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

I did NOT get the small rear window installed in my 55.2 TF over the past 7 days & 15+ attempts.

It is by far the most frustrating thing I've attempted on my truck so far. It was 97 degrees & humid, so we put the headlight covers/doors on. Then I went out with the chainsaw & cut up a 3 ft diameter maple tree. Pictures

We all "cool off" in our own ways...
Brad

Hi Brad, I tried installing my small back glass on my '59 too. There's not much info on "how to" online. I also had a new windshield so feeling defeated with zero experience working against me, I called an old fellow at a local glass company who came to my house and we installed both glasses together.
One thing I was doing wrong was trying to install the back glass with the seal and locking bead already on it...NOPE.
This guy made it look easy and had it in place in no time.
Install seal to the Cab first, Rope-in the glass, install locking bead (special tool required). BAM! Less than 10 minutes.
Good luck Bolter Brother,
Jerry

261 Round two! After rebuilding a near factory new 261 for my '59, I had an oil pump failure that cause a bearing spin. Result, out comes my new but damaged engine... (crank damage on #2 Connecting Rod).
I had the Crank reworked, put in new Main, Rod and even Cam Bearings and replaced the problematic Oil Pump.
With recommendations from some great Stovebolters, I hooked up a set of gauges to monitor the engine running on the Dolly.
Everything's good to go! I hope to have it installed soon.
Jerry

Hidiy Jerry- I'm glad your engine's good to go... worst case for me is doing without a back glass. I've read Horvath's stuff, Jockbolter's tips , the manual's procedure , had folks bring over their tools & stuff...

I may try installing it again...

Brad

My wife and I put mine in. It took both of us. She used Dawn dish soap so that things would slide to gather easier.

Replaced the original 0-30 oil gage with a 0-60 Belinda got me last Christmas.

Got the gage cluster back in and noticed the needle had dropped out of sight! Took the whole thing back apart and saw where the connection from the needle post to the sensor had come apart at the solder.

Soldered it up and it works fine:

pic 1

After looking at the original gage, noted that they don't make 'em like they use to:

pic 2

For meditation, I spent last night destroying things other than the blame window that doesn't want to go in. I disassembled my 55.2 bench seat .

Brad

I was having a problem getting a plain mineral engine oil for my truck so as a stop gap I used a semi synthetic,problem was the oil pressure dropped by nearly 15psi!
Fine when cold but as the temperature rose it was getting dangerously low at idle.

I rectified the problem this morning with 'proper' oil and a new filter for my engine,I'm pleased to report all is back to normal...

I cleaned off my door relays.

Brad

Uncle Brad,

Those are two very important components of a Stovebolt. Does that mean you are close to being on the road?

John

Uncle Brad,

Good luck with the new seat. I'll eventually be doing a new seat as well. Would not want to see pictures of what happens when you get really upset. Darn that window!!

I found out the grand kids got a hold of my 1956 keys. They cant remember where they were playing with them. I did get the new starter in, but now I can't try it out.

raleigh58- it's all good... just my usual pastimes occurring simultaneous to a pesky window install. Makes for a good storyline and hard physical labor in this heat does wonders to simmer you down...

I'm sandblasting the seat frame tomorrow, maybe even priming it; it'll be a few days before I'm on the road- but, technically if I put the carb back together & install, run a vacuum advance line, the fuel pump to carb line, and hot wire it I could be driving. Not yet "street" legal, but getting there.

Speaking of... Bart, you can probably bypass the ign switch fairly easy to test that starter out.

Brad

New 970 Skat Blast cabinet up and running. Wow! This is so much better than blasting with sand or coal slag (Black Diamond). Not near as messy.

Guys, let's discuss tools in the 'Tools' forum.

Thanks.

I felt like a tool continuously failing to get the rear window installed. My first 100% 'I give up and I don't care' since I started working on the truck last year.

I proudly paid to have it professionally installed . If it falls out or breaks I'll weld a metal panel across the hole before I try to put glass back in there.

Another "tool" for the chest: we used mid-70's/early 80's CJ-5 window weather-strip; much more flexible where it needed to be. Just FYI. I also sandblasted my seat & ordered the upholstery.

Brad

Finally feeling like I'm turning more screws to the right instead of to the left. Install of new wiring harness nearing completion. Close enough to the end I can maintain the "to do" list in my head.

Lesson learned this weekend:

• Using a cutoff wheel makes short work of old spring perches.
• In working with metal, everything is heavy.
• Angle grinders spin very fast.
• 24 grit grinding wheels do pretty good to take a lot of old welds back down to flush
• However, they also tend to wreak havoc on your knuckles if you get your knuckles too close to items 3 & 4

Think I missed all the important parts of my knuckle (tendons, bone, etc..). So here's to hoping for no infections and only a scar to remember this incident by.

It could have been worse.
http://i.imgur.com/zOAyZxU.jpg

Certainly could have! I had the guard on the cutoff wheel because of my imagination of what could happen with such a thin piece of anything moving at that rate of speed. Switched to the thicker disc for grinding which was on the grinder with no guard. I'm taking full responsibility for my moron moment

Yep--been there, done that back in February for four stitches. Start using all those nomex flight gloves you know you've got, f18! I make myself now. Glad you're ok.

I cleaned up some springs on my bench seat & cut a rug to go down as my base layer. Installed my door relays. Cleaned up fire retardant all night last night.

Brad

Getting closer to firing.

Oil pan changed along with the gasket. (I had a spare oil pan that was not bent in 19 places)
Fuel tank mounted, plumbed and wired.
Lubed the chassis and set him back on the tires on the ground.
Rockers installed & valves adjusted.
Side cover and valve cover on.
Filled with oil & ran the oil pump (with a drill) until I saw oil at the rockers. Good news: the oil pressure gauge works on the dash!
Installed the distributor.
New fuel pump installed and plumbed to the carb.

Learned that I installed the clutch linkage backwards, removed floor pans (again), disassembled and began reassembly when the storm took out the power in the garage.

Not bad for a weekend. Hoping to fire ol' Clyde this weekend.

I too am guilty of stupidly. I exacerbated my ignorance by just wrapping it up and trying to forget the injury. However two weeks later I was at the emergency clinic having work done. I advise a trip to the doc. to not go through my trama.

We washed all the fire retardant off the truck; the filler panel that got burned definitely no longer matches. Bout to wet down the driveway really good & flap disc the burned spots on the frame...

Maybe touch-up paint later.

Brad

edit-Flap disc(ed?) the burned areas, wiped down, & coated with some industrial enamel. I'll let it dry, scuff it, and give it a full coat next week.

Another good safety topic. Y'all pay attention. Don't let it happen to you.

Installed the HEI distributor and the hooker headers on the 283. acquired some mandrel bent right angle bends and will take some measurements and fab some connections from the headers to the original dual exhaust. Why does everything take forever?


Weeds

Jim,

I've been down that road already with a dog bite. After two days of not seeing the doc, my finger swole to about twice it's normal size. Still doing good this time around and not showing any signs of infection. Might have dodged the bullet on this one.

I took off most of last week to try to install the 261 into the truck... and YAY, I did!
Putting in the SM420 was a bear. Coming out, gravity worked well for me but I had to rig up some STUFF to get that thing back in!
It's all done now. I adjusted the clutch and took it for a short test drive. I think I snapped my new Speedo Cable! I gotta figure out what gives with that thing!
I took the truck on a longer test run yesterday... I'm still trying to keep in close proximity of home for now.
I'm enjoying driving that tank of a truck though!
Jerry

Brad, that truck is looking great! I just smile when I see your Window Actuators all cleaned up and ready.
I smiled at the Bench Seat picture too... been there on both occasions.
I bought my seat cover from Raybuck's and it looks really good to me. I bought foam from Wally-World.
Oh... glad you got that back glass installed.
Keep the pictures coming!
Jerry

Thanks Jerry! (I know what you meant, but) I WISH my window actuators looked as good as the door relays (pictured previously). Door glass and door glass mechanisms/actuators may be a 'later-on' purchase due to their cost.

I had to pause work on the bench seat re-covering to repaint the rear frame fire damage last night. The smoke smell is still evident in the garage, so I picked some small items to fiddle with indoors. I did a thorough examination & decided I am keeping my original fender side emblems even though they aren't perfect. They serve no function & I am not paying $300 for new ones when these will do. I got some oil-based industrial enamel mixed in matching ivory/cream/white and cleaned, taped, and started painting the '3100 Chevrolet' background.

If I'm able - I will, however, be purchasing the reproduction hood emblem, which also serves no function. Mine had some teenage acne for 60 years and would just look awful.

Brad

Sorry Brad, yes.. door actuators.
I believe have some window actuators and window frames, channels etc. Keep that in mind when you're ready, I'd love to help you.
Today I plan to fix the clutch pedal. It was squeaking terribly, rubbing against the hole edge in the cab when I depressed it. I thought originally that it was because the Cab alignment was somewhat off... but last night I noticed the pedal shaft moves all over the place! I suspect I didn't tighten the bolt that connects the pedal arms. Quick fix!
Jerry

This thread is becoming a progress motivator for me;
I got up early & took an artist brush to my 55.2 "3100 Chevrolet" fender emblems. I still have some minor ex-acto knife cleaning to do, but I like 'em!

Brad

....remember, it may not be fast but at least 15 minutes a day will git r done.

(my wife says she's going to put that saying on my tombstone)hehe

back on topic....I did some investigating on my 37 gas tank to move it in the rear and also checked on finally getting the headliner installed in the panel, Maybe! $$$$$

I wasn't satisfied with the (supposed to be)"Bombay irovy" custom mix we came up with, so I got them to tint it some more. Excellent match now. Also sandblasted my rearview mirror & painted it.

Finished "3100 Chevrolet" background in ivory. Much better!

Brad

Ok, so I couldn't turn the motor over in my 56 because the starter solenoid was bad. I found out that the early solenoids are 99 dollars. I figure why not just buy a new one for that. In the mean time a Rich, another truck guy from the area wanted to buy some parts I had. I offered a trade, for a starter. He had a good one that he had saved from an earlier project. So Saturday, the big day, see if this will start. The motor is seized. I pulled the plugs and dumped some penetrating oil in the cylinders. Today I worked on the 64. I got the front bumper on. I am fitting a transmission radiator in front of the regular radiator.

I finished my left side custom dually fender and running board.

http://s1372.photobucket.com/user/foxj12/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsrswwqpmw.jpg.html

I installed the refurbished fender emblems, and got the "seat" of the bench seat upholstered/covered. We tested it (think there's a pic?) & it sits vurr nice.

I cut the 1/4" x 3" flat bar stock to weld a vertical support on the upright portion of the seat for a kid's car seat. (An over-the-top of the seat hook/strap) Several months ago, DADS50 kindly sent me a video of how he did his, so I'm looking at doing something similar; I just didn't have time to get it done this weekend.

Brad

On Saturday, I started it for the first time in 46 years!!

More pictures and video coming soon. I'm headed back out to drive it.

Justin that is awesome, man! Post up the videos- folks would like to see it, I'm sure.

I welded two bars on the seat-back for a car seat attachment point and I installed the driver side door latch. It was a pickle due to a stuck bolt I had to drill out. Pitchers later, maybe.

Brad

I finished covering my 55.2 bench seat back & assembled the seat. I still have some finishing work to do on it, but I'm happy with it.

Brad