Roadster pickup from leftovers.

[donsrods]

Sure, we could do that. As for strength, there is still a lot of material in the center section and also on the top and bottom parts of the "I". My 27 has been on the road for 24 years now, and driven hard, with no problems at all.

And I just lightened up my car by a half pound ! [cl

Don

 

[YBeNormal]

Sounds like a plan. If I ever get the thing apart lol.

We are sandblasting this weekend my cousins dad works at a concrete plant and I guess they have a fire hose size sand blaster and the told us to come have fun. [cl

 

[donsrods]

Aw, you are lucky, that is the right piece of equipment to do sandblasting with. I used to have a gravity feed Sears sandblaster and did a lot of parts and frames with it, but it sure took forever. I finally tossed it in the trash and promised that I would buy a bigger one next time.

Don

 

[YBeNormal]

Yeah I have a 40 lb craftsman type but for the big stuff it takes forever.
Evidently this one I get to use has a hopper the size of a full size truck [cl

 

[Kriesel]

I like that engine mount! Any close-up shots of it available?

 

[donsrods]

Thanks Kriesel. I do have a few pictures. As yoiu probably know, the early Olds engines had a goofy single front motor mount with no provision for side mounts. Hurst didn't make one for the 1964 394 I am using (as far as I could determine) so my Son and I made a Hurst type mount that would mainly support the engine by the normal two bolts that go up into the timing cover, but we added gussets to the side that also bolt in from the front.

I wanted to use early Ford bisquit mounts on the ends, so this is what we came up with.

Don

The Olds also originally had two mounts on the bellhousing, so to take some of the strain off of the back of the motor we built similar mounts to come off of the Bendtsens adapter plate.

And the final mount is the one on the tailshaft of the th350 transmission.

 

[Dirtyrat]

Lookin real clean, and some good ideas on the mounts.

 

[zzrodder]

Those are some nice tidy mounts you worked up for the Olds. [cl
I made mounts for one of these engines in a 55 Chev pickup many years ago but they sure didn't look this nice...

 

[donsrods]

Thanks Guys. I can't take all the credit, my Son Dan gets involved and puts his touch on things. Sometimes I just want to get things done quickly, but I have to admit they turn out better with his help.

Don

 

[imapeopleperson]

Awesome build thread. Love the detail you put into your comments. Can't wait till you finish it.

 

[Dirtyrat]

Yes, any news?

 

[thetinman]

amaizing build

 

[donsrods]

Thanks guys. This weekend we made pretty good progress on the frame. A while back we made the mounts that will hold the front shocks and also the headlights, but they were half done. Yesterday we finished welding them together and got them ground smooth. Today Dan welded them onto the frame for me and I am really happy to get this step out of the way.

All that is left now for the front end is to weld some tabs onto the wishbones to hold the bottom of the shock, We will probably do that one night this week.

I wanted the headlight mounts to be strong, I have seen hot rods where the headlights jiggle up and down when they are going down the road at night and didn't want that problem. The ones we made should be pretty steady and also give a good spot for the shocks to mount.

Here is where we ended up tonight.

Don

Starting to look like a car finally.

 

[YBeNormal]

Looking good Don[cl[cl

 

[patina]

just looked through the whole build thread... you do amazing work. Great Job !

 

[donsrods]

Thanks YBe and Patina. Now I guess I can't put off the bodywork any longer and am going to have to start on it, and I HATE bodywork. But I'm happy to be getting this far along.

Don

 

[donsrods]

Ever since I started this project I have had it in the back of my mind I want to run my Moon tank up front with no radiator, and put the radiator hidden in the bed, under the louvered tonneau cover. Tonight I slipped it in place to see how it looks.

Opinions ????

Don

 

[bob w]

I guess I'm just old fashioned cuz I like the radiator in its normal location. However, if you do it I like the radiator shell as you have it and the space filled with the Moon tank is good.

The build is superior.

 

[Paul_J]

I love it! I think it fits the build quite well and it adds a ton of visual interest up front. Nice work on the axle too!

 

[maverickmk]

It works, I like it. I've always liked the hidden/relocated radiator look.