Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window

[Dan in Pasadena]

Thanks Kim. It still looks like Fred Sanford's truck on the outside, but under the hood I can be proud. I'm planning on more block touch up and cleaning/painting the engine compartment and accessories.

[57 3100]

WOW !!!! what a difference dan... looking real good. i love them valve covers... got a set on my truck.

leonard

[87Lowrider]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

Thanks Kim. It still looks like Fred Sanford's truck on the outside, but under the hood I can be proud. I'm planning on more block touch up and cleaning/painting the engine compartment and accessories.

Going through the complete thread. Your truck reminds me of mine when I got it in '89 in Riverside. It may look like Fred Sanford's, but look at it this way; A lot of people pay big money to have the outside of the truck look like yours... keep up the great work! My '57 is in the shop now after sitting in my garage for 24 years.... can't wait to get it back and finish it up. /Ken

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by 87Lowrider

....It may look like Fred Sanford's....

It does?!!! Lol

Actually, it looked like a truck that even Fred Sanford wouldn't drive when I got it so I take that as a compliment. I'm enjoying it and that's all that really matters to me.

By the way, thanks for taking the time to read through all my yada yada. I tend to get wordy.
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[87Lowrider]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

It does?!!! Lol

Actually, it looked like a truck that even Fred Sanford wouldn't drive when I got it so I take that as a compliment. I'm enjoying it and that's all that really matters to me.

By the way, thanks for taking the time to read through all my yada yada. I tend to get wordy.
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I'm only on page 10. The suspense is killing me but I won't cheat.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by 87Lowrider

I'm only on page 10. The suspense is killing me but I won't cheat.

Slacker!! Lol.

And here I thought you'd gone through the whole thing. Trust me it doesn't look all THAT different after the first 10 pages. You'll just find out I'm a self admitted chrome whore! My buddy says a rattle canned 50 year old truck with a lot of chrome is like a wrinkled up old..."lady of the evening" with red lipstick and too much cheap jewelry! I told him I don't care, I LIKE it.
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[Dan in Pasadena]

Thanks Leonard. Hey, I noticed your truck is a featured photo on Sid's dropped axle website. Congrats!

[57 3100]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

Thanks Leonard. Hey, I noticed your truck is a featured photo on Sid's dropped axle website. Congrats!

yep, back when i was still running drum brakes up front and chrome steel wheels... thanks.

leonard

[tmoble]

Dan, how about that shroud? how did it fit? did it seem like something made for the truck or a universal fit deal?

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by tmoble

Dan, how about that shroud? how did it fit? did it seem like something made for the truck or a universal fit deal?

Funny you ask because it was sold to me by The Car and Truck Shop in Orange, CA as a "Universal Fit for '55-'59 CHevy Turcks". The shop ended up having to make some spacers for it - I'll take a picture and post it later. I don't really LIKE them, but it works ok. They also had to install a shorter spacer between the fan and the waterpump because they guy told me it (the fan) shorud only be "He tested it and told me it pulls hard now, so excellent.

Anyway, more pictures coming as they happen. I keep debating starting separate threads for individual things I do to it, but mostly I like keeping all the pictures together so I can go back and look. Let me know if anyone (moderators?) wants me to break up this long thread.

[tmoble]

sounds like your shop is pretty competent. the fan is supposed to be half-in/half-out of the shroud. efficiency drops way off in a hurry if it's wrong.

I found that shroud at the same vendor. I've got a factory style radiator coming in, so I hope that shroud works on it.

thanks for taking time.

[tmoble]

Dan, on your "new engine", you'd be better off to hook up a PCV valve on the passenger vale cover, use a PCV with a right angle fitting on it, run the hose to that large port on the right rear of the carb, has a large cap on it now.

Once you start driving it any you'll also be way ahead to hook up the vacuum advance and make sure it's working. Big gas mileage gains there.

Throttle rod from pedal should be in the top hole where the spring is now. There's a little bushing gizmo available for the big hole. move the spring to the hole right under it or run it off the bottom lever back to a bracket or whatever.

[Pop's C-10]

nice build man..

[Dan in Pasadena]

Thanks for the comments guys. Yeah, I am really happy wit the shop's work. They've been in business 45 years, so they've got a reputation to maintain.

tmobile, one of the very first things I asked about was the sealed vacuum port. Turns out my engine is way over cammed and only runs about 11 inches of vacuum at idle. According to the shop it oughta be about 18-20 inches. So, in the future is a cam change. I'll probably revert to a stock 283 cam. As it is, it has little low end torque and with the single plane Holley manifold it HAD, it was really a dog at low RPM. BUt it was SO out of good tune it was hard to be sure. To get it running as well as it is now the timing is set at 22 degrees BTDC and 40 degrees total. Its got good compression but the shop feels with a stock cam I'll likely pick up 10-15psi across the board. Incidentally, I inadvertantly kicked it down a gear at about 55 mph on the way home and it flats screams from that point up! Not too useable, but impressive.

Why are you advising to hook up the PCV? This engine had a road draft tube originally. It has little to no blow-by now so its not like I'm contributing to pollution much and I don't like the clutter. I'll definitely take a look into the throttle rod you advise. Thanks for the info. Now I want to see a photo of a stock setup to see how its supposed to look?

[ChuckDriver]

Looking good Dan! I know you are excited to be able to enjoy driving it as you work on it. Keep up the good work!!

[Dan in Pasadena]

Thanks JJ,
Yup, excited to be able to drive her. New rear bumper going on today. Hopefully some door weatherstripping and possibly the anti-rattle strips. Fortunately, all stuff I'd already bought because I'm shutting down the checking account on truck purchases for a LITTLE while. (Yeah, we all know how long that lasts!)

[ChuckDriver]

I need the anti rattles for my doors also. Let me know if you find a set that actually fit. I got a set from Brothers and the tabs didn't line up with the factory holes in the door on 3 of the 4!

[Dan in Pasadena]

Ha ha, I know what you mean. Got mine from "The Car and Truck Shop" in Orange, CA. I use that shop a lot because they're relatively local and I pick my stuff up rather than pay shipping. The holes line up (I lined them up) but the overall length of them is wrong and I will have to trim them to fit.

Incidentally, I got NOTHING, ZERO, ZIP, NADA done on my truck this weekend. Ended up rewiring my exterior patio wiring in preparation for some exterior fans I've ordered. Oh well.

[tmoble]

Dan, if you don't have a PCV your engine will be full of stuff that looks about a cheap milkshake. A LOT of moisture is created by the combustion process and it condenses on the inside of the engine. Usually the valve covers will have a bunch of it. This is one of the reasons engines back then had such a short life compared to engines now.

What's in the road draft tube hole in the back of the block?

[Dan in Pasadena]

First, apologies in advance about the lousy cell phone pictures (my camera batteries died).

tmobile, Duly noted about the condensation, thank you. You also asked about the spacers to install the generic "55-59 Fan Shroud". As you can see, the shop milled some thick-walled stainless tubing, but a stack of washers would have worked...though not looked as clean. Still and all, I don't care for the look of this but it serves the purpose without hacking up the shroud and the truck is a driver, not a show truck. When I clean and paint the engine compartment I may just paint all this and it won't show...much.


New fan spacer because as it was the fan was too "deep" into the shroud. Shop said the fan blades should be 1/4 - 1/2 into the shroud. As you can see, mine are now about 1/3 of the way in and it draws REALLY well. The engine had NO thermostat so we're trying a 160 degree 'stat and it seems to be working excellent. I've got a nice stainless overflow tank but just haven't installed it yet.


Last and best: I FINALLY got rid of that monstrosity of a diamond plate rear bumper and put a new chrome stock bumper. I even got the license plate out of being taped to the rear window too. Not a big deal to most but I HATED that old bumper. Just as a reminder, here's "Before":

Here's "After":


NOTE: While taking the underhood pic's I noticed the NEW battery puked some acid on my new valve covers! The shop had rebuilt my generator so I can only assume they did something wrong OR the voltage regulator gave up the ghost and allowed overcharging. I'm hoping the shop will do something for me, but I know it's not likely.

[Kim57]

Dan
The new bumper looks real nice.
Kim

[Dan in Pasadena]

Thanks Kim. Its nothing out of the ordinary at all, but it feels like a tiny bit of progress. "A bit at a time" I keep telling myself.

[tmoble]

Any issues with installing that bumper? I'm about ready to plunk money down for one. My truck originally had an even bigger and heavier rear bumper. It took two guys and floor jack to move it. One of the coolest things I ever had happen was because of that. I was sitting at a stoplight and a local shyster type lawyer rear-ended me at about 15MPH in his one day old black Lexus. Just totally trashed the front of that car including the hood buckled up, way up. I could hardly keep a straight face, the bumper from Hell didn't even have a black mark on it. The guy was just shocked, anti-freeze all over the ground, steam rolling out, refrigerant whistling through a leak, the whole schmear. His brand new car left on a roll back. He's standing there wondering when I was going to start screaming about whiplash. It was great. People were standing around giggling. I would have given anything for a camera.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Funny story. Nothing modern stands up to even a regular old style bumper much less one of those diamond plate monstrosities.

Bumper fit fine. NO issues...and I WAS expecting them. Now let's see how the Chinese (I assume) chrome holds up?

[tmoble]

it was one of those $150 or so versions?