A '54 named Busty

[Gregski]

and watched him measure once and cut twice to make it fit

with a trim here, and a trim there, and a hole for the sticklinator we were ready for the first trial fitmentation

[Gregski]

that's not bad for the first try at all

so we kept poking holes in it, until she was in flat as a lizard drinkin'

[Gregski]

nest decided to take advantage of the 100° F heat and give the bench seat a much needed baff

I really like this bench seat, it is such a simple yet efficient design, it pivots on two bolts, no more no less, brilliant, love it !!!

[Gregski]

decided to treat myself to some stainless steel hardware for the bench seat, the previous owner used some random 5/16s hardware not even grade 5 and not even worthy of taking pics so I tossed it in the trash upon uninstallation, so I decided to upgrade to 3/8ths in stainless

[NorCalGal]

Yesterday’s heat was too much for me, but it’s perfect for washing that seat.

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by NorCalGal

Yesterday’s heat was too much for me, but it’s perfect for washing that seat.

yup the night before at 10 pm I went to open up the windows and it was still 88° F, my wife goes, what do you think you're doing? LOL

[8man]

Traffic Master for a Thrift Master, who knew?

Carpet did fit pretty good on the first cut.

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by 8man

Traffic Master for a Thrift Master...

by the Greg Mister !

[Gregski]

my boy got me the Volt gauge for my birthday, so I couldn't help but try it on for the first time after the Battle Ship Gray paint job, ha ha

only need one more gauge and Father's day is just around the corner

[8man]

Looking good Mister Greg.

[joedoh]

those gauge pods almost need a bikini.


looking good!

[Gregski]

got the old bench seat in there with the brand new stainless hardware, I must say the previous owner did a good job of coming up with a smart simple mounting system aside from using cheap hardware

I know I teased you with the bucket seats, but those are for my '71 plus on the account of the virus and money (technically lack there of) I need to run the bench seat for a while

[Gregski]

also got all new Allen head stainless hardware for the dash, I got to tell you it makes re assembly so much more fun - the steering column goes back in tomorrow

just getting this stuff at my neighborhood Ace Hardware store, a handful at a time

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by joedoh

those gauge pods almost need a bikini.

looking good!

I'm guessing that's a good thang?! ha

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by Gregski

I'm guessing that's a good thang?! ha

haha well you did name it busty. I guess I never noticed how the gauge pods looked like a pair of hangers, some GM engineer is having a chuckle right now.

[Gregski]

got the joystick back on

[Gregski]

so here's an update Good News / Bad News style

first the Good News

she all back together, pardon the rubish throttle pedal, my LM7 5.3 will sport an electronic throttle pedal so no sense spiffing up this one, this is just for once around the block

she starts, the procedure is pedal to the floor and crank it and she fires up in 2 to 3 seconds (another reason to do an LS Swap, the starts are magnificent)

[Gregski]

now the Bad News aka "Cry Me a River"

I wanted to take her for my first maiden voyage but she was not having it, she would die in reverse.

Couple observations:

I think she is idling too low and I started trying to up the idle speed first by twisting the Idle Speed screw on the good ol' Holley carbie but after a few full turns I thought that was getting rediculous

The other option for increasing idlebility is obviously more timing, well I tried to advance the timing some more but I'm giving her all she's got captain as the suction canister on the vacuum advance dizzy is now hitting the intake manifold

Tried to actually see at what RPM she be idling and what her initial timing is set to but my fancy digital timing light leads won't reach the battery in it's stock location

I can't hook up the timing light leads to the alternator cause I don't think it's charging at the moment since I yet have to wire in a lamp to the L terminal on the four pin connector to excite it. I have no idea why GM went away from the proven self exciting alternators of the square body era to these on the Vortec engines.

Throttle pedal aint got the full range of pull on the cable, but I think this was already pointed out to me and a pedestal is in short order.

I aint got a breather in my fuel sending unit nor in the fancy fuel cap, so I loosen the fuel cap when I run the truck, not my proudest moment.

And I still have an oil leak from the front of the oil pan, but it wouldn't be a Chevy small block otherwise.

[Wide Open]

Originally Posted by Gregski

thank you, sounds amazing, speaking of drawing lines I started studying drafting and wanted to be a mechanical engineer but our first year drafting teacher was a tyrant - we are talking early 90's here and where my colleagues were using AutoCad he insisted on us learning how to draw everything in pencil cause when he went for his first job interview in the late 60s he was asked to draw free hand, what a total jerk that guy was !!! and so I became a keyboard jockey ie IT guy instead, so when ever I get to work with my hands, I jump on the opportunity - solving software issues by day and laying down horrible beads by night, ha ha

I wonder if he had a twin brother??!?
He sounds exactly like the drafting instructor I had and why I also landed in IT.
Smarter not harder is a motto he never heard of I guess.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by Wide Open

I wonder if he had a twin brother??!?
He sounds exactly like the drafting instructor I had and why I also landed in IT.
Smarter not harder is a motto he never heard of I guess.
Posted via Mobile Device

Oh no! however if we get a third, we can officially start a support group that says we meet at IHOP but somehow always ends up at a local brewery instead!

[8man]

Curious about the idle issue. When you figure it out, let us know.

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by 8man

Curious about the idle issue. When you figure it out, let us know.

will do brother, and something tells me the solution, may be a little bit of this and that, for example my hypothesis is that:

1. we need to add 5 or 6° of initial timing (base timing with no vacuum advance, aka the starting point, engines ought to idle at the highest initial timing they can muster, despite of what the 1972 manual said)

2. we probably aint giving the HEI distributor full voltage as our alternator aint charging the battery, so fixing that ought to help.

3. we probably are low on transmission fluid and ought to add some.

[Gregski]

when's the last time you all rotated your sparkulator wires huh! highly recommended once every 3 front end swaps and or once every 2 frame swaps, ha ha

[texxxan]

I'm really liking that carpet and dash. Interior is looking good.

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by texxxan

I'm really liking that carpet and dash. Interior is looking good.

thanks man it has me motivated to do the same level of clean up in the engine bay instead of just tossing that 5.3L in? it sure makes tinkering afterwards much more pleasant

here's something crazy, I am still finding dead bees or wasps or what ever they are now on the newly installed carpet every time after I start her up, where the hewk are they falling out of, I mean I wire wheeled the bejezus out of the underneath of that dash?