Bob's Retirement Build - My '55 TF

[Baldeagle SR]

Bob that exhaust is AWSOME.
Rich

[Kim57]

Those pipes sure look nice.
Kim

[DransportGarage]

Thanx Baldeagle & Kim. I'm workin' on the crossover right now...

[DransportGarage]

Originally Posted by Billys68SS

I understand the space issues all too well. I'm working in an 18x21 carport shed. I have to go outside to change my mind! Pypes look great. A friend of mine had a free set of Pypes put on her 71 Chevelle SS awhile back just for showing it at the Auto Fair once.

I have more space than you do, but a good hot rodder always takes up 110% of what he has.

Lucky girl! The show usually charges me to draw a crowd for them. What's up with that?

[Low Elco]

Oooo, bodywork mess/mini disaster on the way! Work's lookin' great! what's the word on the motor?

[DransportGarage]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Oooo, bodywork mess/mini disaster on the way! Work's lookin' great! what's the word on the motor?

Ahh, you've seen my bodywork before!

As for the motor, it is next. Well, after the swap meet tomorrow in Springfield, Ohio (ohioswapmeet.com). Then the Naval Combat group (visualize floating mini-BB guns and sinking each others' boats) I hang with occasionally is re-enacting the Battle of the Denmark Straits on Saturday in Xenia, Ohio, and the wife penciled me in for a party on Sat. night, and mandatory beer drinking and grilling on Sunday with car people (couples) we met in the 70s (a yearly Memorial Day thing), and a party on Monday (Memorial Day night). Oh yeah, and the reclamation of the Ramco metal band saw I just bought today and will pick up Monday morning. (It's so bad, the plan is to drive by the car wash and hose it off on the way home.) There must be some hours in there where I can eat some aspirin and hang the crank in the motor and start the reassembly...

BTW, the exhaust system is done.

[roger55]

Hey Bob,

Just went through this thread. Great job! You are really a master. And, I thought I had a lot of rust to repair for my wife's '57. Incredible how you repaired all that. My hat goes off to you.

I can't believe that your restomod on the '55 is 30 years old. It looks like you completed it yesterday. Neat car.

I also see you are into Corvettes. I've had a few myself ('66,'69,'85,'90 and '95). I sold my '69 convertible last year and and am now Vetteless. I thought some about getting a couple of year old Grand Sport but have been trying to talk myself out of it. I've also thought that I'd like to have a '60's Impala SS convertible or '65 GTO convertible for my next car.

If we lived in the same town, I think we would hit it off!

Roger

PS,
Thanks again for the info on the LED bulbs. I had no idea that Boese carried them.

[DransportGarage]

Originally Posted by roger55

Hey Bob,

Just went through this thread. Great job! You are really a master. And, I thought I had a lot of rust to repair for my wife's '57. Incredible how you repaired all that. My hat goes off to you.

I can't believe that your restomod on the '55 is 30 years old. It looks like you completed it yesterday. Neat car.

I also see you are into Corvettes. I've had a few myself ('66,'69,'85,'90 and '95). I sold my '69 convertible last year and and am now Vetteless. I thought some about getting a couple of year old Grand Sport but have been trying to talk myself out of it. I've also thought that I'd like to have a '60's Impala SS convertible or '65 GTO convertible for my next car.

If we lived in the same town, I think we would hit it off!

Roger

PS,
Thanks again for the info on the LED bulbs. I had no idea that Boese carried them.

Roger, thanks for the kind words. I kinda cheated on the '55. I bought it in L.A. (for $250) and it's never been in the salt or snow. It's never been off the frame and still won triple trophies at the CCC regionals in '82 & '84. It's possibly the most solid '55 in SW Ohio. I've caught a lot of flack from my buddies over the years for not driving it a lot, but it's out this year sporting new 4-wheel discs.

The Corvette plan is to paint the '88 this summer (Ha!) and sell it. The wife wants to move up to a black C5 convertible, so I'll be trolling for a deal.

We had a red '64 Impala SS convertible around 1985. It could have been a nice car if I knew then what I know now. Having owned both, I'd go for the GTO.

It's funny, but nobody ever shows up at my garage. I must have B.O. or something. I'm 32 miles from the Ohio river, and just a little too rural I guess. You're right, if you lived close we'd be workin' on each other's stuff.

[DransportGarage]

While I'm bumpin' my thread I better give an update. The water-in-the-oil problem is solved. It was probably the intake manifold gasket, but just for insurance I did a complete engine disassembly and clean up, did a little J-B weld work low on the sleeve where the block had thrown a rod in the distant past...


...and blew another hundred on a better Fel-Pro gasket set.

Right now I'm doing final chassis assembly and all is well:




Don't laugh too hard at the plug wires. I haven't cut 'em yet. The plan is to finish the chassis assembly, put it on the lift for storage, primer the cab that's been sitting in bare metal, then paint and sell the '88 Corvette to get a little cash flow going. There might not be a lot of progress in the near future but the finish body work should start in July.

[Kim57]

Your frame came out great.
Kim

[Baldeagle SR]

That frame and motor is AWSOME. Rich

[DransportGarage]

Originally Posted by Kim57

Your frame came out great.
Kim

Thanks, Kim. I hope things start straightening out for you so you can get back on your build and I can get some more tips!

Originally Posted by Baldeagle SR

That frame and motor is AWSOME. Rich

Thank you, Baldeagle, for your continuing support. Unlike pros like you that have to get a job out, I can take years to get something the way I want it.

[ChuckDriver]

That frame is nice!!!

[Low Elco]

OOOOOOO purty!

[DransportGarage]

Thanks Chuck and Low Elco! I can't wait until I'm cruisin' in this one...

[jeff.depaul]

Hi Bob,
Very nice work! You're making me wish I spent more time on my frame.
Would you mind posting details on your brake setup - line & thread sizes you used? I am just getting to this stage on my '57 build and have the frame mounted pedal booster setup as well. Any step down in line sizes? I see you have residual valves and a single line to the fronts, are you running 4 disk?
-Jeff

[DransportGarage]

Originally Posted by jeff.depaul

Hi Bob,
Very nice work! You're making me wish I spent more time on my frame.
Would you mind posting details on your brake setup - line & thread sizes you used? I am just getting to this stage on my '57 build and have the frame mounted pedal booster setup as well. Any step down in line sizes? I see you have residual valves and a single line to the fronts, are you running 4 disk?
-Jeff

Thanks for the compliment, and to the truck forum (or at least to your first post on the truck forum)! All the work makes me wish I had spent LESS time on my frame!

Not much magic here. It's a 4-wheel disc system so it uses 2-lb. residual valves, The Right Stuff p/n RV02. I also decided on the manually adjustable proportioning valve from The Right Stuff, p/n PV01. They also supplied the rear disc kit for my 10-bolt, p/n AFXRD. This same kit fits A, F and X body GM, '67-'69. Kit is comprised of 2 part numbers, CMB81 (rear disc brackets and hardware), and RDK01 (rear disc kit components).

No step-down in line sizes. All lines are 3/16" stainless from The Right Stuff, p/n TUB316S, which you order by the foot. The fittings are just regular line nuts for 3/16" lines from a cheap pack of brake lines that I bought and cut up to get the fittings. (Some guy sells these cheap line packs at the swap meets in SW Ohio.) The clips that hold the stainless lines to the frame were an Ebay purchase from Extreme Performance, p/n EMPI 17-2717-10.

I will tell you that the stainless lines are a bear to flare (no rhyme intended). They tore up my K-D flaring tool that I've had for 25 years so I borrowed the one that Autozone will lend you for free. Forget that. I made one double flare and returned it. I recommend going to Ebay and buying an old Imperial Eastman No. 93 like this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Used-IMPERIA...d4b879&vxp=mtr

I'm using the front brakes that come with the Fatman IFS and chose two brake hoses from the left front of an '85 Buick LeSabre, O'Reilly p/n BHH177410. I used 2 banjo bolts NAPA p/n 82703. I welded small flat brackets to the frame to hold the hose ends. There's a brass tee (NAPA p/n 702 x 3) at the driver's front to split the fluid over to the pasenger front. I use the same tee in the rear, but I don't have a record of the brake hoses I used in the back. I did decide to run a hose on each side from frame to caliper. Brass fittings at the master cylinder I believe are NAPA p/n 7817 and 7818.

The last item I'll talk about is the brake light switch. I decided on a hydraulic switch that I remembered from my '71 VW Super Beetle. It's a NAPA p/n SL159. I really got lucky on the rubber boot that I got on Ebay from a guy named Larry Weaver, p/n 111012199387. The switch has a normally open contact for the brake lights and I use the normally closed side for the torque converter clutch (TCC) Engage.

Hope this helps!

[jeff.depaul]

Thanks for all the detail. I've seen several opinions about what size lines to use and whether to step down line sizes for different applications. Certainly not a "one size fits all" discussion - pun intended.

I went with a Wilwood proportioning valve and stainless steel 3/16" lines but have yet to install any of it. I was under the impression not to double flare stainless lines? I did go ahead and spring for the Eastwood Pro Double/Single Brake Line Tubing Flaring Tool Kit since I was having issues with the cheap auto parts one I had.

Still need to figure out how I'm going to mount the tabs to transition from hard lines out to each caliper. My frame is powdercoated and I'd rather not have to weld on it.

[DransportGarage]

Originally Posted by jeff.depaul

Thanks for all the detail. I've seen several opinions about what size lines to use and whether to step down line sizes for different applications. Certainly not a "one size fits all" discussion - pun intended.

I went with a Wilwood proportioning valve and stainless steel 3/16" lines but have yet to install any of it. I was under the impression not to double flare stainless lines? I did go ahead and spring for the Eastwood Pro Double/Single Brake Line Tubing Flaring Tool Kit since I was having issues with the cheap auto parts one I had.

Still need to figure out how I'm going to mount the tabs to transition from hard lines out to each caliper. My frame is powdercoated and I'd rather not have to weld on it.

As far as line size goes, the big manufacturers design systems that are mass produced and do not require adjustment. The manual proportioning valve that we are using allows us to balance the front to the rear, which is the major reason for varying line size in a non-adjustable system.

You can't go wrong with Wilwood. They are one of the best. I also looked at the Eastwood tool that you bought, and that will certainly do the job. Personally, I would not build a brake system that didn't use double flares. With a good tool the stainless lines flare nicely. For your hose terminations I would use L-brackets, or maybe flat brackets that extend past the frame, two #10-32 screws each. Put some gooey anti-seize on the threads to inhibit rust from starting at the tapped threads.

[_Ogre]

to quote low elco.... OOOOO purdy

[DransportGarage]

Thanks, Ogre. I thought about swinging over to central Ohio during the Power Tour to see Truk but it was a couple hundred miles. One of these days we'll meet up. Do you ever go to the truck show at Young's Dairy on U.S. 68 near Yellow Springs, Ohio? It's August 2nd this year and I hope to make it.

http://youngsdairy.com/truck-show/

[DransportGarage]

As stated in post 134, I've been painting the '88 Vette. It's now painted and reassembled, but there's another obstacle: It's the 50th anniversary of the GTO this year and I've been invited to put the Goat into the Dayton, Ohio Concours d'Elegance. That means the top of the engine has to be repainted (among other things), so that's next.

In the meantime I thought I'd post my 16 pages of electrical schematics. I wanted to figure out where to drill all of the wiring holes in the truck before I paint it so I made a complete set of schematics. Probably got a little carried away. Each sheet shows the wiring in a specific location on the truck. The signals come into each page/location from the left and go out to the right.

[DransportGarage]

5 more...

[DransportGarage]

another 5...

[DransportGarage]

...and the last one...