Well, I got some miscellaneous "stuff" done recently. I got the fittings and nipples on the power steering filter figured out. It doesn't look like much, but it took some time to figure out the angles to set the fittings at to keep the hoses from kinking when coming into or going out of the filter head.
I also got my electric fans mounted. This was a bit tougher than I expected because of the clearance (or lack thereof) between the intercooler and the power steering cooler. With a little creativity and adjustment of mounting shims, it was able to be accomplished.
With the fans mounted, I was able to install the intercooler (hopefully for the last time). I have not started building the wiring harness yet, so the wires are just tucked out of the way for now.
I also finished hacking the hood latch support. I removed so much of it for intercooler and then fan clearance that I felt it needed to have some structure added back into it. I welded a piece of 1" x .125 flat stock to the drivers side of the support from top to bottom. It probably weighs as much now as when I started cutting it and is probably as stout, if not stouter.
I'm not sure why, but every time I make a battery tray I forget to provide a provision to hold the battery down. It is a minor detail, but one worth having available. Of course the trays were both painted and one was installed, but I managed to come up with a hold down provision that both functioned well and was relatively easy to install. I got a couple chunks of 5/16-18 all thread and a handful of coupler nuts. I welded one coupler nut on each side of the tray. Then I took a piece of all thread and dropped it through the top strap that I made out of some 1" flat stock welded to a couple pieces of 1/2 x1/2 angle stock. I threaded them into the coupler nuts that I welded to the tray. then, I threaded another coupler nut down the all thread until it hit the top strap and I cut the all thread off flush with the top of the coupler nuts. I then removed the all thread with the coupler nuts still on them and welded the top of the nuts to the top of the all thread. I cleaned them up and painted the nuts. I think it turned out pretty ok.
Along the way, my boy came out wearing a mask that my wife and he had made earlier in the day. He goes by and says he is going to go weld. Uh, ok. Have fun!! Well, I got to thinking about him welding and being that he can't watch me do it, I figured I'd make something for him to use. I started with a piece of 1/2" o.d. copper tubing for the handle/nozzle and soldered a piece of 12ga solid core wire in the center for the electrode. A little bit of black electrical tape and we had a MIG (GMAW) welder on our hands. After presenting it to him he said that he's been waiting for me to make one of these for him. Gee, sorry it took so long boy.
The end result:
Gorilla mask, er, uh, helmet down and welder in use:
Now, I am either too poor or too cheap (probably a combination of both) to pony up for the gold plated factory tow hooks. Seeing as how I have a set of '73-'80 hooks gathering dust, I figured they would go well with the rest of the originality I am maintaining.
Initial fitment:
Installed:
I think they look pretty good. Yeah, some factory ones would be cool and some extreme bends would probably be even cooler, but I think these are a good compromise between form, function and cost.
Maybe it's just me.