Thread: Project $ 3 K Is Underway

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Thanks JR, I'll be at the shop tomorrow and walk down and talk to him again. We really didn't look at any swatches, as our discussions didn't get that far along yet.

Appreciate the info.

Don

Ron,

Unlike most Holleys, the Demons have a very robust return spring on the linkage, so I already have two springs. I have the other spring from the kit, so I'll probably install it also. Thanks for the reminder.

Don---I tried a double return spring system on the RPU. What I found was that when leaving a dead stop, the car either didn't want to go at all, or else wanted to go like stink, all of a sudden. After laying about 8 foot of rubber when coming off a red light, right beside a local officer in his cruiser downtown one day on hot pavement, I slunk home with ears burning, and went back to a single spring system.---Brian

Come to think of it, that's why I removed the center spring from the return set. With about 440 HP, the gas pedal felt like an on-off switch. I'll double check, but I think I still have two springs.

.....and you are saying laying 8 feet of rubber from every stop light is NOT a good thing? What kind of teenager are you Brian??


Don

Well actually---I run the stock GM "spring inside a spring" accelerator return setup that came with the engine. In an overabundance of caution, (and because I was trying to get the engine to rev down to a respectable idle) I added what was actually a third spring from the other side of the throttle pivot out towards the front of the engine. It certainly did bring the idle down, but you needed an ankle like Hulk Hogan to step on the darn gas pedal, and then, as I explained in my earlier post, you went from zero to "too damn fast" almost instantly. As to what kind of teenager am I---well----I'm the kind of teenager that looks all around in front, behind, far as I can see off into the distance, checks the rearview mirror---- and if I don't see anything resembling a uniform---THEN I squeal the tires!!!

The Geico caveman says:

"Binary computer - good . . . binary throttle - bad."

Jack
- There are 10 kinds of people in the world. Those who understand binary . . . and those who don't.

Worked on getting the alternator mounted tonight. Got half way through and we had the worst thunderstorm I think I have ever seen. Lightning was striking all around the shop, and finally knocked the electric out. I had to close up by using my generator for lighting to see where I was going. Finally about 9 PM the electric company called back and said it was fixed, so the Kid and I went back to the shop.

Dan has decided his bed was one inch too high, so we pulled it off and he cut out some bracing and put it back on. Darned if he wasn't right, it looks so much better dropped down that little bit. Once I was done helping him I got back on the alternator mounts.

When I switched from the long style Chevy water pump setup to the short style, I had two choices of where the alternator could go. One place was on the drivers side header flange, and the other was down low on a special bracket made to do that. I first tried the header mount, and the alternator just sat too high for my liking. I ordered the low mount, and I painted it last night and installed it today. It is tons better than the other one, and the entire top of the engine is clean now.

It was a pleasant surprise that an aftermarket kit actually went on without the need to modify anything. I bought Summits billet one, and sandblasted it to take the billet look away. Nothing else on the car is billet, so it stuck out. It will darken with age to match the silver parts I painted, and not look too bad. This position is ideal, and clears everything.......headers, motor mounts, block, etc. Now I can order my starter and some lines and get ready to fire this baby up.

Here are a couple of pictures of the alternator once I got it installed.

Don

Billet . Just kidding Don. It looks great. I like it when the top of the engine is clean and simple like you have done here. We got those storms over here on the Fl east coast too. Nasty weather indeed.

Yeah, I couldn't get the billet pieces into the blast cabinet fast enough.

I honestly can't remember many storms that severe. The thunder was cracking right on top of our shop, and the rain was going sideways. WIthin a half hour it filled the drainage ditch outside the shop, and that thing is deep enough to sink a car in.

I didn't realize you guys got it on the east coast too.

Don

That looks really good, the motor looks really clean. Well done.

Looks like you guys got some of our weather, weve been getting it bad , every afternoon. i like where you put that, my power steering is right there, so it would not work on mine, im stuck with it up top.

Now that you have media blasted the mount, could you paint it if you choose too? Or maybe powder coat it?

I'm telling you John, I can't remember a rainstorm that hard. Looks like all of Florida got it from what you and Gastrick said. You are right about the power steering thing. This bracket goes into the same holes normally used to mount the p/s pump.

Brick, the bracket looks lighter in the picture than it really is. It is pretty close to my water pump and intake in color, and I think it will age darker as time goes on. But if not I may paint it. I debated on doing them the same engine color, but I didn't feel like mixing up paint and using the touch up gun for such a small job. If it starts looking really different, I may do that however.

Today Dan and I are going to push the cars outside to get a look at them from a distance. I've never been able to stand back and get a really good look at mine because of all the stuff cluttering up the garage. I'm anxious to see how it looks in the sunshine. (assuming we GET some sunshine today and no more rain )

Don

Got to roll the T out into the sunshine today for the first time. Well, what little sunshine there was, had to beat the raindrops, but finally got to stand back and look at it from afar. I'm pretty happy with it, and it really looks small outside the shop.

I just came home to grab a bite to eat, Dan is still there working on his, and we are going to pull the body off for hopefully the final time tonight when I go back. I just found out tonight Dan bought me a mini starter and two new front wheel cylinders (the ones I have had some surface rust in them, which I only discovered when I pulled out the bleeders after they were installed) He says he is repaying some of the parts I helped him out with when he was first building his '29. Now I have to find a way to sneak the money back to him......this gets so confusing sometimes.

Anyway, here are some pictures of it sitting outside.

Don

Oh, and I found an original steel grille shell on another forum today. We can cut it up and modify it to fit better than the Total Performance one I was going to use. They no longer make the steel ones......the dies got old and they don't want to spend the money to make new ones, so either original or fiberglass is all the choices you have anymore.