on it to find more. (shiny will make them jump out) Joe came over, I had to rescue his $500 car on the way over, (normal). I gave up and purchased goodmark cab corners. I'll make tape flexible shape patterns from them before I put them in, fix the ones I have made. Glass came from Classic glass @ $129 plus shipping.. I have it installed in the frames, not the autoloc electric windows in yet thou. Speedwaymotors.com had the Ubolts to fasten the 12 bolt truck axle in, I have to adjust the traction bars to get the pins to drop into the holes thou. There is a "angle" welded in the lower cup of the frame rails, I have to figure out "why it is there" and cut it out or dress it up.. looks like the same guy welded it that welded the spring hangers on the 12 bolt car axle. I feel much safer now that it's laying outside for me to trip over.
Black epoxy primer, "clear coat" on top. Them dents I fixed are ready to be worked on some more, you can sure see them now. Bed got herculiner rolled in. Lifting tabs will have to be burned off, I should have put harley tie downs in the corners and left them. Repair steps for the bed tomorrow, possibly the cab steps next day. They are getting the bedliner too. Some door jamb & dash "real ugly" time coming up.. I hate door jambs.
No, they didn't come with instructions. Cutting the old ones out was the most difficult part. I was bleeding from three places at once. Liquid skin is your friend. Plasma cut out the panels, then used a impact chisel to separate the spot welds and pull the strips out. All that dirt on the floor fell out of the bottom of this one. Goodmark corners from Summit racing, ebay. Was here the next day from Atlanta Ga. No hammering has been done to raise low area yet. I made half a dozen, all lacking in lower Kick there.. no truck to copy.. perhaps I'll pull a flexible pattern off these before I screw them up hanging it out sideways. Welding done with Lincoln mig, copper strip behind the joint. Still some more to do. Steps.. need help. have to roll some metal with the go-cart slick and a rounded lower roller, mig in, then cover with bedliner. Cab steps are both holy too. I might not be as good as you guys, but I guarantee I am more stubborn.
Had to "reweld left side with henrob acteylene torch". When I started hammering up the shrinkage the mig weld broke. Images of parts falling off on highway came to mind. It took about a tablespoon of bondo on each side, more in the bullet holes in the back under the window. roll in Bedliner between cab and bed, steps, tailgate. Doors "have to come off".. bummer.. two steps backwards.
Any doubt if I am building a "original" or a "hotrod">? Still working on the flame technique. Eventually the bike and truck will be painted to match.
And the practice panel today was the hood. Doors are stripped of paint and off truck today. Have to build new bottoms to fix some rust.
Christmas time for the GMC, H-4/LED headlights, Leather steering wheel, another pair of 59 Cadillac tail lights to french in, some "40" flowmasters to quieten it up a tad, Paging Burglar alarm, some other small items. She needs hinges or a major rework. I've not looked to see if I can machine-make them yet. Drivers lower hinge is welded in. HInges have 1" of play up and down. Not sure how the doors were even opening. Doors are on the A-frame rack to rework.. MY SHOP Is wrecked thou, sanding-blasting grit crunches like eggshell underfoot. It makes me twitch to just be in there. More than a day to clean up. Back of the cab is ready for primer. No way in the current state of shop.
Hillbillies play a lil rough at times, getting bumped as you SLOW from a quarter mile, thoughts? well if you are upside down waiting on a ambulance or arrested, or a pitt maneuver? ?? You don't get to collect. After the six thousand dollar speeding ticket last time I might not stop willingly next time. Always reinforce the rear, (good for traction too) I'm adding a couple more runners up to the frame over the axle from the trailer hitch. Top receiver is holding a 2x2 going out to a heavy 2x3 angle inside bumper between mounts. Bottom receiver is welded in good for Pulling car trailer or what?? All welding done with 3/32nd 7018 stick welder and about 120 amps dc. Autoloc electric window units are in, squared off window frame, made a scribe on door inside panel, then figured "square off the flat side" and squared window slide with it, drilled holes, mounted, then made a small change to bracket to hold original window "frame" off electrical unit. (Joe helped me) Having trouble seeing well these days.
Traction bars are back in, the threads were seized. The henrob and some heat and then some motor oil persuaded them to move, squeaking all the way. My biceps were burning like they used to when I lifted weights. (100 years ago?) I didn't fix the bullet hole-dents in the front of the bed, just the ones in the back of the cab. Set the bed back onto it today, hanging them fenders by yourself is a bitch. All just finger tight, crank the engine before they get snugged down and they'd fall off like the three stooges car. LOADS of bodywork to do. TWO sets of 59 caddy tail lights to put in them HOLES someone else cut in the fenders.. had flat "trailer" lights in it. Front fenders needs patches too.
Dawai, wanted to know if you cold tell me what kind of traction bars you used?...who sales them or if someone made them on the HAMB. My rearend setup is like yours, I just pulled out some leaf's on the springs to lower it but need traction bars. Any info would be helpful Thanks, Ruben Nice Truck and work...by the way!
No clue where they came from, they were on the truck when I got it. Speedway motors I'd start looking. I got a miller tig welder, but am near blind somedays where it's useless. I made the ladder bars for the 23T here. These are a yellow anodize? cadium plated? Were seized and had to be heated to adjust. Had to redrill the spring hole centers on the gmc 12 bolt truck axle to seat correctly on the springs. Ever shear one of them bolts? it drives your vehicle "sideways" into the nearest obstacle when the axle shifts. (was a dirt bank the last time) Thanks.. I am just a old country boy with a one hole shop with no heat/insulation. Nicest tool I have is a air compressor, everything else is old and wore out, home made. If I actually knew how to use all these tools? I'd be somebody to watch. Today's lament.. I started to put the cd player under the seat where the toolboxes are.. then thought.. I am gonna drive it.. need to reach it. I flipped a falcon reaching for a cassette tape under a seat. Took all day to make a Radio-delete plate and weld it in. Henrob torch was cooking using "mig wire" as a filler rod. My reading glasses on, nose about six inches from the welds.
Thanks, I will give Speedway a try, I need to do the same to my dash one day but just haven't gotten to the inside. I know what you mean when it comes to fabing up and building with very little tools, I do the best I have with what I got because I can't afford to buy the right stuff or pay anyone else to do it for me.....besides that would take too much fun out of it!!!!!! Keep working hard at it and keep us posted.
74 GMC truck pedal offset by heating and bending in vise, (GMC master cylinder and booster offset because of cab-support bar) 80s Ford brake pedal welded to lathe cut-slug and center bored 7/16ths for cross bolt for clutch pedal for my GMC. 80's El camino cross clutch bar, cut, fixing to cut pedal arm off of, weld a new arm on to match new clutch pedal, I purchased Heim rod ends from Speedway motors to build the clutch links. Transmission tunnel is disaster, I raised the engine a tad from stock with the new clip lowering the truck 2" with the frame offset. Front appears to be down about two inches from the back. Of course I had to put inner fenders on to check for clutch-cross arm fit. I hate surprises (when they don't involve strippers) Taking the rest of the weekend off I think. It's fixing to turn a cold snap. This might be easier if I could just write a check and get it done? but the truck would not be so "personal" then.. just a old truck then..
Speedwaymotors Sweet MFG steering universal joint 91032296 with a 13/16ths 36 spline shaft x 3/4 double DD steering shaft looks to be the one to "FIX" the rag joint where it turns at too sharp of a angle. The pins come out of the rag joint top steel coupler on one side, meaning you depend on the rubber to steer. I had a pile of steering shafts in the floor to try.. went through all of them and all involved hillbilly engineering. Had two steering fabricated failures before, both happened in shop and yard.. a ford column from a 89 Ford Marquis in a 48 ford truck, whole center of the accident-collapsible column fell out (was peened over a bearing), problem was it was hooked to three universal joints going to a mustang2 rack and pinion and it all locked up, second was "welded" astro van steering universal joint that turned out to be cast or some fracturable metal.. it broke and fell off the one ton steering box on my 41 chevy truck. Spline is different on this box, I used that same steering shaft on a 79 transAm clip in a studebaker truck. It bolted in after I shortened the shaft. I went and bought one from a scrap yard and was surprised it didn't fit. Nobody said I am perfect, but I do want a safe to drive vehicle. (Till I put it in the ditch or on it's roof playing)
Shot epoxy primer on the rough front fenders, had them on the old "bedframe" easel I made for working on a cowl a few years ago, they do doors also. Shot some flames on the Roadking to Match the 57's desired outcome for paint. I am still practicing. Not got it yet.. but it is getting better. House of Kolor True-fire air brush kit off ebay over black base BC25, UC35 clear coat, Black epoxy on fenders. My old Finishline3 paint rig was throwing small balls of clear instead of atomizing like it should.. I messed with it near a hour. I am not a painter for sure. Temp 65 and sunny, panels were warm to the touch but not hot. Shot in driveway where the bugs and falling leaves could get a shot at customizing too.
Note to other "non full time painters" Mix the clear House of Kolor Uc35 up with catalyst, let it sit for about ten minutes to "heat up and flow properly through spray rig". (catalyst causes heat to cure) then shoot it on, Thin the Last coat with HOK thinner for your weather. 2:1:1.5 for last coat for a flo-coat.. it smooths it all out so slick you don't need polishing or sanding. Other than some minor "flaws" in the motorcycle paint job it looks like a $2500 pro job, and I am for sure no pro. Same thing applies to Hot-rod painting with that real-good brand of paint. Some guys on Metalmeet helped this old electrician out. Next paint job will be better than this one. This truck is a long way from paint still, just getting it shiny to fix the lumps and bumps.
That "Sweet" brand U joint solved the issue with the 1/2 ton truck steering box. Hunted a four inch piece of double D-shaft to extend on down to it for two hours. It's tacked in and can't fall out. Painted the brake booster, the steering shaft, bent up and welded a stainless shifter and mounted the old "eight ball".. guess where it "lands in 4th"?? Us old bikers gotta get our fun where we can. I made a clutch linkage, custom pedal, Z-bar and link, not real happy with it. I'm thinking of putting in a hydraulic unit, perhaps a wilwood MC and 91 chevy truck slave.. gotta go to the auto parts and let them lay one in my hand to look at it.. I need a new fork, that one is bent and the tip is gone?? for some reason I didn't notice it.. now the 5 speed gets to come back out, one more time..
Trying to figure out what kinda fitting this is on this slave cylinder. Factory line was seventy bucks, I ordered a couple of 3/8x24 to an4 fittings, it is not 3/8x24.. it is a reverse flare, looks kinda like a banjo bolt goes in it? anybody done this before?
Okay, I've been chasing my tail. That for future refrence is a Metric 12mm x 1 pitch banjo bolt that fits the slave cylinder. From it, a front rubber brake line matching the disc brake front end off the caliper-block. Drilled to match 12mm. Then a 3/16ths steel line (3/8" head x 24tpi) off wilwood mc to "round" mount for the end of the brake line. the rubber line can move with the engine, the steel line can be routed below the stainless firewall. None of you guys spoke up and let me figure this out all by myself.. (shame on you.) I can now fabricate a bellhousing mount and drill the hole in the firewall to match the clutch mc. While I am in there replacing the clutch fork, I will freshen up the disc/pressure plate.
Getting over the flu and screwed up everything I did today?? I tried to work on the truck for 2 hours today. CUT a cardboard template for the floorboard halves.. transferred it to 18 ga steel. Used a straight edge with the plasma cutter and chopped it out. Some bead rolling and break the edges and I might have something to replace the stop sign and hot water heater metal in the floor. The kinda day I was having, I stopped that part right there. I cut the strips to roll the frenching tubes for the 59 caddy tail lights. 5" wide.. I found the doors were in the way of the slip roll... so.. I hoisted the doors up onto the 3/4" plywood across bed to redo bottoms.. I noticed I crimped one of the electric window cables that holds the spiral threaded screw that runs it up and down.. (dang it).. I came inside and had a Corona.. (time to quit) I didn't cut a finger off, nor burn the shop down.. Small favors huh??
Not real sure this is going to do what I want, a Speed density TPI unit off a 91 camaro, lower intake to match my 2.02 heads bolt pattern, upper rails, high pressure injectors. Purchased from a street rod shop in Atlanta Ga. I stretched it out, cut out some extra wires. Still to trace down is the relays for the dual cooling fans and EFI fuel pump. Looks like they did me right, not butchered, but I am after something that can "readjust" on the fly for the crappy gasoline I have been buying. Meaning Ox-exhaust sensor feedback. I've researched some the Megasquirt II ECU-software. A $789 option for software and custom programmable ECU. I think the Demon carb is coming off.. it does crank and run thou. THE TPI intake position is almost exactly behind the NEATO Hood intake port.. RAM-Air in 1957???
Still not got all that TPI figured out. Still gathering parts. My wife spent my supercharger rat-hole money I had on the house.. (dang it) Clutch, cutting the wilwood MC hole? not done that yet. I was having trouble figuring out the "stroke" on the pedal for the pushrod hole. This is what I did, took the Craftsman digital angle level I bought for bending tubing, laid it on the pedal, pulled it to the same height as the brake pedal, zeroed the level there. Stroked it all the way to the floorboard, it did a 24 degree stroke. Taped a piece of paper to the wall, Held level up to the wall, marked zero line, did a 24 degree line on paper, did a intersecting line with 1.4" stroke (same as Wilwood MC) then measured from the pivot point. It measures 3 5/8" from center of clutch pedal pivot. Now I can drill that Hole, figure the MC HOLEs in the firewall and go on and quit scratching my head. If the electrical knock outs do not match the MC I get to cut a plywood template to run the plasma cutter around to cut a hole, it has about a 1/8" lip around it. Has to fit tight. That FLU going around is killer, had me down since before Christmas.
Ice storm, I'm inside today. Autometer 2645 voltmeter, 2648 0-30 ohm gas level gauges. Not a perfect fit, still building the clamps to lock in, a combination of 57 gmc and "hillbilly engineering" the bezel wants to drop through the gmc dash. THE speedo will cable to the T-5, (may not be right) Still not sure what to do about the mechanical tach, or the mechanical "cheapie" chinese oil and water temp gauges. This'll go under the dash. It don't match. PLX Dm-6 touch screen gauge w/Bosh wideband oxygen sensor, ordered the stainless bungs off ebay to go into the stainless headers. When I got to weld them in I think that'll be about the tenth time I've had them headers on-off the truck. I'm quite sure the DEMON carburetor is "going to run rich".. something about the "runs real fast" tells me it is getting enough gas. TPI setup, I purchased a Megasquirt. It'll all be set up and running on the work table before I ever install. (need another engine test stand to run the 65 327 and break it in anyways) Chop the GM ECU off and solder in a 37 pin connector. I also found a old 4150 DP 650 Holley I need to get someone else (that can see) to rebuild for me. Sold the 65 mustang "daily driver" got cash to buy more GMC truck stuff. Need a gas tank or to braze up a hole and coat the old rusty one. (memo to check life insurance before welding up another gas tank) Side glass-electric windows needs to come back out for rattle-stop of new inserts around glass.
The Jalopy Journal
