Projects Progress on Rocky's 34 coupe..last update 9/30/2020

I like it. Great idea Rocky.

 

Got rid of the old plastic spider and got the USN insignia installed. I likes it and now when I look down at my horn button I'll think of the 'ol man and the years he, his brothers and their dad fought in WWII.

 

Being an old salt myself...……………. you know I like that horn button!

 

I also happen to be a former member of Uncle Sam's big canoe club. Nice horn button Rocky. Especially since it was your father's belt buckle.

 

Cool details. Thanks for sharing.

 

I like it! (U.S.N. 1966 - 1987) Loved every minute of it.......well most of it anyway.

 

Go Navy! Looking good sailor!


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

I was never happy with the old original [but NOS] 57 Pontiac oil pump...never seemed to have enough pressure to me. So I bought a 400 Pontiac Melling #54D, 60 psi pump, knowing the pump body was different and it wouldn't bolt up to my earlier engine. However, I did know the guts would interchange directly into my old ancient 52 year old pump body so I popped the oil pan off this afternoon and yanked the pump out....swapped the internals from the melling pump into my existing pump and slapped the modified pump back on the engine. By then I was exhausted and now it's after 1 AM here. I'll catch a quick shower and hit it again tomorrow....its' gonna be epic! I can't wait to see 60 PSI oil pressure....it'll prolly leak from every gasket and seal!
In the photos, the straight cut gears are the new ones. I forgot to click a photo of the new pressure relief spring VS the old one but the difference is easily seen. Also check the difference in pump cover thickness....the old one is paper thin sheet metal and the new one is like, 1/4 inch thick!!

 

Awesome!

 

Looks good Rocky! My Gramps fought in the Pacific on an oil tender and I was an AMH2 aviation hydraulics man myself.
GO NAVY!

 

Alright now! I gots oil pressure! Use to idle at 5-10psi and 30 psi at cruise RPM. Now cruise oil pressure is 60 and it idles at 40 or so...and a pesky oil leak apprears to be gone too...but I only let it run for 20 minutes. Fingers crossed on that oil leak.

 

Nice fix, @Rocky!

 

I didn't know that was the way to stop an oil leak; increase the oil pressure.

 

It was wishful thinking but it's much better. Just a quarter size puddle overnight.

 

Good to know about the oil pump gear interchangeability.i shimmed the spring on mine and got 10 extra psi.ive got max of 40 and min of 25-30

 

That's a neat solution, and worked as planned!

 

Only a quarter? That’s not a leak, that’s preventative maintenance. Keeping that belly rust free!

 

Man thats a cool oil pump hack-!!

 

That's just pressure relief! Way to go, Rocky.

 

Brian...the #54D has the parts to give you 60# if your bearing clearances are reasonably tight. I think it's the 54A that is 40#.

 

Cool thanks

 

silicone some jazzy chrome nut covers on my quick change bolts...nothing else to report except I need to get a new vega steer box. My old original needs to be adjusted every 300 miles or so to get the slack out of it.

 

Oh well. Looks like I am not going to get that ride in the Coupe this time. Good luck sorting out that steering box.

 

Bummer. Think you’ll outright replace it or just rebuild it? I often hear of aftermarket ones not holding oil very well

 

Still have to do some research on new VS rebuilding my old original steer box.

 

Hopefully it’s something as simple as a bushing with to much slop in it and it’s not off the road to long.

 

MO-KAN is straight south, steering would go east or west.
See you there.

 

OK, Brad....I'll set the sumbitch on cruise control, open the windshield and take a nice nap at 70 MPH.. See ya there.

 

My understanding of the Vega box was that it does not have standard bushings, so when you go to sleeve it, things can get expensive/impractical. That is what I was told when my Vega box was found to be pretty sloppy, so I just bought a new one. Maybe I was told incorrectly, though?

 

I dunno, Tim but I'm going to do the same. Not really time to rebuild this box and do all the stuff I wanna do before the HAMB Nationals on Aug 17th.