Another build thread? Yep, my track-style T

JR

The paint is looking good!

Looks like we're about neck and neck on getting these things finished.:LOL:

I think you're still ahead though!:)

Keep up the good work.

Mike

When's the scheduled drive-away day Jim???

Sure do like the paint colors you have on the car! Gonna be a fun one and look great too!!!!!

Thanks, guys. I'm pleased with the way it turned out so far.:3dSMILE: Dave, I am a "redaholic" too. Ironically, even though red is my favorite color, I haven't owned very many red vehicles. Of the 50+ cars I 've had in my lifetime so far, only 3 of them have been red!:confused:

No set date, but I'd like to be driving it in time for Billetproof in March...

Jim the color sure changes the look great choice by the way . The frame is looking outstanding and great color combo . As in the movie cars what did he say oh yeah KA CHOW .

Looking good Jim. Are you going to be able to get it mostly together during the school Christmas break?
Just to let you know, the high here on Thursday was 14 degrees, 4" of snow. And yes, I drove the '29AA. Been driving it every day for several months (lower gas prices as it gets 7 mpg).

Earl

Wow that chassis looks great Jim!

It was nice chatting with you at the Turkey run again even if Don did give us the brush off :D

Thank you all for the compliments.:3dSMILE:

Yeah, Bill, I don't know why Don was avoiding us... Could it be "hair envy"?:LOL::LOL::LOL:

Well, the pics don't show much and it doesn't look like I made much progress this past weekend, but I was actually at it pretty steadily. If you recall from earlier posts, I have two of these 2.5 Chevy S-10 engines. My goal for Saturday was to determine which one to use. The first engine (the one that was sitting in the roadster for the earlier pics) was a running engine when it was pulled out of a wrecked and abandoned S-10. The second one was supposedly a recent rebuild that was removed from a truck after it ran hot once.:rolleyes:

I pulled a compression test on both engines Saturday. The first engine tested all four cylinders above 125 PSI (125; 130; 160; 160). The second engine didn't fair as well; these engines are notorious for warping the heads if they get hot. It checked with two cylinders above 125 and two barely at 60 (60; 125; 130; 60). Also, the first engine had nice tan-colored spark plugs when I pulled them out and the exhaust ports are dry (no oil residue). So, I will use the first engine as is (cleaned and painted, of course) and save the second engine for a future rebuild. The second engine came with a 5-speed trans (the real reason I bought it) which I will use.;)

I spent the rest of Satrurday doing some preliminary cleaning and dismantling all the exterior stuff so I can finish the cleaning process. The engine will be painted the same red as the frame; the trans will stay bare aluminum. Here are a couple of pics of the engine on the stand with everything removed. It sure is a tiny little thing without the manifolds, etc...:HMMM:

Looking Fantastic!!!! Keep up the good work! Don Jr.
P.S. Those shots of various painted suspension parts remind me of the Mr Blue Build! Looked like a disfunctional Christmas tree ornament display! Love your car man!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mr Blue

Looked like a disfunctional Christmas tree ornament display!

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That's funny! I wonder what my wife would do if I hung my front bumper on the tree in our living room...:eek::LOL::LOL:

Thanks for the compliments. My son said he saw your T and your dad's T parked together at the Turkey Run. He loves your car!:3dSMILE: He went on and on about how clean and perfectly detailed it is. That Grabber Blue with white interior is striking in the pics; hopefully I'll get to see it in person at Billetproof?:cool:

I always think car parts make the Christmas tree more "festive"
I am going to be at Billletproof for sure! Just going to take off work that weekend and do it. :) Cant wait to see your track t there bud. Really stellar work! Don Jr.

J Robinson; I'm gonna use the 3/4in rod ends, that's what you recomended for a V8 right.
Anyway I need to know what size bolt the end take's and how thick the rod end is from side to side so I can make the plates for the frame and rear end. thanks kurt.

Kurt - It kind of depends on what you intend to do with the car, how heavy it is, and how your radius rods are designed. I used 1/2" on the front end and 3/4" on the rear of both my coupe and my roadster. Some people prefer 5/8" everywhere, but 3/4" rod ends will handle about anything you can throw at them. If I had a 4-bar system in the rear, I would have used either 5/8" or possibly even 1/2" as long as it was a lightweight car with small block power (or smaller) and auto trans.:)

If I knew more details of what you are building, I could determine your needs more adequately. Also, Dave Severson or Brian Ruppnow might be more qualified to recommend something... Tell us what you are building.:confused:

I have always used 1/2" for 4-bar set ups. For single point connections like you have with hairpins, and a light car, I would probably go with 5/8" minimum for safety. As for width---Why are you asking us?? Talk to the people you are going to buy the ones you use from. The widths vary from one manufacturer to another.

J Robinson; I've got a 12 1/2 to one - 351 Cleveland Roller motor going in this 65 Ranchero.
Probably better then 600HP with a small block C - 6 trany backing it up.
Frames narrowed to put big tire's up under it. Probably will run about a 513 gear in the rear end. And will be hooking up nitrous oxide. Thanks Kurt

With that kind of power turning some big rubber, you definitely need the heavy duty stuff. Brian is an engineer and you can take his advice as gospel: If you are using a single point connection (ladder bars or "truck arms"), go with the 3/4"; if you are building an adjustable four-link like a pro-stock car, go with the 5/8". Don't use the economy stuff either; go for the pro series (Speedway Motors) or better.

Heim ends have matching shank and hole sizes. For example, the 5/8" rod ends have a 5/8" hole and a 5/8" fine thread shank. The thickness may vary between different series ends and different manufacturers. Before you fabricate any bracketry, you should get the rod ends you are going to use and build accordingly.

Thanks J Robinson; Guess I'll have to send for them then.
I'm building a 4 link so 5/8 should do it.
I can do some other stuff while I wait for them to get here.
Thanks again for the advice, that's what Dave Severson
said to. Was just trying to hold off on spending money till
I had to. Bought all my steel last year before I got sick so
I was just trying to use what I allready had.
But with the help of my son we got alot done the last
couple of days. Thanks again Kurt.

Progress hasn't been as fast as I'd like this week, but at least it's been steady. By the time I get home in the afternoon, I only have about 2 hours until darkness sets in. This week I've been trying to get the engine cleaned and painted; the cleaning portion is an activity which must be done outdoors. I have a process that I use that has worked for me over the last several years...:)

Monday and Tuesday evenings were spent out in the driveway with engine degreaser (7 cans!), a selection of brushes & scrapers, and the garden hose. Wednesday evening was cold and I stayed in the house.:mad:

Thursday I washed the engine again with a liberal application of lacquer thinner in a spray gun. Lacquer thinner will disolve just about anything and the air pressure from the spray gun helps to dislodge stubborn stuff. I help it along a little with a small brass wire brush. After the lacquer thinner bath, I switched to wax & grease remover. I spray it on in small sections and wipe the area dry with a clean rag. If the rag comes up dirty anywhere, it gets re-scrubbed and then degreased again. Finally, when it was as clean as I could get it, I laid on a coat of lacquer primer. I only put enough primer on to achieve hiding so the paint will stick. Too much primer will cause cracking and peeling when the engine is run and gets warm.:p

Saturday, after the primer had been cured for almost 48 hours, I painted the engine with the same basecoat / clearcoat paint used on the frame.:)

Before I set the engine in the frame, it is necessary to get everything square. One thing any car needs to do is go down the road straight and it's a lot easier to square the chassis before a lot of other components get in the way.;)

The first thing I do is find the center of the front crossmember and mark it with a center punch (see arrow in first picture). Next, I center the rear end by measuring like points on the rear backing plates to the frame rails and adjusting the panhard bar until both sides are equal. Finally, I measure from like points on both ends of the rear end (in this case the brake bleeders) to that center punch mark on the front crossmember. I adjust the radius rods until both measurements are equal. I always run the measurements a second time to make sure everything is right. When the rear end is centered and triangulated in this manner, the car will go down the road straight.:D

Finally, the front axle is squared to the rear axle. The front axle is centered first by measuring from the king pin bosses to the center punch mark on the crossmember and adjusting the panhard bar accordingly.;)

Next, measurements are taken from like points on both ends of the rear end (in this case the brake bleeders again) to like points on the front axle (in this case the grease fittings on the top of the kingpins. The radius rods are adjusted until both sides measure the same.:D

Some very helpfull advice JR. I love this thread even though you do stuff beyond my abilities, I learn from you every time you post. Thanks, Steve.

Steve - Glad you're enjoying the thread. Trust me, you can do anything I've done here so far. There is no "rocket science" involved, just basic skills. You just need confidence in your abilities.;)

OK. The last thing I accomplished over the weekend was mounting the fuel cell. I just ran out of time last night before I got it posted... Of course, all the mounting hardware was fabricated some time ago (back on page 21), but I needed to do a couple of small things - mount the fuel pump and make the insulators to keep the tank from squeeking and wearing holes through itself.

First, I drilled the appropriate holes in the forward tank support to bolt on the electric fuel pump. There is just enough room to sneak it in beside the fuel cell. Next, I cut pieces of a 26" bicycle inner tube to line the tank supports where the fuel cell sits and a couple of small pieces where the back corners of the cell rest against the rear ceossmember. I attached these "insulators" in place with 3M spray adhesive. After I set the cell in place, I cut additional pieces of the inner tube to insulate the hold-down straps. I didn't glue these in; I just laid them in place and let the strap tension hold them.:D

Really slick Jim. I love it when a plan comes together. What fuel pump are you using there?

Thanks, Bill. The pump is a Mr. Gasket # 12-S. It says it's for 4, 6, or 8 cyl engines with carburetors; not for fuel injection systems. I assume that means it's not high pressure enough for injection...:HMMM: As you can see in the pics, it is really small. The guys at Advance Auto Parts tell me they've had good luck with them and they are common nationwide in case it does break down. Time will tell...:3dSMILE:

J.R. What intake and carb are you going to use?

I'm not positive yet, Don. A neighbor of mine has an old Chevy Monza mini-stock out in the woods that has an "Iron Duke" engine in it. It has an intake that is set up for a Holley 2-barrel. If it will fit, that is the answer to my problem. I am supposed to get the engine out of that mini-stock sometime within the next couple of weeks; then I can find out if the manifold fits. The heads look identical, so I am hopeful. Otherwise, I guess I will build an adapter for the original stock TBI manifold to accept a small 2-barrel of some kind... :HMMM:

As for the carb, I have a good Holley 500 CFM 2-barrel, but that's probably way too big for a stock 4-banger. If I can find someone who has a 350 CFM Holley 2-barrel that would like to trade, that would solve that conundrum, too.:rolleyes:

hay j.r. a couple of side webers would realy look soooooper just a thought.....ted

That's really coming along nicely.
Ken

Ted - A couple of side draft carbs, Webers or whatever, would look cool on there.:cool: I don't think they fit the budget right now, though.:( I have seen one of these engines that had a pair of Harley Davidson carbs adapted on a home made intake. I have also looked at old SU carbs like the ones used on Jaguars, Triumphs and MG's. My goal for now, however, is to get this thing running as soon as possible. The side drafts will have to come later. Just in case, I have kept my hood patterns so I can make a new right-side top half when I change carbs.:3dSMILE:

Thanks, Ken. I just wish it was coming along FASTER!:whacked:

Side drafts would really fit your build, in my opinion. Like you said that can always come later. Maybe when you decide to do it, I could help you make the manifold?
Ken

Nothing more fun than spending someone elses money! I'm with the others on the side draft thing. I would think down there in sunny Fla. there would be an abundance of motorcycle "stuff". I can see a set of Mikunis from a 4 cylinder rice rocket, or scrounge (I know you know how to do that!;)) four approx 35mm singles, fab your own manifolds, one per cylinder (or take Ken up on his offer) and you're in. Probably could be done for a couple hun, or less with your prowess.

Thanks Ken. I may take you up on that offer. We should probably wait until your new roadster is finished; that will give me a little time to obtain a couple of carburetors.:3dSMILE:

Bob - I don't know if keeping four carbs in sync is within my abilities; two is pushing my luck. I can fabricate things and I know where all the pieces go, but I've never had much tuning ability. However, if we could build a sort of log type manifold, that might be a possibility. Four velocity stacks protruding out the right side sure would look cool...:cool:

The engine is back in the frame now. I found out that the 5-speed is not a completely direct replacement for the 4-speed.:HMMM: While the engine & trans were separated, I installed a new clutch, pressure plate, pilot bushing, and throwout bearing; that went well. The 5-speed bolted up to the engine with no problem. The hangup was when I tried to set the assembly into the frame... As it turns out, the trans mount on the 5-speed is almost 2 inches further back!:mad: At first I was thinking I was going to have to build a new crossmember. Luckily, after a little trial and error, I discovered that all I needed to do was turn the crossmember around and re-drill the center hole. Whew! That saved a lot of work!:D Here's a pic of the chassis with engine & trans...:rolleyes:

Just because you have a bunch of carburetors hanging out there it doesn't mean you have to use them all :) I only use 2 out of the 6 on my truck.
Ken

Boy Ken,
You let the cat out of the bag on that one!
Ron

Good point, Ken. I guess I know that principle already; my son's sedan has 3 carbs and only uses one. I just never thought about it in relation to this little four-banger... DUH!:whacked::rolleyes:

Anyway, I hope everyone had a merry Christmas. Now I can get back to work on this thing in earnest. March 21st isn't far away...:HMMM:

Looking good JR. You'll need to get crackin' to have done by March 21st. When does school start back up-would think Jan 5.
Did not go back thru thread to check, seems after the paint it will need wiring, plumbing ect. All the "it doesn't show and takes two months too do" small stuff.

You'll be on the road soon, (in the roadster that is).
Earl

Wow Jim, your T looks soooooooo good in it's red and silver paint. You are really making progress. You've inspired me, time to head to the shop and do some car stuff for a change. You are right, Billetproof is right around the corner. :eek:

Don

Earl - Yep, teachers go back to work on the 5th, kids on the 6th. And yes, I am at the point where visible progress is not obvious, but a million little things need to be done...:whacked:

Don - Thanks. Yes, the thrash has begun. I didn't get much done this week; we've been going places with some friends. Monday we went to Garlits Museum and that place always gives me a little inspiration. I checked with the Sleep Inn next door and they are booked solid for Mar 21st weekend. I need to find someplace else or it'll be another one-day trip. Where are you staying?:confused:

OK. It's not monumental progress, but at least it's a step in the right direction... With the help of my son, I stood the body up on its firewall so I could prepare it for reinstallation onto the frame.

With the body in a vertical position, I was able to bond the turtle deck to the body. I accomplished that by removing the six bolts I had holding it in place. After scuffing the bonding area of the body and the lip on the turtle deck with 40-grit, I reinstalled the deck with the bolts left loose. I mixed up a batch of body filler with only a small amount of hardener (so it would harden slowly), squished it between the body & turtle deck with a spreader, and then my son and I tightened the bolts. The last thing was to scrape of the excess filler where it had oozed out. In about 30 minutes the body filler had kicked and the two pieces are now permanently bonded together.:3dSMILE:

With that done, I used my D/A sander with 80-grit paper to scuff-sand the entire bottom of the body. Then I masked off the appropriate areas and spray-canned it with rubberized undercoating. I like rubberized undercoating for doing the underside of floors because it has a slight texture with a semi-flat lustre. It covers scratches and blemishes and the shiny paint of the frame looks good against it. It also provides some sound deadening qualities. Anyway, the first pic below shows the bottom of the body after sanding and about half of the undercoating applied. The second pic is after the undercoating was applied and masking removed.

After allowing the undercoating to dry for about 30 minutes, my son and I tilted the body back down onto the floor, hooked up the chains and hoisted it up. With him and me holding the body in the appropriate position, my wife rolled the chassis underneath and we set it in place. So far, so good...:3dSMILE:

It's coming along great! Nice family team work. I've had my truck bed on and off about 30 times, my wife is beyond thrilled to help lift it back on each time!:LOL:
Keep on posting.

Jim, The color on the frame looks great can't wait to see the finale car.
BradC