Projects My roadster pickup project.

Thanks guys, I haven't been ignoring you all, I just couldn't find this thread since the changeover. Maybe someone can tell me how to find threads I have started. I can find my "content" but those are just posts. I'm sure it's here somewhere, just don't know how to find it.

However.................I do have a little update to post. What has been holding me back on getting the car back up on all four wheels is the 8 inch Ford center section. When I tore down the one I was using for powder coating my intention was to simply put a reseal kit in it and go with it. But I found two or three chipped teeth, so I ordered a new gear set and installation kit from Summit. I went with 3.55 gears as a nice compromise.

I also bought their pinion depth gauge set and bookmarked 4 great videos on YouTube on how to completely rebuild one of these. I tore it all down and then realized I was in over my head, I am not a mechanic but more of a fabricator........things like dial indicators and depth mikes go right over my head. So I took the whole thing down to a good mechanic who has a shop where my shop is and let him rebuild it for me, and to also press new bearings on the axles. This way I know it is done right. I know my limits.

Got them back, painted the center section, and last night I got the car back up on wheels. Now I just have to go to NAPA and pickup the brake parts to do a complete brake job on the rear and that should be that. Then I can move onto getting the motor repainted and installed.

I have a story to tell about the motor too, and thanks to Tony and Ross at Ross Racing I should be able to fire it up pretty soon. I'll save that story for later as it is a little lengthy. But here are some pictures of the car now up on all fours.







Don

 

Hey Don - Looking good.
Your a better man than most on the rear farm out. Lots of folks would have plowed into it with reckless abandonment and hoped for the best. You did the right thing. As Clint Eastwood once said "A man's gotta know his limitations".

I can't wait to see more updates.

 

Nice.

 

Wow looks great Don!!

To find your threads click on the little icon at the top that looks like a single torso, then click your profile page (it is in red) then when that comes up click on the information tab if you scroll down there should be two choices of either all your post or threads you have started.

 

Thanks guys, and thanks K13 for the computer help.........I'll do that.

Ok, here is the story on the motor. It is a 64 394 Olds and I am using a Bendtsens adapter to run a TH350 transmission. I am also using an old starter change over bellhousing to move the starter to the right side for steering box clearance.

Tony from Ross is machining me up a water pump pulley because I modified my lower pulley for clearance and over the years I lost the original pulley. I was also going to buy a mini starter from Ross at the same time but Tony said "It won't work !" He said those early change overs were built to fit with a 176 tooth flexplate and mine was a 166. I am so glad Tony caught that or I would have been wondering why my starter didn't engage.

Long story short, Bendtsens is making me up a new 176 tooth version as we speak and they were nice enough to take back the 166 tooth one and credit me 50% the cost of the new one. So, HOPEFULLY, that will allow me to order the starter from Ross Racing and make it all work.

Both Ross Racing and Bendtsens have been great to deal with.....Bob Bendtsen is a little grouchy at times, but all in all not a bad guy, and he stepped up here to help me out. I should be getting my pulley from Ross any day now and Bendtsens called today to get my CC info, so that should be coming soon too.

I am going to test fire the engine in the frame before I ever start on the body. I rebuilt this motor either 7 or 8 years ago and it has been sitting all that time. I did oil the hell out of it and every so often I squirt oil down the cylinders and use a preluber to circulate the oil/break in lube combination throughout the motor. I just hope the valve springs and rings aren't fatigued. I'll cross that bridge if and when I come to it.

I just have to repaint the motor as it has gotten scratched up from sitting around so many years, and rebuild the 3 Rochester carbs.



Don

 

Killer!

 

I mentioned early in this thread that this new rpu project is sort of a tribute car to one I built in about 1970-71. I had very few tools back then, a one car garage, NO money, and didn't really know what I was doing, but somehow I built this little roadster. I could never get it licensed because of Pennsylvania's overly tough vehicle laws, but my wife and I would bundle up our two Sons, who were about a year old, and the four of us would drive around our housing community and get back home before the cops would show up.

It had a 394 Olds backed by a 37 Cad/ LaSalle 3 speed, and a frame I modified from a 40 Ford coupe I had. I eventually tore the car apart and put the engine and transmission into a 40 Chevy coupe, which I then traded for an Austin Bantam drag car.

The only picture I have left of the roadster is a tape covered Polaroid that has seen better days. So yesterday I took that photo to a place that restores old pictures and they were able to get me a much better 8 x 10 picture of it, which I am going to frame and put on my wall. Looking back, I realize how crude it was, but it was the first hot rod I really ever got to the point of being able to drive , so it has a special place in my heart.

Don

 

That is the same time frame I first built the OFT (old funky truck-my 29 AA). In looking at the old pictures, it's amazing the changes it/I went thru since.
Been thru 5/6 major rebuilds since, each time it got better as my skills at building did. If you had been able to keep it, I'm sure it would of followed the same rebuild path.

Earl (OFT on a lot of boards-including that "other one")

 

I like what you have done so far Don, what made you decide to go with the white paint for all your suspension parts such as the wishbones etc. ?
I have the same thing going on, I think I want minimal chrome on my RPU but I'm thinking that having at least my front and rear wishbones chromed would be a nice contrast to the Washington blue I plan to use on the body and chassis.
Larry

 

Don glad to see you making progress again, Lookin good
Gregg

 

Larry, I always liked white suspensions but never had a car with that color, so I figured it was time.

Gregg, thanks. When I look back at how long I have been fooling around with this thing it makes me realize I better get on it and get it done. Until I get this one running I can't start on my 46, and I want that one to become my daily driver eventually.

Don

 

I've been zipping right along with progress (NOT REALLY) but I have gotten a few things done. I finally got the entire engine scuffed and bought some more white Imron so I can repaint it. My plan all week was to do that this afternoon, but it rained hard and long, so I have scrubbed those plans until maybe Sunday after work. But at least it is all masked, wiped down, and ready to shoot.



I also picked up the front and rear motor mounts from the powder coater today. I had those done in gloss black to contrast with the satin frame a little. He did a nice job and actually got them done in a week this time. I'll be glad when I can drop this motor into the frame for hopefully the last time....that will be a major step.





Don

 

Looks good Don! Thanks for the update.

 

Thanks, K13. Tonight after work the rain held off long enough for Dan and me to get the engine wheeled outside and sprayed. Now I can move onto getting things like the intake installed, the carbs rebuilt and modified for tripower use, and all that other stuff so I can fire it up.

The color in two of these pictures is darker than it really is, the one lighter picture is more like it. I used Wimbledon White Imron, which is what I originally painted it with years ago.

Don





This is closer to the true color.

 

The shot with closer to true color is nice!

Earl

 

Thanks. Yeah, for some reason it photographed darker in some pictures than it is. Maybe the angle or lighting in the shop.

Getting this thing repainted has been holding me back, now I can make a little more progress on it finally.

Don

 

looks good Don

 

One of the things I had to get out of the way was rebuilding the 3 Rochester 2 barrel carbs that I am going to use on my car. Over the years I have accumulated 6 of the Rochester 2 G carbs and I picked out the best 3 to use. I also bought one of the Speedway tripower conversion kits that has the two bases with no idle circuits to convert the end two carbs to just dumpers.

It's a good thing I had 6 carbs because all of them were missing pieces and between the 6 I was able to get enough parts to make 3 good ones. It ended up being just a basic rebuild with all 3 carbs getting various modifications to work as a tripower setup. I downloaded the instructions off of Speedways site and it really wasn't all that hard.

When I ordered my Alodine and etching solution from Aircraft Spruce I screwed up and ordered the clear instead of the one that turns aluminum the golden color. I read their order form wrong, but in the end I am happy with the silvery color they ended up as. This isn't going to be a showcar, but a driver, so I just want it to look ok and run well. I have a NOS Offy intake that these will go on, and as soon as I can get the motor installed in the frame I am going to put this setup on the motor.

Here are some pictures of how they turned out.

Don










I also scored some new Offy finned aluminum valve covers from the HAMB classifieds, so those will be going on soon.

 

I like the "silver" color on carb's-to me-gives it more of a NOS look.

Earl

 

Thanks, Earl. I was a little disappointed when I let the first carb soak in the Alodine and it didn't start turning gold, but once it was done I kinda liked the look . I would have been happy if it had turned gold, but this is ok too. At least now this stage is over and I can move on to other things on the car.

Don

 

Good to see your back on this project Don, hope you get more done soon.

 

Steve, what has been slowing me down is that I came out of retirement about a year and a half ago, and what started out as part time has ended up full time. At 69, at the end of the day, I just come home and crash, rather than going to the shop and getting something done. And then there is the HEAT and HUMIDITY ! It has been like 98 in the shop, even late at night, and I am drenched in 15 minutes. Can't wait till Winter !

But, I am almost ready to put the engine back in for, hopefully, the final time. I just have to drill 4 holes in the frame to mount the radiator shell and then I can put the engine on it's mounts. I got the tripower setup all done and scored some NOS Offy valve covers on the HAMB classifieds. Like a kid at Christmas I had to set my new parts on the engine to see how they looked.







The water pump pulley Tony at Ross Racing machined for me fits great, and the color it came in even is a close match for my modified crank pulley. Them boys knows their Oldsmobiles.

I would like to have the engine sitting in the frame by this time next week, at least that is my current goal.

Don

 

Real sharp looking engine!!!!
I would not last in the heat/humidity you have there. Visited couple times in February many years ago. When I got off plane it felt like someone threw a warm wet blanket on me!

Earl

 

Thanks, OFT. It is brutal this time of year and we keep saying we can't wait till November for it to start cooling off.

Langy from England visited us a couple years ago and I have never seen a human being wilt so fast ! We was giving my Son some TIG tips and the shop was it's usual 96 degrees/100% humidity. He started squirming and before long he was in the ac in the office, looking like he had just seen hell ! I thought we were going to have to give him CPR, but no one wanted to do the mouth to mouth part. It would be my guess Merry Old England doesn't get this hot.

Don

 

Hell Don, that is so true about our Pommie friends and your description is so funny of Steve, oh good memories aye mate...

 

Hi Whiplash, how have you been ?

My goal was to have the engine back in the frame by the weekend, and for a change I actually hit my target. Tonight I got the last couple of pieces of the engine painted and when they dried my two Sons and I put it down in the frame. Still a lot to do before I fire it up, but this is a big step in the right direction. I'm surprised how big the Olds looks in there, especially with the Offy valve covers on it.

Here are some pictures where we left off tonight:









Don

 

Been following your build for a while and just love it. Top notch Don. JW

 

Thanks, JW. It has taken longer than I thought, but I feel I am finally getting closer now.

Guess it's time to order a starter from Ross Racing.


Don

 

I'm excellent thanks Don. I glad that you are finding time to get some work on the pickup again. That engine does look huge inbetween those rails and I'm not too sure of the weight of it but it certainly hasn't sat the front down much yet.

How is those two lads of yours going too, happy and enjoying life to the max ?

Mark.

 

Yep, Mark, kids are fine and both are knee deep in Fox Mustang/ Capri drag car projects. Not HAMB worthy so they don't post here now. The Olds engine is about 700 pounds but it only came down a few inches when we put it in. Probably will drop more when the transmission, body, etc get on there too.

I ordered my intake gaskets and gear reduction starter from Tony at Ross Racing yesterday, so that will put me one step closer to firing it up for the first time. Really enjoy dealing with Ross, they are very good to deal with and know Oldsmobiles like the back of their hand.

Don