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Maybe if this keeps up the next woman in my life won't have anything to complain about.
They always find something don, thats the good thing about hotrods, they are always where you left them, they do anything you want, except cook and clean, but they help get women that will, and they never complain
Wait a minute... Hot rods DO complain sometimes but you can smack them around and not go to jail, they take your money but they wont steal it or cheat on you. :p Looks good Don. How big is your shop BTW? My father built a little shed under the tree house he built for my brother and sister and even though it is pretty small it still will be getting rid of the table saws and some other big tools out of the garage and leave a lot more room. I will post pictures of this thing too because it's two stories, has a overhead roof or awning (not sure what to call it) with stairs, siding to match our house, etc. Looks like a mini two story house and pretty much is because it has power, inside and outside lights and fans with a TV lol. Much easier to work without a ton of junk laying around. I always find myself cleaning and looking for things more than working on my truck and then I get side tracted and forget what I was doing. :p
19 years old and forgets what hes doing......:eek: :eek: And here all this time I thought it was OLD AGE:LOL: :LOL: :LOL:
Quote:
Originally Posted by cffisher
It's that fast living.........it ages you quicker. :LOL: :LOL:
FMX, that sounds like a cool shop/tree house thing. I could have used one of those a few times when the wife was less than agreeable. :3dSMILE: I think we have 2700 sq ft. This is probably our last year in there, as we are going to start next Summer looking for something smaller and cheaper. Our rent has almost doubled in the last 3 years, so it is getting to be too expensive. The only thing that may change that is if we decide to actually build a car now and then to sell and turn some profit and use that to cover the rent. It really doesn't make any sense to pay this kind of money for a shop that doesn't make us a dime.
BTW, my Speedway order came today, and I got the reversed Corvair steering box they sell. If anyone is thinking of buying one of these, it is an awesome piece. Flaming River makes it (came in their box) and the quality is first rate. I got it bolted into the T tonight and had to modify the steering arm by bending it for clearance. I forgot my camera, so tomorrow night I'll do some more and take some pictures.
The steering box is so smooth that I was able to turn the front wheels with only my hand on the input U joint, so even with an engine, etc on the car, the steering should be very light. I can't recommend this steering box enough. Don got his today for his T bucket, and he was also impressed.
Don
Don,
The ZZ-4 cam has .474/.510 lift and 208/221 duration. From what I can find out, your marine engine is about a 290 H.P. with a cam about .447/.459 lift with 201/208 duration.
You are right about spring bind, the ZZ-4 might be to big. You might want to check out what your compression is going to be, the 305 heads usually have a "lot" smaller combustion chamber and smaller valves.
Jim
They do have smaller chambers, and I figure they might take the compression up a point or so. I posted this question a while back, and don't think anyone could pin it down to an exact number. The marine engine is designed to run on regular, so I figure with the smaller chambers hi-test should be ok.
I think I'll button this thing up as a stock motor to just get it running, but may do some cam work later on if the lope isn't enough. ( I don't care how fast it is, just so it SOUNDS wicked. :D :D ) Your cam sounds intriquing though, and if you still have it later on I would like to talk to you about it.
Don
No problem. Just listen to any ZZ-4 and you will know how the cam sounds. I agree about the sound, as light as most roadsters etc. are performance should be kool with anything.
Jim
Thanks for that link, Denny. I'm going to look at that some more. It looks like I'm not alone in wanting a rumpy idle, they say that is what lots of people ask them for when they call. I may give them a call.
I mentioned that last night I worked on the new steering box, and tonight I remembered my camera, so I am posting some shots of the way it will mount. The draglink angle isn't as severe as it appears, so I think bump steer shouldn't be an issue. I tried to follow the wishbone arc as close as possible, but the spot I ended up mounting the box was the only practical location. For reference, I checked how my '27 angled, and it was at least this much of an angle, and bump steer was never an issue there, so I should be ok. We'll see.
Tonight my project was to finish up the rear shock mounting brackets, both upper and lower. I simply took some 1/4 inch thick stock, 1 and 1/2 inch wide, and cut 4 pieces of it about 2 inches long. (2 are longer than the other 2 by about 1/8 inch because the frame tapers in, and I wanted the shocks to sit straight ahead. Then I ground rounded edges on all four, and drilled some 1/2 inch holes for the upper shock bolt.
Dan says he will come to the shop Sunday and finish up the last bits of welding for me, and that should do it for that portion of the fabrication. Then I can move on to starting to wood the body, and getting it mounted.
Thanks for the tips about Summits rering kits for the 5.7. I called them today, and they have a package for this engine. I will make sure of where my crank ends up once it is back from the machine shop, then order the bearings, gaskets, etc. from Summit.
Here are a couple of pictures showing how the steering arm clears now that I heated and bent it out an inch, and also how the shock brackets look. I had two helpers in the shop tonight. They love it out there when it is cool, because I keep the overhead doors closed and they are free to roam around. And no, the one is not pregnant, she is just a little on the heavy side. :D :D
Don
You should teach those helpers to weld. You don't need supervisors.
They are the best critic, they always love your work!! Everything is looking good!
Thanks. They can't figure out why I put them in the office when I am welding or grinding, and they refuse to wear goggles.:D :D
Don
Stubborn huh? :p
Quote:
Originally Posted by FMXhellraiser
Well, they ARE female cats. :D :D
Hey, FMX, you must have missed my question a while back. Do you live in Rock Hill? I spent a month there some years back working for my company. You guys have some old cars up that way, and I spent my weekends digging around in some old junkyards up there.
Don
I too had a helper a couple of years back....I was sitting on a low box on the ground carefully positioning two pieces of steel prior to welding them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Itoldyouso
My helmet was on my head, tilted back, a cigarette in my mouth, and my hand-piece, with a rod in it, was hanging across my thigh.
My cat, who, like yours, enjoys being in the shop, was sitting next to me on top of a tyre.
Suddenly, without warning, he jumped onto my knee, digging his claws in.
I jumped, my helmet flipped down smashing the burning cigarette into my face and down the front of my shirt, I jumped again, my hand-piece fell onto the steel I was positioning and arced out.
By the time I finished my war-dance and got things under control, the cat was nowhere to be seen. :D :D
And yes, he still comes and keeps me company! (He's lying along side me sleeping as I'm typing this.)
johnboy
Hehe, cat almost got ya, huh?? Cat's are pretty cool, and I have had these two for 14 and 15 years, so we understand each other pretty well. The fat one is about 30 lbs, and nothing I have done has ever had any effect on getting her weight down, so I figure I will just let her live out the rest of her life happy, and fat.
Don
Not so cool cat story
My mother in law lives on a farm in WI. She would go out with leftovers and food for her cats every morning and place it in a bowl down behind the barn. One morning the F-I-L went to the other farm to help with milking. He came back about 11:30/ 12 for lunch nobody was there he called no answer. It was about -10* that morning.
He went out by the barn and called. He then heard her calling back. Seems she was feeding the cat and it jumped on her(shes 75) she fell broke her knee cap and hipp and arm. There are no more cats around that farm:eek: :eek:
I love cat's, they taste like chicken.:eek: :eek: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:
:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
And you're gonna taste like fish!
[QUOTE=Bob Parmenter]And you're gonna taste like fish![/QUOTE
Yummmmmmmmm.......catfish.**) :D :D :D
Well, as much as I like cats, it's time to get this car build underway again, and this weekend I crossed a real hurdle. Saturday I got the frame prepped so that Dan could do my final frame welding after he got off work.
There really wasn't much more to do, or so I thought. All that was left were the 2 triangular gussets that strengthen the rear radius rod brackets, the 2 rear shock upper and lower mounts, and finally, the two tabs that weld to the front wishbones and act as lower shock mounts up there.
I wanted to make things easier for Dan, so I decided to tack weld all the stuff on so that all he had to do when he got there was lay up the final beads. (More on that later :( )
So that I wouldn't scratch or burn my new chrome shocks, I made up a dummy shock out of 1 x 1 box tubing in the exact length the shock should ride at. After clamping this to the frame and rear axle, I tacked all of them into place. Then I did the same on the front end. By the time Dan got there I had the car all blown apart and ready for him to weld.........or so I thought.
He looked at what I had done and I could tell he wasn't thrilled, because my spot welds were going to interupt the bead he was going to lay up. He treats every weld like it is going to be hung in some museum, and my little spot welds were going to make them look funny. I had to remind him I want to drive this car sometime before I die, and also that it isn't going to the Oakland Roadster Show. :D :D After he did some grinding, he was satified that he could weld around my work.
It all came out good, and now that the frame is all welded, I am going to take the rear end and frame to the sandblaster. When I get them home I am going to put a quick coat of epoxy primer on everything to protect them until I get ready for final paint. I think I have made a decision on color. Tonight I watched the American Chopper episode where they built the bike for Billy Joel, and that red against white walls and chrome really looked good, so I am thinking about a really bright red, like Guards or Viper red. It isn't set in stone yet, but I can sort of visualize the car that color with a white and red interior. We'll see.
Also, my other Son Don has been making Summit, Speedway, Coker Tire, and Total Performance VERY happy. Dan and I always laugh about the fact that when he gets involved with something, he goes 100 percent. He decided to order every piece he needs to complete the T, including the '32 grille and Walker radiator, Streetfighter C4 tranny, roller cam, polished dual quads, limefire headers, drop in white interior from TP, and wheels tires hubcaps and trim rings from Coker. I had to put up two more shelves to hold all the stuff. He has pretty much gotten everything he needs. Dan keeps saying Don will be finished with his car before any of us, and he only got it one month ago. :LOL: :LOL: I hope he is as good at hiding the receipts from his wife as I was in hiding them from his Mom.:D :cool:
Dan has started making progress on his '29 again. He and Don got the trips all bolted on, and also the valve covers. He has ordered his headers from Sanderson, as well as his chrome alternator and pulleys. Once he hears it fired up he will probably get some new enthusiasm for it. He's just a little tired from all the hours he has put in already. We all know how that is.
My next step is to wood in the body and put in the floor, so that is what I will be doing over the next week or so. In the meantime here are a few pictures of the dummy shock I made and my spot welded brackets.
Don
Nice work Don. Like the choice of colors. I've done a couple of cars in Guards Red in the last few years including the Plymouth and I've got to say it brings a smile to my face every time I see it. Also have a friend who's wife has a Viper Red Prowler and it's a real head turner too.
I got kind of burned out on reds several years ago, I'd done 3 in a row that way. Did a couple of the next cars in different combinations just to do something different, but I finally had to admit that the Red/White really just works on a lot of cars
don look at gm code 72 dynasty red or 55 dodge both are blue red than orange the ppg hot red is what is on my GTO this color flips alot and is more to the orange side the dodge red would be more like what would be on a older hotrod if that is what you want? i painted a bmw 6 with the dodge red and look like what should been on the car from the go
Good suggestions guys, I'll look at those colors. I sort of like blue reds better too. My wheels and front end on the '27 were done with Ford Candy Apple red, a truck color, and it looks old timey to me, but I want this one to really pop, so a brighter one may be in order. Billy Joels bike really looked good, especially against the chrome, and I plan on a fair amount of chrome on the engine.
Need some opinions on suspension colors. Dan says go with red all the way and just accent with chrome. I am on the fence and think that may be too much red. I am leaning toward a creamy white or satin black. A friend still has a '27 RP he built back in '58, and his undercarriage is off white, and I always liked that look, so it is a possilbility. Dan is usually right on his choices, so all red may be nice too.
How about some opinions?
Don
red and black looks good but maybe over done ?silver or white
Yeah, my other concern is that I want a light colored interior, because in shorts in the summer in Florida, a dark interior will get your attention real quick when you jump in.:eek: :eek: So I figured a matching light colored suspension would go with that.
Final colors are always the toughest call to make in building a car.:confused: :confused: :confused:
Don
i was thinking the frame or the axles springs etc bavarian cream would look good
That's kinda what I am thinking too. Not familiar with that particular shade, but it sounds like what I am after. Sounds kind of tasty, too.:3dSMILE:
Don
My tendency is to blue reds (there's probably someone out there wondering what the heck we're talking about here), and my favorite (did the Cobra in it) is R77, '91-99 Acura NSX.Quote:
Originally Posted by Itoldyouso
Too much red is too much. Do the suspension in black with cream (if/or that compliments/matches the interior color) pin striping or scalloping. The pin striping might be easier to visualize, but for the scallop imagine a black axle with a cream scallop or insert with a thin red stripe around it. At first that may sound like a lot of colors, but they all tie together with the rest of the rig, so you can go with three that way. An alternative for the thin pieces, like hairpin radius rods, is a Tommy the Greek style stripe.
a friend of mine builds hydro planes and planes and has painted some red and black look s very good to gether
Just don't make it red and orange like Billy Joel's bike...
Yeah, that was pretty funny, here they are, building a mega buck bike for him on national TV, and discussing letting it go out the door looking like that. I was watching with Dan, and said "bet Billy is gonna be real happy when he watches this show." :D
Also, what was that powder coat company thinking? Here they wanted Orange County's business bad enough to give them a few free jobs, and they blow the very first go round :confused: :confused: Like Vinnie said, you get what you pay for.
Don
OCC has gone the way of Boyd's.... Why pay top dollar for crap slapped together without much pride?
Tonight I didn't get a whole lot done, because Mondays are a bear at work, and I didn't have the energy to get real deep in anything, but I did start to brace the body on the frame so I can begin wooding it. I got it all squared up and clamped. Every fiberglass body, especially these bare T bodies, require a lot of shimming and clamping to get them straight before you glass in the floor and supporting framework. This one was no exception, and I found it out about a half inch on the drivers side, but with some wooden blocks and clamps I got it pretty square.
Proobably tomorrow night I will go to Home Depot and pick up a sheet of 3/4 inch plywood for the floor and backrest, plus some firring strip kind of wood for the top edge of the body. I see no need to get anything like marine grade, because I will encapsulate all of the wood in fiberglass, rendering it waterproof. I will buy exterior grade though, as this is what I used on my '27 about 18 years ago, and it is still in perfect condition.
Don came over with another load of parts that came in for his T bucket. It looked like a speed shop after we got them all in there. All he is waiting for is his Total Performance order of an interior, '32 grille and radiator, a wood kit, and some minor items. His wheels should be here soon, and the tires did show up.
He and I are going to start building both of our engines in the next week or so, paint them, and then bag them for final installation later on. Nice to see all of this activity happening. Now we have to get Dan moving on the million little items he has left on his '29. We offered to work on his tonight, but he says what he has left are basically one man operations.
Here are some pictures of my T all blocked up and ready to start doing the floor. The last picture is of Dons little buying spree.
Don
Don
This has to be a exciting time three rods coming together at one time. You have to be a proud parent being able to work side by side with your sons. GOOD DEAL:3dSMILE:
We are now in awe of your building skills, and your son's spending skills. Just kidding please keep us up to date on his progress also. What transmission is Don running?
TCI streetfighter with a 2600 stall converter. I tried to get him one from my favorite place, Jackson Racing Transmissions, but they are out of C 4 cores, so he went to Summit. Should be a good combo for the light T.
Don
Quote:
Originally Posted by cffisher
Yeah, this will probably be the last chance I have to do this, so it is lots of fun.
Don
Itold sshhh im 50 . I have 2 sons 29 and 25 . Older boy offers but his schedule doesn't match mine . We work different shifts . My 25 son i only see his mechanical skills when he needs help on his cars. So with that i enlisted my 20 yr old daughters B/F (lord help me) to give me some help . He is smart and learns at a alarming rate . I'm beginning to enjoy him being around more since his labor is free (LOL). No really he's a great kid .
Itold the family experience alone will put you well into the 100's .
Sounds like your Daughter's boyfriend might make a good Son in Law some day. :D :D I agree about the family thing. This newest project has been especially good for Dan and Don, because they are getting to spend more time with each other. Don got married about a year and a half ago, and we don't get to see him as often as we used to, which is normal. But since they are twins they are pretty close, and it is nice to see the two of them getting to spend time with one another again.
Also looking forward to taking the 3 cars to some cruises and shows, that is something we haven't done in about 15 years, back when Don had his '65 Olds convert, Dan had his Cal Look bug, and I had my '27. Man, how the years fly by.**) **) **)
Don