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Looking good Frank, not sure you will make to Kzoo though at your pace

I can always borrow the Buick wagon

I have all the parts tacked together, I will mock them in place then finish weld them. I have some ideas on a simpler  design, I may build a set of them too. I think this first set may be a bit overbuilt.

I have been working on my Champ pickup. I am keeping the 289 Studebaker engine but I am putting a Chevy 700R4 behind it. Fairborn Studebaker makes an adapter kit with a plate adapter and a redrilled flexplate to adapt most any Chevy automatic to the Studebaker engine.

The Studebaker engine mounts consist of front mounts at the front of the block, and rear mounts off the bell housing. So I have been designing  a pair of mounts that work off the lower bell housing bolts of the 700R4 and incorporate the GM dowel pins for stability. There will also be a read mount on the transmission.

I located the mounts off the original Studebaker bell housing and built a jig to match that location. Then I installed the adapter in the jig and built the mounts from that. I installed longer dowel pins in the adapter so I could use them to locate the mounts. I measured several transmission cases and found there were several thicknesses from the face to the back of the lower bell housing bolt bosses, so I made 1" thick mockups to prototype my jig so I can use spacers to position the mounts correctly no matter the boss  thickness.

I went and picked up an 86 Mustang shell today. It was completely free......of rust, and cost me $100. Roof is damaged, repairable, but it's really clean. I'm going to part it out. Big demand here for rust free Mustang parts.

I went in for gum surgery today. I had some bone growth that kept my dentures from fitting properly. I have to wait six weeks before they fit my new dentures, and now the temporary dentures no longer fit   Oh well, my Dr wants me to lose some weight. He may get his wish.

I spent the day making new rear mounts for the 289 in my Studebaker with a 700R4 transmission. I even took pictures, but left the camera out in the shop and am too darned lazy to go back out and get it.

$3.74 here in Wauseon today. Up 50 cents in the last week.

This was on a BOP 12 bolt rear. It has axle bearing retainers instead of c clips.

Yes, kind of rare. No parts interchange with any other GM rear end. Very few ratios available for it too.

The R11 was used by Ford, Studebaker Rambler, Hudson and GM and likely others at one time or another.

Make sure the plug in the driveshaft yoke is sealed, we just had this problem on Josh's 89 Mustang.

$3.09 at Costco this week.

I sold two project cars today. The 54 Ford wagon, and a 48 Chevy Fleetline. Hot Rod money.

I bought some yesterday. First time in several years. 12 14oz cans  $63.99 It was the cheap stuff. Shocking. I see the good stuff is $11.95 a can.

You might look at this youtube.com/watch?v=p9lS0kmOdVA This is using a Volvo Laycock overdive in a 32 Ford. Much smaller than a Gear Vendors which is based on the same mechanism. There also have been conversions made using a Borg Warner R11 over drive unit, I did one myself on a 400 turbo many years ago.

The going price for a used Hone is higher than a new Gear Vendors Gear Vendors sell a kit to change from one transmission to another transmission model. They also sell a shorty Gear vendors for Ford C4 transmissions that is shorter than the stock tailshaft.

What chassis are you using?