My 54 is on its way, (updated 10.24)

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Re: My 54 is on its way to being a daily driver, again (update)

Postby Stu Cool » 2012 Dec 11 Tue 8:57 am

You are at least a month ahead of me. I plan to pull the 289 out of the donor car soon. While it is on the engine stand I plan to put new valve seals, timing gears, pan type gaskets and freeze plugs, then clean it up and paint. Also need to go through the carb. May be February before I actually turn a wrench on the '54.

Pat
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Re: My 54 is on its way to being a daily driver, (12.16 update)

Postby Mike » 2012 Dec 16 Sun 7:59 pm

Finally used the little Eastwood welder.

Took the spring pad off the left side, ground all of the bad weld material from the old bad weld area.
I took the now cut-up (junk) spring pads and did a bunch of practice welds to set up the welder with a good wire speed and amperage heat. I ground into the new welds to verify that there were no voids and that the weld burned properly into the parent metal. Looks good, here we go...!

For some reason, (luckly !?) these two welds on the spring pad are probably the best welds I've ever done...! One on the flat side one in a 90 degree corner. Both totally different welds, both very nice welds...cool...!
Back together and back on four wheels.

On a sorta non-wagon subject...I put the new wagons freshly covered stock front seat into the sedan. That (original sedans seat) seat was trashed...beond trash..! So now I don't feel like I'm sitting garbage pit..!

Was gonna do some under hood cleaning didn't get to that...but I did sell the flathead and trans. out of the new 54 today. Rebuilt a coupla years ago, low miles since. Didn't get a fortune, but enough for gas and lunch money for the week...!

Have a good Christmas all.

Later
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Re: My 54 is on its way to being a daily driver, (12.26 update)

Postby Mike » 2012 Dec 26 Wed 6:29 pm

Latest stuff...

I'm on about my fourth cleaning..! Some oil, grease, but a LOT of errant undercoat globs everywhere. One place thats hard to clean out is the left side front body/frame mount. It was full of something...couldn't even see the bolt sticking up. Now that the pocket is mostly clean...it's over 1" out of the nut..
Anyway, I'm scrubbing everything from the crossmember to the radiator mount.

I removed the battery holder frame. Kind of a pain, but it's gone along with all the left-over spot welds. That along with the stock wire harness hangers on the left fender well. Those things are dangerous..!

I think I mentioned, at some point, this thing had an under hood fire. Someone did a nice job of repainting "under" the hood...but NOT on the outside of the hood...!? Anyway, they just didn't paint it, they primered the fender wells and fire wall, then painted it light blue again. So most of its got the original blue, light grey primer and light blue again. Normally Easy-Off oven cleaner will remove paint...at least it "used to"...the last time I used it. It doesn't hardly even dull the paint nowdays..!
So I figured, while this isn't gonna be anything close to being "show" quality work under the hood....it's gotta be respectible when the hood is open..!
So..I went and bought some sorta high dollar paint stripper to use once I'm happy with the overall cleanlyness of everything.
Since my first car (56, 210 sedan, Chevy), any car I've taken the engine out of...under the hood has been repainted in a gloss, light grey paint. And this one's no different. I got the Saginaw steering box that's going in it nicely cleaned and painted...looks good..!

More cleaning tomorrow. Then I gotta figure out if I want to weld up all the unused holes in the firewall. I most likely will..keep odors, water...FIRE, etc., out of the passenger compartment.
Hopfully, just one or two more cleanings, take all the paint off the inner fenders and firewall, then some light grey on everything.
Then the steering box will go in.

Then...I don't know what will be next...maybe installing the dash board.

Hope everyones having a nice holiday.

Later.

Mike
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Re: My 54 is on its way to being a daily driver, (12.26 update)

Postby Stu Cool » 2012 Dec 27 Thu 11:05 pm

Sounds like you are making nice progress. I have the 289 out of the donor car now, made a little mess with trans fluid so had to get the garage floor cleaned up. Also just scored a very cool 2 x 2 manifold, carb and air cleaner set up. Will be a long time before I am ready to use it, but could not pass it up. Who knows when another one will show up? The Conestoga should be moved into the shop within the next couple weeks.

Happy New Year!

Pat
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'54 Conetoga Retirement Project starting 2012
'53 Custom Starlight
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Re: My 54 is on its way to being a daily driver, (12.29 update)

Postby Mike » 2012 Dec 28 Fri 8:07 pm

Hey Pat -

Which manifold is it ? There were several. You know that all of the 2x2 manifolds are for the early, small port 53/55 heads don't you ? Not a big deal, but...
Yea...my driveway is a real mess also from all the ancient grease that came out of the engine bay of my wagon. I'm gonna have to rent a high pressure cleaner to get it clean it once the car is running and out of the way...! Maybe I should have rented one to do the actual cleaning..might have saved some money and time..!

Well, 27 holes welded, ground flat and two to go. I need to make filler plugs for the last two, they're too big to just fill weld. Interesting, as far as I can tell, only three (not sure about three on the left fender well) were not stock holes...! All the rest were Stude provided..
I can't believe I'm gonna do this...but because a few of the holes were deeply inset (making a pocket), I bought some body filler today to fill the nasty looking pockets "and" a coupla dents that I can't pound out.....before I paint. THIS...I've never done before...!

Bought some paint remover today, got the right side inner fender clean, and a little over a 1/3rd of the firewall clean. I think I'm gonna try "heat" and a wire brush tomorrow...see how that works. I know it lifted the interior paint from the wood in the house nicely..

Gonna go pick up some needed parts from a friend tomorrow. Hopefully I'll get back in time to get some more stripping done...supposed to rain tomorrow late afternoon.

Later
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Re: My 54 is on its way to being a daily driver, (12.29 update)

Postby Stu Cool » 2012 Dec 29 Sat 3:10 pm

The manifold I bought had been in use on a full flow 259 and ran well, so hopefully it will work well on my engine. Sounds like you are making good use of the new welder.
Pat Dilling
Olivehurst, CA
'54 Conetoga Retirement Project starting 2012
'53 Custom Starlight
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Re: My 54 is on its way to being a daily driver, (12.29 update)

Postby Mike » 2012 Dec 29 Sat 10:29 pm

Even though there was no real work done today, I did pickup a few parts for the car.
A note for everyone on this board....I found out today that later (after about 1959) spindles will lower the 53/55 cars about 1". I was shown the difference today, I was granted two later spindles to put on my wagon. I'll wait to see exactly where the car sits after I put the 259 in place with the flathead springs still in place..!
I do have a set of usable heavier springs to install if the flathead springs dont keep the car off of the chassis bumpers.

Pat -
On the intake manifold...

Oh yea, it'll run fine, it just won't have a high top speed...as if that makes much difference on most Cal. freeways..! My Lark, 2dr. wagon has an Offy, 4 barrel intake on it. As the 2x2 designs, it's also designed the the smaller ports. I don't recall when I bought it but, but I've had the car just over 11 years, been a daily driver and has had the Offy manifold on it for most of those many, many miles.
I know It runs out of steam around 115/118mph or so...!
Between the bottom of the Grapevine (I-5) and Bakersfield (on the way to and from the drag strip), there's kind of an open few miles where you hardly see any "black and whites.." So yea, playing with the throttle is possible..and been done...!
Granted, this..running out of steam could also be the cam running out of its rpm range...don't know..!

Mike
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Re: My 54 is on its way to being a daily driver, (01.07)

Postby Mike » 2013 Jan 07 Mon 10:45 am

I decided on a few more firewall holes to fill, got that done.
I have some OLD "Rust Encapsulator". Decided to see if it still worked. Yep it does. Turned all of the rust black just like its supposed to. I've used this in the past, it stops rust in its tracks.
I put some filler in a coupla spots....and that's where it all ended. Well, I did call Stude International for a few more parts...for both 54's.

Stude work stopped to get some bike work done, some yearly maintenance (valve check/adjustment) on my BMW, S1000RR motorcycle before I go back to work.
This things got (almost) as much power as my Stude....193hp at the crank.....and only weighs just under 400lbs (dry)..!
This is a job.... 33 (I think..!) fuel, electrical and vacuum connectionsto undo..! Only took just shy of 4 hours to finally get the cam cover off...!

Later

Mike
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Re: My 54 is on its way to being a daily driver, (01.07)

Postby hi-per al » 2013 Jan 10 Thu 9:36 pm

Nothin like twistin the wick on that Beemer Eh? Play Racer..Pay Racer. with the maintenace time I mean. The Fuhrer and his minnions did get the Hp to weight ratio rite!

Me...I went the other way and on Jan 1 purchased a way cool 46 Harley Model U. With all the updating and mods I am hoping she will crank out a whoppin 35 horse. Scary aint it!

Great to be able to keep up with the progress on your 54's. Who is 41 Frank?
Live your Dreams
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Re: My 54 is on its way to being a daily driver, (01.07)

Postby Mike » 2013 Jan 11 Fri 7:31 am

Hey Al -

Yea...beside having to take the bike all apart again (6 or 8 hour job, apart and back together)...a new gasket...$41.00...!
35hp.....is that even enough hp to get that big ol thing moving..? Must seem like walking after getting off your racer.

41Frank -
Frank Van Doorn (Omaha, Nebraska). He's helping me (and Pat !) with obtaining parts. He got me the 53 and 54 dash clusters that I mixed and matched till I've basically got an NOS, 53 cluster for my 54. He also got me some 12v goodies for (both of my 54's) the car so I don't have to use any "voltage drop" stuff for the wipers and defrosters. Don't know what I'm gonna do for a heater yet, hell it's California..! Ha, saying that it's been in the mid 30 degrees in the mornings the last week or two with no letup in sight. I know for some (Al..!), mid 30's is "nice" weather...not for us, not normal for us to be this cold, this long. A hot summer, a cold winter..!
Anyway, Franks been a real help, friendly, nice guy.

If you need parts, he may be able to help. He can be found at -
Howards Parts
6032 Bridle Path
Omaha, Nebraska 68152-1405

Mike
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