Pick and Pull Addendum

Meant to post this way back when I took it, but here's a photo from my buddy's place of a raised intake deck flathead. I won't go into the various rumors about these here and now, but this bare block does have the trapezoidal water passages in the head surface, which means something...anyway, enjoy if you've hit this post via Google Images looking for info on your flathead.


Since the block's still there, and my friend keeps threatening the empty the place via several "dump runs" come spring, I should probably help out by taking this off his hands. Really...better off in my garage then the dump.

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Pick and Pull Times Two

Today my car junkie friend came over from the East Bay and we had a car day, visiting two Pick and Pulls: one informal (my buddy's place in Okieville) and the other the one all car guys know and love.

Started off with carnitas and dining al fresco on the east side, then over to Okieville to visit the friend from whom I've gotten many of my hot rod parts (and last visited 4 months ago, according to this post). I last visited it him in search of a double-sheave crank pulley and today came away with the one I need: 1942-48 (as I succinctly identified in this post). So here's the one I got, up on the work bench:
I wasn't certain how we'd get it, since it was still attached to the crank of what turned out to be a complete motor. I was hoping it might be bare save for the crank, since we might not have been able to remove the pulley in situ and have to cart the block back to my secret lab to perform a "pulley-octomy". Turns out all we (my friend) had to do was unbolt it and bonk it off the crank, lickety-split. It was still nice and oily, and basically slid right off!

We then cruised my buddy's place, checking out his projects, and my friend got a 4-barrel Holley carb for his Cougar project. After chatting a while, we headed over to Pick and Pull, which is always fun, checking out the various accident-victim cars, and "burn victims". To whet my International Harvester taste buds, we found a Travellall, Scout II, and 1250(?) pickup, all in really good shape. Also found an older pickup I'll have to revisit for a part or two...

So back to the pulley. Here's a close-up with the measurements. Wish I could find a scan from the Ford Green Bible to show you what this looks like in an exploded diagram, but you'll just have to use your imagination for now. (And the posts linked above are pretty helpful, too, especially the second one).

In other news, my other friend is finishing up my flywheel and 9" clutch and pressure plate. Plus, he's got my distributor and is looking for a '26-'27 windshield frame to accompany the windshield posts I got from him already. Hope to catch up with him this week and settle our respective accounts.

Until then,

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Back in the Garage Again

Yes, you should have Gene Autry in your head right now, if you know what's good for you.

(Sheesh, such attitude from one whose not been in the garage for some time, the documentation of which is the primary purpose of this blog). Anyway, now that we're past Christmas (although New Year's is lurking in the wings), and I'm over my seasonal cold, I had the chance to work in the garage tonight.

I had to cut down my rear axle spring hangers from 2-1/4" (Model A spring width) to 2" (Model T spring width).

Here's another shot comparing the shape of the Model A spring (bottom) with the Model T spring (top).

My first thought was to clamp the hanger in the vice, and just use the hacksaw, with the top of the vice as the guide to cut straight. Except that I have pipe cleaner arms and the steel is apparently pretty tough, as it should be, to support the spring, etc. So after laboriously cutting the first one with the hacksaw, and having to do significant clean up work with the file, I opted to use my favorite pneumatic tool: the cutoff wheel.


So three more rounds of measure twice, mark, cut (noisily, and intermittently while waiting for the compressor to catch up) got me to the results you see below.


Next step for the rear spring is driving the shackles in these spring hangers, then disassembling, greasing, and reassembling the spring. Installation will have to wait until we get an approximate drive angle after transmission installation, which will be the next major step.

While waiting for my friend who still has my distributor, flywheel, clutch, and pressure plate (it's a long story), rather than wait to assemble my motor, I'm going to instead finish assembly of the transmission and bolt it to the mock-up block. Then, I'll use the mock-up block and my transmission to finalize the motor mount and k-member locations, and the drive angle for the torque tube and rear end. If I play my cards right, I might get this done before New Year's. We'll see...

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The Socialite

OK, totally NOT car related, but what the heck, it's my blog, and I'll post what I want.

Went to a ritzy holiday shindig tonight and was impressed by something I've never seen in real life, much less at a party: cigars being hand rolled. Free for the taking. So you know I took. Popped it into the humidor to await New Year's Eve.

Otherwise, I'm a little tuckered from the holiday party-go-round. Only a week to go 'til Christmas, then a week more 'til New Year's. They can come none too soon for me.

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Kinda Car Related, But...

No reason for posting tonight, other than I stumbled upon this site and thought you might get a kick out of it. Buy your own low-tack stickers to apply to poorly or rudely parked cars to inform the world of someone else's lack of common sense and courtesy. Just in time for the Christmas shopping season. Enjoy!

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