A '54 named Busty

[Gregski]

and here she is before I splashed her with sum primer

[8man]

Turned out good, and it's quite substantial!

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by 8man

Turned out good, and it's quite substantial!

thank you, had it perfect till the very end when lacking a third arm it slid a bit on the firewall when I drilled the four holes through it 1/8th of an inch maybe

[edgeleycanuck]

Originally Posted by Gregski

and here she is before I splashed her with sum primer

That bracket is going to do the job for sure! Compare that to the aftermarket peice....no comparison, you will feel good using it. I don't know if it's necessary but I welded a small stopper/tab on the column , on the bottom next to the half sleeve you have and again at the column top against whatever bracket you use. Kinda locks the column between upper and lower mounts.

[54GMC150]

Nice job on the column mount. Looks great

[Gregski]

and here she is all bolted up, exhaust clamps aint just for exhaust you know

had Ray Charles weld it up for me... with his feet!

[Gregski]

so Good News... Bad News

Good News: she runs and drives

Bad News: the front tires rub on the outer fender bracket bolts, you know there are two per side on the inside front of each fender, so I am thinking of switching to the smooth button head Allen bolts and considering 1/4" spacers between the radiator core support and them brackets

but this is all part of the shake out, the engine sounds soooo smooth like a Buick

[6DoF]

well hell, congrats!! if that's your number 1 issue after the first drive, you are doing REALLY good.

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by 6DoF

well hell, congrats!! if that's your number 1 issue after the first drive, you are doing REALLY good.

I know right? Thanks, she's just stretching a little bit that's all and telling me what she needs adjusted.

[daddyjeep]

Good deal. Glad it is driving.

[8man]

"It's alive!"

That is a big step, congratulations.

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by daddyjeep

Good deal. Glad it is driving.

Yeah brother I could not wipe the silly grin off my face while trying to look all cool driving her around the neighborhood with no hood on.

[Tempest67]

Congrats, that is great news.

please post some pics (with, or without the hood)

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by Tempest67

Congrats, that is great news.

please post some pics (with, or without the hood)

here you go

[Gregski]

thank you all for your support and encouragement, and can somebody tell me how I can take the front end apart clean it and paint it and put it back together perfect 17 times in a row without one scratch during moch up all by myself, but when it comes to final assembly, and I use caution, nothing fits, nothing aligns, and I end up scratching it all up to he11, how is that even possible ???

... I'll hold (ha ha)

[6DoF]

Originally Posted by Gregski

thank you all for your support and encouragement, and can somebody tell me how I can take the front end apart clean it and paint it and put it back together perfect 17 times in a row without one scratch during moch up all by myself, but when it comes to final assembly, and I use caution, nothing fits, nothing aligns, and I end up scratching it all up to he11, how is that even possible ???

... I'll hold (ha ha)

dude, it's the shop gnomes! cousin to the dryer toll stealing your socks, but these viscous little jack-wagons love moving parts/tools and can actually change the shape of steel if they "crop dust" your truck with their nasty gnome farts. sorry for your luck.

[8man]

I could tell you, but then....

[Gregski]

help a brother out will ya, I'm trying to do da math computations on going with smaller / narrower tires than my current 245/60-15 on the front to prevent the rubbage and I'm more confused than a one eyed mosquito at a mannequin factory

Size.........245/60-15.....235/60-15.....235/75-15.....235/70-15
Diameter....26.57.............26.1..............28.88...........27.95
Width..........9.65..............9.25..............9.25.............9.25

[6DoF]

yeah, i hate metric tire sizing ... why do they feel the need to involve math in the listing, just tell me the actual dia! is your confusion in the metric size conversion, or picking a new tire?

for anyone wondering: 245/60-15 calc's

section width:
245mm ... 1in=25.4mm ... 245/25.4=9.65"

tire dia:
the 60 is the ratio of sidewall to width, or 60% of it. so 245*0.6=147. but! there is a sidewall both above and below the wheel so ya gota x2 it. so 147*2=294 but this is still only the rubber part of the dia, still need to convert to inches so you can add the wheel to it. 294/25.4=11.57 ... 11.57+15=26.57"

245/60-15 = 26.6x9.7-15 (US labels would round this to a 27x10-15 cuz marketing)

as for selection of a new tire size, if you are only just rubbing at full lock, i'd make very small changes. 1/2" smaller dia and 1/4" narrower would most likely do a lot. also, if you dial into the actual tire specs to see the actual thread width, you might be able to find a tire with a narrower tread and the same section. meaning it's more rounded vs square'd. that alone might get ya there.

clear as mud? any chance i was able to give that mosquito another eye? no, forget that, kill all mosquito's!!

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by 6DoF

yeah, i hate metric tire sizing ... why do they feel the need to involve math in the listing, just tell me the actual dia! is your confusion in the metric size conversion, or picking a new tire?

LOL, thanks bud, I am European but have lived in the states for so long that I have converted to cubits, LOL

my issue, which I should have been clearererer on is that I don't know if I need to go narrower tire/rim or shorter or both as she rubs when I go over speed bumps in a straight line, the lock to lock turning does not seem to rub, strange I tell you

but I just love the friggen stance, she looks like she's ready to pounce (sorry there were shadows on the other side so only revealing one side)

[Gregski]

determined to find exactly where she's rubbin' before making final adjustments with the fire torch, we busted out with all the precision instruments in the form of scrap wood and blue painters tape

theorazing when we drive and she rubbs she would tare the tape off, in that spot, makes sense don't it, well she rubbed and she didn't tare any tape off (she's an enigma wrapped in a mystery I tell you what)

shown, she is a sittin' on 6.521" riser to be precise on the texter side only (driver wheel is on the floor) to exaggerate the articulation with her round things pointed directly forward and I can still shove my pretty clean hands (for once) under the fender at 12 o'clock and 1 o'clock which appear to be the closest spots

[Gregski]

the Science continued, as we tried everything short of the fundamental relation in Euclidean geometry, you know Pythagorean theorem [ummm] we turned the wheel to the right all the way!

and could still stick our huge man hands under there!

[Gregski]

well then...

no big deal, we just gotta make all right handed turns

[6DoF]

i'd agree, love the stance! i also love metric, just not tire size listing

well shoot ... maybe just consider it a "self clearance" issue and let it happen? eventually you'll find a spot that got polished.

when you hear the rub, is it a clicking like the tread is running past and edge or a smooth noise like the sidewall and fender are just brushing past each other? what size bump is required to generate the interference?

[6DoF]

so no tight turns at speed! but you did say it happens when going perfectly straight, no?

maybe you just need a stiffer shock to control over-compression?