the summer project

[billcreller]

The new big three row aluminum radiator is in, and just fits in the core support. Alternator is only 5/8" to 3/4" from the fan shroud, but after front fenders are I'll know if I have to trim the shroud.  Engine is just a bit long for this body   Gotta find some hoses to fit...
  And I'm wiring the CD radio harness into the dash wiring.......

[Jack_Hester]

I don't think these can be considered Summer projects.  But, they seem to fit in this thread:

'42 Harley-Davidson WLA:



Another one:



'59 Harley-Davidson FLH:



Fish Carburetor:



Old motorcycles have been my passion for way too long, and I'm renewing my acquaintance with tube amplifiers.  Actually, this is my first time with just amplifiers, alone.  Tube radios, and tube instrumentation, some 30+ years ago, is my background.  It's been really great fun learning/relearning tube equipment. 

Jack

[billcreller]

Hey Jack!  looks like you have bike fun!  I've stayed away from bikes in my old age, I'm too brittle now!

[Jack_Hester]

Hey Jack!  looks like you have bike fun!  I've stayed away from bikes in my old age, I'm too brittle now!

I'm a bit brittle myself.  I may make a day trip, from time to time, to go to an event or ride down and see a buddy in Greenville, NC (3.5 hrs. on backroads).  Other than that, I keep my riding local, usually on Sunday afternoon.  I totaled my '76 FLH, back in '04.  Took me a couple of years before I could kickstart the '59, as I broke my pelvis (along with ribs), when I drove into the side of a minivan that didn't see me at the intersection.  I have everything to put it back together.  It just ain't happened, yet.  This is the '59, as it is today:



It has a newly rebuilt engine, transmission, electrical system.  I have the means to do all of this, but it ain't as fun as it was.  I made sure I preserved the look that it's had, since I acquired it in October of '74, shortly after I got out of the Army.  It died in '09.  Took me about 6 months to do the rebuild, after hours.  

Mostly, I look for tame interests that may electrocute me, but no chance of broken bones.  I also have this as a lifelong interest:



But, this can be an all day event, with setting up the target(s), setting up the portable shooting table, shooting.  Taking it all back down.  Storing it all away.  Cleaning.  So, I look for things that I can do at the workbench, and walk away from, when I'm tired.  And, find it right where I left it, when I'm ready to continue.  Reloading is one of those things, even if I don't get around to shooting what I reload.  Amplifiers has already become addictive, even though I've only gathered components for my first build.  The research, the revisiting old tech manuals, books I saved from tech school, back in the early 70's.  I used to spend quite a bit of time programming in Pascal, as part of my work.  Now, if I do it at all, it's as a hobbiest programmer.  I look at this as an opportunity to see if I can do some of that with the amp building.  But so far, I'm just enjoying what other people are doing, and learning from them.  I have no idea that I will be able to contribute to this interest.  I hope I can.  If not helping someone, I can at least share what I'm doing, and hope it sparks someone else's interest in the same.

Jack

[billcreller]

  My "summer project", from two summers so far, is moving slow.  I'm fabricating the exhaust from stainless steel tubing, to make it last through Michigan salty winters, an using Borla stainless steel performance  mufflers, the quietest ones.  I may have to use aluminized tail pipes though, since stainless tail pipes aren't available.

[Frankenamp]

Old Harley engines may not necessesarily be a 'summer project' but a work of art nevertheless. the '42's look brutal!

Is that a 50 cal?

[Jack_Hester]

Old Harley engines may not necessesarily be a 'summer project' but a work of art nevertheless. the '42's look brutal!

Is that a 50 cal?

H-D 45's were always a favorite of mine, as they are little workhorses.  Low on power but high on fun.

No, it's a much smaller caliber.  As I followed the writings of P.O. Ackley in my youth, I decided to build (read that as have someone else build) one of his favorite calibers.  The .22-250 Improved.  It's too heavy to enjoy, though.  You carry it from the vehicle to the shooting bench.  Then back to the vehicle.  So, it spends it's time stored away, while I enjoy lighter things. 

Jack

[Frankenamp]

Yes they are. My old man (deceased) had a few stories about riding out to California from Oklahoma on a 74 (in the late 20's or early 30's). A little engine trouble had him replacing one of the pistons on the way... so he rode around with one iron and one aluminum piston. Also used the suicide throttle and the new WPA roads to cruise along the roads standing on the seat. He was always yelling at me for doing one tom-fool thing or another- wonder where I got it from? Never had one, but living in the SF Bay Area isn't condusive to having one MC+BA traffic = RIP. If I lived elsewhere, things would be different.

[billcreller]

My "summer project" has passed two summers, and 1 1/2 winters. Too dam cold right now to get much done except work on some anodized aluminum trim in my basement.  I did machine a tapered shim on the Bridgeport mill, to go between the brake booster and the firewall. It off-sets the booster about 1/2" to the left, for more clearance between it and the left rocker/valve cover on the engine.  The shim is 3/16" thick on the inboard side, tapered to .020" thick on the outboard side.  And it even worked!
I did get all the wiring finished, but haven't applied 12 volts to the system yet for the smoke test, and see what is & isn't working.  And I'm still fooling with stainless steel pipes on the exhaust system.

[billcreller]

 The current item I'm working on is piecing together a stainless steel exhaust system. Using some mandrel-bent pipes I bought, and having a friend TIG weld them together for the right runs from the engine to the mufflers.  It's a slow process.....
  Outside of that, I've sort of lost my voice, due to a problem in my vocal chords, and after a pre-op check, I have a few heart issues I wasn't aware of, like un-even pulses. So in order to fix the voice, I have to do a stress-test and other crap before they will operate on the vocal chord problem. So, more money for the rich-ass doctors

[billcreller]

Finally got the stress test out of the way, and meanwhile, back at the project, I just finished my "custom"  hoses for the power steering. The left exhaust pipe is also a current item to finish, which is three pieces of stainless tubing, two of which are mandrel bent pieces.  Not possible for local muffler shops to put mandrel bends on, so I bought the pre-bent parts, and my pal is tig welding the parts together.
  The weather is a bit warmer now, so onward I say!

[Ritchie200]

Geez Bill, I hope everything comes out OK on your test.  Not to make fun, but I can only think of the Mr. and Mrs. Potatohead Superbowl commercial where she loses her lips while side-seat driving - and he doesn't stop.  Is Mrs. Creller enjoying the silence?

Seriously, I hope the vocal chord surgery is minor and your ticker mis-fires are due to bad gas!

Take care!
Jim

[billcreller]

I got the news today that I'm good to go.  I think they were more concerned about my age than my ticker, and the odd pulses didn't show up again. Go figure. My voice didn't totally go away, so the wife just had to listen closer!  I'm currently trying to adjust the pinion angle on the rear end, and measure for the drive shaft. And I installed the AC box/housing on the fire wall, after doing a mod on it to clear the engine rocker/valve cover.  And the left exh pipe is done, and it's ready for mufflers, which are gonna be stainless steel, Borla brand.

[billcreller]

 OK, so it hasn't been up-dated in over 120 days...I get the warning....     I'm still around and still at the "summer project" ........ 
  I have all the front end parts and doors bolted on, new transmission cooler lines, new stainless braided front brake hoses etc.
  And today I mounted the tail gate, so it's beginning to look like an El Camino again.
I still have to get a drive shaft modified to fit.  When that's in, I can fire up the engine, after filling all the fluids.  Should be fun, with only exhaust pipes to the rear of the trans cross-member ! Ear plugs req'd....

  Looks like I'm getting my FAA medical renewed too.  The Doc that does that looked at the med records this week, and said I'm good to go, for a 2nd class medical.  I used to get just a 3rd class, no commercial stuff, but insurance-wise I have to get one every year now ( must be the "old-fart" clause in the policy.)

  And I'm redoing my Valco clone that I added a Fender reverb circuit into.  It sucked because of the POS OT I had in it, and I have a new Hammond for it.   Trouble is, I lost the layout diagram I made to build it
 so some research is required here.......

[Ritchie200]

  Looks like I'm getting my FAA medical renewed too.  The Doc that does that looked at the med records this week, and said I'm good to go, for a 2nd class medical.  I used to get just a 3rd class, no commercial stuff, but insurance-wise I have to get one every year now ( must be the "old-fart" clause in the policy.)

How has your age affected your rates?  My WW2 Corsair pilot buddy slowly gave up his commercial, multi engine, and finally his ticket due to insurance cost associated with his age.  It killed him to give it up and he had perfect health.  And he was still the best pilot I've ever flown with, even at age 80.  Funny thing was his AME was older than him!

Jim

[billcreller]

The insurance company may get "difficult", but I don't know yet.  My partner pays for the policy, since I do all the maintenance on both airplanes.  If he sputters a bit, I'll know it's expensive !!

[billcreller]

 I'm presently doing an Annual Inspection on the Cessna 120 I restored in the 90s  It flew only 5 hours in the past 12 months, so I need to get some time on it to keep the cobwebs out.  It's a good performer, since I up-graded to a bigger engine when I restored it.  Originally a Continental C-85 (85 HP) and current engine is a Lycoming 125 HP, 0290D model.    I'm getting the itch again........

[Ritchie200]

Taildragger....   What is your climb rate with that motor and one passenger?  Do you need a G suit!  A hot day with two adults gets exciting with that old 85 and a short runway!

5 hours?!?!  You need to getouta the garage and up in the air!  Better view!  Besides, you can drive until you are blind and can't find your way home.  Flying is not that age-forgiving - enjoy it while you can still afford the ticket!

Pictures?  We need a new "Summer Project: Aviation" thread!

Jim

[billcreller]

The climb rate in winter, since it's always better in cold weather, will peg the VSI at 2000 FPM, but in summer heat, it will do only around 1300 to 1400 FPM.  Of course the original climb with the C-85 is around 650 FPM...scary on a hot day from a short grass field.....high pucker factor !

 Of course the airplane is heavier now with all the mods etc, like 1028 LBS now, where the original was just over 800 LBS.  A few years back I did a "weigh reduction" program on it.  Replaced the starter with a light-weight part, went from a 36 AH battery to a 25 AH battery, tossed the speaker out (use headsets all the time anyway) and changed the vacuum pump to a light weight part.    Anyway, I got rid of 19 lbs, which is a lot on a small airplane.
   A C-120 is easy to fly compared to the Luscombe, which I learned to fly in back in the early 60s.

[stingray_65]

Bill,

I've been following this thread a while now, I'm not a bowtie guy, but wow you do impressive work!

My brother had his AP licence for years and I always remembered him ranting over those Lycoming engines, so I googled up what a Cessna 120 is.

I do hope yours looks a lot nicer than this one

according to the article the trainer was 86 yrs old and the trainee was 67, bot refused treatment after the incident, Guess everything was built tough way back then

[Ritchie200]

Now that is how I would land a taildragger!

Hey Bill, when you changed out the engine to the heavier one, that obviously changed the CG.  Did you have to add ballast in the tail?  I'm sure this has been a thoroughly documented upgrade.  Did you just follow an established AD?

I learned in a VERY TIRED C150.  My instructor was about 6'1" 250lbs and I was 6'4" and 190lbs (not any more...).  That meant every inch of the 3000 ft on a hot summer day.  HOWEVER, in the Porsche Mooney we would scream down the runway with no flaps, then crank them down!  Like riding a rocket elevator from hell!  I'm sure it would be tame to any true aero pilot, but it sure was fun.  Plus we NEVER went over the NE flap speed......

Jim

PS this was the 3000ft field with my FBO.  Now an industrial park.  Field opened in '45 and closed in '94.  FBO moved to another airport and closed in '96.  GA is a shadow of its former self.  Such a shame.  Damn lawyers.

[billcreller]

When I weighed the airplane after it was finished, I needed another pound in the tail, so I added a #3 leaf to the tail wheel spring instead of using a chunk of lead mounted back there in the tail cone.
  Some of the weight is because of a full gyro panel and avionics, beacon & strobes, etc

 Here's a link (if I can do it right) to the C120 project pics.  There are more pics, but I didn't put all of them up.

 http://s561.photobucket.com/albums/ss52/steelybill/Cessna%20120%20project/

[Ritchie200]

WOW!  That is really neat!  You re-skinned the wings?  That was a LOT of work.  I really like the new paint!  Did you find any wear and tear?  You know - cracked spar, hinges worn through, leaking fuel into the wing, etc.!

Jim

[billcreller]

 This project was a truck load of parts when I started, so much new sheet metal and all new hardware, wheels & brakes, wiring, interior, glass, etc were required.   Cessna 150 seats in place of the original bench etc.  I had three damaged wings, and made two good ones from those two, using the good parts.
  I rebuilt quite a few wrecks when I was younger, working full time for an operator.  It's good, enjoyable work.

[Ritchie200]

WOW!  And I'm sure your wing "jig" was a big flat table?    And if you see another rivet you will do bodily harm to the person carrying them?

Maybe when I get filthy rich after finding some long lost gold Krugerands buried in my back yard, you can help me build my BD-5!

Ok, here is the ultimate test to see if you are really a lost cause, destined for the funny farm in Oshkosh.....

How many years (copies) of Aircraft Spruce & Specialty are in your bathroom for reading material right now?

Jim

[billcreller]

Well, I have only one catalog from those folks.
 And rivets and sheet metal are my thing, Fabric covering is not my favorite job, too labor intensive.  If it's just wings, not too bad, but I wont ever do a whole fabric airplane. Some airplanes have been metalized on the wings, on place of fabric.  Too bad this one wasn't,  but being kept inside out of the sun makes modern fabric last a long time.

[billcreller]

I'm currently getting all the parts together to build a custom drive shaft.  The 9-inch Ford rear end actually used the U-joint that fit the used drive shaft I bought, which is an old GM Saginaw unit,  but for the front end, a special conversion joint, from one style u-joint  (1330) on the drive shaft, to a 1350 on the yoke for the transmission.  Have located a good used yoke to fit the trans yet, and may have to buy a new one from the after market.
  And the fun continues.....
 And besides that, I have to replace a tube socket on my old National amp. They are the cheapie micarta wafer type.  Seems to work OK on one 6V6 instead of two though..

[billcreller]

 I did get the drive shaft finished & installed !  And also have the electric fuel pump mounted in the cavity under the front of the bed, and plumbed into the fuel line from the tank.  There's a large panel that covers that cavity, which would be where the back seat would be in a station wagon, which the El Camino platform is based on.  Anyway, it's a handy place for mounting the fuel pump, away from water & dirt etc.
  And I bled the brakes. No big deal there, since everything in the system is new.  So now I can fill all the items with oil, coolant etc and get ready for start-up.   It's gonna be loud, with only exhaust pipes, no mufflers yet.....2200 RPM for cam break-in, for about 1/2 hour....ear plugs recommended....

[billcreller]

Still plugging away.......I finished the cover for the cavity in the front of the bed.  I made 1 inch holes, and welded in two pieces of 1 inch tubing for drains in the front corners
 of the cover, and ran 1 inch hoses from them, out through the bottom of the cavity.  El Caminos never had drains in the front of the bed like a pickup has.  Don't have a clue why....

Had to take time out to fix the 4-speed transmission in my S-10 Chevy pickup.   The fun just never ends....

[billcreller]

  Still working, and it's still a "summer project" since we haven't had any snow yet.  Finally finished the fuel lines from the pump to carb, with a billet fuel strainer,and an adapter Tee for a fuel pressure gauge line.
  Things actually are coming together....
And I'm still fooling with the Valco w/reverb, trying to find out why the volume level sucks.........

[billcreller]

OK...so I just got an LED strip from Oznium, to use as a 3rd brake light.  The strip is about 1/2" wide, and will fit up tight on the glass, and up against the rear window reveal molding.  I'll have to run two wires through the sealant that holds the glass in.  It's a really bright light, so maybe I wont get rear-ended.

[billcreller]

Not much progress to report here.  Working on my list of small items and installing some wiring and linkage etc. and fixing the vent on the transmission, which wouldn't allow the trans oil to go in very fast.  Must have been a mud dauber in the vent when the trans sat around for some years.  And I made an oil pump primer, to turn the pump through the distributor mounting hole.
  It's also colder here than what my bones like 

[billcreller]

Should be ready to light off the engine pretty soon.  Have a temporary tach & oil pressure gauge rigged up for the cam break-in monitoring.  Need to run it up to around 2000 to 2200 RPM for about half an hour.

[billcreller]

 I bought a set of Taylor plug wires some time ago.  They are a universal type set, with the correct angle on the plug end.  The idea was to have the lengths just right, and not have slack. or too tight on some, like the supposedly direct fit type.
  The tough part is getting the new crimped-on ends through the boots, on the distributor end. Lots of DC-4 seems to help, but still a pain in the butt.
  Cam & lifters greased up with break-in lube, and pre-load adjusted on the hyd lifters.
  Distributor is in & timed, fuel system plumbing is done, and some coolant will make it ready to run.  This is my first big-block Cadillac build.  Hope it hangs together !

[stingray_65]

This is my first big-block Cadillac build.  Hope it hangs together !

Whoa! What I miss?

i thought you were stuffing a SBC in the ElCamino!

What Cad motor did you wedge in there?

Love taylor wires, the boots are a pain, I used vasoline to grease the wire and put the boots in a pot of water I passedd through the Mr Coffee maker, hot like that they stretch real easy.

Do take care to NOT stretch the plug wires, they break inside pretty easy, won't affect the performance, but each little break causes a little bit of whine in the radio.

Way back in my roddin days, My cousin and I stuffed a 500CID cad motor in a Chevette, I think we paid $150 for the motor, and we had 3 or 4 'Vettes given to us for free. first car I ever pulled a wheel stand in.  we could fry tires faster than we could change em. REAL squirrley with that short wheel base. A few years later we found an article in hot rod mag about  stuffing a "vette with a 500 motor with 472 heads. Instant 14:1 compression in that form,q-Jet , cam and iron manifold and it made a bit over 500 hp. real screamer!

Ray

[Ritchie200]

Ray,
That reminds me of a Dodge Colt (remember those?!?!) that the guy droped a 392 hemi into with a Doug Nash 5 speed.  The motor had the best of the best.  It was strictly a strip car that was tubbed and narrowed.  The slicks were so wide, I don't know where the heck the links were connected - which probably didn't help the handling any.  This thing would pull the front end in every gear but fifth.  It ran in the 9's and 10's in the quarter.  In other words, it could be 9.5 or 10.9.....  It was great fun to watch him try to keep it straight, but he never won anything.  I think some kid bought it, put it on the street, rolled it, and sold the motor.  Ahhh, the 70's!

Jim

[billcreller]

  My Caddy is 507 cubic inches , +.030 bore.  It just barely fits in the El Camino frame, and I'm forced to use the stock exhaust manifolds, since the right/front suspension is crowding the engine.  Of course headers have their own maintenance issues, so I can live without them anyway.  Did a lot of mods on the engine as far as parts go.  Heads are ported & polished, and milled off a bit, and installed over-sized valves.  Decked the block some also.  I have a 284 degree cam in it, and Competition Cams stud-mounted roller rocker arms.  I built the oil pan, to fit the frame etc. and rebuilt a TH400 transmission, and used a Transgo shift programmer.  Rear end is a 9" Ford from Currie, set up for the El Camino suspension.  I built my own drive shaft.
  Currently, I'm having problems with the fuel system, and found that the new electric fuel pump wont run.  The pump is removed & going back for a warranty replacement tomorrow ( Monday).  I had it running for a few seconds by pouring a bit of gas in the carb, to check if the distributor timing was close enough to to run it. No mufflers on it yet, just stainless pipes running back past the trans cross member.  It's LOUD

In regard to Chrysler hemi engines, I played with those in the 60s.  My favorite was a '37 Ford pickup with a '56 354 hemi. I chopped & channeled the pickup, and used a Cad/LaSalle transmission behind it.  I used a '49 Merc 4.27:1 rear end by modifying the suspension from the transverse spring to longitudal springs.
   Had lots of fun back then

[billcreller]

Here's an engine pic.  No top radiator hose on it in this pic.

[stingray_65]

Dang Bill!

Those big Cad's are torque monsters!

Weight distribution on those Elky's aren't all that to begin with, you're gonna go broke keeping rear tires on that beast! what a tire fryer!

[Ritchie200]

What's up with all the orange paint?!?!?!

Jim the Ford man

[billcreller]

 That's actually Ford red !!  Should have painted it Caddy blue.    Maybe I'll get it running this week.....2200 for 30 minutes should do it....

[bigsbybender]

That's actually Ford red !!  Should have painted it Caddy blue.    Maybe I'll get it running this week.....2200 for 30 minutes should do it....

Yup like the old Y-Block Ford.  My Ford 390 came in Gold.

[billcreller]

I guess I could have painted it Chevy orange, but I never did like that color   Never ever painted my Chevy rebuilds orange.  I painted the Pontiac builds the factory light blue, which was OK.....Chrysler hemis I painted silver, the stock color, with a coat of clear over it.
   It's easier with airplane engines, either Lycoming gray, or Continental gold 

 The Caddy 500 isn't all that heavy, being around 100 lbs heavier that a Chevy small block.  With an aluminum radiator replacing a 3-core copper type,  I already made it lighter in the front.  These were designed for big block Chevys also, so it's still lighter than that option.  Of course I'm sure it will have tire frying capabilities

[billcreller]

  The fuel problem persists, and I dropped the tank to check the pick-up, which was OK. Everything is new, but ya never know.....
 Then I blew all the lines & hoses out,  they are all new also.   So now the engine drive fuel pump is suspect. Haven't taken it off yet.   A case of the flu has things on hold for a while. 

[PRR]

> The fuel problem persists

Up here, we start with a milk-jug of fuel on the fender. If that works, but the gas-tank has 43 holes in it(!), we put a 5-gallon jug in the trunk and drive on. Stay above 30MPH, you don't smell it.

That will work on your Quadra-Jet. Won't work on my '91, cuz it needs 20-30 feet of head to spritz the fuel-injector, and only 14 feet headroom under the power line.

[billcreller]

   

  Today I removed the engine driven fuel pump, and it's FUBAR !  I can blow through it in both directions !
 But, that's what I get for using the original pump, and not a new one.
   New pumps are available locally I've found, so that's the next step.   Lots of wasted effort & time on a dumb decision.
  I don't use the milk jug trick in the hanger, with an airplane sitting near my project

[billcreller]

My replacement electric fuel pump ( warranty) arrived last evening, and I bolted it in today.  I have a small access hole & cover in the large cover in the front of the bed, which covers the cavity under there.
  Pic is the pump & relay & wiring, mounted to the support web under the large cover.

[billcreller]

  I have the engine driven pump replaced, and everything back together.  I'm ready to light the fires when my son comes to help.  Cam break-in at 2000 RPM is the first thing, and adding ATF to the transmission after it starts also.  Gotta find my ear plugs.......

Here's a pic I found of the short block when I assembled it

 
And here's one of the heads....

[billcreller]

Well, I didn't find my ear plugs, but I did get it running Saturday afternoon.  A little gas poured in the carb was enough to get the fuel pump primed & the engine running.  Ran it at 2000 RPM for 5 minutes, and shut it down to inspect for leaks, and add some ATF to the transmission.  Fan was touching the shroud in one place, and I adjusted that OK.  Had to retard the timing a bit, since it wanted to buck the starter on the first start.  Have to wait until cam break-in is done, to idle it down & adjust initial timing, so ball-park timing is OK for now.
  It does rap up to 5000 RPM easily,  and sure makes a lot of noise. Exhaust fumes ended the running until maybe Sunday, to finish cam break-in.
 And all the gauges are working normal, alternator has normal voltage etc, so no electrical issues noted.

[billcreller]

I finished the Cam break-in run today, and found an oil leak up front someplace, not sure where it's coming from yet.  I topped off the transmission oil level, and adjusted the initial timing.  Also found a leak in the brake line on the rear end.  Topped off the power steering reservoir etc.  Engine has a slight lope to it at idle, which indicates the cam grind I used.