What are you doing today? 2018

[chimp koose]

I am finishing up a home improvement project I started last summer . Aught to have this one done in under 2 years !  

[416Ford]

416ford, is there a reason besides plumbing that you don't remove the oem valve and put one of those universal valves in and move forward? The logic being that simpler is usually better.

Stubborn. We tried the pin in the valve and still not working correctly. We gave up and sent it to the local shop this morning.

On the bright side my engine guy called yesterday and said he made room to get me in. I get my engine back tomorrow and we will be trashing all weekend to get the engine built and back in the car so we may be able to drive it to the Nationals. Now I have to rush and get the rear pig out and get that looked at also. Anyone have a set of 2.75 gears still sitting on the shelf?

[WZ JUNK]

I went to a school auction this morning.  They sold a nearly new 3 axis computer controlled router for $750.  I think it had been used one time.  It was missing the operating computer.

Speaking of computers.  They were selling pallets of computers that had been removed from computer labs.  Monitor, keyboard, computer, and all cords were going for $12.50 when I left and they were getting cheaper.  They had pallets of them left.  They were working computers but they all have older operating systems.  I needed to get home and get to work.  It is not a bargain if you do need them.

Back to work on the Chevy.

John

[phat46]

I finished a painting, "The how job",  I had given up on it, and was talking to local real artist, he said just go crazy with it, ya got nothing to use. So I did, I saved the painting, although I don't like it, and it's not the painting I had set out to do. But, it's done, moving on....😃

[UGLY OLDS]

It looks GREAT to me ......   I like it .... );b(

Bob..

[chimp koose]

nothing wrong with that one . I used to do oil painting when I was very young . one of my paintings has about 4 horses under the viewable surface . I can draw horses pretty well but not so much with the paint . My daughter has that painting now and loves it , I can hardly look at it . I think I see a failed attempt when I see it while others don't know the story behind it .

[phat46]

nothing wrong with that one . I used to do oil painting when I was very young . one of my paintings has about 4 horses under the viewable surface . I can draw horses pretty well but not so much with the paint . My daughter has that painting now and loves it , I can hardly look at it . I think I see a failed attempt when I see it while others don't know the story behind it .

Pretty much the same with that one, it's not what I set out to do, but I finished it by going another way. People compliment it, but all I see are the technical shortcomings. I finished another one today, that I kept simpler, much happier with it! 😀

[chimp koose]

have you ever thought of doing a painting on something like an old bent rusty running board apron ?  Not painting the entire surface but just enough to folk art it up a bit . might make for a neat wall hanger

[phat46]

have you ever thought of doing a painting on something like an old bent rusty running board apron ?  Not painting the entire surface but just enough to folk art it up a bit . might make for a neat wall hanger

Hadn't thought of that, but I did this awhile back, thought someone would like it for a country house or cabin, I put it on the local swap sites, but no bites, still sitting in my basement. 😃

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Had a mower belt jump saturday. Looks a little ruff.  Replaced both belts a couple yrs ago.  Other belt looks great, this one puked.

Checked local home improvemennt stores...  they do not carry these large belts any longer. They do not even have much for evap cooler repair parts.  Sometimes the cooler belts are the large ones.

Ordered a belt   off  the  AMazon dot com site.

[416Ford]

Spent all day Saturday leaning how to assemble an engine from a bare block on up. I have assemble many engine from a short block on up but this was the first one for installing mains crank and filing rings.
Unfortunately, the piston were junk so I spent an entire day assembling an engine that we ended up pulling the pistons back out of it on Sunday morning. Then machine shop friend came out Sunday morning to look at what I explained to him as a tight assemble, ended up being that the pin boar in the pistons was machined out of square on three pistons and they were binding up on the crank.
New piston today and back at it again tonight.  

[Carnut]

Speaking of engine rebuilds

Sometime around 72 or 73 I had a friend let me know about a deal he had in his backyard. It was a 57 Chevy Convertible minus drivetrain, with some butchering, to drop in some other substantial type power but never completed. He also had a 65 Chevelle 283 with a 3spd stick sitting with it that he had intended to put in the 57. He wanted $150 for the car and $50 for the 283. Now in 72/73 $200 was a bit more money than it is now a days, but it was still a pretty good deal for the 57, especially since it had a good title and a one piece 'california' front bumper, so I offered $150 for all of it and he took it.

Now, I never really had anything in mind with what to do with the car, just didn't like the idea of a 57 Chevy Convertible going to waste. Then for some really odd reason I thought it might be a nice 'first car' for my brother. So, being the frugal/cheapskate/skinflint person that I am, I decided to do a 'J.C. Whitney' restoration on the car and give it to my brother.

The car had had the original rear side mounts torched out and the front crossmember cutout where the stock mounts had been. The underdash wiring and engine compartment wiring was all gone. The floorboards were both rusted out and butchered up. So, I welded up the front crossmember, and 'cloths hanger' welded new floorboard repairs into the car. Since the car had an Xmember chassis and the stick trans out of the 65 Chevelle had a rear mount pad, I just bolted in a plate to the Xmember for the trans mount.

Got out my J.C. Whitney and ordered a 'rebuild' kit for the 283, a new clutch and pressure plate and a replacement convertible top kit for the car. Had the 3spd trans gone thru by a local shop.

The car had been a factory auto, so I had to scare up a clutch pedal and linkage which I actually seem to recall I had 'in stock'. Went to local 'yard' for a drive shaft and did a J.C. Whitney brake job and front suspension rebuild, pretty much had it all set to go.

Did the main bearings on the engine while having the block laying on it's back and then bolted the flywheel to the crank and set the block up on the tailgate of my El Camino to install the pistons. Kinda neat, just spinning the block around on the crank as I tapped the reringed pistons and rods into place.

Somewhere down the line after most of the pistons had tapped in rather easily, using one hand to guide the rod bolts past the crank and tapping with the other, one of the pistons was a bit more difficult and after some hand manipulation and some loss of patience I realized it needed some harder tapping/banging.

Soon afterwards I discovered a rod bolt firmly jammed into the crank journal. Upon further inspection I also found a nice little half moon crescent indent in the rod journal. This caused much consternation and confusion on my part as to how to resolve this possible problem. Then with my evil genius/mad mechanic mode kicking in 'heck it's just for my brother', I decided that the rod journal had holes in it anyway, I'll just make sure there's no protruding deformation metal and go ahead and use as is. I filed, sanded and crocus clothed the spot until I was sure it was smooth and went ahead and finished the job.

Just like when my 56 Chevy 265 lost oil pressure I was curious as to how this was gonna work out.

Anyhow, after rewiring the car, without a kit, and installing the top kit and a J.C. Whitney exhaust system I got the car done. A little shabby, but driveable. In a prevous era it probably woulda been considered a 'jalopy' but now it was just an old car for my brother to drive to High School.



I got the car out for a test drive on a sunny day and went ahead and drove it over to my brothers High School and cruised into the parking lot and parked in a prominent spot so he couldn't miss it.

So, when the 3:30 bell rang and the kids started coming out the car did it's share of attention and finally my brother came out and found me sitting on the passenger side with the keys in the ignition and I told him to get in and drive, it's his.

This for the kid who wiped the paint off the side of my Coupe.

Brother still has the car and it still has the same 283 in it. He says he's never had any problems with the engine. He actually drove the car from Wichita to Colo Springs and to the top of Pikes Peak with no trouble.

If I had that engine I'm sure the bearing would have spun in the first week.

Guess he really musta liked the car, he has only had 3 or 4 wrecks with the car since then, t-boned someone pulling out in front of him, so the car got a new station wagon front clip. Twice at a drivein theater, where he worked, he backed up with the door opened and tangled with a speaker post, replaced both doors. He also got side swiped in an intersection smashing up a rear quarter pretty good. Porta powered that back into shape and found a good used quarter replacement.

Brother still has the car, must be for the memories or something.

[idrivejunk]

Crooked pin bores on 3 of 8? My goodness why would any slugmaker toss those in a box with their name on it? :?  Sad.

I may have managed to simultaneously nuke my battery, alternator, and battery charger all at once on the 69. Currently doing that dance and thats one I don't do well with... electrons and what-not. Left headlights on and ran her down twice, now I got problems but the battery tested OK.  

[416Ford]

ended up being that the pin boar in the pistons was machined out of square on three pistons and they were binding up on the crank..  

After further inspection, the pistons were straight and it was the rods. Kinda worried but we are moving forward with new rods. I damaged one bearing while messing with this on Sunday and found that last night when I installed the #2 piston and she tightened right up again. Ran back into town and he hooked me up with another bearing.
As of 10:30 last night, the bottom end is assemble and I can turn it over with less then 25 F/lb of pressure. Tonight I will start on the top end.

[chimp koose]

I am getting ready to swap a 351w into my 65 merc 1/2 ton . I can put it in with an auto trans or I can use the 4 speed that is in it now . currently has a tired 300 6/ 4 speed . I have a flywheel from a 95 5l mustang . will this flywheel work or do I need something else ? will the clutch from the 300 work on that flywheel ? thanks for any help