Topic: NAS-T

[Blackwater]

Got all the parts for my 2X4 carb air filter assembly.  My sister-in-law bought a Holley White Box oval air filter for a single 4bbl for Christmas.  We couldn’t find anything I liked for 2 fours within reason. I ordered two of the little Specter chrome 6” filters to get the filter bases I needed and they arrived today.  I’ve started reworking the oval filter base to fit my twin Q-jet setup.  No pics yet, but I’ll take some when I get it done.

[Blackwater]

 I had to take another break because of my foot. I may have to have another stem cell graft.

ANYHOW! I spent some time in the shop today, welding the pieces to change the air filter base together.  The bottom plate is made of some good #20 steel, but the 5 1/8" carb plates are made of flimsy galvanized #22, so when the welder hits it, it almost evaporates before you get a decent puddle started.  It was all gobbed up by the time I got it together and solid.  I ground out all of the warts and redid some of the voids and got it where it fits and looks good.  Took some work to get the warpage and unevenness out of it.  I still have to fabricate hold downs for it and I'll epoxy both sides to seal up any pinholes and to make it look nice and smooth.  After that, a shot of paint and it's ready to go!

Pics when I get 'em edited and downloaded.

[Granpascrazzy]

Looks really good. 
Rest that leg and do as the Doc says.

[Blackwater]

The graft was performed on Wednesday morning!  I’m hopeful that this will be the last series of these I’ll have to do!

I took it easy Thursday, getting some things arranged for the care and feeding of the foot.

Friday morning, I went to town and got fuel for the shop heater and stopped by the muffler shop to have some pieces made to attach the mufflers to my headers. I have to shorten the primary tubes, move the collectors forward, install the adapters I had  made, and hang the mufflers on the collectors.  I had an old racing buddy come to help this morning and we cut the right side primaries and did a mockup.

Tom, my racing buddy, is a top shelf metal fabricator and is a damn good all around hand.  I had started on the floor panels, but detoured from that project to get the carbs and air filter base done, so with him here, we fell in on the floorboards and made some good progress today.!!  The brake I borrowed isn’t quite heavy enough and it’s pretty rickety. Jeff found a weak spot early in the day. One of the side links that clamps the work pulled in two where someone had tried to patch it and did a lousy job.  Between the three of us and some prodigious shopping, we got it fixed and re-adjusted.  We put it to work and I made the back half of the driver’s side floor and we welded it in.  Tom and I made patterns for the rise behind the seats that’ll cover the back driveshaft loop and the area behind the seats and for the filler panels on both sides of it. I also cut and bent two pieces to go over the ladder bars.

We rolled some beads in the riser and end plates to provide additional stiffness to those pieces.  We clamped it all together and made an adjustment or three and then removed it all. I drilled the rearmost holes for the body bolts because the riser will cover those carriage bolts.  After those bolts were dropped through the floor and the frame. We clamped it all back together and I tacked it all in place.  By the time we got it all firmed up, everybody was tired, so Tom headed home, Jeff swept and tidied up, and I did a little more solid welding before we shut down for the night.

While Tom and I worked on the T, Jeff made a couple sections of floorboard for the Model A project and he and Tom rolled beads in those.

A good day! Pics to follow.

[Blackwater]

Started early yesterday morning, hauling trash, getting my propane tank filled, getting the truck gassed up, and picking up some shop supplies. 

I have the sections of floor that go over the ladder bars cut out and broken, but I decided that I would build the raised pieces that cover the front driveshaft loop and tie the channels together first.  It seemed like an easy task and I had my plan thought out, but it turned into a half day’s job!!  I was moving slow or something.  It turned out pretty good and REALLY stiffened that section of floor.

Doctor this morning and then chase around for groceries and some meds and by the time I got back to the house I wasn’t worth a flip, so I’m taking the rest of the day off!!  The good news is that my foot has responded well to the stem cell graft and the place on it has shrunk by half!  Doc says keep doing what I’m doing!

Gotta make a run to the steel supply tomorrow and also pick up a stand up transmission jack from the other shop for another project. Then I’ll be back to work on more floorboard pieces.

Pics on the way.

[Blackwater]

Took the day off yesterday.  Musta’ been sumpin I et!

I got out early this morning and finished trimming and cleaning up the driver’s side inside floor panel. I can’t put it in yet because I need to lower the brake master cylinder assembly an inch or so, but it’s ready to install.  I drilled the holes in the floorboard assembly and the frame for the body bolts and dropped the bolts in temporarily. This puts the floor in line with where it will sit once it’s installed in the body. After that, I installed the outer floor panels that go over the rear ladder bars. Jeff rolled beads into these and I bent them to roll down to the bottom of the channels and welded them up. I also cut out the arch over the driveshaft in the back panel.

Pics below.

[Blackwater]

WELL!! Been a while since I put anything on the thread!!  I have had a long layoff again because of the foot again!  Lots of weeks of sitting on my posterior with the doctor fussing at me every time I show up at his office!!  Four stem cell grafts and all sorts of different treatments! It finally closed up about four weeks ago and I’m starting to learn how to walk for the fifth or sixth time.  Been laid up so long that I have no stamina and my balance and strength are lousy.

In the meantime, I’ve been collecting some small pieces for the T project. Got a fiberglass radiator shell and a throttle cable, two carb linkage, and a gas pedal assembly. Got some new tools and a few odds and ends for the shop too!

A good friend of mine is getting married this Saturday. He’s been a loyal fan of my band for over twenty-five years and he’s a fellow hotrodder.  He loaned me the sheetmetal break that we’re using to build both the projects in the shop. I will start back in the shop after the wedding. I’ve waited to go back out there until I can walk a little better and get a little strength back.  I also wanted to attend the wedding without a bunch of knots and bruises and gnarled up fingers and hands, so I’m goofing off ‘til first of next week!!

Start looking for new progress in a few days!!

[Blackwater]

So!  I promised myself that I’d get back in the shop today!!  I’m not in much shape to do anything, but I got the master cylinder bracket lowered on the frame and set up so’s it clears the floorboard.  I also got the excess trimmed off of the driver’s side front floor so that it can be welded in.

Finally, I cut the rear crossmember and tacked in a narrow piece so that it will clear the back of the differential on full compression of the suspension..  I really didn’t get a whole lot done before I was too wore out and quit for the day.  I’m going to town for meds in the morning, early.  I’ll get back out there tomorrow and see if I can last a little longer and get more done.

[Blackwater]

After Sunday’s shop session, I spent much of Monday morning chasing around town collecting a new prescription that the doctor added to my treatment and and the antibiotic I have to take to prevent a recurrence of the infection that put me in the shape I’m in.  We picked up lunch and by the time I got home it was 2:00 in the afternoon.  I was already tired and I just took the rest of the day off!!!

This morning, I got out there and finished the notch in the frame, as far as I can without turning the frame over. I included the pics of the finished product in the previous post since that completed that task.  I’m working about one fourth the speed I usually do stuff ‘cause I have to sit down and rest every few minutes.  I managed almost two hours on Sunday.  Today, I built and installed brackets for the passenger side of the transmission crossmember, finished that rear frame section, and welded in the final section of the floorboard that sits inside the channels.  That and drilling out the body mount holes for the spacer tubes that’ll keep the frame from deforming when the body is bolted down was as far as I could go today.  I got my son to help me move the rolling chassis out of its spot under the body which is still hanging from the rafters.  It’s down off the jack stands and it rolls pretty easily. Not bad at all with the engine and transmission installed and even the driveshaft hooked up.  I switched it into the stall where the floorboard and the welding table had been and moved those to where I had the chassis.

Tomorrow, I’ll drop the body down and pull the doors off of it.  I’ll flip the floorboard/channel section and  weld the bottom side and then slide it in through the doorway and start putting the two together.

I got in over four and a half hours today.  I’m beat, but I’m getting a little better, I think.

[Granpascrazzy]

It is good to hear about you working again. As usual, your work looks great.  Try to not push yourself too hard.

[Blackwater]

Thanks, Gramps!  Coming from you, that’s some serious complement!!

 I DID raise a small blister on my foot, but it’s not in a bad location and seems to be healing quickly.  I lowered the body this morning and removed the doors.  I’m going to put the right outer skins back on them and needed to measure them to be sure I got the right stuff ordered. 

Whoever started the chop on the body had tried to convert the doors to “suicide” style and nearly ruined them completely.!!  They used what looks like house door hinges to hang them!!  They were apparently going to inset them into the door frames, so they cut the skin and frame off at the back edges of both doors.  I will have to make new rear flanges to attach the new skins to so that the doors fit the body the way they’re supposed to and then replace the hinges with the right ones.  The doors, at this point, are an inch and a half too narrow for the new skins.  They SHOULD be here in a couple of weeks.

[Blackwater]

Just pokin’ my head in the door to see if anything is happening.  I’ve been laid up for nearly a year now and I feel like I’m about to rust solid!!

If you’re looking in, MERRY CHRISTMAS everybody!!