37 Ford build--IE: old Header issues thread /37 Ford/5.0/GT40P heads

[mark craig]

Thanks randy great instructions I am going to hot august nights in reno will
be alot of venders there probably buy fire wall there amongst other goodys.

[paulo suica]

parabens for the work, was sensational

[randyr]

parabens for the work, was sensational

You're reading this in Brazil?? How cool is that!! Looks like a nice truck in the pic.

Randy

[Irelands child]

You're reading this in Brazil?? How cool is that!! Looks like a nice truck in the pic.

Randy

Randy,
The number of 'fans' just keeps worldwide attention rapt.

Since my wife just informed me that I have to clean up my mess because daughter #1 and grandchildren are coming from Virginia tomorrow for a week( ) and that it might be in my "best interest" to straighten up my work space (the garage that we use as the entry for the house). This means that I'll fall even further behind(I know, selfish) - but it will have a positive effect to see the the kids and do some fun things with them.

A couple of 'teasers' -

[randyr]

Hey Dave,

If your wife is using words like "in your best interest", then I'd suggest you do it! LOL!

Those are some interesting color choices on those 37's. Thanks for sending them along.

Have fun with your daughter & grandkids!

Talk soon.
Randy

[Irelands child]

Hey Dave,

If your wife is using words like "in your best interest", then I'd suggest you do it! LOL!

Those are some interesting color choices on those 37's. Thanks for sending them along.

Have fun with your daughter & grandkids!

Talk soon.
Randy

Hi Randy,
Just checking in to see how things are going with you. Hope all is well

Peace and quiet. It's amazing how much noise a couple of pre-teens (8 & 11) can make. It's not ever a complaint, just a statement of fact.

Finally got back to the car and some more sanding - the doors, trunk lid, splash shields, dash and front fenders are ready for color with the rears hopefully done today or tomorrow (too hot-90's and humid-also 90's to work steadily). Then it will be on to the body, which may be easier then the doors or trunk lid wich didn't have a straight area.

I picked up some small brackets at Syracuse that need to go on the chassis so if it gets too hot, I'll work on them in the "comfort" of my basement garage.

Another "tickler"

[randyr]

Hey Dave,

Great to hear from you. Glad you had a good time with the grandkids. I got to hang with my nieces & nephews in Okla. recently and it was great fun.

Sounds like you're making some progress on your car. You may get that thing painted before summer's over afterall! I hope so. I'm anxious to see that color.

I have been cleaning & painting the underside of mine lately. I pulled the engine & trans back out after fitting my steering column and various other things. The underside isn't show quality but it's good clean driver quality. It would be way too hard to make my chassis "show quality" anyway! That will have to wait until I can get a nice new chassis someday. I'm about ready to bolt the R&P and front sway bar back on. I still need to finish smoothing out the welds around the firewall then I can bolt the engine back in and proceed toward firing it up! It's always a much longer process than you plan for but given my restrictive working conditions, I think I'm doing pretty good.

The 37 ragtop pic is interesting. I would definitely toss those rims & tires if it were mine but it's not....LOL!

Will post some new pics in a day or two. My neighbor has borrowed my camera.

Take care. talk soon.
Randy

[randyr]

Hey Dave,

Our postings get farther apart but I hope that means we're too busy making progress on the cars to be messing around on the computer....LOL!

Here are some pics of a couple of things I've accomplished lately....first, when my dad & I built the car, we cut up the dash to install vertical AC vents, 2 on the outside, 2 on the inside plus a hole for the radio and...don't laugh.....a CB radio, which was popular in the early 80's when we were building this car. Well, now that I have this nifty welder, I decided to patch all that up to have a smooth dash. I'm going fabricate a console similar to yours to house my tune, AC controls and maybe the power window switches. I'll fabricate 4-6" apron that follows the contours of the dash in which to mount the AC vents. I think it'll be a much cleaner look. A skim coat of filler should smooth out the rough spots and it should look pretty good I think....hope!

If there's room, I'll attach a couple of shots of the painted floorboards & frame thus far.

How's yours coming along?
Talk soon.
Randy

[Irelands child]

Hi Randy,
Man, that dash was ugly - the "retrofit" sure makes for an improvement. Talk about CB radios - I finally sold mine at a swap meet last fall. Now - what gauges are you using - most of the mfrs have a 4 in 1 that sure would look nice - my preference is Classic Gauges though I'll be using VDO's - simply because Classic didn't have the smaller diameter speedo and tach that I wanted. Best would be retrofitted OEMs (IMO) for yours.

The front of the frame is looking good - but looked better with the engine in place

It has been hottern' the hinges of h@%% with high humidity here and slowing things down but I still am trying to get an hour or so on the car every day. The fenders, grille shell, gas tank, splash shields, cowl cover, running boards and dash are sitting ready for paint. I thought the doors were until I did a final guide coat and 600 grit sand an hour ago - oops, dammit, need some more glazing putty on a couple of places on each door - so tomorrow or Friday will see them ready for paint. Then, the main body gets finalized

I guess we are involved with minutae on our cars right now, without a lot of spectacular changes (well except for maybe a major dashboard mod)is why we have spread out our discussion. I'm still here every day and do participate some in the forum, but have cut way back - it's summer in the great Northeast and "other" things are happening.

Have a good one -

Dave

[randyr]

Hey Dave...

This is the first time that I've signed on and our pics have been reduced to links instead of being open automatically. Is yours that way too?

Anyway, you're right, the old dash was pitiful! But it went well with the old firewall... I have a set of classic styled guages by TPI Tech. The speedo is electronic and the other guages are a 4 in 1 configuration. They fit perfectly in the original holes, white face, black letters, red pointers....beyond that I'll keep it simple, clean and tasteful. I left the windshield crank in tact because I kinda like it and it still works, even though I never open it.

You're also right that the frame looks much better with the engine in it! It's functional, safe and will have to do for now.

Enjoy that heat and humidity! It's about 70 degrees and sunny with a light breeze in Santa Monica today. Looking at the forecast for the next few days, it looks exactly the same.....but I won't rub it in.....too much....

Randy

[Irelands child]

Hey Dave...

This is the first time that I've signed on and our pics have been reduced to links instead of being open automatically. Is yours that way too?...........


Randy

Randy,
I got real pictures - not sure what or why yours would be different

Glad you have those gauges - when I talked to Classic at York, they said that they weren't going to make them in the smaller diameter that I wanted so I chose to go with the 6 VDO's in their Heritage Gold line. I think that Classic will make them now, but too late - my dash and billet surround is done and ready for installation.

The @#$%@&%$# doors are proving to be a pain, but I still hope to have them in fresh primer, final sanded and ready for paint NLT tomorrow this time.

Speaking of paint, my intent now is to have EVERYTHING ready by the 20th so we can leave for vacation in the "sunny" Orkney Isles of Scotland the next day. We'll be back on Labor Day, so possibly paint that week and the next. The only major item left is the body and that's 75% done.

If anyone had told me how bad a Brookvlle body could be............

We have a break in the heat - only in the mid 80s with a lot lower humidity - but rain predicted for tomorrow so will be a good car work day.

Later!!

[Irelands child]

Randy,
Every thing but one rear fender (plus the RR quarter) is sanded waiting color. The doors proved to be nasty but seem to have come out looking nice and smooth with a guide coat sand. I've done all my primer sanding thru 600 grit but I am contemplating one more quick pass with 800.

How's with your endeavors? Last heard was that the dash was coming along.

We'll be leaving tomorrow so will catch up on or about Labor Day.

Dave

[randyr]

Hey Dave,

Congrats on having that thing almost paint ready! That's gotta be a good feeling. Mine has taken a back seat to other projects for the last couple of weeks. The stripped dash is hanging on a nail in my garage awaiting some epoxy primer so I can finish it out. I stripped the rest of the cowl area too, but that's about it for recent activity. Hopefully, I'll get to proceed this weekend.

As for your trip, have a great time! I hope to get over there some day.
Let me know when you get back. Maybe I'll have some progress to report.

Later,
Randy

[Irelands child]

Hi Randy,
Back home and not much to report on the car since we got back sick - twice - with some sort of nasty Scottish Highlands bug and spent well over a week just moping around feeling sorry for ourselves while doing our best to increase the market shares of Sudefed, aspirin and Kleenex.Since it's turning cooler, long past house projects are now due though I am going to try to do some color in the next few day on the gas tank, splash shields, door jambs, and firewall as they are ready(have been for a long time!!) One way or another, I have to get the body on the chassis so I can wire - the body can be masked off and painted later as well as the fenders. And I'm going to NSRA Burlington for a couple of days, just to make life interesting and delay more!!

[randyr]

Hey Dave,
Welcome back to the mainland! I trust your Irish eyes are smiling......isn't there a song or saying like that or something?? LOL

I don't have much to report on my car either. I've been tinkering with a few things on it but nothing really photo worthy or post worthy. I've been busy trying to earn some dough for the next phase....whatever that it is....

I hope it's ok for my engine to be sitting these last few months. I primed the oil pump early on but since then, it's just sat. I can't wait to crank it up but alas, it's not time yet.....

I'm still anxious to see how your painting turns out so get busy! LOL.....get over your bug first though....

Good to hear from you. Will post some progress soon.

Randy