Update, Update

My friend "Rubber Toes" Droz came up from Topeka last week and helped me on the Ford. We put the front bearings and break calipers together and then put the front roller wheels on. We then took the frame off the saw horses and set all four corners down on dollies. Now it can be rolled out of the way when needed. We also rolled the cab back over did more sandblasting. Still have a little more to do. Hope to get that done before the weather sets in. Did some more mudding with the new Metal to Metal body filler and what an improvement over the last old can. Old filler is not good.
Roger also helped me do some figuring on the risers that will be needed if I use the bucket seats I bought. I agreed with him that I will just use the old bench seat for now on mocking up the cab for the steering column and other stuff.
We got into figuring out the brake lines and decided we needed to go to brake line school by asking questions at the Friday car club gathering.
Van and Jim came through again and now have us (me) going in the right direction. Van loaned me his brake line crimper and I bought a roll of 3/16" brake line in town today. I will tackle that project next.

Been a busy week

Got my Axles back Friday from Lynn and he had cut 400 thousands off the bearing retainer rings, which is about 3/8ths of an inch. I put them in and everything seems to work okay now. I also put the backing plates and brakes on with the new hubs. I had some trouble hooking up the parking brake cables but with persistance, they finally went in. I still have to put a couple more clamps on the cables to the frame. Got to find clamps first. I then drug out my roller wheels and tires and put them on the rear. Lookin good so far.
Also this week I found a set of 60/40 bucket seats out of a 95 Ranger on Craigslist in Burlington for 40 bucks. I had to sandblast the slightly rusted bottom slider mechanisms and repaint them black. Got them working pretty well. Looks like I will have to get them reupholstered later on. I also have to build some pedistals to set them on in the cab. I have to do a mockup in the cab when I get it flipped back over.
Also I started using some of the Metal to Metal body filler on the cab this week. When I opened the can it was like concrete in the bottom 1 inch of the can. Tried to stir it up but couldn't get all the lumps out. Took it back to CARQUEST and they gave me a new fresh can. I'll try it out today.

Rear End Trouble

Called Lynn about the rearend not seating and he came over. We decided the retainer rings that are pressed on after the bearings on the axles were too wide not allowing them to seat. He took the axles home and will cut a small portion off the rings. Should get them back this week.
Meanwhile, I bought a coil spring compressor and installed the springs in the front suspension along with the stablizing rods and the sway bar. All thats left there is the bearings and rotors. I will put the shocks in later.
I also made up a brake rod, which wasn't supplied, from the pedal to the brake booster using a 3/8 x 24 thread rod and a tube nut.
After repairing a hole blown in one of my sandblaster fittings I went back to blasting the cab. Got most of it done till I roll it back over.
Today I will go back and fill in some pin holes I blew in the floor boards when I was learning how to use my new welder.
Getting closer to priming the bottom of the cab.

We're Back !

Been gone for 7 weeks and had a great summer on Lake Pend Oreille in Idaho. Also, Nancy held my 70th birthday party in Spokane (50 miles away) While we were there. All eight of my kids and spouses and my 10 grandchildren showed up to "ROAST" the old man. My lifr couldn't get any better.
Got home last Wednesday to the midwest heat. Got the boat unloaded, cleaned up and put away. Got the lawn mowed and other honey doo's finished up and went back to the F1 yesterday. The weather is cooler now which is great.
Went back to installing the rear axles and brakes. Axles wouldn't seat on the flanges. Had about 1/4 inch sticking out. Finally with some quick measuring it looks like the bearings are too wide. I pulled the rearend back out and will take it back to the guy that drilled the axles and pressed new bearings on for me. Anyway I think that is the problem. I'll find out this next week.
Soooo, that means, back to sandblasting the cab today. Also need to finish up some welding of pin holes on the floor boards. I want to prime and seal the bottom of the cab before I flip it back over.
It's nice to be back.

Pend Oreille Lake

Even though we are gone till September, you can see what we are doing by watching Nancy's blog on our trip.

Go to : www.proudmary2011.blogspot.com

Have a great summer.

Norm

Taking a Sabbatical

This week I did get a little time to work on the truck frame. I removed the Pumpkin and reinstalled it with a new Fel-Pro gasket adding some Permatex Hi Tack sealant to each side of the gasket. I added copper gaskets and torqued the nuts down to 35 lbs. Will install the axles and backing plates with the brakes when I get back.
We leave this morning for Bayview Idaho for a six week stay on Nancy's boat "Proud Mary".
Sooo, I will be off the beaten path til the first week of September when we ( I ) will get back to work on my favorite project.
Stay tuned, more coming.

Rear Parking Brake Bracket Mounted

Worked on the parking brake bracket and cable installation today. Good thing I took some pictures before taking everything all apart. I bought a maintenance book for the Ford right after I brought it home and the book is also helping with the reinstall of the original parts that will go back on, like the parking brake system. I also sandblased the parking brake handle that goes in the cab and painted it. It won't go on for a while, but it will be ready. I need one more clevis to mount the front cable to the back bracket. It was lost somewhere between 1972 and now. Possibly when I took it apart.
I'm going to put the rearend together tomorrow. I need some permatex hi tack sealant for the differential gasket, then it goes together. This will allow me to apply the axles. I installed the axle seals today.

Rear Parking Brake Bracket and Cables

The picture is of the rear parking brake bracket that fits under the cross member it's setting on. I took it all apart, sandblasted everything and ran a tap and die over the nuts, bolts and anything else that has threads. They are drying with gloss black paint as I write this. Will install of it next week. Got new cables from LMC Truck out of Kansas City and on arrival found they were made in Australia. The world is getting smaller. At least they wern't made in China.
Someone asked me what a 355 Chevy was. It's a 350 Chevy block that has been bored out .030 over standard bore. Been doing some research on the 350 block and heads. The double hump 291 heads are a plus that have been rebuilt with new valves (large) and springs. It's got a GM performance crank and Edelbrock mild cam. New Speed Pro dished .030 over pistons. A new HP Melling oil pump and new Melling double roll timing chain. Also has an Edelbrock Performance intake. The block looks like it was cast sometime between 1969 and 1979. looks like it was a great deal so far. We will see on the tear down.
Have a great fourth of July weekend.

355 Chevy Engine

My friend Bob (No Job Johnny) found a 355 Chevy engine on Craigslist locally for sale that is supposed to have been gone thru with a complete rebuild. I got a good price on it and we will take it to the guy that rebuilt Bob's 350 chevy engine and tear it all apart to check it out. This will be a little extra out of the pocket but worth it to find out what's inside. The guy that will do the work is busy with race season now and will do my project this fall or winter. Since we leave for Idaho the end of next week for six weeks, this will work out fine. I have most of the suspension back on the frame now. Just a few more parts to paint and apply. Lookin pretty good so far if I do say so myself. The rain has stopped me from finishing up the blasting on the cab. Looks like I won't get that done til I get back in September.

Going Back Together

This last week I have been painting parts that didn't get powdercoated and reassembling the suspension. I changed from lock washes and standard nuts to flat washers and NYLOCK nuts for everything. Got this tip from Jim Luther who used to work For CASE. He said the lock washers would break under stress and then the bolts were loose so they went to NYLOCK nuts for everything. Works for me.
The pictures this week are of my best helpers. Jordie, My granddaughter was here for a week and helped me out. I couldn't get her to do any sandblasting.
Nancy is my BEST helper. when I need a helping hand, she is always there.
The rain still holds off any sandblasting on the cab, but many other things to do.

First Bling

Got the frame and suspension parts back yesterday afternoon. Sebastians Blasting and Powdercoating did a great and fast job. When I got there about noon yesterday, the parts had just cooled down from the oven and were being loaded on my trailer. I had him do everything in gloss black and it all turned out very nice.
Now to start putting it all back together. Hope I can remember what goes where. Oh yes, I think I have some pictures.

Frame & Suspension to Blasting and Powdercoating

Took the frame and suspension parts over to Gladstone IL (about 25 miles from here) this morning for reblasting and powdercoating with a gloss black color. Should get it back on Friday or Saturday bright and shiny. Then it's reassembly time.
BIG rain storm again last night. This stuff never stops.

Frames back apart

My friend Roger came up from Topeka this last weekend and helped me take the frame and all the suspension parts apart. Tomorrow I will go over to Gladstone Illinois and talk to Sebastians Sandblasting and Powdercoating and see if and when I can get all these parts reblasted and powdercoated. Once that is done I can put all the parts back together and not have to remove them again. I can then finish up the front and rearend and put the temporary wheels and tires on as rollers.
Still too much rain, so no sandblasting on the cab. I did get a couple of good Harley rides in with Roger though.
I also spent a lot of this last weeks time working on the boat getting it ready to pull out to Idaho in July for the rest of the summer on Lake Pend Oreille, just north of Coeur d'Alene. I won't be able to work on the F1 out there, but the leisure time will be great. I seem to have a lot of that.
Thanks to whom ever is responsible.

A lot of little things

Got most of the welding done on the cancer parts of the cab this week by cutting out the old and putting in new metal. I also welded in the new bottom door seal retainers. I drilled 1/8th inch holes through the old retainers before I ground them off as they had been spot welded on. I used the holes to weld thru from behind and plug welded the new retainers on.
I have a bit more sandblasting to do on the inside of the cab and then it will be all down to bright metal. I ordered body filler and two kinds of primer today and that was a pricey bunch of items.
I also got some Dura Sanding blocks for all the hand sanding to come.
I made a roll-a-round cart out of an old BBQ stand I was going to junk, to hold all the sanding equipment. That way I can roll it to the work sight and it's all in one place.
The rain continues, so the Blasting has to wait.
I want to coat the bottom of the cab before I flip it back over. Haven't decided yet, but think seam sealer first, then primer, then maybe POR-15.

Rusty Repairs

Cut a lot of little pieces of rust areas out and replaced them with new 18 gauge metal. My welding skills are getting a little better since going to the number 23 wire and slowing down the feed. I don't think anything will fall off, but a little filler will help the cosmetics. It's going slow, but I am enjoying the process and learning. Been reading up on fillers and primers and getting advice from the Friday Car Guys group. They have a multitude of knowledge and very willing to give me good advice pointing me in the right direction. The rest I am learning on the internet. Google is fantastic and YOUTUBE is a great educational tool.
Going to get some stuff to get started soon as I finish welding all the new pieces in.

Rust Removal

Rainy lookin out today so started cutting out the rusty parts on the cab. Hopefully these small pieces won't be too hard to make and weld in. I don't have a brake to bend the metal, so I improvise in a vise and hammering over a piece of 1/4 inch steel tubing thats 1 1/2 inch square.
I need to sandblast back up in these holes before I weld any new metal back in to get as much rust out as possible. I will then spray some rust preventative back in where you can't get to very well. More cutting and fitting tomorrow, or sandblasting.
This is some of the boring part, but has to be done so it doesn't start rusting again in a couple of years.

It's good to be a stripper

Well, no one worked on my F1 while I was gone so got back at the stripping/sandblasting today. Got most of the top and front cowel finished. Looks like rain again tomorrow so probably no blasting outside.
Had a great time on our motorcycle trip. Nine days, seven states and 2800 miles. Went all the way to Clovis, New Mexico. Went over the Rockies at Eagles Nest, North and West of Taos at 10,000 feet. Had three feet of snow up there but the road was clear. We were fighting the wind most of the trip and had some 50 to 60 MPH gusts in New Mexico and Texas. Was very dry in the South West but very wet in Eastern Oklahoma and Arkansas. The last 100 miles home it was 47 degrees and a blinding rain. In all my 70 years I have never been that cold. Had to spend about 20 minutes in a hot shower when I got home to warm up.
I had the most fun. Ready to plan next years ride.

Bare Bottom

The sandblasting is coming along nicely. Got all the bottom blasted and now working on one side. Got part of the front cowel and firewall done too. I have to stop and rescreen the sand and fill the blasting pot a lot but with what i'm getting paid to do this, time is not a measure.
Raining today so spent the time rechecking the Harley and packing clothes. Supposed to be 72 and sunshine tomorrow. It's 1370 miles to Silver City, New Mexico, so hope it stays that way for another 10 days.
Wonder if any little helpers will come in and finish this sandblasting while i'm gone.
A lot of wishful thinking going on in my head. Time for a libation.

Cab Back Off

I took the cab back off today and rolled it on it's back on the roll around cart I made. I put some thin plywood down for a ramp out in front of the garage so I could set up for sandblasting again. I want to blast the bottom to get all the rust off and repair any problems that show up.
You can see in the picture the part of the floor pan that I renewed. It's the real shiny part.
Anyway, only had a little sand left to try this. Works pretty well but the nozzle kept plugging up and that was the trouble I had blasting the frame until I got the air and sand flow regulated. Looks like I'm ready now, so tomorrow I will go to town and get more sand and some better plywood to roll out on. This will also allow me to collect the spent sand and reuse it again. I'll have to put my inclosure up also.
If it rains and I can't get outside I will start taking the suspension all back off the frame and get the frame and parts ready for powdercoating.
Friday, the "Old Dogs" and I leave for this years motorcycle ride. Going to New Mexico instead of North Carolina. The weather should be better. Maybe we'll do a second ride this fall to The Tail of the Dragon. Got to get there some day.

Welding the Gasholes.

My fingers are healing quite nicely. The weather is drizzly, but at least it's starting to warm up. Finally got back to work on the F1 the last few days. While welding the gasholes up, I found out my welding skills on 18 gauge metal sucks. I did pretty good on the floor hole but the gas fill on the passenger side of the cab was another story. I blew a bunch of holes in it before going to a smaller welding wire and slower speed. Van Aldershof gave me this tip and it's getting better. I need a lot of practice. This make me rethink filling in all the holes in the firewall. I'll practice some more and may do it anyway a little later.

Why i'm so quiet.

I probably shouldn't be telling on myself, but there's a reason I haven't posted anything for a while. As I stated last time, it was getting cold outside again, so I decided to get started on a lamp project in the wood shop for my daughter Mary. Things were going quite well until I was making a test cut on the table saw with a way to short piece of wood. The resulting kickback has slowed me down to a healing period, or a waste of my time as I call it. In the twenty years I have been working on that saw, I only did stupid things twice. (that I know of). I got a kickback about 10 years ago and was hit in the stomach resulting in a bruise to it and my ego. This time I wasn't so lucky. From the picture you can see the results. I only post this to show those that don't work safely what can happen, hoping now that you will. I'm not stupid, but it was a stupid thing to do. Anyway, the weather is great now and I will be at it again very soon. Thanks for sending the sunshine.

Whats the diffeence between 72 degrees and 45 ?

Well, it got up to 72 degrees this last week, and thats a nice temp to work in. I wanted to finish welding the pans in today, and did get that finished, when I noticed the temp was dropping again. 45 degrees out now, so came inside to cut out a filler piece of metal to weld in the hole in the floor where the gas line from the tank behind the seat went. After welding that in (maybe tomorrow) I will take the cab off the frame and roll it 90 degrees so I can sandblast the bottom.
Somebody send me some sunshine.

Spring coming ???

WOW, am I glad that spring is almost here. Didn't get back in the garage until this last week. The older I get, the less I like cold weather.
Anyway, got the shelving finished and Nancy helped me put it all together. Almost have all the shelves full already. At least now I can move around in the shop. After filling the shelves, I moved all the patio funiture out and power washed it all. Got the lawn mowers cleaned up and out of the way.
I finally got back to fitting the drivers side floor pan yesterday. It's almost ready to start welding in. Once that is done I will start filling all the holes in the firewall. I want to clean it up and make it less cluttered. Then I will roll the cab and tackle the bottom.
Feels good to get back at it.

Winter won't quit

Got another 2 inches of snow on the ground last night. This stuff won't quit Was lookin good yesterday till this last storm blew in. Oh well, this one wasn't bad.
Been working on the shelving and have one set painted and up. Got to finish the 6 cross pieces for the other one. Going to town today to get some chip board for the shelf inserts. Gonna get this garage straightened out yet. At least it's warming up into the high 30's so I can do some things in the garage.

What a winter!

This was the fifth worst winter recorded in Iowa history. Fortunately I was in Washington State when the snow hit the fan. Got home a few days ago and was glad my neighbor had plowed out my driveway. Would never have gotten into the garage.
I went to a local used sales place in Mount Pleasant on Monday (Valentines Day) and bought Nancy some used shelving so I can organize the big garage. (Got her some flowers too.) It is getting out of control with all the Ford parts laying all over. I am in the process of sanding down the cross pieces and repainting them before I put them together. I bought two units, 8 feet tall, 8 feet long and 30 inches deep. I will put three shelves in each unit. My compressor lines thawed out so I'm in business again.

Air line froze up

Got the blasting cabinate all put together and piped. Cranked up the compressor and blasted the headlight buckets. Worked great. Very quiet and no mess. Found some corroded holes in the aluminum buckets after all the crud was blasted off. Mixed up some good old liquid steel and filled the holes after I used blue masking tape as a backer. Worked out pretty good, and after a little sanding and a coat of grey primer you can hardly tell the repair.
Yesterday I got some grill pieces out of the garage and brought them in to sandblast. Guess what, The lines coming from the air compressor are frozen (should have blown the moisture out) so, no more blasting until we get a thaw. Lifes little uphill struggles. More Learning.
Have to go to Washington State for a few weeks, so maybe it will be warmer when I get back.
Looking at a set of gauges from Speedhut. The legacy series. The speedometer is a GPS unit which requires no hook-up to the transmission. We've gone from mechanical speedometers, to electronic, an now GPS. Thats the future.

Time to do a little winter work

Well, been sick with the flu the last week or so and almost back with the living.
After the fiasco with the sandblasting in my wood shop, I decided to bite the bullet and buy a blasting cabinate. Got one today from Harbor Freight (the other China Town) up in Cedar Rapids, along with some car dollies. I will use the dollies soon to be able to move the truck around easier in the shop.
I put the blasting cabinate together this afternoon and still need a few piping parts to get it going. I put it in my wood shop for now so I can work on parts in the warmth. This should also cut out the big mess I did with the blasting pot. Your never to old to learn.
Been contimplating new dash gauges and will get some advice/opinions from the Friday car guy gathering tomorrow,
5 degrees here this morning when I got up and never got above 16 today. How far away is Summer??? MOTHER OF PEARL, bring me some heat!!!!

New Music Box Done

Here's a couple of pictures of the finished Music Box. All out of black walnut and it weighs 68 pounds with the wind-up mechinism installed. Had to build a second top as the first one didn't turn out as I wanted.
Also been working on a build list for the F1, which I should have done a long time ago.
The weather is supposed to warm up to the mid 40's tomorrow and 57 for Friday (the last day of 2010) so think I will work on the drivers side floor pan before the weather hits again.
Happy New year to who ever reads this stuff. Hope yours has been as good as mine.

Still here

Well, after a few libations and a few weeks away from the F1 project I thought I better check back in. After cleaning up the sandblasting fiasco, I decided to return to a wood project I left hanging about a year ago. Besides, it's cold outside and I need to get this project off my list. It is a new box for a badly beat up, hundred year old, Regina wind-up music box for a friend. I am putting the finish on it as we speak. One coat of Walnut stain and three coats of wipe on poly with a good wax job over all that will get it done. I built it out of Black walnut. After much research on the internet, I decided I didn't want to mess with the inner working, as all those little parts are worth a lot more if you don't mess with them, or I should say, If I don't mess with them.
The first picture is me contemplating in my Barco lounger and the top picture is of the original Regina box made out of white oak. I will post the new finished box when complete.

Running Boards

Weather turned on me and slowed the progress on the floor pans. Decided to try and move some work inside to my little wood shop in the house. Got a bright idea to run an air hose from the big compressor to the work shop in the house. Did that, and decided I should try some sandblasting in the shop on the running boards as it was too cold to work in the garage. Blasting went great and finally figured out how to use the new blaster I bought. Works 4 time faster than the Sears one. It also puts sand and dust everywhere. I'm still finding sand in my underwear. Decided that was not a good decision. Meanwhile, my sewer line backed up this week and after breaking a rented power auger and augering in the rain and hail, the plumbing is fixed again. I have been spending the last few days cleaning the sand and dust out of my shop. This whole plan did not make Nancy very happy, including the plugged sewer line. I'm almost 70 years old and still learning little lessons in life.
Today is Thanksgiving Day and hope all of you have a great one. I am going to set back, rethink things and plan a different direction. Possibly a libation or two may be involved.

Welding the Floor Pans

After finishing up the back brakes, started welding in the right floor pan. I'm finding that welding 18 gauge metal takes some skill. Got about 3/4's of it welded up. Well work on it again tomorrow. Have to get some grinding disks for my air grinder so I can clean up my mess. Practice, Practice, Practice.

Brakes complete

The rear brakes have not been completely put together because I haven't been able to find one of the missing parking brake link bars. Spent way too much time on the internet and locally trying to find a replacement and didn't want to pay some E-BAY dork 25 bucks and shipping for one. Finally bought a piece of 3/16 x 1 1/2 flat bar and traced the one I had on it and used a grinder and a cutoff wheel to make a new one. Didn't turn out too bad and only cost me $5.37 and about a half hour time. Brakes are complete and together except for the emergency brake cable which I will buy later.

Cab Floors Going In

Got the cab mounted but had the wrong bolts. Put temporaries in so I could work on the floor. Will get the right ones tomorrow when I go to town.
Cut out part of the right side floor with an air cutting disc then smoothed things up with an angle grinder.
Grinding is such fun. Makes you think of fireworks and the 4th of July, until you catch your nose hairs on fire. Brings tears to your eyes, trust me. Anyway, got the right side almost ready to weld in. Lookin better already.
I will wear a dust mask when I do the left side and save the nose hairs. At least I won't have to trim them for a while.

Gas Tank In

Got the Gas Tank installed yesterday. Bought some 1 1/2x1/2 C channel for brackets to hang the tank. Welded some 3/8 nuts to the channel and mounted them on frame cross members. Bent the straps that were included with the tank and drilled them for 3/8 bolts. Used some vinyl bathtub tape to cushion between the tank and the straps. Worked out pretty well. Decided to go ahead and run the filler out the top through the bed. Been done hundreds of times before by smarter folks than me so should work okay.
Bought a 4x4 sheet of 18 gauge metal to do the patching on the cab and the fenders. Going to mount the cab solid today so I can start replacing the floor. This will test my fabrication and welding abilities.
I think yesterday was the last nice day before the cold part of fall sets in. Will try to get as much done on the floors before I have to move inside.

More demolition

Have to decide to either put the gas tank fill in the bed of the truck or run it out the drivers side in the fender. Either way will take some fitment so will ponder that for a while and went back to the cab. Ordered some cab mount brackets from LMC Truck Parts and will get them on Monday. Took the front cab glass out without breaking it but the back one is now in more than one piece. The rubber moldings were very old and brittle. Should have used a little more patience with the back one, but my friend Roger says "Patience is a waste of time." It also costs you money if your not.
Pulled all the rest of the dash parts out except the windshield wiper motor and the parking brake handle. It gets interesting figuring out how the Ford engineers put things together. Discovered a secret toggle switch under the dash by the start button that you have to turn on before you can start the engine. I think most people just left it in the on position as I started the original engine without knowing it was there.
Want to tie the cab down so I can start working on the floor pans. Also have to fill in the hole in the floor where the gas line from the tank went and the hole for the gas fill on the passenger side. Need to buy a sheet of 18 gauge metal fot the patch work.
Had some more helpers show up on a return from Mexico. I think their sober now.

Gas Tank & Cab Mount

Got my new Poly 14 gallon gas tank this week from "Tanks" here in Monticello Iowa. Proud to find out it is even made in Iowa. Wa Hoo. Also got parts to mount the cab back on the frame from National Parts Depot. Nancy helped me put the cab back on but it's not tied down yet. Roger Droz (Toes) came up from Topeka and has helped me take the mock engine and transmission back out so I can return them. Will maybe need them later again.
We are going to work on the installation of the gas tank today and will have to do a little head scraching for that project.

New Driveline

Got my new driveline back from Quality Repairs in Danville yesterday. When asking about shortening my existing driveline, Bryon told me that it was built for about 100 horsepower and probably wouldn't hold up under the 300 HP I was putting in and said I should go for a whole new setup. Turned out great and when I asked Matt if it would take the 300 HP I was putting in, he smiled and said, "this baby will take 800 Hp if you want it to". Enough said. I did a quick line up with the dummy tranny and rearend and looks like it will fit fine. You will notice the new one is about 6 3/4 inches shorter than the original, that takes care of the bigger 350 V8 block and longer 700R4 transmission.
Gas tank is ordered from "Tanks" in Monticello Iowa and should be here by the end of the week. Also ordered a cab mount kit from National Parts Depot in Canton Michigan. That should be here by the end of the week.
Gonna get cold outside soon and will have to move my Mig welder inside and start working on fenders and running boards.

Cab back on

My best helper helped me put the cab back on yesterday. Two of the best things I have is a great helper and that gantry crane. Now I know the cab sets back far enough that I can get the distributor out and there is lots of room up front of the small block and fan for the radiator and transmission cooler. The room behind the distributor was the important part as I don't want to have to pull the motor to get it out.
Have to bolt the cab down so I can start working on the new floor pan. The rear of the cab hooks to the frame with a rubber bushed bar on each side and the one on the drivers side wanted to stay put. Was rusted in. I finally had to grind the bolt off both sides so I could get it out and sandblast the rust off. Their in pretty bad shape with most of the rubber bushing gone, so i'm going to order a couple of new ones today from LMC TRUCK along with a new cab mounting kit.
Also have to figure out how to get the rust off the bottom of the cab floor. May have to roll it 90 degrees so I can clean it easier, but thats a way off yet.

Brake system

Got a little ahead of myself this week. After installing the mock engine and transmission and put the pumpkin back in the rear end, I couldn't figure out why I had to rase the transmission tail so high the get the carb base level. Jim Luther and Van Aldershof came down and straighened me out. I wasn't compensating for the "set" of the frame and had the front end too high. Came right into place when I lowered it down, then the pinion angle was easy to dial in. They told me to wait til further into the build before I finally weld the rear spring perches in their final place as the added weight with all the sheetmetal will change things considerably.
I was going to set the cab back on today to see if there was enough room for the engine, distributor and floor pan, and as I was moving boxes around I found out I hadn't installed the hangers for the brake system. Got it all in but missing an adjusting rod from the brake pedal to the booster. I put in a piece of plastic pipe temporarily and will make or buy one later (Don't forget Norm).
I did measure and order a new driveline from Quality Repairs in Danville, that will be finished on Tuesday.

Almost hear it run

Was a good day today. Went to town and picked up a gutted 700r4 transmission case from Jim Luther and an almost gutted 350 block from Larry Gerdom to do the mock up for the tranny mount. Got it all together and drilled and bolted in the tranny mount. I also drilled holes in the frame for the front brake lines. Next I have to put the pumpkin back in the rearend so I can measure and get the drive line cut, rewelded and balanced. Then I can set the rear end angle and weld in the spring perches. Then I will set the cab back on and bolt it down so I can weld in a new floor pan.
Yesterday I went to see Rick Evans who is building a chopped 50's Plymouth station wagon hotrod. I wanted to look at the frame he just had powder coated. Turned out great and made me decide that after I get all the items welded on my frame and all the rest of the holes that need drilled, I will have this frame powder coated also. It really will look a lot better that just paint and outlast me. The cost is a lot less than I expected.

We're Back

Had a great time in Europe. Saw a lot of old stuff and drank some good wine and beer. Had some catching up on home chores for a couple of days but got to go to a great car show in Quincy yesterday and saw a beautiful silver green F1 there. Excellent job on it and gives me more incentive to get back on my project.
One of the guys in the Friday group had his frame for a Plymouth he's building, blasted and powder coated for a reasonable price close to Burlington. I'm going to go look at it this next week and think this will be the way I go on the frame. Also, this next week I will borrow a gutted 700R4 transmission and empty 350 block for mock up so I can finish putting in the transmission crossover piece.
Nice to be home again.

Follow Us in Europe

If anyone's interested in seeing what we're doing on our trip you can follow us on Nancy's blog http://wwwnormandnancy.blogspot.com

Backing plates built

Got time today to work on the backing plates and put all the brake shoes , cylinders and springs together. Had a little trouble with some of the springs as I don't have a spring tool. Improvised with screw drivers and vise grips. A couple of the springs went flying and I had to spend some time looking for them but after laughing at myself I got them together. No more time to work on the project as we leave on Wednesday. Will continue when we return.

First paint

Got the brake drums, backing plates and pumpkin painted with what is called Chassis Black paint. I put a black self etching primer on first. Paint is from Eastwood.
Looks like things will have to wait for a while now as we are taking a trip to Europe starting this Wednesday and won't be back until the middle of October, so will check back in then when I build the backing plates with all the brake parts
My goal for the 35 day trip is to drink a different beer each day. My mother would be proud.

Parts are back

Been a couple of weeks since I've been able to get back on the F1. Had lots of rain, heat and company. All was good except the rain and heat.
Got all the parts back for the rear end and brakes. Need to sandblast the pumpkin (differential) and paint all the parts before I put it all together. I also have to research or get expert help on setting the angle of the differential so I can weld the new spring perches in place. This should be around 3 degrees upward. More on that later. Paint tomorrow and then build the brakes on the backing plates.

Rear suspension finished (almost)

Yesterday was another hot one but decided that while the rear differential was apart, and much lighter, I would finish up the rear suspension. I reapplied the springs and mounted the rearend housing in place and marked where the shock mount bar was going. Then I flipped the frame over with the gantry crane (it's getting heavier) so the drilling of the holes would be easier. Got everything together including the rear sway bar. Thats when I found out I have the wrong bolts for the top shock mounts. Will get some to fit next week. The sway bar in the picture is still covered with bubble wrap as it is chromed.
I have one more cross piece to install yet and that is the transmission mount. I have to get a gutted 700R4 transmission case and an old small block Chevy engine to mock that in place. Then I think I will take it all apart and paint the frame.
Also been working on one of the front fender mounting pieces that had one end partially rusted away. Welded it up and ground it down. Still more to do on it, but it's good practice for me.
Only have two weeks left before we leave for Europe for five weeks.

New Drums

Mother of Pearl, new brake drums. Ordered them from NAPA yesterday and picked them up this morning. Checked the fit and then took them over to Lynn Perry for redrilling. Should have them back next week. Now I have to get all the innerds. All the shoes, cylinders, springs etc. to rebuild the backing plates. You just have to find the right place for the right stuff.

Rear end housing blasted

Well, second set of brake drums came in yesterday and again the wrong ones. On a better note, Lynn Perry called me and he had the axles drilled and new bearings installed. Very nice job. He suggested that if I was going to sandblast the housing that the new seals should be put in after that. I picked all the stuff up from him and came home and blasted the housing. Then I washed it good with my power washer and blew it dry with compressed air. I let it set in the sun for a while to make sure it was dry and then shot it with some Eastwood chassis black primer. The housing is a bit pitted so will ask the experts if I could or should use some Evercoat filler to smooth out the surface before I finish painting it. I may have to remove the primer I just put on to do that but I need it now to finish mocking up the rear suspension.
Think I will work on the drums with a different parts dealer. We both have spent a lot of time trying to get the right ones. Maybe NAPA will become my new best friend.

Heat and Rain, Heat and Rain

A lot more heat and rain this last week, but since I think it's only my mom that reads this stuff, I procrastinated till today to add anything. I did some sandblasting of parts early in the week but could only go till noon. It was 97 degrees one day with a heat index of 110. I stayed out too long that day and haven't blasted since. Besides, got kids and grandkids here now.
I did order brake drums for the 9 inch rear end and they arrived Saturday. Wrong ones. Took them back this morning and should have new ones on Wednesday. This is the fun part of Hotrodding. The hunt.

New Floor Pans

The new floor pans arrived yesterday. I researched the internet to find the best ones and found out that BOTP (Blue Oval Truck Parts) were in the ball park as all the other manufacturers, except they are made in the good old USA. I like that and they even engraved USA in the pan. It will be a while before I start installing them as I have to put the cab back on the frame and bolt it down so it doesn't get tweeked out of shape with the cutting and welding. Meanwhile. I cleaned up the pumpkin and it's ready to be reinstalled in the rear end housing when I get it back. Still searching for rear brake parts. Hope I don't have to go to disk brakes although thats not bad, just more expensive. Sandblasted four more parts this morning encluding the radiator mounting frame, front fender mounts and front gravel pan.