past due update

I've been trying to get the panel driveable and do some panel patching on the fordor. The panel needed a trans redo, third gear was gone. Second gear at 60 MPH will twist the tach to about 4000 rpms!! The trans is all fixed and now it will shift into third but the rpms are still about 2800. I found a replacement rear section (55-61 chev) with 3.02 gears....I decided to have Fat Joe install it for me....good thing because it needed new bearings and had some rust on the pinon....he took care of all of that for me. Now at 60 it tachs out about 2300. But now it is too cold and snowy to drive it!! I added a rear view camera so I can see who is behind me......new gauges and a new panel was installed....new floor and my special made heel pad. The plan for the winter is to get some body work done......just a skim coat of bondo and a semi gloss black finish I have welded in several small patches into the lower rear of the fordor body and wheel wells. I still have a few to go. I found, (actually it found me !) a right rear door. It is in so much better shape. I got a facebook message from a friend in Colorado telling me he had a door, not sure how he knew I needed one but hey, it worked out,we made the deal and Fedex delivered it to me. I have been wondering how I was going to fix that old door....now I know...just hang it on the wall!! Christmas holidays and all slowed down the shop progress, I hope to make a little progress the next couple of days and then take off a week again. We will be going to the GNRS in late Jan, that will be fun, but no shop progress....good thin g I'm not on a crunch deadline with this car!! I figure spring of 2015 will work just fine.

Trips are over, back to work !!

Since the trip season is over, the shop time is on. I have been trying to get the panel road worthy. After pulling the engine and trans, cleaning and painting, changing the valve covers, adding some chrome goodies, boxing the frame, switching to a vega box, adding a panard bar, new tie rods, new kingpins, new front shocks and mounts, I had Fat Joe add a new trans mount, sway bar, new exhaust, new rear shocks and mounts, I replaced the steering column and remade the drop, new wiring and switches, added a heater, remade the floor boards and covered in rubber mat, new tail lights and brackets, added two third brake lights, redid the complete brake system, master cylinder, lines, turned the drums, new shoes, wheel cylinder....I think thats about it....now its time for a test drive and the tranny won't shift to third!! 60 MPH and the tach says 4100 rpms! The tranny has to come out and go the shop......after I get the lift repaired.
The lift is 13 years old last month.....the 4 pulleys and shafts are worn out...the 3/4 inch shaft that the pulleys turn on worn to less than a 1/4 inch! I have ordered the parts, just waiting for the UPS truck to come.

Since I am at a stand still on the panel, I have been working on the fordor project. I filled the big gapping hole in the dash and then cut six holes for the gauges. I sand blasted the aluminum dash panel and sprayed it flat black. I drilled out the last of the hinges to replace the pins. Three of the doors are now hung. The fronts need some more fitting, but they are hung. The new wood in the top is all installed and three coats of clear. I have fixed several bullet holes and dents, straightened the bent rain gutters and welded some small patches in. The two big dents in the firewall have been sliced and hammered back into shape. In the morning I will weld the slices up and mount the new hot water heater for its first fitting. I purchased four gauges at the fall swap meet and then ordered the two missing ones...Classic Gauges, red pointer with a tan face..pretty cool.

I need to replace the front quarters and patch the rear door opening. The doors all have some work to be done yet....dents galore!( but the body was bought at a bargain price!)

I'll try to post a couple of pictures.

 dash with blacked out insert

 doors are hung

 swap meet heater  "heatmaster"

More TRJ pics

TRJ and Goodguys Indy event

More pictures

Pictures

Update of the weekend

Friday was the cruise to Havre de Grace a beautiful 55 mile drive to a neat little town. We had lunch and then headed to the track for the Friday night show. There was somewhere around 200 cars on the cruise..lots of fun. We had great readable directions. We did sort of overwhelm some of the eating places there..they were all swamped.
Saturday was an awesome day at the race track. There was 900 or so hot rods and a handfull of customs. Every car there was great. There were three (3) that had billet wheels, the most common wheel was black steelies. We were parked close to the Webb automotive cars, close by was last year's AMBR contender, Henry from Steadfast Mfg (my favorite tudor of all time) was just a few feet away, a couple of Dave Lanes cars, Poteet's Rolling Bone built coupe and several from the Hot Rod Garage in Denton, MD....lots of heavy hitters.
Sunday we left about 1 PM and drove to Morgantown, WV a short 200 miles. Monday it was a 12 hour 725 miles to Rockford... a long day but a fun one. 50 or 60 miles was in the rain...still fun....you don't get wet if you keep driving, and I did.
This morning Greg and I drove on, Don lives in Rockford so he was home. Greg had a flat tire again....a quick shot of air and we were off. Another leaky spoke...different wheel. ????
I dropped Greg at his house in Bloomer, WI and drove to my place arriving about 5 PM.
It was 14 days.........3200 miles.......lots of gas.....(did not add the gallons yet)....lots of fun....saw lots of friends......made many new ones.......down side is this is the last trip of the year!!