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Probably last warm (70 degrees) day in Kansas City for the next 4-5 months. So played some hooky from work and did a quick once over with CLR, a scotch Brite and some paste was. Come spring I'll finish the roof and tryout the linseed oil method.

I've also read an old hotrod article where they used Zep floor sealer.

Prepping for new front and back glass/gaskets. POR-15 to the rescue on a some surface rust and about a 1.5 inch rust hole in the upper right. I'm trying the old paper towel and POR-15 trick to reinforce the pinch weld. Will follow up with some high quality seam sealer once its dried and cured well.

Paper towel? I heard of por 15 and fibreglass cloth but not paper towel.

Yes, paper towel. When POR-15 came out years ago, I remember watching a demonstration at a swap meet where they used both a paper towel & fiberglass mesh.. A friend of mine was working on a small patch in a floor pan. He tried it out on a section he had already cut out. Painted, used a blue shop paper towel, thew it in the scrap pile and it was there for 6 or 7 years later and was just then starting to delaminate. POR isn't UV protected.

Since this was on the windshield pinch weld and only a short section, I felt the paper towel would work fine, followed by a very good quality seam sealer to finish out the shape, and I can install the glass/rubber without issues & leaks.

I sure wouldn't depend on POR-15 for that, whether with a paper towel or fiberglass cloth. If you're going to do something like that, use an epoxy filler like JB Weld (and fiberglass cloth).

Finally got the passenger door glass frame restored with new glass. Kind of a pain in the rear, but once in, looks great.

Chris, where are you in Missouri? I don't think I have met you yet?

What did Lucas make that didn't suck?------------------------------------------------------Vacuum Cleaners!!!

Don

Holden, just east of Kansas City.

So, pulled out a 1954 235 my dad gave me. Serial # says .......F54X. Can't seem to find what the X stands for, but I think truck, solid lifter. Anyways, found an interesting surprise of a standard bore block, 3.5665 with a pair of calipers. (3.5625 stock). So a little wear. Dropped out #5 piston, which came out surprising easy!? Decided to take a ring off and reset in the bore to see what it looked like. Holy cow, it looked a little big. Like .080"! Wow, allot of ware, but didn't really make since. Talked it over with my car buddies over lunch, figuring I'd have to do an overbore and new pistons, cam/lifters look wasted also. But .080" just didn't add up. I can slide the 2nd ring right into the gap just to verify.

After some discussion with my car buddies, I looked up the 216 bore size. 3.500" even. Bingo, adds up now. 216 rings in a 235 will have a .0625 ring gap to start. Explains all the oil in the combustion chamber and not allot of ware on the cylinder walls (low tension). We never ran this motor long, as we got a later, fresh 235 for cheap, so didn't take time to inspect this one.

Looks like I will be able to just do a ring/bearing job, along with a hydraulic cam. The new mechanical cam/lifters are quite a bit more money over hydraulic.

The F54X is, as you guessed, was originally designated for truck service. A '54 235, manufactured in the Flint, MI plant. So here's the thing. Through '55, the 235 blocks that came from the factory with solid lifter cams did not have the oil gallery drilled to support hydraulic lifters (all '56 and up blocks do have that oil gallery drilled, regardless of original service, but not the earlier blocks). Unless you find a machine shop that can affordably "rifle" drill that gallery, it's solid lifter camshaft and lifters, only, in that block.

But really, the options aren't all that expensive. A nice upgrade is the Elgin E-293-S cam, which is ground on new blanks to the 261 truck engine spec. It's the same cam grind that was used in the '53-'54 Corvette 235s, so slightly higher lift and longer duration than the 235 cams. Combine that with the truck aluminum timing gear and Melling JB-874 (or Sealed Power AT-874) lifters, and that's a very nice combination. The Elgin cam is available online for around $120, last I looked. HRL Jerry recommends a similar cam from another company, that's also an option... foggy memory on the details.

Hope that helps!

Doug

Thanks Doug.

Very helpful indeed! Much appreciated!

I prefer the solid lifters anyway. I've got rings/bearings coming, so will order lifters and check out the Elgin cam you mentioned. My dad said he had the old cam out of his 235, which is also a solid cam, so will look over the condition on that as well.

Well, not allot of stuff accomplished over winter like I hoped. Putting together a new 235 thats still at the machine shop. Lucked out on going .040 over. Fully rebuilt head, Schneider reground cam waiting to show up. In the mean time, I do have all new glass/seals installed and some welting installed. Most of the wiring laid out. Waiting on a back ordered clip thats riveted to the headlight canister, as one is broken.

Relax, I promise you, they won't bite.

Just against our policy.

chrispy,

Check your PMs, thanks.