I worked on my 49 over the weekend. I put in new points and condesor, distributor cap, spark plugs, changed the oil and filter. I tried to start it for the first time, but no luck. It would fire, but then backfire and no more. I think I'm getting spark jump across the wires. I am going to have to break down and buy a set of plug wires if I want to hear it run I guess.

 

Worked all 3 days on the garagemahal:
Day 1 Finished epoxy painting the walls. The OSB wall covering with white epoxy really reflects the light! Reinstalled the workbenches permanently and added sides to the top of the welding station bench.
Day 2 Finished grinding the welds on the Ox-Ac torch cart and painted it. Replaced all the electrical coverplates. Hung the 4th task light. Started clearing to work on the floor. Swapped the remaining 3 electrical switches the electrician installed for 3 rocker switches to match all the rectangular rocker switches and outlets I installed. Made a coving trowel to tool the joint between the floor and the walls. Got to use the new vise I had just installed on that project.
Day 3 Assembled the torch cart. Hung the ceiling mounted retractable drop cord. Chiseled, ground and vaccuumed the floor edges all around the entire garage to prepare it for doing the coving with the epoxy fairing paste. Mixed the first can of paste and started on the coving. I had never done that before, so had to "invent" the process learning as I went. Unfortunately it was quite hot by then and I only managed to get about 20' of coving completed before the paste began to "kick" off in the bucket so I lost more than 2/3 of the 2 gallons of paste. It was an expensive lesson! I'll know much better how to work faster and to do it early in the AM after a cool nite to give me more working time. I'll only mix a 1/2 batch at a time and put the bucket in an ice water bath after mixing since what I had put on the cooler floor didn't harden for a good hour after the bucket had gotten hard as a rock. I think that If I can keep the mix cool it should stay workable much longer. The pot life is like 80 minutes at 50* and only 20 at 90*. Going to try again Thurs AM since wed nite is supposed to be pretty cool. Once the coving is done I can finish coat the floor and soon be able to bring Gracie inside and start to work on her again. She's feeling quite neglected lately.

 

I finally got my old go-kart going again for my boys. I put on an old 5HP pressure washer motor, built new seats, fabricated a throttle bracket, moved the engine mount and sandblasted and painted it. I think it made their last two days of summer vacation special.

 

I had intended to get three good days of work in but as with some of the other truckers out there, life got in the way. I did manage to get the fan, radiator and fuel pump back in. After that I thought it would be quick getting the oil pan back on but right about then the pool valve started spraying water all over the back yard so there went about three hours of pool plumbing fixing. I did ultimately get the oil pan back on, for some reason it didn't line up as well after I put the timing cover and water pumps back after cleaning and painting them. I keep thinking that all I need to do now is fluids and bleeding the brakes and I should be able to attempt to start the beast but that day never seems to come closer! Despite banging my head and leaving a few pieces of knuckles behind I'm still in one piece.

 

A three day weekend just does NOY have enough hours in it! Friday night I pulled the glove box out to facilitate workingon the wipers. I messed around with wiper linkage for awhile while imbibing in a frosty beverage or two. I feventually got frustrated and left it for another day.
Saturday morning the wife and I drove the truck out for breakfast and a trip to the grocery store (I had to bungee cord a carboard box in the bed of the truck to haul the groceries since I dont have a bed floor yet). I managed to get some fuel, fire, and air to my 59 Dodge to get it started. Filled the clutch and brake mastery cylinders, did a quickie bleed and backed the truck out into the street. Now for the fun, I filled up the tires in the 67 VW and jockied it around the backyard and into the street. Repositioned everything back into the backyard and fired up the old Dodge and drove it back in also. The wife has been after me to get her little bug into a driveable state. It looks like I'll have to devote some of my truck time to the VW project. I pulled the running engine from the other VW chassis and stuffed it into my 67. I need to put on the heat shields and change the generator to a 12v generator and the bug will be ready to run.
Sunday---house chores...painting, cleaning, etc, etc, etc
Monday--more chores, which were harder to do since I spent sunday night with some friends over at the house and more than a few frosty beverages were consumed.

All in all, a good weekend. Didn't get a thing done on thetruck, but a good weekend all the same.

Bobby

 

After tearing the front end out of my truck I was told that I could not do any "major maintenance" in my driveway. I was very mad and called it a day. The next morning I reassembled everything good enough to roll forward into the garage, then back on the jackstands and apart once again. I got the brake drums turned and cleaned and degreased the spindles, drums, backing plates, drag link and everything else. I'm waiting until thursday after work when I will finally have time to go to the blasting booth and then paint everything. I'm going to blast the rims and have them powder coated also before reassembling the front. I havent decided yet on black or whitewalls for tires. I believe I have my overdrive trans ready for the swap now too short of some high temp paint to make it look better. I need to pick up a front driveshaft at a junkyard to shorten for the transmission swap. I've decided to keep the original as is in case I ever need to swap the transmissions again for some reason. I also got way too much yard work accomplished and found time to put down some beers and stare at the truck and brainstorm rather than actually getting more done on it.

Mike

 

I have a 51 parts truck with a butchered up sub frame someone started that I have been stripping this past weekend. I cut the sub frame out and loaded it in my truck for the junk pile. I cut the remains of the bed off and salvaged anything that can be blasted and painted and reused to save a few bucks down the road.
This has got to be the worse sub frame job I have ever seen. It was welded in tilted and about 2 inches off on one side. The rear was swapped to a chevy ten bolt and until I got the bed off I didnt realize how screwed that was. The rear is bolted to the top of the stock springs and the rubber frame snubbers are bottomed right on its top.
Basicly its snubbed on to the frame and the springs just hold it there, nice job! Not to mention the pinion angle is way off.
I been trying to cut it up so no one sees it thinking I did it.

 

If it was a Camaro subframe, it actually may have been done correctly, the subframe is assymetric with one rail lower than the other one. (Or it may indeed have been FUBAR) the rear is a whole nuther story...

 

Trust me it was fubar city! They bent the F1 frame on one side to make it lign up. They set the front end back on it and it was out of lign so bad they cut one frame horn back to make it fit.

 

That sounds like a horror story all the way around. Its a real shame when some idiot ruins a decent classic vehicle with a job like that. And why bother using a 10 bolt rear when a 9 inch is stronger? Strength apparantly wasnt an issue though since they installed it like a retard. Good luck. We should all pray for you.

Mike

 

10 bolts are a lot cheaper than a 9" and it probably all came out of the same donor?
It is a shame tho, especially if some other ignorant fool buys the thing and tries to drive it.

 

With the work these guys were doing theres no way it would have ever been put into something running. I bought the truck for the cab and sheetmetal that I could save.
I did get 2 usable hoods and 3 usable doors and lots of brackets, mounts etc. that I could save.
I been back at it today cutting all those rivets with a torch and beating the rivets out.
Its just a cab setting on blocks right now.
It does make me sick knowing they cut some good stuff up and trashed it. They torched the inner fenders and the radiator support. From the firewall forward it was trash and from the cab out the back was bent and screwed up.
My back is killing me but I cant let any of those running board mounts, spring hangers and crossmember go to the junk its all still good.

 

BTDT!

 

Fianlly looks limke I'm coming to the end. It should be running by Xmas but I'll still have exhaust, glass and some type of upholstery. Its been about 5 years. I think the most frustrating thing has been putting up with a Brother-in-law that says he could do it two weeks and people at work not being able to understand why I'm doing it. The truck is a 56. Would I do another? Maybe when I retire. I've learned alot doing this one. Need to learn how to take picture of it so you guys can see. Well back to work. Have to put the steering wheel on and hook up the lights. Just one thing at a time.

 

I can relate to that situation. First of all anyone who says they could do it in a 2 weeks is obviously an idiot with their only experience being watching overhauling on TLC. I suppose if you had the money to dish out to a professional restorer then it would take much less time and cost way more, but then whats the point? To me the purpose of my truck is a project to enjoy and gain experience with. If your main goal is to have it finished like new right away then it defeats the purpose. I also work with plenty of people who have no clue why I'm bothering with a 50 year old truck. I guess its just ignorance. I'll be 25 tomorrow and the only work anyone I know does on vehicles is adding crappy nonfunctional aftermarket parts to newer import cars. Maybe its a generation thing. Its rare to come across people my age that are into old cars and trucks for some reason. For me my truck is the highlight of my day. I look forward to getting off work everyday to work on it, and can't wait for every weekend.

Mike