42 ford pickup

[forbigpicture]

Man Rapid, you knocked this thing out quick!!!![cl[cl[cl
to low? no such thing

 

[8literbeater]

Geez. They don't call you Rapid for nothin!
I wish I could put one together that quick.

 

[smallfoot]

Man that's a fast build! I also like your ideas about helping friends...

 

[rapid49]

I made it back home after being in Gulfport for three days. It was a fun show with some great people. I trailered the 42 over there due to the lack of miles on her. I made one pass down the track, took it easy on the launch . It felt like a decent pass and she went nice and straight. Can't ask for much more than that ,right off the trailer. Well on the return rd. I realized that I no longer had second gear . Well I knew something had to go wrong eventually. LOL So I just hung out the rest of the weekend, did a little minibike racing and enjoyed the show. I should have taken more pics , but here's a few I can share with you. The green and black truck puled the little camper all the way from Maine by Frenchie . And older fellow and quite a character, he told me it was an all original 62 Buick 401 nailhead . He cleaned it up and rplaced the gaskets but didn't disturb the interals of the motor . After driving it 2500 miles just to come to our show , he dropped the camper , changed the rear tires and joined in on the burnout / donut competition . This is rough on motors (two were destroyed last night . ) But the Buick held up just fine , and is ready for the trip back home ! You just have to love this stuff and the people that make it happen !!!

 

[rapid49]

A little update here . I pulled the T 10 out and really didn't see much wrong with it , so I don't know why it wouldn't go into 2nd gear. I know the shifter adjustment was dead on . The clutch didn't look so great , I probably should have looked at the clutch a little harder before putting it in , but I was trying to use what I already had. Anyway I replaced the friction disc and pressure plate and replaced the T 10 with a Saginaw. The Saginaw has a lower 1st gear , which helps with the light flywheel. So while I have a great amount of work left to , I have only piddled with minor details. I am driving the truck when I should be working on it . After being stuck in the shop for six months , it's good to be out and putting a few miles on her. Progress from here will move along a lot slower . I think I'm gonna take a ride this afternoon , It's a beautiful day here in New Orleans !!!!

 

[soltz]

rapid, i hear what your saying, not much done on the sprint but burn a lot of gas, but it's been a lot of fun.
isn't that why we have winters [S

 

[earthman]

There goes Rapid!

 

[rapid49]

rapid, i hear what your saying, not much done on the sprint but burn a lot of gas, but it's been a lot of fun.
isn't that why we have winters [S

Not much Winter here in the South . We ride our motorcycles [and rat rods ] all year round.

 

[Old Iron]

I wanted to go to that show this year just could quite muster it

 

[soltz]

Not much Winter here in the South . We ride our motorcycles [and rat rods ] all year round.

Not much out here either but it sounds like a good story.

 

[rapid49]

Well I haven't gotten a whole lot more done to the truck. I've been putting some miles on it and it's been very dependable. Oh and I'm averaging 15 mpg ! I feel like that's great for a motor built for circle track , full race cam and 700 double pumper ! Very minor issues to deal with . The motor is running a little cool . I know it's hard to call this an issue. I have a 160 thermostat in it and can't get it over 160 . I really was concerned about the opposite . The radiator is rather small . At first I thought the gauge must no be right , so I kept a laser thermometer with me . I kept shooting temps under various conditions and yes it is really running too cool. I am going to try a 180 thermostat , hopefully that will take care of this.
After running it a highway speeds , I am about 3500 rpm at 70 mph . I have decided to go with an overdrive . I am going to replace the 4 speed with a t 5.
The front tires rub a lot if I have to turn the steering sharply . This really only happens when trying to park but it's annoying. While I love the way it looks with the front down low ground clearance is also a problem. I took the longer lower ball joints out and replaced them with stock ones. This raised it up a bit . I don't like the look of this but the ultimate goal is for it to be very drivable . I am going to take the 6 " wide wheels of the front and replace them with 4" wide . Hopefully this will help with the turning clearance issues. When I get the new tires on the front and get a few more miles on it I will fine tune the front ride height issue with the coilovers.
As I get some other projects out the way I am looking forward to working on the 42 . I have many more things I hope to get done before the March shows, Main things are to finish the doors and get some glass in them. Also on the list is a tailgate ( I found a 32 tailgate that will fit real nice ) , floor in the bed, running boards , dash and gauges ( I have a dash out of an old dodge that I may modify to fit), finish the floor after the 5 speed update, some sound deadener / insulation in the cab, and I have some new brake rotors for the rear ! That is the main stuff for now anyway.

 

[rapid49]

Well we were hoping to be at the Atomic Blast this weekend , but due to the weather it was postponed . Instead I stayed in the shop all weekend. It's been awhile since I've posted on here , so here's a little update of my progress.
I got the new wheels mounted up . The new rear wheels eliminated the wobble . The norrower fronts gave me a little more clearance . It still rubs a little when I turn real sharp but it's much better than it was. I played with a few different thermostats and still could not get it to work right . Iwas having trouble getting to operating temp and the opening of the thermostat was eratic. Turns out the problem was the waterpump , a stewart stage 2, does not have a bypass. I ran a 5/8" hose from the pump to the intake and problem solved . If I had a heater core this would not have been an issue.
The bed now has a floor in it , as well as a tailgate. I was looking for some old cool looking wood to use , but wasn't having much luck. I came across a youtube video of charring wood , so I figured it was worth a try. I used 5/4 X 6 deck boards . I burned them with a torch then wire brushed them . I finished them off with a wipe down of cherry stain wood oil.
I also got my new brake rotors installed.
Today I started on my dash. I have a complete dash from a 49 Dodge that a friend gave me . My original dash was too far forward and too high to allow for the rear facing master cylinders I am using. A good bit of the dash was removed to make room . While this was functional it looked like crap. I have the dodge gauges mounted and part of the dash back together. I still have a long way to go , but this is a start.
The Atomic Blast has been rescheduled for 4 -23-16 . This is a great show at Gulfport Dragway ! 1/8th mile flag drop drags as well as a freestyle burnout contest !! As well as all the other car show stuff.
I almost forgot the best news . I got the t-5 built and installed . I had to make a new crossmember and shorten the driveshaft , after that I was able to close the floor in with a transmission tunnel .For the first time I have a complete floorboard , and I have a fifth gear. A .68 overdrive !!! I can cruise at interstate speeds now !
Next week we will be at Britanys Project . This is a very cool show in Franklin La. Drag racing in the grass , minibike racing and all the usual fun stuff !!

 

[rapid49]

A couple more pics , brake rotor and crossmember. This is a mustang tailshaft housing on a Camaro case . The crossmember had to be on an angle.

 

[rapid49]

whoops , brake rotor.

 

[soltz]

Coming nicely. Bed and dash look good, not sure about the spoiler(imho)

Drag racing in the grass [S, remember i'm from the left side.

 

[Willowbilly3]

I like where this is going too. Also iffy on the spoiler unless it's something you need.

 

[rapid49]

Thanks for the comments. I'm not sure if the spoiler is gonna stay yet . I did make it bolt on in case I want to take it off. Still undecided.

 

[Willowbilly3]

It's ok, just not quite consistent with the rest of the car.

 

[rapid49]

Finally getting to work on running boards !

 

[jamesgs4]

nice job on the bed wood, looks great!