Projects SURVIVOR;Working on my hotrod 28A from 1959,rebuild

Time for a lighter pair of shoes. JW

 

@dana barlow I am going to ask even though I think I know. Your A is a shortened tub right?

 

Roadster. JW

 

Well kind of hard to tell in a photo,28 A roadster,its a "bob tail" as when I got it in the late 1950s the rear trunk an Qs were crushed bad,so as a teen,I just cut off what I could not fix at the time,an built what I could.
Sure could of redone it by now manytimes,but I really liked it in highschool ,early 1960s just the way it was,so yes, I do just keep it as built. This is best bob tailed rear shot I've got,LOL

 

Thanks
my brain kept saying shortened tub. I don't think I would change a thing.

 

You are at it again my friend LOL.

 

This coming week,I'm putting in a brand new oil gauge an filter. Last trip on march 8,oil PSI was showing low again 10lbs max{did that about 3 months back and was the oil gauge gone bad< replaced it with another really old one out of box of crap in garage,but it then read 40 lbs. tell on march 8th.
To check things out this time,I pulled off the oil filter and cut it open,layed out the elament to look for any crap in it ,but it's really nice an clean looking= I like so far!.
I got a brand new gauge this time and a new oil filter to add this coming week. We'll see what PSI is then.
PS; I never use anything but mechanical gauges. Yes both old gauges want to crap, old one been using for a long time,well when I got it out an layed it face down,later pick it up to see if gauge face was same as other one I found in garage? The older one had little broken crap now showing behind the glass,then I knew why it failed at lest. But I don't have the old replacement out yet. Could be same fail or not. Over the years I've had a few oil gauge's fail,but those leaked oil in to the gauge{race cars}so not seeing that,was new. Let ya know later next week what happens next.
Some extra coverage I didn't expect;https://flacarshows.com/2020/01/31/true-1928-survivor-hot-rod-deja-vu/

I did order a brand new oil gauge,but still not come,,It's in the mail,LOL

 

New oil gauge got here,cost me $26 at AutoZone ordered,,,nice looking but better,has about 300* dial vs about 180* so will be EZ to read. Black face an only oil can logo,chrome rim<looks very close to SW teamp,so good match.
I put it in, an started engine,shows 50 psi cold an dropped 25 to 30 hot 180*.
Seems OK!, In a month or little more,will make a run. At 77,I'll be getting back out later then you younger cool rodders.
Feel good that cut open oil filter showed nothing,so the old gal maybe good for a few more miles.even with the piston being sloopy for now.

 

Well, Dana... I somehow missed seeing this thread and your roadster till now.
But now that I've seen it...
Cool, man!
That you've kept it all these years is the coolest.
I read a little bit of the article and watched the video of you taking off. Love to have you for a neighbor LOL. You built the intake using a drive shaft... awesome. Nice to see you got her on the road again. Have fun!

BTW... so that's not you in your avatar?


Hey guys. Try this while you're stuck at home wondering what else to eat. Super easy, super good. Hot cook-style chocolate pudding poured over vanilla ice cream. You're welcome. LOL

 

Richybop, "BTW... so that's not you in your avatar?"
Well they had to kind of copy some one,before there was TV Happy Days,an I don't look young any more on the out side. Seemed like a good standin Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. And still talk too much. LOL

 

Go Dana Go!!!



...
@Rickybop check this out...

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...genized-hotrods.1002926/page-81#post-12810944

Credit to Photographer, Owner
​

 

Hey Dana , what weight of oil are you running? Nice car by the way, never saw one exactly like it, you had a good eye even way back when

 

The Ford V8 Y block is a flat tappet cam /all of them are,so High Zinc is a must {even if you need to add it},and I live in Miami Fla. were temps run over 90* fairly often. My fav. now days is Valvoline Racing oil VR1 sae 50.
In the passed I used Kendall GT40 racing<but can't find it EZ now.

 

Lol...
Well, your car is cooler than Darryl Starbird's Superfleck Moonbird, and you're cooler than the Fonz.

Hey guys. Try this while you're stuck at home wondering what else to eat. Super easy, super good. Hot cook-style chocolate pudding poured over vanilla ice cream. You're welcome. LOL

 

Hello,is that you fellow car nut? I'll make this a group call;;
Talking to a buddy on phone about one of the MotorCycle an Car Shows we both took our cars to in the passed. Just BS about this an that ,being we're both old an most stuck at home ,tell China 19 gets out of the way.
Mike,who only got into old cars 10 years back, tells me he got #2 Trophy at that show, an he found out why, from later talking to one of the 3 judges. All 3 judges owned some very cool motorcycles,lots of nice custom chrome.
Mike told me he was told he didn't have enough chrome on his car,it's what they were looking for !
Told him that was interesting,I remember some show rules I read in the early 1960s,not really given it much though over the years,but who the judges were has always been who got what.
Trophys always nice to get,but I've always gone to shows for fun ,seeing n talking about cars an meeting old an new friends,with the plus of some gal may make my car look better too<All of that is the best Trophy from a good show or rod run.

 

That's why i go to shows but if i am in line to win something that's cool. Last year my all steel RPU lost a ''most original hot rod'' prize to a modern plastic T bucket. Most of the non ''trophy cars'' are the best ones to look at anyway. JW

 

Just to add a fun photo

 

Had not got out for a few weeks,so sat. AM got a call from my from one of my buddys,Rosh about driving our hotrods to a little show sat nite. I ran over to his place an we left from there,good drive an ran well.
Great weather 73* n clear,about 35 cars showed and this time I was amazed that 14 were pre 1965 nice done cars,nothing crappy ether. We desided go get some eats after the show,on the way my old rod started making banging,ticking and nocking sounds,that got more as we went. At the first sounds,I pulled out to hear better an try to fig what was happening,keep eye on oil PSI,but OK there an nothing felt odd,so kept going to our fav. hot dog place.
By then it was getting loud an more often,just standing at idel out of gear. Sounded to me like clutch disk or plate has broke something,but it still drives. Got home an the sound seems too come from bellhousing. Put it away,too look things over later. Thinking may be time for new clutch assm. if thats the prop. Later for up dates.
Old pic from same hot dog hangout for over 50 years.

 

...we drive these things hard sometimes...it's part of what makes Hotrods fun...aka rubber in all 4 gears...and well, the components don't last forever even if babied...

After 4 years of ownership and 6 or more years of 2 former owners there are a couple things that could use a re and re to tighten things up...

Up here in the Northern country we're parking ours so we have some downtime to attend to things that go bump in the night...

You Fellas have year round cruise weather so you have to be more choosy...

 

Those of us that drive year around here drive in snow and ice as well as driving rain. I can always tell the weekend hot rods they have no heaters or windshield wipers.

 

I know there are year round troopers and a big Thumbs Up to them...and yes I have no heater nor wipers just smallblock warmth...I wouldn't let this thing touch that crap they put on the roads here...snow is in the forecast as we speak...

 

I get that. We use salt here, a winter in Missouri is like going to Speed Week @ B'ville except they use liquid salt to make sure that it gets into all the tight spots.

Much as everyone hates 'em a glass rod is the only way to go if you want to drive one here. One of these days I am going to buy me one.

 

Up date so far !
So put my old hot rod up on stands in garage too look over n under.
The hunt for the loud banging and tapping nocking sounds.
Pulled the bellhousing cover,nothinng in it,tryed to wiggel the flywheel with a giant screwdriver,nope, looked with light at as much of clutch as can be seen,and turn engine some for views around it,> all looks norm.
Sound is same running with clutch in or out,an tranny in "N" an saame as when I was driving.
Looked at oil pan,no new dents at all.
Used my old Doc ear prob,with it running up on stands,to try an pin point sounds=nope,kind of around rear of block,but not high one spot only.
Pulled off valve covers,all working as desgined,pulled sparkplugs,all good,took cly PSI,all 8 with in norm.
*****
My best guess right now;;;
Is I have a broken crank shaft ?,even though it's still running,with good oil PSI ,temp, shifts an drives,banging away.
So my next plan; pull engine,remove all the parts I'll need ,witch is also my oilpan with skidplate on it<so will get a look at old crank at that time{report back on that }to add to my extra 292"Y" long block.
Next,check the extra "Y" by careful start up on garage floor test= be sure it's as good as I was told??
Then if good,clean n paint yellow,add 4x2 ect. Before putting it into hot rod. Or if bad, will need to find something to sell*,for rebuild of a "Y" engine $$$$.
So much fore best layed "Plans of Mice n Man."
Still trying to sell the Hub-a-Hubba 1917 roadster hot rod perject,I know I'll never finish
Will update when more info. Me at 79,this is not going too happen as fast as it would of ,20 to 30 years back !

 

You should be able to hold the flywheel still and see if you can get any movement at the pulley. JW

 

So over a year an 1/2 ago,I was having prob's with the old Ford Y-block.
Got around too taking it a part.
Found a spun rod bearing,that was running around the crank>some times on top of each other an some times not or part way= odd sounding,out of time bang,then no bang. That was the odd off n on banging.
Life through me a lot of crap over this last 1 n 1/2 years. I got stuck in that hole of do nothing. Got though some of it. Had not worked on hotrod at all hole time,after finding that damage/bad rod,bad crank.
About 2 weeks ago,old buddy came over> Thank you Alex ,an made me go out in the garage n restart,on Ford Y rebuild> Now it's back up to a refreshed* short block with many new parts. Next week,clean up heads,rockers n pan,add fly wheel. Maybe I can get it back in rod by later next month. Happy Independence Day.

 

Extra cool with a y-block.

 

Great to hear you are back at it!

 

Wish I was closer, I'd like to help you with that. Get it going, we want to see pictures of you going down the street. Happy Independence Day.

 

Got "Y" long block w/tranny ,back mounted in the rod last night [ cooler working at night. ] ,will add 4x2 carbs,after I clean them up. May be driving again in a few weeks! Test bump up oil with drill=65 PSI an rockers are flowing oil as they should be.

 

One hitch kind of knew was likely,,after getting carbs cleaned up ,back on engine. The X-pumps had been dry for near two years=had shrank. After adding av-gas< they didn't pump anything when I tested.
I ordered 4 rebuild kits. Just let every thing set there,with gas in carbs for the week.
The new rebuild kits came in 5 days later, at the end of the week.
I give a test start up a try, wanting to know if I had set my timing close enough with my test light{ later plan to set with a real timing-light { before I planned on taking carbs off,for adding the new kits}.
The Y started running after only a few turns
I checked oil psi [ good 65 ] before hitting the off switch.
Then thought,I'll look down carbs an pump linkage one time,too see if Xpumps now do anything??
They had been in gas for about a week,=That had them swelling back up,now they do pump gas again.
Did another start up an run,put a real timing light on this time. Was close enough at 6* at 600rpm.

This next week,I'll try balancing carbs with my old Un-A-Vac , {may or may not add the new kits right now}.