RPU, bodywork underway.

[donsrods]

[S so what did he not like about it
Looks cool to me

Dan is a perfectionist to a fault......drives me nuts sometimes, and he does not understand the term " That is good enough". But that is why his projects are a lot nicer than mine.

When he built that rpu originally, he was just learning hot rods and had cut his teeth on air bagged S10 pickups, so a lot of what was underneath that rpu was technology he used on the pickups. It had air bag suspension all around, and the frame was one he originally had under the car when it was a 4 door sedan, so it was not really conventional hot rod stuff.

I think he felt that the car was never going to be accepted as a true hot rod, and he was evolving into the hot rod world, so he decided the only thing to do was cut it all up and start over. So, he ordered a new Brookville body, kept the Olds engine and transmission, and pretty much made everything else from the frame to the suspension to fit that new body.

The end result was a lot nicer, I have to admit. Much more along the lines of what a real hot rod should look like. One day after we finished it, he took it to Billetproof and won two trophies, Best of Show and Best Truck, so I guess he was right when he cut up the first one.

It also runs pretty well too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ-akqdncZU

 

[donsrods]

Haven't had anything post worthy the past week or so, but we have still been making progress. Dan has been working on the bed, he got the tailgate bolted to the rest of the framework, and has been putting in braces in various spots. We have been lifting the bed on and off a bunch of times and it is getting heavier. I had to adjust my rear coilovers higher because it was dropping the car down a little, and I wanted a slight rake to the stance.

I have been working on the little mechanical details that need wrapping up before I can drive it for the first time. Yesterday I wrapped up making all the brake lines, so all I have to do now is bleed the system. I went against the suggestions of my two sons, and I installed the single master cylinder off of a 65 Mustang. It just fit so much better than the larger dual cylinder, and I figure how many pre 1965 cars are running around with stock single master cylinders on them ? Plus, I have had a single system on my 27 for over 30 years with zero problems, so.............. but I do expect some heat from my sons.

I have also been addressing a problem with the front carburetor flooding sometimes when I start it up. Not every time, just very rarely. I tore it apart and lowered the float level, but on start up it spurted fuel out of the top vent, so I am not sure what is going on there. But the exhaust is very clean, no smoke or fumes, so it seems like it is burning the fuel ok.

What I have decided to do is to install the fuel pressure regulator I bought a while ago. I do not have one on my 27 with the same fuel pump, but that car is running two four barrel AFB carbs, and maybe they handle higher pressure better that the two barrel Rochester carbs I have on the RPU engine. It will not hurt to cut the pressure down from the 7 psi my pump puts out to maybe 3-4 psi, so I will give that a try today.

My upholstery was "supposed" to be done Friday, so I called him and he said " I'm just starting on it, I should be done by next Friday". I really do not need it now anyway, but I am anxious to see how it came out.

Once I get the brakes bled and working right, and the steering installed , and the carb figured out, I can take it for a little spin in my parking lot. But I will have to sit on a box since I do not have my seat back yet ! (lol)

 

[donsrods]

Haha, kind of a funny little story happened tonight. I started bleeding the brake system and found a few leaks in various places, so my son Don came over from his shop and helped me tighten them one by one until we got the back brakes not leaking anywhere.

But the fronts were still leaking at some fittings, so we tightened those, and then we saw brake fluid pouring down the passenger side front brake backing plate, so we pulled the wheel and brake drum off, and when we looked inside, there were no brake shoes, no springs, no hardware of any kind, just wheel cylinders ! I guess, years ago, I just put the brake drums on to make the car a roller and had never bothered to install the shoes or any hardware.

We sat there laughing for a while, after all, here I was trying to bleed the brakes and there were none on the front. Every time we looked at each other we laughed more ! So, tomorrow I am going to order all the bits and pieces I need to finish up the front brakes and then I can go back to the bleeding process.

That is the problem when you spread out building a car over a lot of years, you forget what you have done and what you haven't done. Don said " I think we need to nut and bolt the entire car and go over it before you test drive it !" I think he is right.

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

That is the problem when you spread out building a car over a lot of years, you forget what you have done and what you haven't done. Don said " I think we need to nut and bolt the entire car and go over it before you test drive it !" I think he is right.

[cl [cl

.

 

[joedoh]

HAHA better make sure the engine has a cam, might be the reason for the lumpy idle!

great stuff! [cl[cl[cl[cl

 

[donsrods]

Haha, yep, we are still chuckling over this little screw up. I think moving me into a retirement home is not too far down the road if I keep this stuff up.

I also had a problem where when I put brake fluid into the master cylinder it would not bleed, no matter what I did, no fluid was coming out. And then I realized the cup shaped seal that normally fits into the cap had fallen down into the bore of the master cylinder and it was holding all the fluid trapped inside.

I am thinking about taking up knitting and giving up this car stuff.

 

[Old Iron]

Kitty and all

 

[soltz]

Behind all the Ha Ha's there is a thought "that could be me"

Getting old and forgetful is better to the alternative[cl

 

[donsrods]

Yeah, I guess getting old beats the alternative.

I had another little scare this week. I was sitting down, going through the stack of receipts I have for parts for this car, and I ran across when I bought the flex plate, it was right after I bought the crate motor about 5 years ago.

When I looked at the receipt, it showed a flex plate for a 1985 and older 350 Chevy motor, and when I went to the Jegs website (that is who I bought the crate 350 from) it showed that this motor takes a 1986 and newer flex plate. All night I wondered if I had installed the wrong balance flex plate on the engine. The engine seems to run smoothly, so I wasn't sure what was what.

So, yesterday I called Jegs and the very helpful tech guy there pulled up my original purchase and informed me that the engine I bought uses a two piece rear seal and the earlier flex plate. The latest ones they sell now do use a one piece seal and a newer version flex plate, but what I have is correct.

Whew !!!!!! Dodged the bullet on that one ! The guy at Jegs said that first of all, the wrong flex plate would not bolt on and secondly, it would shake like mad as it is balanced differently. I was envisioning having top pull the engine and all that it would entail, but that will not have to happen now.

I think I am going to name this car Christine, it seems to be a little possessed sometimes !

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

I'm guessing it wasn't one of those crappy "hot print" receipts, which fade to nothing in 30 days!

.

 

[donsrods]

I'm guessing it wasn't one of those crappy "hot print" receipts, which fade to nothing in 30 days!

.

No it was one of the regular receipts like you get from Summit, Speedway, etc. I'll tell you, Dr C, it sure gave me a sleepless night until I straightened it out the next morning. All I could see was me having to pull out this engine and transmission, and it won't be an easy task in this car.

But, I lucked out, thank God.

 

[Old Iron]

[cl[cl[cl

 

[Bamamav]

Laughing with you, not at you Don! It sounds like something I would do, quit in the middle of a job and go back later and forget what I had done.

 

[donsrods]

Haha, we are still laughing over this one. When we pulled that brake drum off, Don said "Where are all the brake parts?" then we looked at each other and cracked up !

Old age is not for sissies.

Hopefully, my brake parts will arrive maybe tomorrow, and also the upholstery guy has promised (again) to have my seats done by then too. I don't see any reason why I can not put the steering box and related parts back in for the final time, I have enough access under the dash to do whatever needs done with the steering in place.

I think I will work on the steering today.

 

[bruno]

Don't forget to put on the pitman arm Don.

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

When we pulled that brake drum off, Don said "Where are all the brake parts?"

Did you check your receipts? (Just having a laugh at your expense. )

.

 

[donsrods]

Haha, believe me guys, after that most recent screw up on my part I am checking every nut, bolt, and cotter pin. lol

Yesterday my two sons and I spent the entire day sorting out a myriad of little things that need finishing up. (even though it was boiling hot in the shop) Dan worked on more fabrication on the bed, while Don and I worked on getting the brake system completed and bled.

The front brake parts came in from Joes Antique Auto Parts, and they were really very high quality and they came in only two days. I got the new front shoes as well as the rest of the hardware to install them. After we got all the parts on and the drums reinstalled, Don and I started the bleeding process.

We found we still had a couple of pesky leaks in the lines, but after retightening them a few times the leaks stopped, so he and I bled all four lines a few times until we had good pedal. So, unless I find some new issue when I go to the shop today, for all practical purposes, the brakes are done and adjusted.

Today my goal is to get the steering system installed for (hopefully) the last time. It has been in there a few times already, so that should go pretty smoothly. Then, I will have to install the dashboard and dash rail to wrap up that segment of the build.

Last week I installed a fuel pressure regulator under the dash, so my fuel pressure should be way down and hopefully cure the front carb flooding issue. If all is good, my hope is that today will be the day I finally get to see if this thing will move and stop under it's own power for the first time in 9 years !

I, of course, expect a few bugs to show up, and I still have not gotten my seat back from the upholstery guy (grrrrr !) so I will have to sit on towels if I do get the chance to pull the car out of the garage and test it in the parking lot.

(Maybe) film at 11 !!

 

[soltz]

!!![P!!!

 

[donsrods]

Today, August 29th, 2020 marks the day I drove my hot rod for the first time in 9 years !!!!!!!!!!

My son Dan decided to not work on fabricating more of the bed today, and instead gave me his time to help wrap up a lot of little things so we could actually fire up and drive the car for the first time ever.

We had to install the steering, and he made a nice little rubber bellows where the column goes through the firewall, and then we bolted the Ford serial number plate onto the firewall. While he was doing that I installed the pitman arm and drag link, and the steering wheel. Now we had steering and braking.

Before we fired it up we went all over the car, from front to back, tightening every bolt and nut, and putting cotter pins in places that needed them. We tried the brake pedal for one last time, and then put some towels down to act as a seat so we could drive the car around in our shop parking lot.

At first it really didn't idle well, something had changed since the last time I started it up a week or so ago. I reset the fuel pressure regulator and played with the timing and it did run somewhat better, but still not perfect.

So, we put it in gear, tested the brakes, and pulled out of the shop for the very first test ride ! It bogged a little, but the car handled and rode really well. The engine is running really rich and the fumes were gagging us, but we took it for a spin in the parking lot anyway. The transmission shifted nice and firm, and the 3:55 gears seemed about right.

The more we drove it and the more we played with timing and fuel pressure, the better it ran. Still not perfect but getting better. The car rode well over speed bumps and ran straight and handled well. I got on it a few times, and it bogged, but still spun the tires, with no hopping or bad issues. There were no strange noises, no vibrations, and it rode pretty well. It is a heavy car with a long wheelbase, so that is why it probably rides as well as it does.

I think all of our little issues are fuel related, so I am going to disconnect the two end carbs, block their fuel lines, and see how it runs on only the center carb. It did run cool, about 160, and all of the gauges worked except the speedometer, and we will have to take a look at that sometime.

But, I am really happy with the way it ran for the very first time, and when we work out a few little bugs it should be much better. It is almost hard to believe that this pile of parts actually moves under it's own power and does it pretty well. I think I will sleep pretty well tonight !

Dan did a little video recording on his phone as we drove it the first time, and I am going to have to see how to download that into something I can post here.

 

[Old Iron]

You guys have put in a ton of hours so I can imagine how happy you and Dan must be.