What did you do with your truck today, Part 3

[MJN]

Pulled the box off the frame and got the rear axle pulled out. Cleaning the frame and getting it ready for paint.

[Black_Sheep]

Windshield therapy...

[nvrdone]

ok, this may sound crazy. got the exhaust system finished today & just had to hear how it sounds under full throttle. that resulted in about a 30' burn out. my son and grand son thought it was great. my wife was not impressed. oh well.

[Johns327]

Cleaned up those long tail light bolts. Can't remember who on this site made a comment on them and I thought, 'yeah good idea'. It's the little details.

Now I need to find a better wire cover. The rubber cups over the bulb ends is already cracking. Thinking of stainless over braid and some shrink tube to seal the fray. Other ideas?

[DransportGarage]

Originally Posted by Johns327

Cleaned up those long tail light bolts. Can't remember who on this site made a comment on them and I thought, 'yeah good idea'. It's the little details.

Now I need to find a better wire cover. The rubber cups over the bulb ends is already cracking. Thinking of stainless over braid and some shrink tube to seal the fray. Other ideas?

Bluetooth. Just a little circuit design and you're there! (just kidding, but I can't believe some manufacturer hasn't done that yet...)

Nice touches!

[57tailgater]

Originally Posted by Johns327

Cleaned up those long tail light bolts. Can't remember who on this site made a comment on them and I thought, 'yeah good idea'. It's the little details.

Now I need to find a better wire cover. The rubber cups over the bulb ends is already cracking. Thinking of stainless over braid and some shrink tube to seal the fray. Other ideas?

Maybe a couple of 90 degree spark plug boots to turn the wires inward and then cover w/the stainless steel braid? I like how you did the acorn nuts on the back of the light.

[Fitz57]

Originally Posted by Johns327

Cleaned up those long tail light bolts. Can't remember who on this site made a comment on them and I thought, 'yeah good idea'. It's the little details.

Now I need to find a better wire cover. The rubber cups over the bulb ends is already cracking. Thinking of stainless over braid and some shrink tube to seal the fray. Other ideas?

Classicparts.com has the rubber boot wire cover you are looking for. $4.95 each. Got a set on my 57

[jweb]

Originally Posted by Johns327

Cleaned up those long tail light bolts. Can't remember who on this site made a comment on them and I thought, 'yeah good idea'. It's the little details.

Now I need to find a better wire cover. The rubber cups over the bulb ends is already cracking. Thinking of stainless over braid and some shrink tube to seal the fray. Other ideas?

You can use the stainless conduit that's made for these lights:
https://www.classicparts.com/1941-87...tinfo/49-603/#

[Johns327]

Dransport - I think I will pass on bluetooth taillights, I want them to work ALL of the time.

57tailgater - Plug boots, that is a interesting way to finish the over braid hadn't thought of that, thanks.

Fitz57 - You had them long? Mine were not old, nor did they see a lot of UV, just cruddy cracking rubber.

Daze57 - Wow, 3/4" brake line, what are you stopping. I've seen on some old post of folks using bent tubing for this. They double duty it to hide the wire and support the light, it's very clean.

jweb - I saw those stainless conduit while looking at the rubber boot type. The part that goes over the tail light connection almost looks screw on. Have you ever tried them?

idbeast - I like the truck without the emblems. Your truck looks great!

[jweb]

Originally Posted by Johns327

jweb - I saw those stainless conduit while looking at the rubber boot type. The part that goes over the tail light connection almost looks screw on. Have you ever tried them?

I have them on my '51, if I remember correctly the conduit goes in through the front of the tail light. It's been awhile since I installed these, so I will double check tonight after work.

[Fitz57]

Originally Posted by Johns327

Dransport - I think I will pass on bluetooth taillights, I want them to work ALL of the time.

57tailgater - Plug boots, that is a interesting way to finish the over braid hadn't thought of that, thanks.

Fitz57 - You had them long? Mine were not old, nor did they see a lot of UV, just cruddy cracking rubber.

Daze57 - Wow, 3/4" brake line, what are you stopping. I've seen on some old post of folks using bent tubing for this. They double duty it to hide the wire and support the light, it's very clean.

jweb - I saw those stainless conduit while looking at the rubber boot type. The part that goes over the tail light connection almost looks screw on. Have you ever tried them?

idbeast - I like the truck without the emblems. Your truck looks great!

I just bought them about a month ago, so not sure how they will hold up

[mick53]

I started playing with my 12 port cross flow head. I would like to give a shout out to Mike Kirby, Ryan and Erik Falconer, and Leo Santucci for all their help and putting up with my crazy ideas. They always call me back and spend quite a bit of time with me on the phone. Leo has been great and he is familiar with this head. Additional head studs will need to be installed. As long as it has to go back to the machine shop I decided to have the main caps doweled to remove the 800 hp barrier. I'm also stepping up to a 6-71 blower and 2 650 DP carbs. The water comes out of the head on the side.The intake manifold will have to plumbed to a remote thermostat. The problem I'm working on now is the push rod angle. I don't know how much that can be. I have seen pictures of BBC heads with a lot of angle. The push rods end up outside of the engine. Leo says that's no big deal. They do clear the block. I don't have my rockers yet but the picture is pretty close to the angle they will end up. Maybe offset lifters and special push rods? I just got started on this. The plan then would be to make a backer frame and use original design covers. Probably pull a line into the dry sump from there. It's nice that the intake is on the passenger side because that is where all my oil lines and pump are. The headers will be all by themselves on the "hot side" of the engine. Thank you for your time and any advice in advance. You will notice I have not started polishing the head yet because my confidence level is not that high at this point. You polish it you bought it.

[Daze57]

johns327

On your tail lights get some 3/4 or larger brake line and run your wires in it and bend it to your liking ----simple fast and wires are protected

[idbeast]

I came across a picture from a cruise Saturday... I decided to leave the emblems off for now.

[mick53]

I started making a distributor block off plate for my 292. For a few bucks you can buy many different styles for V8's but can't find one for a 292. 3 O-rings is probably overkill but I have a whole box of them. I will be running a vacuum in my crankcase.

[_Ogre]

dang! fancy smancy

[MiraclePieCo]

I cruised out to a nearby ghost town for a photo session:

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by MiraclePieCo

I cruised out to a nearby ghost town for a photo session:

Cool stuff!


Brian

[mick53]

Still working on my distributor block off plate. I always seem to miss the hole when I measure it so I made a little pin to mark it. I made this little jig so I could cut the small radius. The large one I could put in the rotary vice.

[mick53]

Still working on my distributor block off plate. I used a round over bit for the edges. I usually just sand or file them but they never look quite right. All that is left is to sand polish and prep the block.

[mick53]

I finished the block off plate and cleaned up the block. The inside was never meant to be a sealing surface so I ran a small drum sander in it. She's a plain Jane but I'm happy with her. I realize that a plate with RTV would have worked fine. All it does is maintain vacuum and keep it from sucking in rocks. This is the second time I have made something from scratch on the lathe. I learned a lot and tried new things like O rings. I buy random scraps of 6061 aluminum for about $2 a pound. I only have about a buck in this if you don't count the parting tool I broke. FYI if you don't know anything about speeds and feeds don't use power cross feed for parting. Thank goodness for inserts. Now I will have to address the ugly SBC fuel pump block off. Thank you for your time I feel I'm posting too much.

[Russell Ashley]

Thank you for your time I feel I'm posting too much.[/QUOTE]
No, you are not posting too much. I like what you are doing with that engine and enjoy reading about it. You are doing some beautiful work.

[vintovka]

sweet!

[Kevin Mac]

mick53, looking good, I don't think you are posting too much. i like seeing what you are making. The blank off plate turned out nice.
Mac

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by Kevin Mac

mick53, looking good, I don't think you are posting too much. i like seeing what you are making. The blank off plate turned out nice.
Mac

Yep, amazing work for sure. I will never forget when Billet Aluminum stuff first hit the hot rods, in the eighties. John Buttera funny car racer and rod builder was one of the first to use it on his Model A roadster that would win the "America's Most Beautiful Roadster" award.

He said one of the funniest things ever about it. I forget what it was he had made, I think it was a mirror. And he was quoted in a Street Rodder or Rod Action magazine saying "You simply get a piece of aluminum and mill off everything that doesn't look like a mirror." LOL I have used that joke about bondo ever since.

Brian