Misc Weekend Projects. Anybody else?

[Gastrick]

Well we didn't get anything fun and exciting accomplished this weekend, just a few things that needed to get done. More pictures than needed here, but hey, I like pictures.

I hated to do it but I had to pull the rear out of my coupe because I only had about 3/4" clearance between the top of the change gear housing and the rear crossmember. Some minor surgery was in order. I also had to pull the exhaust system out to modify the crossmember.

Sunday night............................



I didn't take a photo with the rear in, but this is the offending area. Note that here I've installed a temp brace in order to maintain alignment after the crossmenber is disected.



I then bent up this piece of tubing to replace the middle section of the crossmember.



Welded in the new raised crossmember section. I had to cut a hole in the trunk floor. I'll fix that later. Here's a view from inside the trunk.

 

[Gastrick]

Here it is from the bottom with everything back in the car. Plenty of clearance now.



I also used a pair of scrap Buick finned drums as covers over the Ford rear drums. Now they sort of match my Buick finned front brakes. My brother spent a lot of time making these drums presentable.

 

[Gastrick]

We also installed the the wiper system in my brothers 55 Chevy project. I hate working under the dash. As with everything else under here, it's mounted on studs so that the engine side of the firewall remains smooth and free of hardware.



New transmissions, top and bottom view......

 

[dmw56]

Looks like you got quite a bit done Gastrick. That rear end looks super.

I did lawn and gardening Saturday and yesterday. But today I chopped my 51 F1 removed 4" and got a lot of it completed.

 

[chopper tom]

Loven that 6 cyl!

 

[BruceR&C]

Gastrick - As always, you do some nice work on that coupe.

dmw - that 51's comin along real nice. I'm with tom & really liking that 6 banger.

 

[bob w]

Gastrick, Nice job getting that crossmember symetric. Clever using the Buick drums as covers.
DMW56, Your chop is looking great. Nice proportions.
I took Big Dodge for a very short drive. Then I took the steering box out. Apparently the box had a lot of water in it in the past because the bearings and races were totally rusted. The balls in the bearings looked like old Musket balls. Since the chances of finding a Toyota FJ40 manual box in the next few days are very unlikely, I tore all the steering out and am starting over. It will not have cowl steering now. I am using a reversed Corvair box, yes, I know it is a little light for this application, but, I have it on hand and time is running out on getting the car on the road for summer fun. So, it's rework time for me.

 

[Bonehead]

Great job everybody, tore down my old rock buggy and re built the cage. Put in new seats that are supposed to be better on my back. Hope to dig out the hot rod soon.

 

[earthman]

Mounted a '26 Dodge headlight on my '80 Honda cb650.Cut off all but the hinge on the centerstand and fabbed a steel box to it for the battery. Keeps the center of gravity low Also fabbed a bracket out of a rusty axle u-bolt to mount the garden tractor gas tank under the seat. Almost forgot about cutting the back of the frame off and leaning the shocks forward to mount at the back of the seat. Just trying to give a Japanese bike a little character.

 

[donsrods]

Gastrick you Dog!!! Is that a lift in your garage??????? Boy, do I envy you.

Don

 

[Willowbilly3]

I already posted my Saturday progress. Sunday was church with family, bbq and more bbq. Monday was gardening in the morning then off to visit graves, oh I did get all the stuff stripped off the 260 for more cleaning and inspection. Turns out the 3 sp/od tranny's first gear suffered some from the teen age girls that drove it last, slider and cluster roughed up some. Today I go pick up a freeby 4 speed out of a Mustang 2, I have no idea what it is going to be, hopefully something I can use for a while.