Project 29 rpu is underway!!

Dan and I went to Billetproof this past weekend and it got me fired up to start on my latest project. I mentioned that I have this RPU body Dan gave me when he bought his new body, and I have been wanting to make something out of it. I also have the frame and chassis we built for the 39 Dodge body, and last week we lifted the RPU body onto it and found out it fit as if it were made for it. I only have to redo a couple of mounts and it will fit perfectly.

So, tonight while Dan was sanding away on his frame I started playing around with my new toy. This car is very much like my very first hot rod. I had a 32 pickup that I cut the top off of, installed an Olds 394 engine backed by a LaSalle 3 speed, and a 57 Chevy rear axle. When my Kids were like 6 months old my Wife and I would take them for rides around our neighborhood, and get back before the cops would show up. :D We lived in Pennsylvania at the time and driving a fenderless hot rod ranked right up there with bank robbery. I never could get that rod inspected, so I blew it apart and used the parts for other cars.

I want this new rod to be a lot like that one. It has a 30 over 394 Olds, backed by a 4 speed hydro, and an S 10 rear. I am going to leave it a little rough around the edges and may even paint it with a brush, or at least sand through the paint to give it that old time look. I'm going to keep this one simple and bare bones. Up front I am going to have the Moon tank Ken gave me, and the radiator will be in the bed, hidden by the louvered tonneau cover Dan also gave me. :)

So, here are some pictures of how it is starting to look. As soon as I get the rear wheels powder coated red I can get it up on wheels all the way around. I found some neat 56 Olds hubcaps at Billetproof this weekend, and I like the way they look..........just the right amount of patina.

Don

This is going to be very coooool :cool:
Ken

Wow, it must be nice! Enough cool parts just lyin around the garage to put together one seriously cool rod!!! You're a lucky man Don!:)

Hehe, I have to admit I'm pretty stoked about this little car. Probably because it won't require much in the way of painting and finish work. Maybe also because it is a throwback to my youth. :D There were a bunch just like this one at Billetproof, and the guys were all having a blast, not worrying about waxing and all that stuff.

Speaking of having stuff in the garage to build things, we went into one of the buildings Don Garlits has on his property the other day because he was having a garage sale. I have never seen so many zoomies or new old stock parts in one place. He had brand new 41 Ford hoods, 49 Ford doors, and what looked like brand new painted black 32 fenders, all just hanging there. Everywhere you looked there were boxes and boxes of "neat stuff", and more Hemi parts than you could imagine. Old Don evidently never threw anything away and also bought lots of parts at swap meets. He even had his first pair of driving goggles from 1958. :D

Don

WOW Don, think you can bring this one in for under 3K???? :toocool:
haahaaaaahaaaa. Going to look realllll good. Wanna give me the Dodge? :LOL:
Perley

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Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

I'm going to keep this one simple and bare bones.

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Gee, where have I heard that before...........:rolleyes::LOL::LOL::LOL:

Looks great!! Should be a blast.

I see a wishbone locator on the the rear. Does it have air bags? I'm liking the air ride on the rear of mine.

Mike

OK, guys. There's something fishy going on here. I was at Billetproof, I was all over the place at least 3 times, and I was in the "garage sale", but I never saw Don. I saw Bill (Gastrick) and his coupe with the Hemi (NICE!), but no Don. I think he must have grown a mustache and worn a toupe to become incognito... or maybe he's avoiding some of us... Hmmmm?:rolleyes::LOL::LOL:

Seriously Don, sorry I somehow missed you again. The roadster is going to look really cool. Now you've got an extra truck body to deal with; will that be another future build thread? :HMMM::whacked::D

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Originally Posted by J. Robinson

...... I think he must have grown a mustache and worn a toupe to become incognito...

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My spies sent me this proof of your suspicions Jim. He was out trying to rustle up some dough for his new project.:D

Dang it! I saw that guy! I had no idea it was really Don in disguise. Now I recognize those shifty eyes...:rolleyes::LOL::LOL:

Very cool project that we'll enjoy watching as well. thanks Dan for the freebies for your Dad! I'm sure you are just being reimbursed for Dad slave labor which you freely give being the generous guy that you are Don. I think it's great that you all support eachother so well. I was surprised you mentioned powder coating after your recent ordeals, but think again it will be a great choice. I'm going to look into doing the brake drums in gloss black, once I get the motor in and running.:D

WOW nothing like just "starting" on a project and being almost done already! :LOL:. It should be a cool ride and look good next to Dan's although that Dodge was looking pretty good as well :D

That`s funny Jim!! Don eludes everyone once again. I unfortunatly had plumbing issues arise the night before the show, so i ended up repiping halve the house while you guys were having fun in the sun.

The new ride looks great Don!! It almost looks like you made that frame for that body. Makes me kinda wonder if you didnt really plan it that way! Tell us the truth Don, you were just waiting to reveal your true plans.

Not fair Don, too much work has been done to call it a new project.

It looks like it will be a nice ride. How much of this will be powder coated?

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Originally Posted by hotroddaddy

That`s funny Jim!! Don eludes everyone once again.

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Don didn't elude me although he tried:D. I caught him trying to sneak out of the hotel Saturday evening and make a swift get away with those Olds hubcaps. I had to run him down to say hello. He claimed that he didn't know I was there because he didn't see my car at the show.

Don, I can see how you would be excited about this project. I think it's fate. The RPU body looks so good on the chassis that you already have built that the whole deal together looks like it was envisioned that way from the start. It has a really good look. I think this one will be another home run for you.

I saw pics of your car at the show Bill, was the trip uneventful? That hemi looks great sitting in there.

Man, I forgot what a tough crowd this was.........I feel like the Rodney Dangerfield of hot rodding. :LOL::LOL:

Yeah, I did get a little head start on this project, it was just very helpful that this body just happened to fit the chassis we already had so well. I think I might be able to bring this one in under $ 3,000.00..........that is if I am able to keep mooching free parts off of my Kids. I think they think I am on my way out, they are being VERY nice to me lately. :eek:

I'm sorry I missed most of you at Billetproof. I kept commenting that we spent the entire day walking around there and didn't run into anyone we knew. I was hoping I would see Hotroddaddy or Jolietjake because I had that front spring I wanted to give to Jake, but I had no idea what he looked like or what he drove. Gastrick later told me Jake owns the cool Chevy II gasser, and I did see that car, but didn't realize who owned it. I did see Jim Robinson's coupe, but not Jim, and I totally missed Bill's Deuce for some reason.

BTW, in case you haven't heard, Bill (Gastrick) took Best Hot Rod, and that was no small accomplishment in that crowd. There were a lot of cars first of all, and secondly, many of them were top notch. Congrats Bill on a very well deserved win, your 32 is just plain bitchen. :)


As for the powder coating, I'm willing to give it another shot, but NO MORE CLEAR! :eek: Dan almost has his frame ready to go back, he skimmed on a second coat of filler last night and this weekend he plans to get the sanding all done so it can go back for the recoat. As you can see in this picture he has been pretty busy sanding away. The one good thing is that the frame should end up better than the first time as he has now sanded it so many times. All that dust on the floor is about $ 200 worth of Drylac filler.



Don

Don--Looks like it will be fun.---Brian

Yeah Brian, I think it will be a fun build. It will be nice to not have to worry about stainless brake lines, or scratching new paint bolting stuff on. Just pure hot rodding like we did when we were a lot younger. :D

Mike, I missed your question. No , the rear is a 3 bar setup from Suicide Doors, and it is sometimes used with air bag rear suspension, but I am using it with coilovers. I needed something short, and this one filled the bill and is very compact.

Don

Don i did not make it this year, but i talked to jay when he was there. i was trying to figure out a way for him to catch up with you cause i knew you were bringing that part for him.

Maybe i can talk him into a road trip soon. Could be fun.

Congrats on the trophy Bill!!!

It is still in the back of Dan's truck, John. I should have hooked up with Jake via email before BP so I could know what he drove and all. It is one heavy baby and I'm not sure what UPS or Greyhound would want to ship it. If he is in no real hurry Turkey Run is only about 8 months away, and we all know how that time flies. I think he mentioned this is a long term project, so maybe that isn't out of line. Have him PM me.

BTW, is that maroon Chevy II gasser his? If so, it is very cool. I looked at it and didn't know whose it was until Bill told me he thought that was Jakes car. We drove to the other motel looking for it ,but he was already gone it seems.

Don

Yes that is Jay`s gasser. He`ll have to tell you the history on that car sometime, it`s a pretty cool story. Im hoping both of us will have our new projects driving by TRR! I better get to work though, cause i have alot of panels to make.

You've just reminded me I have to go out to Dan's truck and get the spring out of the bed. He's driving to Tallahassee tomorrow am and I'd hate to see someone steal it for scrap or something. :D

Don

Ok, it's safely tucked in the house..........that's one heavy spring!

That looks really good Don. Wish I could get "cast offs" like your RPU. Tell Dan to hang in there. I, like many others, are pulling for him. His trk. is going to be a very nice and detailed P/U.
What's that stuff on your back tires? Are your going Concours De Eligance on us?

Earl

I was so anxious to mock up the car I didn't even unwrap the rear tires. Stuck a hubcap in there and instant hot rod. :LOL: Lots of vice grips and wooden blocks at this stage.:o

Don

Hey Don how is your new project going? How about Don Jr. and Dan's as well? We are entertaining and traveling so unfortunately no time for my truck, but wondered how goes it with you guys?

Strange you should ask Steve. :D I haven't done anything major, but I have been pecking away at little stuff that needed to be done. For one thing I had Wheel Vintiques make me some rear wheels for it a while back, and I took them to the powder coater last week. They called Friday and said they were ready, so I picked them up and today I had the Coker L78 x 15 tires mounted on them. The red powder coating is slightly off from the red I painted previously on the front wheels, but since I am running hubcaps it is barely noticeable........besides, this car is meant to be a little rough around the edges.

I found some new old stock Dietz headlights on Ebay that I bought because I wanted a smaller light than I am running on my other cars. They were never previously mounted and only have some shelf rash, so all I have to do is paint them again.........and that will be marginal because I want the body work on this one a little on the crude side. I got the headlights mounted too, then snapped on all four of my 56 Olds hubcaps and sat in my pondering chair for a while. I like it! :D:D I also raised the front of my engine up a little to level the carbs, and that looks better too I think.

Next step is to take some more parts like the front end to the powder coater and also to have Dan finish the little bit of welding I have left on the frame, then it can also be powder coated. I haven't sat in the car making motor noises yet because I suspect Dan and Don are just looking for any reason to commit me and I don't want to give them any ammunition. :eek::LOL:

Here are some shots of my new wheels and tires and headlights. For all practical purposes it is now officially a roller.

Don

Wow! Nice look with the old style caps and the white walls! Should make one fine retro rat rod!

Steve, you have no idea how I agonized over putting the caps on the rear wheels. They looked so nice and smooth after having them powder coated that I hated to scratch them up with the prongs on the hub caps. Finally I took the rubber mallet and popped them on though. Gotta say I'm glad I did, I like the caps too.

Don

I've decided to ditch the 4 speed hydro that is behind the Olds in the rpu and go with a modern transmission. Bendtsens Transmissions makes an adapter to put a th350 or overdrive transmission behind the Olds. I am going to order one this week. I already made the plunge and ordered a built TH350 from Jackson Racing transmissions. I have bought 3 from them previously and have been very happy with them. I decided to go with the tried and true 350 automatic instead of the overdrive because to me they are just more simple and I don't really need an extra gear in this car as I am running 3:42 gears and a 30 inch rear tire.

I will document the installation of the Chevy transmission to the early Olds motor in case anyone here might be interested in doing the same thing. One thing I want to keep is the stock Olds 3 point motor mount system (one mount on the motor and two on the bellhousing) so I will have to make some mounts for that to happen, and probably one under the stock tailshaft position too.

This will also simplify my shifter situation as the old 4 speed hydro was very fat and I would have had to build some so-so shifter. With the th350 I can use another Lokar like I have on the T, or maybe a Gennie this time around to see how I like those.

My alternative was to take the hydromatic to a trans shop to have it gone through, and I bet the tab would have been as high as what this will cost me doing it the modern route. Plus I understand those 59 era four speeds were not the quickest shifting units out there, and I like to bark the tires.:rolleyes::LOL:

Don

Oh, here is the kit that will make this all happen.

Don

Good call on the trans Don (in my opinion). That adapter kit looks like it's comprised of quality pieces. I used an adapter to go from a Chrysler engine to GM automatic in my coupe and I was very happy with the installation and results.

I have fond memories of those old 4-speed Hydramatics.:rolleyes: Back in college I had a '60 Pontiac Catalina 2-door sedan. It was Sierra Copper with a white roof and copper/brown cloth interior. It had dog dish hubcaps and blackwall tires. It was the perfect example of a "grandma car"... until you power-braked it up and launched. Holy crap, Batman!:eek: I've never owned another factory sled that launched as hard as that old Pontiac!:3dSMILE: I surprised a few muscle car owners with that old jewel and it was just a 389 two-barrel. I have no idea what the first gear ratio was in those old Hydros, but that thing would just leap off the line. It probably only went about 35 or 40 feet before the first shift... I believe the first B&M Hydro-stick transmissions were built from those.

Finding parts and someone who can work on one of those now days would probably be a challenge. Also, they are heavy. With the availability of shift kits and higher-stall converters we have now, switching to the later model stuff is probably a good call, but those old 4-gear Hydros were fun in their day.:)

Yeah, Bob from Bendtsens can be a little quirky sometimes and you never know if he will he friendly or blow you off when you call, but he does make some nice, oddball parts. I decided a modern transmission, and also a much smaller lighter one would be the way to go. Didn't want to spend the $2000.00 I'll have in the adapter and the transmission, but it should simplify things a lot.

I also considered buying the adapter they sell to put a stick setup behind the same motor, but there isn't a lot of foot room in there and I kinda like the convenience of an automatic. I got a 2800 stall convertor with it, so it should pull pretty hard with the 3:42's back there.:D

Bill, I saw your adapter setup, they really build a nice one. That's the thing about buying a quality setup like you got, it does what it is supposed to do and saves you a bunch of work.

Jim, I know what you mean about the old 4 speed hydros, they would launch like gangbusters, but only for the first couple of feet before you shifted into second gear. :D

Don

J.Robinson wrote:

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OK, guys. There's something fishy going on here. I was at Billetproof, I was all over the place at least 3 times, and I was in the "garage sale", but I never saw Don. I saw Bill (Gastrick) and his coupe with the Hemi (NICE!), but no Don. I think he must have grown a mustache and worn a toupe to become incognito... or maybe he's avoiding some of us... Hmmmm?

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Funny that's the same conclusion I came to at Daytona this year.:LOL::LOL:
Found the blue T and the T with the bronze wheels, but no Don and son. Traveled 1000 miles to meet my hero and my hero went shopping.:LOL::LOL:
Oh what he hell, met some other neat people. Going to give Don one more chance when I venture down to Ft. Myers area in June.:D

Don wrote:

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I will document the installation of the Chevy transmission to the early Olds motor in case anyone here might be interested in doing the same thing.

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Yes, please do that. I have been considering swapping out my hydro in my 57 for a more modern tranny and would love to see your efforts.

Yeah, sorry Bob, as soon as we park our cars we head for the swap meet area...........might be something we can't live without. :LOL::LOL:

Bob, if you go to Bendtsens website and go down to a section with Thunderods or something similar, there is an article on swapping this transmission into an early Olds. It is pretty informative. I got tracking info on my swap kit, it should be here next week. My plan is to pull the Olds engine and clean it up and paint it at last. It's all done as far as rebuilding it, just needs some red paint put on it, and the carbs sent off to American Carburator for rebuilding and dying.

I'll post up lots of pictures of how the adapter works and all.

Don

Continuing my never ending quest to rescue the American economy one car part at a time :3dSMILE: I received the Bendtsens transmission adapter and the turbo 350 from Jackson's Racing Transmissions also showed up today.:)

I am really impressed with the Bendtsen kit. I always thought the $ 995.00 price tag was a little high, but after seeing the workmanship I can see where it was worth it. The problem is that the 394 Olds engines have a very long bellhousing, so if you simply bolt up a regular adapter plate to them the torque converter is still about 4 inches from the crankshaft and flexplate. This kit puts the flexplate in the regular place (but they give you a new, special flexplate) and a long coupler that moves a triangular plate back to where it will mate up with the 350 torque converter. Pretty well thought out piece, actually.

It comes complete with flywheel, crank adapter, adaper/spacer, triangular plate, and all ARP bolts needed to install it. There are pretty good instructions, but it looks pretty straightforward to me.

I got a few upgrades with the TH350, but it is pretty much the same one I got for my 23T. That one has been flawless. So far this transmission makes number 4 we have bought from Luke Jackson, and we have been very pleased with his service and all that stuff so far.

I don't want to dig into installing this kit just yet because I have to pull the body back off the RPU and modify the engine and transmission mounts. To start on it right now would take time away from me helping Dan get his rod running, and that is priority number one for now. I feel really good that I made the leap and bought this setup that will allow me to use the TH350. I could have had my cast iron Dual Path Olds 4 speed automatic rebuilt for maybe the same money, but I would have had a 1959 transmission that never was a killer when new, and if it went out far from home I would be out of luck. TH350 stuff is available everywhere, so it should be much easier to fix and keep alive.

Here are some pictures of the transmission and the adapter setup. As promised, when we do put this all together I'll do a detailed post in case anyone else is thinking about doing the same thing.

Don

Don - I was looking back through your thread for Dan's rpu. You might want to look back at post #2. You've changed directions on this body that Dan gave you and it was supposed to be done last November!! :eek::LOL::D

WHAT???? ME CHANGE DIRECTIONS OR MISS A DEADLINE????? NEVER!! :rolleyes::D That would be like me saying I could build a car for $ 3,000 and then not living up to my word.

(memo to self: Never put anything in writing again.:o)

Don