Re: Backyard built 55
 

Video link worked.


You remind me of someone ;)


I am subbed to your channel:metal:

You got it going on. :chevy:









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Re: Backyard built 55
 

Let's see where are we? Pulled the motor back out to put my new transmission and torque converter in and then reinstall everything to set my transmission crossmember. The youngest girl wanted to help daddy. I also forgot to post my radiator core support mounts. You can see in the pictures they are pretty rudimentary but they work, I assembled everything on the front to make sure they landed in the right spot before welding them out.

Re: Backyard built 55
 

Simple two piece tab.

Re: Backyard built 55
 

Great Progress:metal:

That is some good looking welds:chevy:














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Re: Backyard built 55
 

Been a couple weeks since I posted got alot done. With the motor and Trans in its final resting spot I'm buttoning up all the small stuff I also built my own drive shaft. Made power steering lines with AN fittings an PTFE hose, swapped to AN fittings on my transmission and using pushlock hoses, mounted my new aluminum radiator, trans cooler, and electric fan. I also put down some kilmat, got a new trans tunnel, mounted my lokar shifter, laid some carpet in it and man does it fit terrible. Probably the last time I use that company, anyways what else oh yeah throttle bracket and cable along with gas pedal put new rubber between the inner femder and cab mounted my dipstick, stripped some.thread haha, and re finished my hood hinges. Think that's about it but who remembers.

Re: Backyard built 55
 

More pics

Re: Backyard built 55
 

I didn't realize the new trans tunnel was fiberglass when I ordered it oh well, feels sturdy.

Re: Backyard built 55
 

the weave on the drive shaft :metal:

rest is fitting up quite nice too, just bangin stuff out.

Re: Backyard built 55
 

coming along really nice your welding skills are top notch. Great progress. Steve

Re: Backyard built 55
 

I apologize in advance as this may sound like a stupid question. How did you measure for the shifter and make the hole so tight so that it just fits? There's a gaping hole in mine for the floor shifter, that was already there.

Re: Backyard built 55
 

Trying to man. Most if the local car shows are around August, September, and October so I'm trying make a few of them.

Re: Backyard built 55
 

Thanks steve I appreciate it.

Re: Backyard built 55
 

Never a stupid question when your looking for an answer. All I did was measure from the edge of the trans tunnel to center of the shifter, and the width, measure from the front of the shifter in park and the back of the shifter in 1st and cut a small hole. Removed my shifter knob so it would slide over, then I took a sharpie and marked the edges where it was tight and used an end grinder and burr bit to slowly open the hole until it fit perfectly.

Re: Backyard built 55
 

Been a minute so I'm gonna drop a whole bunch of photos and info at once haha. I've been asked how this build has came along so quickly? Because I've treated it as a full time job. Literally working 8 to 10 hour days on it to try and get it where I want it. Let's see first I'll go over the battery box, mine tray was trash but the uprights were in great shape I also had a new off of another year truck I'm not sure what it fit but I cut them both up to make one that fit my truck. Worked perfectly. https://youtu.be/Ab6MfFM4I2E

Re: Backyard built 55
 

Next let's move onto the wiring. I ordered a complete update kit from American auto wire and these awesome wirefly crimpers. I CANNOT stress this enough get these crimpers off amazon if you use this kit, your standard harbor freight ones aren't going to work. Even if you do get it spliced together is it going to last for years to come? Probably not. I also soldered every connection and shrink wrapped them for extra insurance. If your a normal guy like me getting a 25 pound box of wiring dropped off at your door was the most intimidating thing to date. It's not hard, yes it takes time, yes you need to go slow but the instructions they send are amazing. The customer service is even better I had a few questions that I thought would kind of stump them or they may have to get back to me, nope every call to them was over within 5 mins because they know their product.

Re: Backyard built 55
 

The only four connections that I didn't crimp myself were the main 175amp fuses that power you fuse box, starter, and alternator. I took them to a local electric shop and they hydrolic pressed them for free.

Re: Backyard built 55
 

This kit even has the single pin connectors to replace your park lights, along with the boots and sleeves to cover the wires. Had to throw alittle tail light action in there.

Re: Backyard built 55
 

Man that came out nice. Back in the like 99 or 2000, I rewired my '56 Merc front to back with wiring I "Johnny Cash'd" from work(if you know what I mean). I literally just cut the harness in the middle of the car, and made new a new harness based on the wiring diagram in the manual. I couldnt find new sockets for the tail lights, so I ended up soldering large balls of solder on the end of the wire for the socket connectors, it worked for several years without issue. So its nice to see new reproduction sockets/wiring are available.

Re: Backyard built 55
 

1) that red firewall n dash still get me every time

2) do you have a URL to the crimper n such? that looks like an upgrade i should buy into here ASAP.

Re: Backyard built 55
 

There a few different choices here, but I think you will find what you are looking for.

https://www.amazon.com/Wirefy-Crimpi...hi&sr=1-3&th=1

Re: Backyard built 55
 

looks like only the 8pc kit comes with the open barrel crimp tooling for weather pack connectors ... looks like you got the 8pc.

:addedtocart:

Re: Backyard built 55
 

i have one of these guys for doing cables with, it's amazing. did steel cable railings in my house, but then also some big-a$s battery cables more recently.

https://smile.amazon.com/Hydraulic-B...s%2C721&sr=1-7

Re: Backyard built 55
 

https://www.amazon.com/Crimping-Tool.../dp/B07GFXHH91

Yeah I got the 8 piece kit it had what I needed.

Re: Backyard built 55
 

Haha that's great man one piece at a time! Also you did something most people wouldn't think of and made it work, ingenuity is a thing of the past these days.