I'm almost back!

[donsrods]

Since my computer has been stored I haven't been able to get on here for the past couple of months, but supposedly our new place is ready to start moving into tomorrow. First thing to go in will be the TV and computer.

I've had a lot of time to work on my 27 and got the motor started a few nights ago. It fired right up, sounded strong, and has a super nasty idle, but after 5 minutes the oil pressure went to zero! Tore the pan off and found a galley plug blew out, so I replaced it with a screw in plug and all is fine now. Waiting for the body to come back from the fiberglass shop, supposed to have it this week.

Hope everyone is well, I'm using FedEx's computer @ 20 cents per minute, so I have to be brief. Take care all, see you in a few days I hope.

Don

 

[earthman]

Thanks for checking in bud

 

[Tripper]

Just wonderin' how you were doin'... glad to hear from ya!!!

BoB

 

[Bonehead]

Nice to hear from you. And really nice of you to take the time. Waiting for the you tube.

 

[CR55]

I'm glad everythings coming together for you! [cl...CR

 

[FlatBroke]

We patiently wait the return of "DonsRods" [P

 

[hotrod preacher]

We patiently wait the return of "DonsRods" [P

ditto![P[P[cl[cl

 

[Sam_Fear]

[P............

 

[cycledog]

Nice to hear from you and that all is going well.

 

[donsrods]

Thanks for the nice welcome home guys.........you have NO idea how much I missed being able to chat with my friends. I also haven't seen a TV in two months, but when Dan and I went to Garlits show we got to watch TV in our hotel room.....it was like a big treat! We caught up on all the latest on Jesse James and Sandra Bullock. Uh, what did she expect? Marry a bad boy and expect him to suddenly become a choirboy? But. she is now available again, and I can be house trained real easy.[dr

Should have the keys to the new place when Dan gets home from work tonight, it will be so nice to start moving stuff in. Like I said, I have had tons of time to work on my 27, and it is starting to look like a car finally. I tore it down 12 years ago for a freshening up, and finally got around to it. I think I am going to really like the 331 stroker and 4:30 gears. I have been tempted to put a milk crate in it to sit on and a string for a throttle, but with my luck I'd fall off and end up under a tire. So if the body comes back this week I should be able to at least go around the block. And yes, a YouTube will be following.

Take care all, I hope everyone is doing great.

Don

 

[Gastrick]

GREAT to hear from you Don. I saw some photos of your car at the Garlits Show and was wondering when you were going to pop in and update. Hope you are fully up and running soon.

 

[Rat33pickmup]

Welcome Back Don, great to see ya on here again, we miss all the great pics and wisdom you bring.

Jim

 

[donsrods]

Thanks Bill and Jim. I got a call today, the fiberglass shop was done with the body for my 27. I had them modifying the firewall for more room for the now bigger engine, and generally getting a lot of boo-boos taken care of. They did a super job and the body is now covered with 3 coats of Slick Sand primer which Dan and I are going to start sanding on in the next coupe of days. My day tomorrow will be spent taking loads of stuff to our new home, so maybe in a day or so I won't have to come to FedEx to get my forum fix.

I'm still on the fence for what color to paint the 27, one minute I am saying red, the next satin black, then blue............I'm so decisive!

Take care guys.

Don

 

[35Mastr]

Glad to see its all coming together for you.

 

[Sniper]

Glad to hear things are going ok. Will be watching for the "update".

 

[donsrods]

Hooray, I just got off the phone with Comcast and I am now back among the computer living!![cl I felt like I was living in a cave for the past 2 months.

As for my 27, I got the exhaust system back from the coater yesterday and got it on. The mufflers really make it sound so much better. That was the good news. The bad news is, now that open headers aren't drowning things out, I can hear a noise deep in the engine I don't like. It is very syncronized to the rpms, and sounds like a rod bearing. That little episode where the galley plug blew out and I lost oil pressure momentarily might have been the cause.

For now I am going to walk away from the car because I am so frustrated. I put all the best stuff I could get into this motor and I am a little mad at my machine shop because that galley plug should not have blown out under only 60 pounds of oil pressure. I have used the same guy for 25 years and like him, but he has had a few things I have not been nuts about. For example, all the freeze plugs he installed in Don's 302 leaked upon fireup and I had to put new ones in.........no more leaks. He also did a valve job for the marina I worked at and the valves sucked in after 15 minutes running time. Time to try a new shop.

But at least this car isn't one I need to have to get to work everyday, it is just a toy, so the motor will come back out and apart to see what is what. I sure do hate redoing stuff though, especially after it is all painted and assembled. But that is hot rodding, I guess.

Don

 

[hotrod preacher]

man the luck you are having! i hate to hear about that engine problem--it really is better to be able to walk away, then when the time is right you can check it out......hope it's not too serious
and it does seem like the machinist needs to "tighten things up a bit" or he won't be in business for much longer--in a rough economy, a business has to be on top of the game or that business will go under!

 

[Gastrick]

Great news Don.....except for the engine woes. Now that you are back up and running, how about some pictures of all the progress that was made while you were without a computer. And how about an update on a particular RPU that everyone is waiting to see.[dr

 

[donsrods]

Hi Bill.....I hoped I would run into you at Garlits place last month but it looks like you didn't make that one. Hope you and the family are all fine.

I haven't taken any pictures lately, but will have to do that before I yank the motor out. As for Dan's RPU, he had some time between the old job and new one, so he got a lot of little stuff out of the way. It is actually ready for primer, which he wants us to do before it goes in for paint so he can be sure all the nooks and crannies get coated.

We spent a whole week just trying to get the stainless cowl band to fit right on the 30 body. It looked fine to me, but you know Dan. It was just a tad off from being straight and nothing we could do would move it the 1/8 inch we needed. One day I remembered seeing a package that he had bought a while back and that he had forgotten about. In it were two little "cowl band clips" that serve to hold the band in place when you tighten it down. We put those on and it finally met his standards........he drives me nuts with his perfectionism.

Good to hear from you again Bill and I hope we run into you and your family at some event soon.........it's been too long.

Don

 

[bob w]

It's really nice to have you back, Don.