Greetings!
It's time for an update on affairs at Desert Classics. I've decided to impose a July 4th deadline on the car to run & drive down my dirt road. I mounted the new, aluminum radiator in the stock location, but its a bit deeper than the original and came pretty close to the water pump pulley. Since its so close, it was impossible to use an engine-driven fan or an electric fan between the engine & radiator. The solution is a pair of electric fans that push the air through the radiator, mounted on the front of the radiator and the A/C condenser. I welded a pair of sheet metal brackets to the support bar that mounts from side to side in front of the radiator to hang the two fans. I'll also rig a lower mount so they don't move.
I found a radiator hose that fit perfectly, once I cut each end off. The part number at AutoZone is #70871. This hose won't work if you're using the stock radiator because the stocker has an upper outlet that's too small, about 1 1/4". This aluminum radiator has a 1 1/2" outlet which is conveniently the same size as the thermostat housing on the intake manifold.
I really like the appearance of this new radiator too. I like it because the top tank is very similar to the stock radiator. Other radiators I looked at were made with a series of TIG welded flat plates for a "fabricated" look. I like the fabricated look on other cars, but Gary's car has a more traditional theme and less of a race car theme.
The wiring for the EFI is complete but I still need to redo the primary wiring to get power to the car and to the fuel injection circuitry. I started organizing the primary wiring but stopped so I could fabricate a support for the battery box. Placement of the battery box was the starting point for the power and ground circuits, and now I can cut wires to length as I go.
I'd like to find a unique set of spark plug wire looms so I can determine the length of the spark plug wires and terminate them. I'm trying to avoid the common as well as the gaudy; something interesting.
It's time for an update on affairs at Desert Classics. I've decided to impose a July 4th deadline on the car to run & drive down my dirt road. I mounted the new, aluminum radiator in the stock location, but its a bit deeper than the original and came pretty close to the water pump pulley. Since its so close, it was impossible to use an engine-driven fan or an electric fan between the engine & radiator. The solution is a pair of electric fans that push the air through the radiator, mounted on the front of the radiator and the A/C condenser. I welded a pair of sheet metal brackets to the support bar that mounts from side to side in front of the radiator to hang the two fans. I'll also rig a lower mount so they don't move.
I found a radiator hose that fit perfectly, once I cut each end off. The part number at AutoZone is #70871. This hose won't work if you're using the stock radiator because the stocker has an upper outlet that's too small, about 1 1/4". This aluminum radiator has a 1 1/2" outlet which is conveniently the same size as the thermostat housing on the intake manifold.
I really like the appearance of this new radiator too. I like it because the top tank is very similar to the stock radiator. Other radiators I looked at were made with a series of TIG welded flat plates for a "fabricated" look. I like the fabricated look on other cars, but Gary's car has a more traditional theme and less of a race car theme.
The wiring for the EFI is complete but I still need to redo the primary wiring to get power to the car and to the fuel injection circuitry. I started organizing the primary wiring but stopped so I could fabricate a support for the battery box. Placement of the battery box was the starting point for the power and ground circuits, and now I can cut wires to length as I go.
I'd like to find a unique set of spark plug wire looms so I can determine the length of the spark plug wires and terminate them. I'm trying to avoid the common as well as the gaudy; something interesting.
I just realized that I've already used this photo of the engine bay in my last post. So, okay. I had made a video to show the modifications to the engine bay, but lost it when I transferred my images to my laptop. Sorry the photo is so blurry, at least you can get a clear image of the tire tread. But, as you can see by the dark spots on the tire-side of the inner fender panel, I've been doing some remedial welding on them. I'm filling the unnecessary holes, cutting clearance for the new suspension and deleting the reliefs for the original shock absorbers. The driver's side inner fender panel had a large cut-out to clear the original steering gear. I had to weld in a section of sheet metal to fill it. I need to get it sandblasted somewhere in town and then I'll do some bodywork on both panels and paint them gloss black to match the firewall.
Another idea I have is to install a pair of lights on either fender panel to illuminate the engine and accessories. I plan to put an on/off switch in the small metal panel on the passenger side of the air cleaner. So, Gary can pop the hood and reach over and push the button or flip the switch and everything is lit up and in clear view. Just think how popular he's going to be down at Diary Queen on Saturday night!
Doug
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