Hot Rods The Belly Button Bucket Build Thread

Any updates? Especially the door.

 

Hey Butch,
Nothing major to update. I had a few somewhat major life changes (for the better) - moved a whole 15' into the next door apartment, moved in with the gf, took a couple mini-vacations, got rid of some extra car parts to help clear my head, and I am just now getting moving on progress again.... Pathetic, I know.

The chassis is so close to being pulled apart for powdercoating it's sad. I dropped off my goof (too short) of a driveshaft to have remade, and I may have mentioned this a month or two ago, but I re-did all my brake and fuel lines in mild steel (instead of the cunifer....just didn't like it), and ideally they will be chromed in the end. Anyone ever done that??? Seems like it wouldn't be too difficult to have done... Anyway, I went over there this weekend and re-did the radiator mounts to fit the new radiator/narrowed shell, and I also got the passenger side frame rail notched for an original AC Delco dual quad/Corvette fuel pump. The Holley HP series BARELY cleared the frame rail, and it has a diaphragm that's about half the diameter of the AC Delco. Having a modern fuel pump and regulator stood out like a sore thumb to me, so I decided to change it out.

The next things I need to address are finishing the "rev. B" driveshaft safety loop (I did not have enough clearance for rev. A), and also opening up the "C-notch" at the rear kickup. My initial mock up was with tubing that had too small an ID to accommodate axle travel. So I need to fit the 4" OD x 0.25" wall stuff and give that a try. After those things, the chassis SHOULD be ready to be pulled apart.

After the chassis stuff is done, it's on to sanding the rear axle and ladder bars for powdercoating. I'm hoping to finish the above and get started on this stuff over the Thanksgiving holiday... we'll see. After that, it's either the body or the new engine build next. Probably body so I can set aside some $$$ for the engine. Thanks for checking in.... be patient (mostly saying that to myself here) ... I will get this turd done eventually.....

 

I hope the new live in does not slow down this project. I have it happen to me many years ago. Keep us posted I like what you are doing here. Frank

 

I figured I should post some teaser shots so you guys know I'm not holding out on you, and maybe it will help motivate me...

Trying to decide if I like the tri power...


Or the dual quads...


To me the dual quads really set it off. And.... the 'Vette intake solved my complex upper radiator hose situation.




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So you've seen the front brakes completed- here are the rears.



And here are a few shots of the brake and fuel lines.






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This is the tray that will be the floor for the pickup bed, with the battery tray and fuel tank mocked up.



Here is a fuel filter bracket I made that I thought turned out pretty decent.



And here is some pics of the notch for the fuel pump.







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Here is the panhard bar that I'm happy with.


And this is where I'm going with the driveshaft safety loop.




This is the '58 283 that will be sacrificed for 302 cubic inches of awesome....looks more turd than awesome at the moment...


And I have been slowly piecing together a decent collection of instrumentation for building the engine. Still need to snag a few items as the deals come along.


That will do for now....


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Good stuff that is some NICE line routing. I add my vote for the dual quads back when we were kids every guy I knew wanted to have a car with dual quads when we grew up. Here's your chance for every boys dream to come true.

 

Thanks! I purposely didn't show the scrap pile of tubing, but I did get a lot better as I went. When I was a Design Engineer doing piping and instrument drawings/designs, I was told that for tubing, to keep each run of tube with 3 bends or less so the shop guys fabricating could get it right without a lot of scrap. I was pretty proud when I pulled off this line, which has a couple more than three.... I did save that one for last, though LOL.



I also got pretty decent with flaring the tubing. The key to all of this hot rod stuff is a lot of patience, a lot of repetition, not being afraid to screw up, and some decent tools (I by no means have the best, but I have used worse and it showed).



And I thought this picture was worth posting.... it got a little hot over there a few days this summer!




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KGON ROCKS!

 

I did not know it got to 116F in Portland.

 

I checked the date on the photo - August 20, 2016. According to the weather site online, it only got to 99* that day in Portland. My garage is a little outside Portland where the temps are known to be about 5* hotter/cooler, and my car was sitting in an asphalt parking lot, so I can almost certainly say it was not THAT hot...but very unpleasant to work in nonetheless. I have no idea where that temperature sensor is on my car, but when I started driving, it dropped all the way down to 112* haha. Somewhat related, I have a temperature function on my multi-meter, and it said it was 108*-112* in my garage during much of August. That garage turns into a freezer in the winter and an oven in the summer, but it has been a good garage to me, so I can't complain.

Let's just say that it is pure comedy when Portland either sees snow or a heat wave. People literally go crazy. And most of them are already crazy to begin with! I grew up in SW Idaho, so I have been in hot and cold weather most of my life, but it definitely sucks to be in a city that wasn't built with either temperature extreme in mind LOL.

 

Like your build, and see a lot of nice stuff going on it. I thought that it only got that hot in the southern states. Thanks Frank

 

My vote would definitely be the dual quads. Just a super-sanitary build by the way

 

I posted this earlier in the summer on Chip's thread, but I never posted it here. I'm sitting here at work itching for the weekend.... is it here yet? What about now?




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Insanely great work, Tim!

 

Settle down back there... don't make me stop this car and spank one of you. Heard frequently in my father's car if we questioned from the back seat "are we there yet?"

You going to go with or without the moon tank?

 

Ha. Sounds pretty familiar. As for the Moon tank(s), they are no mas. Neither one of them really fit the car that well. The front tank looked too big and the rear tank stuck out of the bed. Our very own Kiwi Tinbender (Paul) is helping me out in the fuel tank department, and I like where we're going with that much better.

 

I always like the 2/4 setup better just my humble opinion, they just seem to look better on a SBC. And I think 3/2 look good on a flathead. Frank

 

I'm normally in favor of the tri power, but I saw them A LOT this summer at the few shows I went to. The dual quads on a small block look good to me if the air cleaners are separate. The oval air cleaners look good, but they hide the carburetors! My favorite look of a small block is either the 'Vette dual quad or a stack injection setup, so when I finally got ahold of a pair of WCFB's that I could afford, I was pretty happy!

 

Damn. I should have gone with drums on my build. Looks great, man.

 

Looks GREAT. I like everything you have done, nice work, well planed out. 2X4 set up looks great and tuned in, will be a great running system. I have run that set up multiple times over the years on SBC. When you stomp on it HOLD ON! LOL. Happy Thanksgiving Tim.

 

Fred, yours will be just as bitchin' - we all know that!


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As to Moon tanks on the front of street cars; very few of them look "right".
As long as I'm handing out opinions, 2x4 gets my vote.
Tim, can you predict what will be the most fun about this car, the building or the driving.
Nice work.

 

Man a couple hours reading this and I still don't know how to spell Chris's last name lol.

T's looking good though

 

Thanks, Denny! I hope driving is the most fun part, but if I'm wrong I can always just build another car! We're gonna have to go cruise when you and I are done with our cars, but you're gonna have to go easy on me with that 427!

 

Thank you! K O S Z O U R I S . I think.

 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Thanks for following along on this build; I appreciate your support!

 

You done real good for a young guy really nice work.

 

Mounting the panad bar on the upper link of the ladder bar puts a lot of side load on that bars clevis , clevis' are not very strong being pressured from the side , might want to re-engineer that mounting ...
dave