The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Re: What did you get done on your 'Bolt today?

Got the bottom half of the front engine mounts welded in to the Danforth crossmember. S-10 rotors,calipers and pads installed.Need to install carb, distrubutor and fuel pump. Have to reroute the front brake lines because of the frame now being boxed. Will move them out onto the boxing plate.


Weeds

Got the bottom half of the front engine mounts welded in to the Danforth crossmember. S-10 rotors,calipers and pads installed.Need to install carb, distrubutor and fuel pump. Have to reroute the front brake lines because of the frame now being boxed. Will move them outside onto the boxing plate.


Weeds

Weeds, my hero just keeps on ticking. Man, you put the energizer bunny to shame.
Way to go. Now when you get it running its time for a trip down South. Maybe by then I'll have the little coupe running?

How is the Pontiac coming along?

Just installed the umbrella on the Good humor truck today. Now I have some shade while I`m parked.

http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s554/icecreamman55/009_zps4ikxot6t.jpg

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Steve

Looking good, Mike!

Brad

Alvin, you're on my bucket list. When I get this thing back on the road I will for sure do some serious cruising. Don't be surprised if I show up at your place.



Weeds

I got started making floor space for the cab/chassis when it gets home. Should be in a couple of weeks. I'm a bit nervous about being able to put Humpty back together again... Anyway, I carefully stacked some finished parts & my new gas tank out of the way. Overhead spot. Nothing exciting, but had to get done.

Brad

Iv decided to do the 4 link so i have removed the rear axle and leafs. got the frame all cleaned from rivet removal.
cleaned up the front to install the Danforth crossmember. Then took the wife out so i can keep the good graces and be free to do it tomorrow.

I posted else where but i managed to mess up my electronic speedo and cleared so it read zero and any speed. do you think if i get pulled over and ask, do you know how fast you were going, the officer would believe me? i did get it to read about 14 percent slow so i will be alright until i can recalibrate it.

The 1954/55 GMC 350 COE 18" flatbed now has 6 new 9.00x20" tires mounted on newly semigloss-black powder-coated 3-part wheels (with snazzy NOS cadmium-plated marsden wheel nuts to match the cadmium color lock ring on the wheel) - the COE is plain but pretty.

The Suburban got its first paint touch-up since it was painted about 17 years ago. Last summer car/truck shows took a toll on the body - someone dented the rear door and someone scratched the side. My friend, Dave, who is a painter, metal man, body man, and superb mechanic, did all the painting and did most of the reassembly (reassembly completed about an hour ago - three of us working together). The bumpers and filler panels were, as usual, a pain to install. But, it was worth the time and effort.

Dave will buff/polish/glaze the whole body next week.

The last hour was spent adjusting tie-rod ends and toe-in. A test drive will be taken tomorrow.

Good job Tim! (and Dave) Can't wait to see pictures of both.

Got my 235 off the engine stand to install the flywheel/bell housing/et cetera; stole the casters off my engine stand & put them on my Stovebolt engine caddy; I also had my number one helper help out in painting the driveshaft. I guess that'll be the truck's 'groovy' touch.

Brad

Got that flywheel & bell housing installed. Watched the valves to find TDC, which caused some big time theoretical discussion with a buddy. We over analyze just for fun, apparently. Flywheel bolts torqued to 81 Newton meters.

Brad

Finished up painting the 55.2 Task Force dog dish hubcaps.

Brad

After waiting over 6 weeks for the rainy weather to clear here in north Texas, I finally got the maroon paint on "Aggietruk", '48 chev . Looks great and now to get the new wood for bed varnished and installed.' headlights in, and Stop/tail lights hooked up. ken

Your engine is looking good. Looks like you're fast approaching T time.

Good luck
Dave

I took Gert on a short drive. She ran a little rough at first but leveled out after a bit. She has a bit of a radiator leak, and when I got home she was spewing steam.

The 216 stalled out at a stop sign today, idle was too low. Idle was great yesterday. It's been awhile since I checked it out so I decided to go through the easy/basic checks.
Carb & manifold bolts were good and tight, points were at 0.018, all wires were good, condenser, cap and coil looked good so I pulled the valve cover and checked valve clearances and all were spot on.
Only thing I could find was the timing was slightly retarded and the plugs were alittle sooty.
Bumped the timing up to center the BB and slightly leaned the idle and ofcourse bumped the idle speed up, perculating like a top now

Pulled the head from Clyde and discovered why I only had compression in 2 cylinders - burnt valves.

Head is at the shop getting worked. New valves and springs are on their way.

Just taking a coffee break from changing out the speedometer and being in all kinds of twisted body positions. After taking it apart I found the issue, all the white paint inside has been flaking and gumming things up. Luckily I have a spare so made a good looking one that works out of the two. Now I just have to get back into a yoga frame of mind to contort myself reinstalling it!

De-greased and pressure wash a replacement 235, it was the only thing that seemed right when it is 112 out. Water spray flying every where, did get a slight touch of red from sun shine.

Could not talk myself in to lighting up the torch to heat some stuck bolts, like it isn't hot enough already.

Maybe I should get a parabolic reflector instead of the torch.

About a year ago, I took the 1954 235 block from my Hydra-Matic pickup to a local engine re-builder. He had one older fellow in the shop who supposedly knew 216s/235s/261s. I asked them to rebuild the engine with these modifications:

1. 1954 Corvette cam (a 261 cam) that I provided

2. Higher compression "848" head - I forget the year (that I provided)

3. The 50-52 Powerglide 235 intake valves (that I provided - 1.94" dia. GM #3835519)

4. Small-block exhaust valves, as spec'd below (I think)
Exhaust Valve
Head Diameter: 1.6
Stem Diameter: 11/32
Overall Length: 5.01
Tip Length: 0.25

Everything "magnafluxed" OK.

They did not finish the rebuilt engine until late July 2014. For a variety of reasons, we were not able to break it in until tonight. After dealing with fuel-line leaks and carburetor adjustments, the engine kicked over (6v system) and ran smoothly through the 20 minute break-in (at 2,000 rpm). I think the re-builder adjusted the valves too tight, but the engine rain smoothly and quietly.

I am a happy stovebolter.

By the way, this tachometer from HF worked like a charm (reflective tape was placed on the harmonic balancer). The engine is on a "naked" rolling chassis. With sheet metal in place, locating the tachometer sensor/meter would be problematic.

Today I finally adjusted the valves. Also painted the valve cover a very un-original black and installed a new valve cover gasket that will hopefully limit the amount of oil flowing out of the engine.

I next planned on timing the thing but that turned out to be more involved a process than I was willing to tackle this evening. Need to check dwell as well. Never done that before so should be fun.

Tain't nothing like the sound of a fresh new engine fireing up in the morning (or anytime for that matter)

re. black valve cover, the 49 216 in my 3100 had black tin (valve cover and side cover). I'm pretty sure it came from the factory that color.
Good luck on stopping the oil

Dave

Re-plumbing the brake lines so as not to interfere with R&P on the Scott Danforth crossmember. brake lines were formerly in the frame channels out of the way of everything. crossmember now has boxing plates so brake line need to be attached to the boxing plates.Not much room for everything so am brainstorming trying to make room for everything. I'll get there eventually. Started on this project last fall and am still working on it.
283 going back in on Saturday. seeing light at the end of the tunnel.


Weeds

An exercise in perseverance, we finally got the 3 speed transmission installed on my engine. Nice & humid weather for it... picture

Brad

Just installed the Blue and White stripe canopy on the Good Humor truck. Relieve some of that 112 degree sun heat.

http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s554/icecreamman55/016_zpsnrrseq6f.jpg

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Steve

I got the steering wheel removed from my '53 3800 flatbed.

Big moves folks, big moves.

Got a couple of those little jobs that arise and never quite get round to fixing.
I took advantage of some decent weather (at last!) and stripped out my drivers door glass,regulator etc.
The regulator had been stiff and binding near the fully closed position for some time now and it basically needed a thorough clean and lube.
Reinstalled and adjusted it,sorted!

Fixed a bad speaker connection too.

Refixed the carpet to the firewall,it kept dropping down at the passenger side.

Got the 283 and transmission bolted down and alternator brackets in stalled. Bolted up the alternator, installed the belt and adlusted the tension.power steering pump installation next.Will have to fab up hoses to the R&P. The fun part is when things start going back together. Hoping to drive it to Iola in 2 weeks.Looks like I have my work cut out for me. Cant work tomorrow, Car show in Albany WI.


Weeds

I got the 55.2 235 engine installed, the front fenders bolted up, the radiator support installed, and the hood installed this morning. Put the blame hood hinges on bass-akwards at first; in case anyone notices in my pictures... I had to swap sides with them before the hood would fit . I ran a tap through all the bolt holes, and with some patient pro's help, shimmed everywhere that needed some shimming. Fits great all around & the truck looks like a truck again.

Good & productive day today.

Brad

Got my truck delivered back to my house. Felt like Christmas morning; especially since I still have to read the instructions to put the toy together.

Brad

I don't think it counts as getting anything done on my truck, but I did mail the check to the storage facility for the next year of storage. I won't be able to play with my baby for another 12 months. :-(

I did a LED dome light conversion:

https://ssrjim.wordpress.com/2015/07/01/led-dome-light-conversion/

Oil change and grease .

Dang Larry, you're going to need counseling.

Modified the drivers side engine mount to gain clearance for the hooker hesder and installed the header.Rounded up the hard ware to mount the power steering pump and attempted to install the pump. It seems I need 3 hands to get it done. I will need to enlist a helper.BTW on a Camaro power steering R&P which port is pressure and which is return? Need to know before I have the hoses made up. Thanks for the help. Things are going slow. Looks like I won't make IOLA.


Weeds

Got my radiator back from a quick cleaning & checkup/testing- thumbs up, good to go, so I installed it. I also turned some of my 1/2" 18-8 stainless carriage/bumper bolts into polished 18-8 stainless bumper bolts. I po-boy chromed them.

Radiator & Fan Install.

Brad

Power steering pump mounted and hoses connected to the R&P. distributor install next then carb and resolve exhaust connections to headers. I see a small light at the end of the tunnel.


Weeds

Fabricated a battery tray, dressed up the remnant of the original and bolted it together. EZ Wiring harness in route!