Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Dan

on the vent frames; when ya get to them - if the rubber around the frame was like mine - you may have to ''chip'' it out with a small chisel - take your time - after that many years in the track - the rubber gets v v hard and brittle.
i used a small screwdriver and broke it up into pieces then with the ol; WD - 40 i kinda moved it along till i got it out ;
douse the new rubber real good and then it will go in a lot easier - if ya run into probs.
i'll do all i can to help ya thru it - my first set took me 3 hours - next set i did too 30 minutes --

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

by the way great job you are doin on your truck - keep up the good work !

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Daze57, Thanks so much for the kind words. I'd love to tear it all apart and blast each piece, but I simply don't room and I wonder if I'd stay motivated if I couldn't drive it for months/years. But I admire the guys that do that very much.

My vent rubber is rock hard and chunks have already broken away. Plus, safety glass of those days is 2 ply and has delaminated - nasty, yellow-brown bubbles between the layers - ugh! I bought new vent glass. While its all apart I'll paint the frames gloss black (we'll see, my OCD may kick in and I'll buy chrome!). Once I get into it, I think I'll see what you mean about the way it "slides" into place. Are you recommending WD-40 or dishwashing soap to slide it? Anyone else have a suggestion for the best lube to use for this purpose. Is there some material - tape, rubber, bedding of some kind - that goes between the vent glass and the frame it rides in?

Last night I pulled the sheet metal in front of the radiator, sanded, primed, painted semi gloss Rustoleum black. Did some of the inner fenders too. WIre wheeled the latch and used Rusto brite mettalic on it. "While I was in there" I sanded/painted some of the green primer around the edges in preparation for more green later. Once you start making anything look good, the rest looks SO bad!

Bit by bit fellas, bit by bit!

EDIT: PS: Pic's coming tonight; I finally bought some batteries for my camera.

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Yes, there's a window tape product available from the usual suspect vendors. Did you see the pics and write-up I did on this?

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

No, but I'd REALLY like to. Pictures make things so much easier. At least they do for me....guess I'm a little slow that way:lol:

Do you have a link?

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

It may have been on that "other" site. I'll have to dig it up.

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Not sure which "other" site you're referring to but I'd really like any info you can provide. Maybe drop me a PM?

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

http://www.trifive.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64122

the windwings are done. One door glass is done, I'll get some pics of the process when I do the other. Won't be tonight though, going to a ball game.

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

You just HAD to show me the chromed window frames, huh?:lol:

Now I'm REALLY going to want to do that. Any reason why you had yours chromed over buying already-chromed ones? I assume worries about the quality of aftermarket repro's? Can I ask what it cost you to have them done? It's hard to find good chromers is California because of the environmental restrictions.

Anyway, thanks for this. Did you end up using some kind of oil (which kind of you did?). Re-reading it, it sounded like once you corrected the frame spread the glass stuck, end of story(?) I'll have to go looking for some of that tape. Thanks again, Dan

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

dan,
im getting ready to switch my alternator from the passengers side to the drivers side so when i get my a/c the compressor will be on the passengers side, for a much cleaner look.
although my heads have tapped holes in them, i just got some brackets from summit for a 1967 camaro 327. the main bracket utilizes one bolt from the upper drivers side water pump bolt, and also bolts to the tapped hole in the intake manifold, and another bracket system that bolts to the front two exhaust manifold bolts. no need for tapped holes in your heads.... just a thought.. here is what im talking about.
here are the 3 brackets i purchased...

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-G4015/?rtype=10

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-G4050/

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-G4051/

when i do my install i will post pics, hopefully in the coming weeks.

leonard

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Wow Leonard, That is SUPER helpful to me...and CHEAP too compared to...well...anything but especially compared to the $169 "kit" I was quoted by a supplier to my shop. Can't thank you enough.

I looked at the links and they look very good but they SEEM to say you must use parts G4049, G4050 & G4051 together. But you sent links to p/n G4015 - which is a much nicer looking bracket than the 4049. Are you sure those three p/n's you linked are the right combo? I'm definitely buying whichever combo is the right one. Again, thanks!:clap:

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Ok, as promised here are some gratuitous pic's of recent (minor) work on my truck.

The shop put in a new voltage regulator

(If I'd known about 57 3100's Summit links I'd have an alternator instead-DOH!), which made the horn relay above it look even worse than it already did with crusty rust. I decided to remove it, wire wheel it and paint gloss black to sorta match the new regulator.

Then, with that removed I figured I should pull both off to paint the firewall behind...and of course that led to painting other areas:

Cleaned up the terminals on the ballast resistor too and painted that general corner of the engine compartment. Yes, gotta pull the hinge and clean/paint it too. Should I use the brite silver or black? More to come of course.
http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/z...a/DSCN0567.jpg

Inner fender well sanded/painted Rustoleum Pro semi gloss black (Gotta do something about the exposed wiring):
http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/z...a/DSCN0545.jpg

What's this called? The sheet metal above the grill:
http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/z...a/DSCN0553.jpg

Which caused me to clean up the latch mechanism:
http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/z...a/DSCN0551.jpg
http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/z...a/DSCN0548.jpg

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Dan
Is this the piece you mean?
Kim
http://www.brotherstrucks.com/prodin...number=URS5557
http://www.brotherstrucks.com/images/URS5557.JPG

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Yup, that's it. Same as picture #3 above. I largely stripped mine using a wire wheel and a sander but not perfectly. Once I get my sandblaster working I'll go back and probably redo it. But it definitely looks a hella better than it did before.

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

hello dan..... im 99% sure the 4015 will work just as the 4049 bracket, i like it since it has two mounting points and is stronger. i SHOULD be digging into it this weekend, and if i do i will let you know. and yes, its a lot cheaper than those fancy billet bracket setup's,

leonard

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Agreed and much better looking in my opinion. More "correct looking" for our trucks or at least the look I'm going for...and apparently you're going for.

If you can, post some pictures and let me know if its really a straight forward bolt in, or if mods are required to align the pulleys, etc. I'd hate to have to grind on the chrome.

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Paint tha hinges to match tha hood latch

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Under side of the hood will PROBABLY be semi gloss black like the inner fenders. If so, then yes I agree. If I end up painting it green primer like the outside of the body I think I'll still paint the hinges black. I'd thought of doing them in silver...but why bring attention to them? Afterall, its not liek I spent the money to have them chromed.

Thanks for the input. Others?

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

yep, i also like the factory style looking brackets on these old trucks too.
i dug into it today after work, and went farther than i thought i would. i think if you go with either bracket 4015 or 4049 you should be fine, but im running a long water pump and bracket number 4015 is needing modification. made a spacer for the top bolt and also had to open the holes up a bit. then, on the hedder mount brackets i will have to weld them together in some fashion since i need the alternator to mount more forward, again, because of my long water pump. i really feel you should have none of these problems because these brackets are made for drivers side alternator with short water pump, as you are running.
im a welder by trade and love fabbing stuff up like this, and it helps that i have a TIG welder here at the house.
but yes, when its done i will post pics for sure.
take care.

leonard

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Leonard,
Thanks but I THINK I have a long water pump. Isn't the difference that the pump body sits away from the timing cover about 3/4" - 1"? Mine does. Why wouldn't you just switch out the pump to a short one? Or isn't it that easy?

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

oh, i thought you had a short pump...... you could swap out the pump for a short one, but then you would also have to swap out the pulleys on the water pump and crank. i have a newer pump and dont want to swap mine out, and dont want to hunt down some new pulleys.
so i will just modify the brackets i bought and make them work.... messed with it more today. chasing down the right length belts, and i HOPE to have it dont tomorrow. at least have it mounted and be able to fire the motor up and see if the belt stays on. its coming along, but liek they say, custom dont have instructions.
hope to post pics tomorrow.

leonard

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

the two pump setups take completely different bracket setups. The long pump setup is superior in every way except period correctness.

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Maybe thats why whoever installed the 283 in my truck used the long pump?

I've got a STUPID problem. I took my engine compartment apart because I'm cleaning it up/painting and of course I marked wires so I wouldn't forget what goes where? Then I removed the coil to paint it and forgot to mark if the + or the - was to the right or left! Like I said, STUPID. Now I've gotta figure it out. I THINK its negative to the distributor, but I'm not certain. Anyone? Oh and I recently had a Pertronix system installed.

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Re: Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window
 

Thanks Leonard,

I went to the internet too and there's a lot of stuff about newer cars but a lot less about old style ones. I wonder what would happen if I happen to connect it wrong! EEK!