54 Chevy truck

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For the ones who don't know, mounting the master and booster on the firewall of one of these older cars/trucks are not as easy as bolting them on. Your late model cars have braces and double walls metal in some cases. The firewall on an older car will flex. Easy fix is to brace it or weld in a plate. Most guys just weld a plate on the outside of firewall and it's good to go. I did not want the plate to show so I went a different route and put the plate on the inside.

 

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Template is made.



Random holes are drilled into the firewall. These will be plug welded after the plate is in place as well as some welding on the inside of the cab.

 

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Holes for the booster are cut into the plate.

 

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Fuzz-o-graph picture but you get the drift. This is just still mock up so nothing stays bolted on until all the other work is done.

 

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I don't like the looks of this late model engine and booster in the truck but this is not something I'm going to be showing. This is just to drive and use it as a truck, tow and haul parts

 

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I need to pull the engine so I can finish up welding the firewall but since the engine was in it I figured I'd mess with the steering.
Here is what came with the truck. It's from a Dakota.

 

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I didn't want all the turn signals and bulky late model junk showing in the cab so I stripped it down.

 

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The hole in the firewall wouldn't work. It made the steering hit the engine. I cut a little away at a time until I got it to clear.

 

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The steering rod where it goes through the firewall is 1". I didn't have a heim joint that big so the tube it came with had to be used. It has bearing in the bottom.

 

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At the other end there is no bearing so the top will get a heim joint to hold the rod to the dash.

 

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The angle of the tube didn't match the flange on the bottom to the firewall. It needed to have more of an angle to it.

 

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Now that I have the right angle and placement for the steering the engine and trans comes back out.

 

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Another template is made to get the crazy lines right.

 

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Time for some All Metal.

 

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Corey came out for a few minutes and helped me sand.

 

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A little more sanding and then I used a little glaze.

 

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I tossed some cheap primer over it and spray bombed the firewall flat black. The body work is not perfect but I don't want it to be. This is a work truck. Not something I'm going to be putting in car shows.

I took a note from A club member, Scrounger Johnny while he keeps going over his project, 50 Chevy truck doing body work. "I should have not touched it. I wanted a beater and now it's too nice."

Well mine is not!

 

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Pulled the engine around and cleaned it up. Forget about engine degreaser. The best thing to use is oven cleaner. This is dollar store stuff and it works better than gunk ever did.


Another club member offered up this intake for the project. Thanks again John! The intake was covered with grease so I used the oven cleaner on it too. Don't use oven cleaner on aluminum stuff. It will give it a funky color. I'm going to paint this one so it didn't matter.


While I was cleaning the engine Sami was cleaning up the booster.

 

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When she got done with the booster she cleaned up most of the garage which helps me a lot when I'm into a project.

I hosed off the oven cleaner and then used a can of brake cleaner to get anything else off that would keep the paint from sticking.