It's time to do a little bodywork on Gary's '51 Chevy coupe so that the engine can be installed for the final time. I've had one of my shop engines in and out of the coupe a few times already as I made motor mounts, measured for the driveshaft, installed the shifter in the floor and other chores that needed to be done before the engine is installed. Now, I need to sand, spray primer and paint the firewall jet black. I plan to clearcoat the black to give it a deep gloss. Some may think its overkill for the under-hood area, but I've seen many nicely appointed engine compartments and they all have plenty of attention given to the firewall. In the picture I have the primer in place and I will spray a fog coat of black primer, known as a "guide coat" that will emphasize any low spots or imperfections as I sand the area.
I enjoy the detail work involved in the preparation of the area prior to paint. I'd estimate that 85% to 90% of a good paint job is in the preparation and the remaining time is the application of the paint. While sanding earlier this week I had the stereo quietly playing some New Age music through my phone and my mind wandered. I thought about my youngest daughter's wedding last month and what an adjustment it must be for her (and her husband Adam) these days. I thought about my business, and how I could improve my income and production. I thought about many things as I sanded the firewall and tinkered on the car. It was very relaxing, almost therapeutic. I highly recommend it.
Last week was the annual Portland Swap Meet at the Expo center and I attended with my good friend Kevin, from Vancouver. Its great to go with him because he's an experienced counterman at Baxter's Auto Parts and he knows what things cost. With him around I won't be fooled into buying something on the swap meet floor that's overpriced. His taste in cars and trucks is very similar to mine also, which makes hanging with him fun.
I noticed this engine for sale at the swap meet. I have the same one at home waiting for me to find the time to mess with it. This one is more complete than mine, with the coil packs and throttle body. Other than that I have the same long block in my yard. This is the 5.3L iron block engine. I would someday like to work with one of the aluminum blocks but it's still very interesting to get to know the latest engines that GM has to offer. I personally think it's somewhat unattractive looking. It'll need to have some aftermarket parts to make it something you'd raise the hood on purpose to see.
My brother-in-law Steve was a vendor this year and he was selling some of the parts from his son Caleb's '67 Firebird that they don't need. He let me put a few items in his space to sell and I compensated him by manning the booth several times during the meet, allowing them to browse the indoor vendor displays.
One of the items I had for sale was this 90 degree brake and clutch assembly. It has a hydraulic clutch master cylinder and a Hydro Boost brake booster that is powered by the power steering pump. The entire assembly is designed to fit under the dash so you don't have to mount all the clunky hardware on the firewall and it's great when you have a supercharged engine that doesn't make enough vacuum for a common vacuum booster. I would have used this in Gary's '51 but it would have collided with his A/C condenser & radio. Without doubt, this assembly got more attention from strollers at the swap meet than anything else we had on display, by far.
I think these valve covers look great and I could have gotten a set of them for Caleb's Firebird for only $60. For some reason he has his heart set on a set of stamped steel valve covers, maybe something that says "Pontiac" or "Firebird" on them. I've got some like this for Gary's '51 Chevy engine and I can't wait to dress them up with the red engine color between the fins.
I'm waiting for a call any day now from Brian at K&U to tell me that Gary's engine block is ready for me to pick up. He's got the new pistons and the rods so he can bore & hone it with the correct clearance. Parts came in for the accessory brackets and I think it's going to look very classy. I'm quite excited to get cooking on that engine, but tomorrow it's a paint day. I'll post some pictures of the completed firewall soon.
Doug
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