Getting started for Drag Week 2018

[Heo]

Okay, They looked white in the pic

[Stangman]

I agree with you guys white rims are the ticket. And for what it’s
worth I think those springs will be fine.

[cjshaker]

Engine done and ready to go back in the car. I want to prime the oil system before I start it, so the valve covers are just sitting on there. I know the CJ valve covers won't look right on this car, but the originals had a few pinholes in them, and they won't clear the adjustable rockers anyway, so I had these sitting around and they're getting thrown on.



It took me half a day to get the west side of the garage cleaned up so I could actually get to the passenger side of the car and start on the brakes. I already have all new brakes and 2 new wheel cylinders, plus the new dual pot master cylinder for the car, that I bought several years ago.



I swear I think the Ford guys had a sense of humor when they designed the stamping for the firewall. There's no way that this didn't stand out to them..lol

[Bolted to Floor]

I swear I think the Ford guys had a sense of humor when they designed the stamping for the firewall. There's no way that this didn't stand out to them..lol

Hah, that is funny. Looking good Doug.

[cjshaker]

Some days you just love working on cars, then there are days like I had yesterday.
Things that went wrong yesterday. Remember, I replaced EVERYTHING in the braking system when I bought the car. These are, or were, 100% new parts.

Went to bleed my dual master cylinder that I bought a couple years ago...found that the rear pot wasn't pushing any fluid. I ordered a second one from Summit and should have it Monday.

The rear wheel cylinder I bought a couple years ago, to replace a leaking one (that I had already replaced), had a different bore size. Then I found one on the front that is just beginning to leak (which I had already replaced). Ordered a complete set of 4 so I know they'll match. Whether or not they will leak is anybodies guess

Being done with the brakes for the day, I decided to go ahead and prime the engine and put the valve covers on for good. I forgot to plug the oil pressure fitting on top of the filter adapter, which interestingly enough, with a reduction fitting for a pressure gauge, produces enough of a restriction that it will shoot oil out with enough force to deflect said oil off of the head, which aims it directly at the idiot in front of the engine and will cover them from shoulder to knee in oil in about 1.4 seconds.

Changed clothes

Installed new U-joints and the rear U-joint seemed to be about .002 too wide, just enough that one of the C clips would not seat properly in it's place. Removed both C clips to sand them down by running them over a piece of sandpaper while measuring with a micrometer. The sanding conveniently removes all traces of fingerprints on your fingers. Should come in handy during my next bank robbery.

Decided to bend a new fuel line from the pump to carb to cover the increased height of the RPM intake. Managed to kink not one, but two lines. Decided to re-use the original one by just "stretching" it up about 3/4".

Called it a day.

[Bolted to Floor]

Hate to hear the setbacks Doug, but it does make for good reading. Also glad to know I’m not the only one that has days like that!!

[jayb]

Ah, the joys of automotive repair and rebuilding.  I remember working on my Shelby clone on the lead up to one Drag Week, and had pan of drain oil under the car while messing around with something on the transmission.  As I was laying under the car I inadvertently stuck my foot in the pan, then tipped the pan over and spilled all the oil as I was hurriedly removing said foot.  Naturally, I said "Crap!!", twitched up, and then banged my head hard on the transmission pan.  Would've made a good Red Green segment 

Keep at it, buddy, you'll get 'er done...

[Heo]

Sorry Dough had to laugh at the oil fountain
Had a week like that last week everything from tipping over the bucket
with degreaser with the extensioncord to the guy delivering my parts
to the local vendor getting a heart attack

[Barry_R]

I think we've all done that day.  Had that oil fitting come loose on dyno once.  Big cloud of smoke & shut things down.  Hustle into the room to see (praying...) what caused the smoke.  Stepped on the oil slick & landed on my backside hard.  Whole episode recorded on video.  You will never see it.  ever....

[cjshaker]

Awww, c'mon Barry, that sounds like prime YouTube stuff!

I'm pretty sure that's why we can ALL relate to Red Green. Time has a way of allowing you to look back and laugh at something that didn't seem remotely funny at the moment.

[My427stang]

Looking forward to hearing how you make out Doug, looks like a fun way to play

Even to this day, if there is a drip or bucket I will end up sticking my hand or a rag into it, or if filling a gallon jug with drain oil I will almost always overfill.  It's almost a price to pay to finish the job sometimes LOL

As far as the "oh shit" stories, 30-ish years ago I was putting the cab on my F100's bare frame  I put a wooden ladder trough the doors and used a gantry crane/chainfall.  Easy breezy for a bare cab.  The shop I rented back then had a pit, which I was directly over. 

The wooden ladder broke, the cab bounced off the frame pushing it sideways and as it bounced, both drivers side 36 inch monster mudders along with the rest of the frame fell sideways into the pit    and yes THAT fast.....

No damage to anything, but my crane now won't move, the cab is ON the frame and the whole thing is in the pit LOL

The fix was: Get 3 buddies and carry the cab back out of the way, then use the gantry/chain fall to get the frame out, then start again with nylon straps instead of the stupid idea of a 50 year old wooden ladder

In fact, here is said truck and mudders not long after the incident, this is likely 1987-1989, LOL

[Joe-JDC]

Sounds familiar.  Yesterday I was priming my oil system for the first time in the EMC engine, and my wife walked in to see how things were coming.  She asked what that red stuff was on the floor, and I remembered just putting the oil sender plug in finger tight.  AMSOIL break in oil is really hard to remove off cement floor.  Which reminds me of when I built the garage 18 years ago, I had just installed the lift, and had my engine oil change things all arranged so that I could start changing oil in my mustangs, and somehow a field rat found its way into my new garage, and proceeded to eat the sticker/label off a new plastic gallon of V-1 10W-30, and the rat decided he liked the plastic just as well as the label.  I was going to seal the floor and coat it with epoxy to make it look great, but now there was a gallon of oil spread all over the new concrete floor.  Still looks terrible after all the cleaning, and years of use.  Found the rat dead behind the compressor a few days later from the stink.  Oil just seems to find its way to the wrong place at the most inopportune times.  Joe-JDC

[Dumpling]

Why do trunk monkies come to mind?

https://youtu.be/eFf2GpEppOk

[cjshaker]

Car guys have no shortage of stories, that's for sure! None of them seem funny at the time, but they're always funny hearing it happen to somebody else

As I'm sure Jay can attest, when you're thrashing before Drag Week, parts and tools get scattered everywhere. I think I spend half my time looking for a single wrench, or a socket....or where the hell I laid that ONE bolt that I need. Walking around the car is like playing dodgeball in a mine field...lol

On a positive note, the master cylinder and wheel cylinders came Saturday, earlier than I expected. It sure is nice living in the same state as Summit! The master cylinder bled fine, so I got it installed with new lines for the dual pot. Front brakes are done, including new hoses, so I moved on to the rear....where I found out that the brake shoes I ordered through Napa a few years ago were not the right size. I have GOT to learn to check parts when I first get them! So I moved on to the little things and got my Autometer oil and water gauges mounted and ready, and the Bosch tach wired and ready. The transmission guy is getting a call tomorrow. I want this thing on the ground!

[Heo]

Doug, Is it the Bosch tac that looks like a old Sun tac?
i had thought about buying one of those. Are you pleased
with the quality so far or?