Roadster pickup build, take two.

[Torchie]

Very nice. [cl
[P [P [P
Torchie

 

[DozerII]

That looks really good, I hear ya on the high temps, we are in for a week of them.

 

[donsrods]

Thanks, guys. Yep, it has been brutal down here this year. Some days I go to the shop and turn around and go home. Can't wait for winter, but it seems to be shorter and shorter every year. Last year, we got like 2 weeks of cooler weather and that was it.

Ordered my radiator overflow tank today from Summit, should have it in a couple of days and can start wrapping up the cooling part of the car.

Next, we need to put the body temporarily back on to check clearances and stuff like that. I also have to find a spot on the car floor right over the transmission dip stick to cut a hole for access, and then I can make a metal cover for it. My brake lines and parts should be here this week from Speedway, so I can start running the brake lines when it all comes.

I need to make as much progress as I can before 8/15 because I am going in for some knee surgery on that day and not sure how long I will be laid up, keeping me from getting any work done. I heal pretty fast, generally, so I hope a couple of weeks is all it will take.

 

[donsrods]

Tonight Dan and I went over and temporarily installed the radiator without the grille shell, just to see if everything cleared. It did, I had about an inch between the radiator and the water pump pulley. Then I put the new water neck on, and it has a much better angle than the original chrome one I had on the motor.

So, we ran to the auto parts store and they let us dig around in their molded radiator hose selection, and we found one that was very close to what we needed, all we had to do was cut out the section we needed. Now we can start working on the lower radiator hose.

I also ordered my coolant recovery tank from Summit today, should have it on Thursday. That, and the lower hose, should wrap up the cooling system, and we can put the grille shell on, reinstall the radiator, and be done with that part of the build.

 

[Torchie]

Good progress.[cl
Keep at it and good luck on the knee surgery.
[P [P [P
Torchie

 

[soltz]

^^^^^^what he said ^^^^^^^
[cl

 

[donsrods]

Thanks, guys. I never thought I would relish the thought of having surgery, but this knee is holding me back from living a normal life. It gets very stiff and sore if I stand in one place for too long, and, after a day of working, it really is touchy. Can't wait until the 15th !

Today I spent some time figuring out the lower radiator hose. I sort of shot myself in the foot by having the Olds in here in the beginning because I had to use a Hurst style front motor mount because the Olds had no side mounts. When I switched to to Chevy motor, I didn't want to weld side mounts to an already power coated frame, so we built another Hurst style mount for the new motor.

Problem is, the engine mount is right where the Chevy radiator hose wants to go. The hose would have to make some odd twists to fit down in there, so a molded hose is out of the question. I finally found a flex hose at NAPA today that was about the right length, and while I am not nuts about mixing a molded hose on top and a flex down below, at this stage I just want to get this thing on the road.

Later on, I may have Dan weld up some stainless tubing, bent to the right shape, and put rubber cuffs on the ends to go to the water pump and the radiator........or not. Once the car is on the road I will probably never change this flex hose out, to be honest.

My stainless recovery tank came today from Summit and it was scratched up out of the box. So I called them and they are sending a new one free of charge. I have always found Summit to be stand up guys when something like this happens.

 

[Old Iron]

I put one of these on a friends hot rod.
I'm not a fan of electric fuel pumps and this style mount doesn't let you use a mechanical because of clearance.
I cut the lower radiator hose tube off and welded it back on at an angle up towards the pump, it was a hundred percent better.

 

[soltz]

The front mount sure cleans up the side of the eng. [cl
Looking very nice
[P

 

[donsrods]

Today we made really good progress, Dan and I were both off work. We decided that we needed to see the body back on the frame to make sure there were no clearance issues or other problems, because I don't think we have ever had the body on with this engine and transmission, just with the previous Olds motor and transmission.

Good thing we did because we found a small section of the body subframe was touching a bolt on the transmission, so we pulled the body back off and Dan cut that section out and capped it. When we put the body back on, it fit like it should.

Seeing the car semi assembled has me pretty optimistic about making November. I dropped off the windshield frame at a glass shop today and they are going to cut and install the windshield glass for me. I figure, the more things like this that I get out of the way, the fewer things there will be to bite me toward the end.

Next little thing we need to do is find a way to run the Lokar transmission dipstick assembly, and then we can pull the body off and start doing body work and paint.

Here are some pictures from today.

 

[BillM]

That's looking really good. Thanks again for posting the progress!

 

[donsrods]

Thank you , Bill. I have to admit I am starting to get excited about getting this one on the road. The finish line looks closer, but I have said that for 8 long years now !! I can't believe that I started this one in 2011 !

 

[Bamamav]

I like that body lift! Much easier than muscle power![cl[cl[cl

 

[donsrods]

Years ago I was picking up the corner of a body to put a shim under it, and I felt a spring go off in my left arm. The tendon had become detached and I had to have surgery. While I was healing, Dan built that gantry and put two electric winches on it so I would never have to lift anything like that again. It has really gotten a workout over those years, flipping frames and everything else.

 

[donsrods]

The past two days, we have gotten a few more things out of the way. On Friday, I worked, but Dan welded up the old holes in the body where the door handles went. We are going to relocate them slightly lower on the door, the way roadsters are done. These doors were originally on the 4 door, and those mount higher.

Then today, we got a really important step out of the way, we got the Lokar transmission dipstick figured out, so now I will be able to fill the transmission from right on the firewall, instead of having to climb underneath the car each time.

Finally, we got the fuel tank sender drilled and tapped and installed. Not as important as figuring out the transmission thing, but still one more step done.

The trans dipstick is almost hidden when the plug wires are routed where they end up.

 

[Tripper]

My way of moving forward is when I get tired of one area... I switch to another area because sooner or later... it all has to get done!

Don't know if you have this problem but I had trouble reading the level on my Lokar dipstick until I painted the business end flat black... then it's easy to see & the tranny fluid didn't dissolve the paint!

BoB

 

[donsrods]

I will try that paint trick, Bob. Good idea.

Today I picked up my windshield from the glass shop. They did a nice job, and this is one more thing that might have held me up later on.

My son says we still have to do more welding on the body before we can start body work, he wants to frame in the insides of the doors with a lip so that the interior panels will fasten down to those. Little things like that, and mounting the new door handles, etc.

With all the improvements he is making to the car, and the time he is giving me, I think he knows he is going to get the car back when I croak ! lol I guess that is only fair, considering I "borrowed" the body and a bunch of other parts from him years ago to get this thing started.

 

[05snopro440]

I will try that paint trick, Bob. Good idea.

Today I picked up my windshield from the glass shop. They did a nice job, and this is one more thing that might have held me up later on.

My son says we still have to do more welding on the body before we can start body work, he wants to frame in the insides of the doors with a lip so that the interior panels will fasten down to those. Little things like that, and mounting the new door handles, etc.

With all the improvements he is making to the car, and the time he is giving me, I think he knows he is going to get the car back when I croak ! lol I guess that is only fair, considering I "borrowed" the body and a bunch of other parts from him years ago to get this thing started.

All the little details you're putting in are what will make this stand out!

I always cherish the time spent working with my dad building stuff, I'm glad your son is getting more of those memories

I generally don't care for A roadster pickups other than the 28-29, and on those I really like the cowl shape and the square back of the cab. The different body lines and cowl on yours really look good because the conversion was done really well. I'm glad to see this nearing the finish line! Good luck with your surgery next week!

 

[donsrods]

All the little details you're putting in are what will make this stand out!

I always cherish the time spent working with my dad building stuff, I'm glad your son is getting more of those memories

I generally don't care for A roadster pickups other than the 28-29, and on those I really like the cowl shape and the square back of the cab. The different body lines and cowl on yours really look good because the conversion was done really well. I'm glad to see this nearing the finish line! Good luck with your surgery next week!

Thanks for all the nice words, and the good wishes for my surgery. It is fairly simple, (I hope ) they go in with a scope, look around, and then go through the same scope with cutters and snip or repair the damaged areas. My son Don had it done years ago, and he said he recovered well and fast.

The truth is, I would not get this car together without Dan doing his thing for me. Don works 5 days a week, and plays in a band 4 nights a week, so he just doesn't have time to help us, plus, he is trying to get his own boat back together, it has been down since July of last year, and he only gets like maybe 1 evening a week to work on that.

Got more parts ordered today, some are also coming tomorrow, so my parts shelf is getting a little full. Funny how many parts go into these little cars.

 

[donsrods]

Got my gauges today. I ordered Stewart Warner Wings gauges from Summit. Dan has the exact set on his roadster, and I like the old timey look, and the curved glass lenses.

I didn't get much done today, but I did get my fuel sender and fuel fill assembly installed and glued in place for the final time. Now I have to drill and tap the crossmember for the front bolts and make a 90 degree angle fitting to hold the rear of the tank in place, and that step will be done.

Dan thinks our next step, while the body is on, should be to put the steering box in place and fab up the dash column support. I guess that makes sense.