Re: Project truck dream 65"
 

Always good to see an update from you on this build man, I really am looking forward to seeing your radiator cover plate !!

Re: Project truck dream 65"
 

I had a pertronix in my 36 chevy, I had a chevy 348 in it and that was the best thing I ever did for that motor. It fired almost ever time on 1 turn unless it sat for a bit and didn't have fuel in the carb. They are well worth the money and the cool thing is no knows unless you tell them!

Looking very nice though. I thought I was detail oriented... You have me beat hands down! Some very smart quality work, good job!

Re: Project truck dream 65"
 

I hope by next week Ill have it finished,one of the last things to make for the engine bay........I think......:lol:

Re: Project truck dream 65"
 

Glad to hear it ! Nice to have some feedback on the Pertronix product.Its soon on order so I'm looking forward to bolting it in and running my wires.:ito:

Re: Project truck dream 65"
 

Glad to hear it ! Nice to have some feedback on the Pertronix product.Its soon on order so I'm looking forward to bolting it in and running my wires.

The detail thing went a little beyond what I ever thought...funny how things change once you get underway.This was supposed to be a 1 year build,at 3 plus years now.

Thanks for the good words.:ito:

Re: Project truck dream 65"
 

Don't feel bad, I've been working on mine for about 2 years. I'm actually fairly close to getting mine on the road. I was hoping to finish before the snow comes but that isn't looking too good right now. You'll get there man, and you'll have a really nice ride when it's finished! The pertronix is easy to install too. I ran mine for over 2 years and never had any problems with it.

Re: Project truck dream 65"
 

I was just looking over your build thread...nice work ! I can see your big on the details as well.That's where the time slips away.

I have to give credit to the builders on this site for keeping the motivation levels high,don't know I'd be as far along as I am without it !:ito:

Re: Project truck dream 65"
 

I have the pertronix on my 66 Tempest OHC-6 230ci which was rebuilt as a Sprint, so should be pushing 215 horse (I really need to Dyno it...) and I can say I love it. It seems to work perfectly for the older engines and of course getting rid of the point helps too.

The detail thing...
yeah mine was supposed to be an engine swap, tranny install, and some rattle can paint.

Only thing left of that plan (2 years later) is the rattle can paint..... :smoke:

But the end is in sight, somewhat.

Re: Project truck dream 65"
 

Last week I had the holes in the center hood braces welded up.Had no time to clean them up on the backside before heading to Vancouver this past weekend,fortunately my bud had a shop and grinder so we both took a crack at it and got them done in time to drop at the Chrome shop early that afternoon !:ito:

Re: Project truck dream 65"
 

Thank you for the kind words. I've learned so much from this forum, my truck wouldn't be half as nice without it. Everyone needs motivation especially when this isn't your only job. It's hard working all day and going home and working half the night but when your truck/car is done and everyone asked who built it and you tell them that you did. There are few things in life that give you that sense of accomplishment. Hang in there man, you're not that far away.

Re: Project truck dream 65"
 

I stopped at the machine shop after work today to get some pic's of my 383.What you see in the pic's is bought and paid for ! It sure feels good to be at this stage,started this back in late January this past year.
Now I could have went with a crate unit but I wanted true American iron here which is the only way to go to get the quality and peace of mind.All aftemarket components in this engine are all made in the U.S.A. :metal:
No corners cut here,all the goodies I have always wanted over the years,but never took the leap.

The next step is to shoot this in epoxy primer,then finish in Endura gloss black.

Now I have been told Endura is the most durable and long lasting finish out there,so any opinions of those who feel otherwise will be appreciated here.:ito:

Re: Project truck dream 65"
 

This is one of my favorite builds, outstanding work! I do have a question, I noticed your Vortec heads have guide plates, can those be used with the self aligning rockers used on those heads?

Re: Project truck dream 65"
 

Thanks,I'm glad your enjoying my build,its been a'lot of time,work and money and its not over yet ! As far as the guideplate question...,I wouldn't recommend it as they tend to work against each other.Should run one or the other:ito:

Re: Project truck dream 65"
 

very cool!

Re: Project truck dream 65"
 

Not many updates in the last week as I had to step away for sanity reasons !

Darcy had finished the latch and return spring assembly and 1 week ago we attempted the install it.All was going well until I gave an extra squeeze on the makeshift combo I used for setting the rivet nut.


We didnt have the 3/8 pin to set the nut so I used a 5/16 pin and threaded a nut on the end to compensate.I ran a tap throught the nut before hand to make sure it would not bind on the threads of the pin once pressure was applied to set the nut.Not to mention cutting a groove around the nut for the wire that I fished through my front hood brace which was an hour long process.:drama:

First pic is the start,good times !


.Second pic was stupidity.


3rd pic was the oh ...t........,the wire fell off the nut and cant get the pin out and yes....,the nut siezed on the pin pic




I tried for 2 hours to get this apart...,now I'm really .....d off,so no more work or pics for a week.:ben:

Second week after some serious meditation I took the hood up to Tylers shop to fix my mess and cut the @#*@#*! ing rivet nut out and weld in a hex nut which should have been done in the first place,Darcy and I went at the install again.

Hood saftey latch a success,a few minor mods and its good to go.

I'm soon going to have Darcy fab up a stainless hood pin/sleeve with a countersunk allenbolt to match.

A special thanks to Darcy and Tyler.

Re: Project truck dream 65"
 

The Rad cover came back from the fab shop yesterday.Its precise with the fit..., Im pretty happy with it.I could have had it back alot sooner but I told them to take their time if it would save me a few dollars.

I had to do some fine tuning as the holes were slightly off due to the thickness of the stainless.I like the hood release bracket in behind the cover opposed to in front which was the original plan...any thoughts ?

Sure wanted to take the protective coating off but thought better of it until later to avoid scratching.:ito:

Re: Project truck dream 65"
 

Looking good! Keep it up! Thanks for the updates!

Re: Project truck dream 65"
 

Thanks for the recognition.The rad cover is not entirely finished,getting it to this point to make sure the fit is ok.

Next I'm going to have a piece of stainless that runs down the top of the rad support on either side welded to the cover.While I was building the template I tried it and It looked pretty cool.:ito:

Re: Project truck dream 65"
 

Looks good, very unique, keep chipping away. Say, there's a lot of fresh air in that nicely painted engine compartment. It looks ready for the engine to go in there.

Re: Project truck dream 65"
 

Thanks bud,yes it is slow goin when one is a bit of a perfectionist...,kind of a curse from birth !

Engine.....,hopefully in the middle of next month if all goes well.It has been handy to have not have had it in yet,the number of times I had to get in and out of there for the hood release install drama !:ito:

Re: Project truck dream 65"
 

Well.......,I was going to paint the transmission with epoxy primer and final coat with base clear but was talked out of it by the time I was ready.

My bud Joe who is a top notch builder of transmissions and built this one I might add...,said not to do it.I heard the same thing from another builder in the area who strongly advised against it as well.

It only makes sense that once you seal the body of the unit,the heat has nowhere to go...., and dont kid yourself a cooler does not solve the problem ! I knew this already but I suppose I had to hear it.

Option 2 was to polish it and I was trying to avoid this at all costs as Its a big job.

So yesterday morn 11:00am I started on the project.I soon found the compressor I used was not keeping up so now I will have to find another one to borrow.

This is the progress made yesterday,I may go out today and do more.I bought some 320 wet/dry paper that seems to be cutting the scratches out but its labour intensive and slow going.Last pic at 4:00pm.I must be out of my mind.:crazy:

I have tomorrow off at work so whatever I accomplish between now and Monday night will probably be the finish I have to live with.:ito:

Re: Project truck dream 65"
 

Hey Ed,

Nothing like scrubbin a tranny! Just my 0.02 cents for what its worth. I know you brought up the heat transfer issue when you saw my transmission which of course got me a bit worried. So I started looking into it a bit. Of course on the internet there are plenty of arguments for and against, but then I started to think about other applications, specifically those that use ONLY air cooling. First thing I thought about was my air compressor, the cooling fins are all painted (maybe even powder coated) from factory. Second thing I thought about is something you are very familiar with, bikes. How many guys have you seen with their heads painted or powder coated. I know mine is. I don't think paint is a very good insulator. Add to that the fact that its the oil temp that is your main concern at that gets cooled externally...

I dunno maybe I'm just trying to justify it for my own sake, but theres no way I'm strippin' it off of there now. We'll just have to wait and see.

Build's lookin' awesome as usual, loving the engine bay.

Re: Project truck dream 65"
 

Good angle, Rusty. That's sure the one ya have to take.
Yer right on heat dispersion...certainly under street conditions. Minimal effect for the most part as far as you're concerned......but since Ed heard it twice from the top dogs before he committed.....well that's a no brainer.
Ed..that's beautiful work, as usual ....Good thing you're not an adult perfectionist with ADHD.

Re: Project truck dream 65"
 

Hi Rusty,The transmission is in an area that needs all the help it can get.Alot of equipment such as motorcycle heads and barrels will have coatings but are in a location where air flow is not a problem.When you look at the floor pan wrapped around the body of the transmission,I guess it made sense not to seal it with any type of coating. Sorry to be the bad news bear.

Re: Project truck dream 65"
 

Thanks for the kind words! I think Im beyond help with my perfection approach with this build...,I question my sanity regularly !:ito: