47-55.1 Eliminate draft tube options

[geezer#99]

Sidetrack time!
Any of you looked into eps.
Electric power steering.
Should be lots of room under the dash for one.

[TX3100Guy]

Originally Posted by geezer#99

Sidetrack time!
Any of you looked into eps.
Electric power steering.
Should be lots of room under the dash for one.

After I rebuilt the original steering box and serviced it, I realized 1) it has been 50 years since I drove a vehicle without power steering and 2) I ain't gettin any younger.

I had already purchased an Ididit steering column and a company in Florida (EPAS Performance - https://epasperformance.com/ sells an Ididit column with an electric assist power steering unit already installed. I emailed the owner and he agreed to have me ship my column to him and he retrofitted my column with their electric unit.

I was already familiar with the electric power assist units, since I had installed one from a European vendor for a 1969 Jaguar XKE that I had restored and knew that it transformed the car. I can't wait to drive the truck with this and power brakes, it should be enjoyable.

[geezer#99]

Good deal!
I sure wish I’d had that option 40-50 years ago.
Woulda made a lot of my projects easier.

[leegreen]

My '52 has 60s vintage c10 suspension and steering. I grew up without power steering and assumed I'd never need it for the '52. Drove it last year armstrong, then swapped to a 80s suburban PS box and pump as I thought the lack of PS precluded my wife from being able to enjoy driving it.

Power steering made it a lot more enjoyable to drive for me too. Without power it was always just a bit slower than people expect you to be getting around in modern traffic and parking lots. And harder work!

EPAS would be a tight fit under dash with firewall hung pedals, at least with my C10 based setup where clutch and brake hang on opposite sides of column.

[TX3100Guy]

Almost ready to turn the key and see what happens. Just a few more wires to connect and all fluids to input (coolant, engine, transmission, and differential)

[TX3100Guy]

New photos of finished install and a link to a video of the very first crank of the newly rebuilt engine.

YouTube Video of Rebuilt Engine's first crank

[leegreen]

sounds awesome! you must be pumped

[TX3100Guy]

Originally Posted by leegreen

sounds awesome! you must be pumped

You have no idea, after waiting for five months to get my engine back, I was amazed that it started on the first turn of the key!

I have a few niggling issues to deal with surrounding the electric fan, the electric e-brake, and an annoying drip/leak on the brake boost pump. I will work quickly to get them all resolved and then run the truck around the neighborhood without bolting the fender back on a few times, just to make sure I won't have to take them off again.

More to come.....

[TX3100Guy]

I haven't posted anything since the video of the engine kicking over for the first time due to what happened the very next day. I went out to diagnose my thermostatically controlled electric fan not coming on during that first start-up, only to find that I could not get the engine started.

I mistakenly attempted to start the car without turning the electric fuel pump on, the engine ran for a few seconds, but then abruptly stopped. No amount of encouraging, troubleshooting, or swearing could get it started. After hours of trying everything I knew to do, I started testing for good ground to the engine and determined that both the body of my Vertex magneto was grounded (as it should be) but so was the grounding terminal, even when the grounding switch and grounding wire was disconnected.

As a result, I had to pull the magneto and send it out to Joe Hunt Magnetos in California to have it diagnosed and repaired. I have my fingers crossed that this solves the start-up problem. I should have it back by the end of next week (I hope).

[leegreen]

Look on the bright side, no towing bill was involved in diagnosing the faulty magneto.

Stay strong, your getting there!

[TX3100Guy]

Heard back from Joe Hunt Magnetos today. Apparently, they had to replace the condenser to get the magneto to work properly. The repaired mag is now in the hands of UPS on its way back to me. I'm more that a little bit anxious to get it back in the truck and fire up that engine again.

[dsraven]

nice it was an easy fix. now the waiting game. maybe clean up your garage while you wait (joking of course. it's already spotless)

[TX3100Guy]

Originally Posted by dsraven

nice it was an easy fix. now the waiting game. maybe clean up your garage while you wait (joking of course. it's already spotless)

Yeah, the shop is generally clean, my OCD spouse has rubbed off on me. Although, I'm going to see a 1940 Chevy Business Coupe on Monday for a potential "next" project, to the dismay of my wife. It will require a bit of body work, so the shop floor won't always be clean if I decide to bite off that project.

[dsraven]

that series is one of my favorite old coupe styles. post up pics for SURE.

[TX3100Guy]

Originally Posted by dsraven

that series is one of my favorite old coupe styles. post up pics for SURE.

Me too, I love this old style car. I'll post some pics but, I fear they will be rather unimpressive. This car is definitely a project. The fellow I'm meeting with is an older friend through my Corvette club. He's owned this car for a long time and drove it regularly until he decided to start a renovation.

The front clip is off, there are multiple boxes of new parts - gauges, carb, wiring harness, body panels, wheels, tires, etc. He has partially installed a new shaved firewall and it needs the rear section of the lower body panel replaced. The interior is mostly removed.

Now for the better news, it has a 1971 Chevy Camaro front frame with steering rack, engine mounts and a 350 c.i. V8, with a Trans Am rear diff.

I'm good with all the mechanical and electrical work, but have some pause on the body work. The visit is to determine if the amount of work is in my wheelhouse. Also we have not discussed price yet either......

[TX3100Guy]

Originally Posted by TX3100Guy

Me too, I love this old style car. I'll post some pics but, I fear they will be rather unimpressive. This car is definitely a project. The fellow I'm meeting with is an older friend through my Corvette club. He's owned this car for a long time and drove it regularly until he decided to start a renovation.

The front clip is off, there are multiple boxes of new parts - gauges, carb, wiring harness, body panels, wheels, tires, etc. He has partially installed a new shaved firewall and it needs the rear section of the lower body panel replaced. The interior is mostly removed.

Now for the better news, it has a 1971 Chevy Camaro front frame with steering rack, engine mounts and a 350 c.i. V8, with a Trans Am rear diff.

I'm good with all the mechanical and electrical work, but have some pause on the body work. The visit is to determine if the amount of work is in my wheelhouse. Also we have not discussed price yet either......

Unfortunately, the visit to the 1940 Chevy didn't work out as I had hoped. The current owner is a friend who put the car up on jack stands 15 years ago to work on it and never got around to it. The owner before him apparently only owned one tool, an acetylene cutting torch. Ever opening on the car had a jagged sawtooth cut to it from the torch. Most every body panel needs to be patched or replaced. The bottom of both A-pillars are rusted out, pass side B pillr needs replaced. Most of the interior floor pans needs cut out and replaced. The fuel tank was moved from inside to the trunk, but is siting on the trunk floor. The owner is a very nice guy, but this car needs far more work than work than I'm capable of.

[dsraven]

too bad, it would be great to see the start to finish pics and the journey. i would love to find one of those, even in the shape you are saying this unit is in, as they are one of my faves. years ago a fella wanted to trade me my corvair powered rail buggy for his 37 chevy businessman's coupe, which was freshly painted by the owner who was a body man goint through trade school for autobody. my new wife said no. well, that hatchet was buried but the handle has been sticking out for many years. haha. I still remind her of that old coupe and it's been 40 years of married bliss this october.

[TX3100Guy]

Originally Posted by dsraven

too bad, it would be great to see the start to finish pics and the journey. i would love to find one of those, even in the shape you are saying this unit is in, as they are one of my faves. years ago a fella wanted to trade me my corvair powered rail buggy for his 37 chevy businessman's coupe, which was freshly painted by the owner who was a body man goint through trade school for autobody. my new wife said no. well, that hatchet was buried but the handle has been sticking out for many years. haha. I still remind her of that old coupe and it's been 40 years of married bliss this october.

I might have been able to get my head around all the body panel work, but I'm a relative novice welder and while I can weld, I've not done this much on any one vehicle. For sure with this car, I'd be a pro welder by the end of the project, but would advise you to invest in a company that makes angle grinder disks due to the number of them I would need.

The real issue I have with the car is this. The bozo with the acetylene torch cut the frame clip off a 1971 Camaro and welded it to the frame of the 1940 Coupe. The welding that was done is downright ugly. Where the cab A-pillar should be resting on the frame, he booger welded a short section of square tubing to the frame to support the cab, with a hunk of wood in between.



A friend who used to own a business restoring high end classic cars has suggested that given the cutting skill of the former owner, his measuring and welding skills are likely of the same caliper. This will result in never being able to get the front end aligned.

I am still torn over walking away from this project.

[dsraven]

there are quite a few builders using the S10 frame under their old coupes. maybe something like that could work.
it probably wouldn't matter what new project you take on, if it's old you likely will need some welding and panel work. lol.

[dsraven]

there are quite a few builders using the S10 frame under their old coupes. maybe something like that could work.
it probably wouldn't matter what new project you take on, if it's old you likely will need some welding and panel work. lol.

[TX3100Guy]

Originally Posted by dsraven

there are quite a few builders using the S10 frame under their old coupes. maybe something like that could work.
it probably wouldn't matter what new project you take on, if it's old you likely will need some welding and panel work. lol.

I am still tormented on this decision. I could live with all the panel work if the frame joining had been done properly. It does look like crap and given the previous owners poor cutting skills with a torch, I can only imagine how messed up the frame work must be.

Before I totally walk away, I will investigate the S10 option.

[leegreen]

earlier you described the car as on the road for years until someone started in to redo it. Was it on the road and driving well with that '71 clip?
If it was a running driving intact car with updated driveline that needs the rust seen to, that is one thing. if it a pile of junk that needs frame replaced, powertrain, brakes, interior AND rust repaired it is another.

I can't see all the welds and gas axe work your describing, but redoing that body mount would not be so bad. A charitable interpretation of that picture is that it is a mock up: with hood and fenders on get the panel gaps right, weld in some junk to hold the body where you want it, take the fenders off again for access and this is the starting point for the final mount.

The best way to finish a project is to buy the right starting point.

[TX3100Guy]

Originally Posted by leegreen

earlier you described the car as on the road for years until someone started in to redo it. Was it on the road and driving well with that '71 clip?
If it was a running driving intact car with updated driveline that needs the rust seen to, that is one thing. if it a pile of junk that needs frame replaced, powertrain, brakes, interior AND rust repaired it is another.

I can't see all the welds and gas axe work your describing, but redoing that body mount would not be so bad. A charitable interpretation of that picture is that it is a mock up: with hood and fenders on get the panel gaps right, weld in some junk to hold the body where you want it, take the fenders off again for access and this is the starting point for the final mount.

The best way to finish a project is to buy the right starting point.

My friend bought the car 25 years ago. He put it up on jack stands 10-15 years ago (he's not 100% sure when he did). He told me that while he was driving it, he probably only put 200-300 miles on it. He intentionally bought it to restore. He said he looked at 4 or 5 1940 models and this was the best of them......

After a lot of thought, I can live with handling most of the body panel work. It is not my forte and the amount of welding would definitely improve my skills. My friend has a boat load of all new part, including two of the body panels I'd need. He has new gauges, a new HEI distributor, a Ron Francis wiring harness, the car has a 350 c.i. V8 and new headers, he has a Vintage Air AC kit, a new radiator and newish core support (the old one was cut in half to reduce its thickness using the cutting torch), a set of Cragar mags, new steel wheels with chrome rings and caps. For all of this my friend is only asking $8,000.

My issue is that the frame joining was done strangely. The previous owner did cut them both cleanly, then weld plates on all side. He cut the Camaro frame and cut a long length of it down to a point (sort of) and then laid that long section (at least two feet) under the original frame. He cut the original frame at about the firewall. See pic below, its a real mess. If I felt more confident about the frame joint, I could be convinced to move forward. But I think to feel good about the frame I'd either need to 1) remove the body, cut the mess out and join the frame sections properly (way over my head in technical details), 2) remove the body and swap frames with an S10 as suggested earlier or 3) buy a roll frame already completed from a local hotrod shop ($$$$)



The rest of the original frame looks solid, the "Trans Am" rear diff and leaf springs look a mess too.

[leegreen]

I like that picture more. It looks like the welding is not finished, just tacked?
So the Camaro frame tapers along the bottom of original frame? That does not sound so bad. Those old frames were made of thin stuff, I'd rather see a long joint between newer more rigid front section and the old frame.

Are there any structural crossmembers under it ? original was probably a sturdy bolted in front K member, a Sturdy trans cross member and not much else.

I'd spend some time with a tape measure seeing if it was square and symmetrical. Take a long objective look at all the things needed and think about having other projects you might rather spend a couple years free time on

more pictures!

[TX3100Guy]

Also the previous owner brought the entire Camaro wiring harness and fuse box over, it is a giant rats nest of wires. I cannot imagine very many wires necessary to start and run a 1971 Camaro V8 and Hydramatic transmission. If I proceed, I would cut 100% of that crap out and use the Ron Francis brand spanking news, still in the box, wiring harness.