NUNS, VAMPIRES & COWBOYS

Greetings!
A Catholic nun, a Vampire and a Cowboy walked into a bar together. The bartender looked over at them and asked, "Is this some kind of a joke?" 

I thought of this as I was gathering pictures for tonight's post. To some, it'll look like I keep putting the engine in and taking it back out again. They're probably wondering if this is some kind of joke. Yes, I was installing the engine last week also. 
I'm working on Gary's '51 Chevy business coupe and I've had the engine in place a few times already so I could check clearance for the steering, A/C, brake & clutch linkage and hydraulic clutch linkage. I wanted to get those things mounted properly so I could cover the ugly stock firewall with a smooth panel I made earlier. I have all those variables worked out now and tomorrow I weld up motor mounts and begin working with the engine in place. 
The blue color around the firewall panel is plastic body filler, or bondo. I welded the panel completely around the perimeter and then ground the high spots before applying the bondo. After welding the perimeter I used the welder to make a few rosette welds from the inside of the car, welding the old firewall to the new one so it wouldn't rattle or vibrate. I used a hole saw to drill a fresh mounting hole for each component from the front of the new panel, using the mounting holes still visible from the inside as a guide. I think the new panel really cleaned up the engine compartment! It took some extra time to get to this point but when it's all painted and finished it'll really be outstanding.

To make the hydraulic clutch linkage reach the clutch pedal I had to lengthen the rod that pushes the plunger. First, I cut the rod, then I put a 3/8" bolt in the lathe, chopped off the head and threads, drilled out each end and then welded the two pieces of the plunger rod into each end of the machined bolt. I needed 3/4" of travel to give the master cylinder a full stroke and after mounting it on the pedal assembly it had near perfect travel. I put a bubble level on the rim of the reservoir to make sure it was level before finishing.






The brake master cylinder was much more involved because it not only needed to be directly in line with the pivot pin on the brake pedal, but the clutch and brake pedal assembly mounted in the same location on the opposite side of the firewall. Some of the mounting hardware was too close to each other to get a tool in to tighten them. I came upon a solution that is too profound for words, but the result is a smooth working brake and clutch linkage. 

There are three more pieces of hardware to come through the new smooth firewall: the A/C fittings, the throttle cable and the wiring harness. I have a good idea how I want to route the harness and the throttle cable will have to wait until I get the throttle body mounted, but I thought the best place for the A/C fittings were to the extreme right of the driver, above the passenger's feet. You can see them in the photo above at our far left; two for the heater hose feed and return and two for the refrigerant feed and return. The staff at K&U Auto Parts at 404 S 7th St, Sunnyside, WA 98944 (509) 837-5603 loaned me their crimping tool so I could terminate the heater hoses. I'll wait until I mount the water pump and A/C compressor before I finish the rest of the hose ends.

I have the A/C evaporator already mounted under the dash and the AM/FM CD Player/Radio is mounted in the dash and fits very nicely in the stock location.

A note about mounting brackets: I don't like to make a bracket that has sharp or rough edges. I think of the times I've had to squeeze my hand into a tight space and brought it out bloody because I hit a ragged edge. Here's a picture of one of the A/C mounting brackets that will fit invisibly under the dashboard. All four corners are rounded and the mounting holes have been de-burred. Before I put it into position I also painted it. Who knows, a few years down the road Gary may adopt a family of Eskimos and come back to my shop to have me install a larger capacity A/C. I don't want to injure myself, or anybody else. 

Speaking of never-noticed-but-necessary procedures, here's how to notch the ends of the Double D steering shaft so that it won't come out of position (a bad thing). The DD shaft won't allow the U-joint bolt to be inserted into the U-joint unless some of the metal of the shaft is removed. Instead of grinding away the last inch of curved metal on one side of the shaft, I merely notch it. In this way it allows the bolt to go through and tighten down, but locks the DD shaft into that position using more locking force than merely compression as the U-joint bolt is tightened. You can't be too careful when you're working on brakes and steering components.

A note about the engine in the picture: this is not the engine that Gary has bargained for. This is one of the engines that I had on engine stands in the shop for later projects. This one in particular is a 350 with a factory roller cam, forged pistons and balanced crankshaft, rods and pistons. The aluminum heads are for use with a 6-71 supercharger that I plan to run on my chopped top '50 Chevy pickup. I ran into a snag with Gary's engine; a 305ci with a roller cam. Brian at K&U Machine Shop called me last week to tell me that my engine block he was preparing was fatally cracked and couldn't be used. Now I've got freshly machined cylinder heads, new pistons, bearings and gaskets but no engine block. What, is this some kind of a joke?

Then, a new friend in town mentioned he had a core engine of the type that I've been reading about lately: it's an Chevrolet LS3 or a Vortec engine. It's out of a 2004 Chevy Tahoe and the previous owner reported that it smoked, a really nasty habit that polite company avoid. I'm guessing it needs new piston rings. 

I'm going to give Gary a choice: 

1. I hunt down another 305 roller cam engine and complete the project as we had planned, or 
2. I substitute the LS3 for the 305 and see if I can make it run strong and look cool. They're rated at around 300 hp from the factory. A variant of these LS engines is the power plant for the newest Corvettes and Camaros. I've got a strong curiosity about these engines.
3. I build a mild 350 block and mount the intended throttle body injection setup on it for him. It'll look the same  and have more power as the 305 but won't be as economical to drive. 

Now some of you are snickering at your computers thinking that the 305 is too small of a displacement to be worthy of this much attention. But, I recall a '55 Chevy I had in high school with a 283 that had dual quads and a floor shift 3-speed and it was almost too much fun to drive. I've got a 267 out of my '79 El Camino that I intend to rebuild and put into Tammy's '54 Chevy pickup. With the overdrive transmission and Corvette rear end she's already running I think that she may get 25mpg and have all the fun she wants when she pushes that combo. More on this later...

At any rate, I've invited Gary over to the shop to discuss these options and a few others. I'll let you know what he's decided, and show you pictures of how we do it in the Great Northwest.

Doug