What did you do with your truck today, Part 3

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by Kevin Mac

mick53, looking good, I don't think you are posting too much. i like seeing what you are making. The blank off plate turned out nice.
Mac

Yep, amazing work for sure. I will never forget when Billet Aluminum stuff first hit the hot rods, in the eighties. John Buttera funny car racer and rod builder was one of the first to use it on his Model A roadster that would win the "America's Most Beautiful Roadster" award.

He said one of the funniest things ever about it. I forget what it was he had made, I think it was a mirror. And he was quoted in a Street Rodder or Rod Action magazine saying "You simply get a piece of aluminum and mill off everything that doesn't look like a mirror." LOL I have used that joke about bondo ever since.

Brian

[mick53]

I started my fuel pump block off plate today. I had one on there for a SBC. It looked terrible and barely covered the hole. It almost seems that when they cast the block 50 years ago that they didn't take into account that one day I would want to put a symmetrical cover on it. So I ground the block to fit the cover around the edges. Time to sand and polish, hooray.

[la hi]

I put my 57 chevy stepside up for sale this week. I have had it since 2011 and enjoyed working on it. Since winter is coming I need the space for one less truck as I must now protect my 66 bronco.

https://westslope.craigslist.org/cto...189179486.html

[Russell Ashley]

Originally Posted by la hi

I put my 57 chevy stepside up for sale this week. I have had it since 2011 and enjoyed working on it. Since winter is coming I need the space for one less truck as I must now protect my 66 bronco.

https://westslope.craigslist.org/cto...189179486.html

Good luck with the sale. I'm wanting to sell mine too due to my health problems. I like your comment in your ad that the body parts need to fit together better, but that is a comment you could have made about these trucks when they were still in the showroom, LOL.

[1project2many]

Still working on my distributor block off plate. I used a round over bit for the edges. I usually just sand or file them but they never look quite right. All that is left is to sand polish and prep the block.

That looks good. I usually just make a round plug in the lathe then use the distributor hold down plate. Then again, my engines don't have as much shiny stuff on them.

[mick53]

I finished my fuel pump block off plate.

[Russell Ashley]

I sold it. Due to cancer I was not able to work on it like i wanted to. I went to a local cruise in a few days ago and mentioned that I wanted to sell it and one of the guys there said he was interested. I gave him a price and he was OK with it and we made the deal. Sad to see it go but I've had it for thirteen years so it's time to let someone else enjoy it.

[57tailgater]

Originally Posted by Russell Ashley

I sold it. Due to cancer I was not able to work on it like i wanted to. I went to a local cruise in a few days ago and mentioned that I wanted to sell it and one of the guys there said he was interested. I gave him a price and he was OK with it and we made the deal. Sad to see it go but I've had it for thirteen years so it's time to let someone else enjoy it.

Sorry to hear that - very nice looking truck. I really like the stance. How was the front end set up and what size tires?

[Russell Ashley]

Originally Posted by 57tailgater

Sorry to hear that - very nice looking truck. I really like the stance. How was the front end set up and what size tires?

The front suspension was from Scotts, rear was TCI. Tires are 235/75/15 from Coker Tire. I hated to sell it but it was time to let it go.

[DransportGarage]

Originally Posted by Russell Ashley

I sold it. Due to cancer I was not able to work on it like i wanted to. I went to a local cruise in a few days ago and mentioned that I wanted to sell it and one of the guys there said he was interested. I gave him a price and he was OK with it and we made the deal. Sad to see it go but I've had it for thirteen years so it's time to let someone else enjoy it.

All the best, Russell.

[slck57]

Installed a set of PML valve covers.
Www.yourcovers.com

[MiraclePieCo]

Originally Posted by slck57

Installed a set of PML valve covers.
Www.yourcovers.com

Those valve covers are works of art. In fact, your entire engine is a work of art!

[mick53]

It's time to attempt to make the oil filter delete plate and attach an A/N fitting. I bought these pieces of 6061 aluminum for $57 with shipping. The bigger one is in case I need to make a water pump pulley. I buy these as drops so you get the length they have. It is a really strange thread on the filter mount where it goes into the block. It doesn't fit any of my taps or dies. I just made one with a flat face to seal it and put a 1 1/8" hex head on it. I made a handle on it to hold it in the lathe. I started with way more than I need to have room to play with it. I have no idea what I'm doing but I'm having fun.

[dsraven]

man, too bad you have all those machine tools. you gotta "do this, do that" all the time. takes up a lot of time. I wish I had the tools problem. lots of times I could use a lathe, mill, cnc, the list goes on. nice to see you being innovative. your project looks top drawer.

[Daze57]

Mr .Ashley Sir.

Am very sad about your medical problem --i really hope you bounce out of it healthy !!!
you have (had) a really good looking truck sir -- sorry you had to sell it - hopefully it goes to someone who will treat it like you did ------ best of luck sir in a recovery ---
i hope i speak for this forum and wish you well .

[DransportGarage]

Originally Posted by daze57

mr .ashley sir.

Am very sad about your medical problem --i really hope you bounce out of it healthy !!!
You have (had) a really good looking truck sir -- sorry you had to sell it - hopefully it goes to someone who will treat it like you did ------ best of luck sir in a recovery ---
i hope i speak for this forum and wish you well .

x2.

[mick53]

I got the holes made in the oil filter doohickey. First time doing anything precise with the indexing plate on the rotary vice. It fits perfectly. The small protrusion was so it would fit in my little rotary vice. Still a lot of extra material there. Now I have to thread the A/N fitting in the front. It will need to be flat bottom so I will try to do it on the lathe, first time. I have enough material there to screw up a couple of times.

[lgh1157]

I started mocking up this radiator support, wanted to have adjustment for lining up fenders etc, . . .copied the OG support with the brackets at the bottom

[DransportGarage]

Originally Posted by lgh1157

I started mocking up this radiator support, wanted to have adjustment for lining up fenders etc, . . .copied the OG support with the brackets at the bottom

Looks like fun, but you may have to increase your front spring rates when you add the extra weight to the front of the truck . Is there a reason why you can't use an aftermarket core support? If your time is worth anything, it might be cheaper. Depending on the year of your truck, it could be as low as $140 + $23.61 shipping on Ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1955-1957-C...wAAOSwEppUPCyO

You can adjust fenders with simple shims.

[mr48chev]

Too much smoke here in the Yakima Valley to be able to do anything you don't have to outside Today> I walked out and took a photo of the 51 1-1/2 ton that my daughter wants to build and the shot across the hayfield shows that truck and trailer about 900 ft away partially hidden by smoke and the trees at the golf course 1/2 mile away almost hidden by the smoke.

I was going to build a fixture to hold my doors when I stretch them that I can rotate to be able to weld and work on them while having them held steady but it is too nasty out to do that.

[PDW HOTRODS]

We have so much smoke in Oregon you can't see more than 150 feet.

[MiraclePieCo]

Originally Posted by PDW HOTRODS

We have so much smoke in Oregon you can't see more than 150 feet.

Just to the south of me, thousands of homes burned to the ground. And this is in a CITY on Hwy 99, not a rural area. From a city to ruins in mere hours...here's what it was like to be there as it happened:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDzelMfzxCk

Here a helicopter starts at the fire's origin and flies over 30 miles of burned-out homes and businesses:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi42MtEPC64

A homeless tweaker was caught starting fires in the area and is the presumed culprit.

.

[MiraclePieCo]

I've also seen photos of at least five vintage trucks that were burned up in the Almeda Fire:

[PDW HOTRODS]

Smoke has been too bad to work out in the shop for a week, makes it hard to breath. I don't want to complain, my place and my kid's places are safe. Lots of people have lost everything. My son in law parked his truck here to keep safe, they were close to evac 3.

[nvrdone]

smoke in seattle too. makes it look like fog on a winters day.