Two Shows in Two Weeks

Made it to two shows over the past two weekends: Billetproof and the Hot Rod Revolution. Best one: the Revolution, hands down.

That's evidenced by the photos I shot. I probably shot nearly as many shots of the first car I came upon at the Revolution as I did all of Sunday at Billetproof. Now, admittedly, Sunday was a slow day for this event's first two-day weekend, and frankly, the Revolution is my kind of car show: 1948 and earlier hot rods and customs. Nearly all in attendance were great and worthy of photos. Naturally, I just shot ones that were either 1) really cool (to me), or 2) had ideas for my hot rod projects. This was true for Billetproof, too.

Below are some highlights of the two shows (I've saved you from viewing detailed shots of shock mounts, etc.):

Billetproof 2009

Frankly, the one vehicle that, to me, merited noting was this GMC pickup into which the owner stuffed an air-start Detroit Diesel 4-53 two-stroke diesel motor. Very cool, and I think reflected what was the original intent of Billetproof: feature the best of homebuilt rods and customs and recognize homebrew craftsmanship, such as this truck demonstrates. Enjoy.




And, while I wasn't lucky enough to capture that great, "startling" sound of an air starter (guaranteed to scare the daylights out of shoppers in the grocery store parking lot, the owner acknowledged), here it is running in all its two-stroke glory:



Hot Rod Revolution 2009

Another laid-back and fun show from the team of Tardel and Cochran, in spite of the scorching temps! Great cars, great people. Imagine my surprise to be recognized by Keith upon my entrance (in my pickup, not a hot rod, alas), and after two years, no less. Class Act. That's the attitude that is reflected in this car show, which is the one I want to take Twice Lucky to next September.

Here's the first car I saw at the show: Ken Fuhrman's roadster. Yeah, the one with the chromed '32 frame and plexi hood - you've seen those photos. In fact, he's got them there in front of the car. Nice man, cool stories.


A sampling of the other great cars there:

















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Bobbed Rear End

Just a quick little post to show the quick work my friend did with his portable bandsaw on some of Henry's finest Vanadium steel. We bobbed the rear spring hangers from the rear end since I'm mounting the T spring on top of the axle housings using the A spring hangers he previously removed from a pair of A axle tubes, and trimmed to fit on the '39 (or is it '40) rear end.


I'll have more on this part of the project later.

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Catching My Breath, part 3

Installing the Motor and Trans: the rest of the story

Here are the rest of the images and description of installing the flathead in the chassis. It was sad to discover upon looking back through my posts that I got this motor running about a year ago. Well, I may be slow, but I'm persistent.

Here's the flathead on the K.R. Wilson engine stand, which works really well to move the motor into place over the frame. I was only limited by the front wishbone. I think if the car were at real ride height, this wouldn't have been an issue.

See how the stand just slides under the brake drum and interferes with the wishbone? (although the curve in the stand helps cheat a few more inches)


Next, I hooked up the chain fall and unbolted the motor from the stand (again, where it's been for about a year). This was scary, as I had to balance tension on the chain with unscrewing the bolts from the exhaust manifold bolt holes. At the very end, the last bolt let go with a pop! taking the leading 1/8 turn of the first thread of the bolt hole in the block. I felt really lucky it didn't pull a lot more thread out.

Here's the engine, free of the stand


And, here it is rotated and resting on the frame, so I can install the transmission.


In preparation for installing the engine and transmission as one unit, I reversed the K.R. Wilson engine removing fixture that goes in the lifter valley. I'm not sure where I originally learned that, turned one direction, it balances the motor. Turned the other direction, it balances the motor and transmission.

Here I'm installing the trans, with a little persuasion from a brass sledge, to seat the transmission on the mounting dowels.


Ta da! The transmission is installed! I sure hope I didn't forget anything. I lubed everything (pilot bushing, clutch release fork and bushing, input gear nose) with black high-temp grease.


A quick aside to recognize where many a hot rodder's hours go when building a hot rod using original hardware: cleaning parts. In this case, wire-brushing all the original Ford nuts and bolts (and washers) that will hold this car together. It's satisfying work, but dirty, monotonous, and tiring. And, after many bolts, a little dangerous; I've often lost the top layer of skin when I lay into something a little hard and the wheel throws it and my finger goes into the wheel. I just remember the line my friend told me years ago when I first used a wire-brush wheel: "you can't fear the wheel, but you have to respect the wheel."


And, of course, always remember to wear proper eye protection. Just 'cause chicks dig pirates doesn't mean you want to go around wearing an eye patch.

Next, I installed the transmission rear bearing retainer and transmission mount. On the '32 transmission mount, you need a rear bearing retainer (2-piece assembly) unique to '32-'34 transmissions, although I think you can fabricate one by cutting the transmission mounting ears off a later rear bearing retainer). Notice, however, that I neglected to safety-wire the bolts. I have to remember to go back and do that.

Then I installed the U-joint, using the unique washer that is "peened" to not rotate in the U-joint.


Despite many requests from friends, I could not turn up by the time of installation a set of the unique (again, to '32-'34?) T-bolts that go through the rear mount and are used to bolt up the torque tube bells. So, I did what every other hot rodder has done: I used the largest Ford bolts that would fit (3/8" shank?).


Here's the completed assembly.


Now, I don't have any images of me actually installing the motor, so you'll just have to imagine me (a pretty lean guy) wrestling several hundred pounds of flathead motor and trans into place, under the T's cowl, and into position to mount to the crossmember and hover and bolt into place over the motor mounts. I have to say I'm quite proud that I was not only able to successfully wrestle it in place, but that everything lined up and bolted up beautifully, so all those months of fussing, fuming, and measuring paid off!

Some images of the completed work:




The '42-'48 crankshaft double pulley just clears the front spring U-bolt and rear of the front crossmember, not necessitating trimming it down, as described in the Bishop-Tardel book, which surprised me. While I have to squeeze the belts past these items in a snug fit (wouldn't want to do it in a rainstorm on the side of the road), they fit without modification, which makes me happy!

Next, in preparation for mocking up the engine accessories to check clearances, in particular the fan to the radiator, I cleaned up the intake manifold. So as not to lose the "provenance" of this as a true junkyard (Pick-n-Pull) motor, I just wanted to clean off the major grease and dirt, yet leave the "patina" of old and flaking (if any) paint, surface rust, and the all-important junkyard marking pen.


I had to use an e-z-out type tool to remove the rounded-off brass bolt for the vacuum line.


I was a little started to discover an old mud wasp nest under the intake snout. I've handled this quite a lot without noticing that!


Finally, I found it interesting that, on this intake at least, it appears that not only does the carb gasket block off what I believe is the heat riser, but the hole in the intake is blocked off, too.


As I understand it, the heat risers (often blocked off on the top of the intake deck with a pair of nickels to keep colder, condensed air going to the intake) help preheat the carburetor to help starting in cold weather. Since the intake is apparently blocked off already, I see no need to put nickels in the intake deck, plus I've read on line that people often find them dropping through the block, into the exhaust port (where the heat comes from) and rolling out the exhaust pipe!

And here are some pics of the mock-up.

Pre-radiator


Close-up with carb (but not the one I'll be running)


Hooray! The fan clears!


About 1/4" clearance now, but I can elongate the mounting holes to slide the bottom of the radiator forward. I have plenty of clearance at the top. With the radiator perpendicular to the frame (but not to the body? Can't figure that one out yet), it is tilting "away" from the fan at the top, so there's more clearance.


Finally, the latest, greatest photo of the mocked-up accessories on the motor. Still need to get the proper fan-to-crank belt.


After installing the motor and trans, I had to see where the pedal assembly was in relation to them, so I installed that next.


Just a reminder that this is a '33 pedal assembly, which explains the angle of the pedals, which differs from the ubiquitous '32 pedal assemblies. I think these look more elegant.

This concludes a really long post about what really wasn't that long of a day in the garage: maybe 10 working hours in a 12-hour day? (Labor Day, no less!)

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Catching My Breath, part 2

Clutch and Starter


To continue my update, here's the work I did reinstalling the flywheel, clutch, and pressure plate, and checking the fit of the starter after trimming an 1/8" off the mounting end plate.

What I neglected to photograph, apparently, was driving into the crankshaft the two dowels that help position the flywheel to the crank end. This motor didn't have them originally and, when it became obvious I had to rework the starter, my friend convinced me to do the right thing and remove the flywheel to install the dowels.

Next, I got out the stainless safety wire (don't recall where I got this? Maybe Total Performance when I bought front suspension parts for when I was originally going to run the hairpin setup that came with Twice Lucky's chassis parts) and my trusty (although admittedly not really trusty) Harbor Freight safety wire pliers.


Wired up the bolts as before, taking care to ensure the bolts will tighten themselves under stress (wires always pulling the heads in clockwise rotation).


Used an extra transmission input gear to align the clutch and bolt on the pressure plate.


Installed the oil pan


Rotated the Bendix into position and backed it out, to ensure it clears the ring gear; it does!


To get the starter and Bendix to work with the '49-'51? Mercury flywheel and 9-1/2" clutch assembly, we had to trim 1/8" off the starter's mounting end plate to push the Bendix an 1/8" deeper into the "can" recess on the oil pan, thereby clearing the ring gear, where we discovered it was hanging up.

Unfortunately, two of my trusted early Ford friends, questioning my rebuilder that left the starter alone when fixing the shaft and Bendix mounting, insisted I turn down the armature and install new brushes. So, I turned the armature over to the one friend, who turned it down, and went to my uncle (the other Ford friend) to get new brushes.

He questioned the first friend's turning job, insisting it's necessary to use a hacksaw to clear the material (mica) between the copper (whatevers) on the end. Then, we tried removing the old brushes, couldn't get the screw out of the first one, cut it out, and realized the other pair is soldered in place. So I left dejectedly with a questionably turned-down armature, a starter case bereft one brush, and a pair of mismatched solder-style brushes, with the instructions to have the rebuilders install all new brushes, using the new pair, and buying a new pair of the screw-on type.

Now (I know this is long-winded, but it's my venting and documenting the ridiculousness of a fixing a part I should have left alone, because "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!"), I went back to friend one to let him know I'm taking this mess back to the rebuilder, who questions what he can do now, since he didn't fix it the first time, finally telling me just to get some fiber washers to help push the armature forward against the (now 1/8" shorter) mounting plate.

SO, when I get to the rebuilder, he insists the armature looks fine, and so do the brushes, that they're hardly worn down, and I should just run them, that I can reattach the cut one with a crimp-on eye, and be done with it...if I'd known all this before, I would've just left the whole mess alone and run it, saving cost, work, and aggravation! To conclude this mess, I'll have to solder and/or crimp on a new eye, get out the old screw, and reattach the cut brush. Oh, and I did inquire about what it would take for the shop to do it: very little cost, but lots of time; they're really backed up right now. But, he did give me the fiber washer for free!

Frame


To conclude this post. I went ahead and added two additional bolts (one each side) to the bottom of the Tardel k-member. It's unclear from the photocopied instructions they include with the part if bolts are to go there, but it seemed logical to me, based upon looking at originals, rebuilds/repops, and guesstimating at how the torque and frame forces will twist the center crossmember. Can't hurt, right?

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