Mar 30

Picked up some regular and SS bolts today needed for the engine install.  Then over to More Power to have Dick shorten the input shaft for the transmission by 1/2".  I used their press to remove the front bearing from the input shaft.  Painted the radiator support and generator adjusting bracket this afternoon.   Also removed the radio and looked inside - not pretty!  Going to send it out to one of two shops I found previously on the web.  Both specialize in repairing antique radios.  Read over the adjustment instructions for the steering box and made a decision to leave that task for later when I take the 41 to Maksim's for a front end alignment and suspension component inspection.  Reassembled the steering column and shifter column and put the steering wheel back on.  Couple of wires to replace yet and I'm ready for the engine install on Saturday.

Tue Mar 29

Stopped by Dennis' work today and took a trip with his son Scott over to their race car shop.  Wanted to measure the mounting holes on a Chevy Camaro/Chevelle/Nova transmission mount.  I had a hunch the dimensions should be close to the mount I needed for the T5 transmission.  Turned out to be a perfect fit.  I had some metric bolts of the right size in the parts rack so that's one less thing to deal with.  Now I just have to hope the mount centers on the new crossmember mounting plate.  The mounting plate holes/slots will have to be enlarged a bit to accommodate the bolts for the mount.

Spent the afternoon and evening working on the wiring and organizing the engine bay.  I added plastic tubing to cover the wires after make sure the old insulation wasn't falling apart.  Some of the wires got a wrap of electrical tape as did the spade connectors to prevent them from shorting out.  Looks like a vast improvement over the previously frayed coverings and wires a bit disorganized.

Put a finish coat of flat black on the transmission crossmember and added all the extra hardware pieces to the bell housing.  So, the engine is complete.  Just need to bring it home and put it in the car.  The clutch and bell housing assembly is complete and ready for install.  I have to replace the wire from the key to the coil yet before the engine goes in and I want to adjust the steering box to eliminate as much play as possible.  Once the engine is installed, I can fit the transmission  under the car and see what modifications will be needed to the new crossmember. Then I'll need to measure and order a drive shaft.  The weather is predicted to improve temp wise over the next few days so, hopefully, the plan to install the engine this weekend will stay on track.

Mar 28

Nothing too exciting today.  Returned the borrowed tools to Maksim's and More Power and talked to Dick about the clutch disc not fitting inside the pressure plate.  A quick setup on the mill and a few passes later and the clutch issue is history.  Thanks again, Dick!

Another weekend - another update!

Spent part of Friday at More Power making the mounting tabs for the rear shocks.  Dick welded the tabs to the rear shock crossmember and it turned out looking pretty good.  Later in the afternoon, the finished piece got a coat of primer.  Tom at Maksim's loaned me an air impact chisel and punch to use for the weekend to knock the rivets out of the transmission crossmember.  Sure glad I have safety goggles and ear plugs cuz the noise and dirt falling out of the frame could have done some damage!  My arms ached on Sat so I only managed to get a finish coat of flat black paint on the rear shock cross member.  Baby sitting our grandson, a computer housecall and out to dinner with Butch and Jan pretty much filled up the Saturday. Sunday afternoon, I went back to work.   Here's the finished rear shock crossmember.

And here it is mounted in the car.

Here's the new transmission crossmember next to the stock piece.

And here it is installed temporarily in the car; rear and front views.

This unit was purchased from Street Rod Headquarters which is a part of Chevies of the 40's.  It was designed for using an automatic in a 41 Chevy but I'm hoping the trans mount can be made to work with the T5 also.  Once the rear suspension was all back together, I reinstalled the stock tires and set the car on the floor.  The rear tires are centered in the wheel wells quite nicely now.

I cleaned and painted more parts Sunday and sanded the surface of the flywheel and pressure plate.  When I test fit the new S10 clutch disc to the pressure plate, I discovered that the inner spring area is too big to fit inside the pressure plate.  I'll talk to Dick tomorrow and see if some lathe work can open up the clearances a bit.  Got all the threaded holes in the bell housing tapped out to clean the threads and mounted the foot starter rod assembly so it can be painted prior to installation.  Mitch had some discarded welding cables he intends to salvage for copper scrap so I asked if I could have a piece to make a new positive cable to run from the starter to the battery.  The one on the car was intended for a 12 volt system.  6 volt starters draw quite a bit more amps so the 1/0 welding cable will be perfect.  Found a piece with a connector already installed so now all I need is a battery terminal.   Also put a coat of primer on the transmission crossmember.  The weather forecast is calling for some warmer temps this coming weekend and I'm hoping to get the engine here and have Mitch help me install the engine on Saturday.

Mar 24

Spent a few hours at More Power today sand blasting the lower bell housing cover and the radiator mounting frame.  Both got a coat of primer too.  Dick and I reviewed the rear shock mounting still to be done and I went home and set to work removing the rear springs.  Moving the holes in the spring perches had not achieved the proper centering of the rear end in the wheel well so I recalculated the tire fit.  If you look at a stock 41 rear end mounting pad, you'll notice the hole for the locating pin is NOT in line with the axle tube.  When I measured from that hole to the center line of the axle tube, I got the same number as when measuring the tire fit in wheel opening.  The 57 rear end needed to be moved back 2 1/2" and use the stock center hole in the spring perch.  Modern leaf springs are made of hardened spring steel but the old springs on the 41 were easy to drill.  Just marked the new location for the hole and drilled the springs using my drill press.

I used a C-clamp to hold the leaves in compression while I removed the original bolt, cleaned it with a wire wheel and ran a die over the threads.  I then reused the same nut and bolt and reinstalled the springs.  The rear end looks perfectly centered in the wheel wells now.  With the rear end in place, I was able to set the new shocks on the lower pins and measure and mark the crossmember so Dick can weld on some mounting plates for the shocks.  I spent a little time attempting to remove the rivets from the stock transmission crossmember using a hammer and large chisel.  Besides being a time consuming project, my arms are about to fall off!  That's a lotta work!  Gonna stop by Maksim's tomorrow and see if I can borrow an air chisel for the weekend. 

Mar 22

Spent the morning picking up the water temp fitting I ordered from Napa, various nuts & bolts from Tractor Supply and paint & masking tape from Home Depot.  Had to drill the hole a little bigger in the fitting but that was no big deal.  Got the engine compartment wiped down and primered.

Here's a before shot.

Also put some paint on the starter, generator, bell housing, flywheel shield and battery box.

The garage is getting a little more crowded with new parts coming in and old parts being set aside for reuse or storage.

The weather isn't cooperating this week at all.  Looks like it'll be rain/snow/ice mix for the next few days with temps 10 degrees below normal.  Forecast is for high's in the 30's!!  Looks like the heater continues to get a workout keeping the shop area warm.  Garage stays at 55 - 60 without any trouble.

Parts day

Ordered the clutch disc from Auto Zone this morning and the water guage adapter fitting from a NAPA store.  Picked up the extra engine paint that I had transferred to 2 spray cans.  Stopped by Floyd's Electric to have the generator and starter checked out.  Both looked like they had been recently serviced so they only charged me $5 for the inspection.  Nice!  Tried 3 different tire stores for center caps for the aluminum wheels and finally settled on some "Derby caps" from Belle Tire.  They are 5 bolt type so I'll have to drill the 6 bolt pattern.  Stopped by Harbor Freight and picked up a new hydraulic ram for the engine hoist as well as some rachet wrenches.  Dennis called to tell me the bell housing was finished with sandblasting so I shot up to his shop and picked it up.  Then up to More Power to put a coat of primer on the bell housing and on the battery tray after a little sand blasting.  Auto Zone called that the disc was in already so I picked it up on the way home.  It finally warmed up to near 50 this afternoon so I pushed the car outside and scrubbed down the engine compartment and rinsed the winter dust off the car.  Spent the evening cleaning parts with mineral spirits and the wire wheel on the bench grinder when needed.  Wiped the grime off the generator and starter so they can be painted tomorrow along with several other parts and the engine compartment.

Weekend Update

Spent part of the day Friday at More Power putting on the oil pan and fitting the new water lines connecting to the bottom of the intake manifold.  Dick made up braided stainless lines with colored aircraft fittings. Also had Dick trim the front bearing retainer for the T5 transmission to the proper length.  Sandblasted the retainer and several small parts for the bell housing.  The new Monroe shocks arrived on Fri along with the right rear brake kit.  The left kit and new brake lines are on back order!  bah!  Played around with the shocks to determine where to locate the mounting tabs on the rear crossmember.
     Mitch came over Sat afternoon and helped me pull the motor.  We dropped the front of the car as low as possible without the front tires installed to limit the height we would have to lift.  All went well.  I then built an engine cradle out of wood and added some casters to the bottom to make it mobil.  Dropped the engine in the cradle and this allowed me enough room to remove the clutch and flywheel assembly.  Cleaned a few parts and labeled them for reassembly. 
     Sunday was spent numbering and moving all the wires from the inner fenders to allow for thorough cleaning of the engine compartment.  Monday is supposed to be sunny with temps in the upper 50's so the plan is to take advantage of the weather and get the engine compartment washed and dried.  Removed the heater and attempted to repair the noisy fan motor but I think it has a shorted field or armature.  I'll have a friend in the motor repair business check it out later.  Removed all the column shifter hardware from the engine compartment and from the steering column.  Pulled the steering wheel and adjusted the horn to proper dimensions.  Removed the motor mounts from the engine compartment to clean them.  Cleaned and labeled more parts to be used during reassembly.

Mar 17

Went to More Power today and pulled the oil pan to find and fix the rear main leak.  It appears that adding shims to the rear main cap to achieve the proper bearing clearance allowed the neoprene seal to lose contact with the crank surface.  Dick, Duane and I put our heads together and opted to put some silicone behind the seal in the cap and use a special sealing compound on the block and the cap where they contact the shims.  This should tighten the seal as well as prevent seapage across the machined surfaces.  Fingers are crossed on this one.  Had Dick order the fittings for the water lines running from the block and thermostat housing to the intake manifold.  Going with aircraft style fittings and braided steel line just like the remote oil filter system. 

Got the car up on jack stands this afternoon and figured out how to remove the transmission and related extras.  Trans is sitting on the floor with all the external parts reattached.  Should be able to pull the motor this coming weekend. 

Mitch stopped by tonite and we got to talking about the used aluminum wheels I picked up.  He has a friend who cleans and polishes wheels on semi trucks as part of his job.  Mitch sent him a text and he (Mike) said he would polish and clean all four for $20 each.  That will save me a bunch of time and also save me from buying the tools and compounds to do the polishing.  As soon as I get the 2 wheels back that I dropped off today at Maksims, I'll be sending all 4 to Mike.

Mar 16

Tom at Maksims had the wheels and tires mounted today so I picked them up and test fit them to the car.

No clearance issues but the rear end is not centered in the wheel well.  I'm thinking the best way to correct this problem is to remove the rear leaf springs and drill/punch a new hole to move the rear end back further.  I'll leave it all together for now so I can test fit the shocks which are due Fri or Sat.  Found out today that the brake lines and part of the brake kit are back ordered at Chevy's of the 40's. 

Mar 15

Dropped of the new/old bell housing to Dennis today for sand blasting.  Also took 2 of the new aluminum wheels to Maksims, one of my old drag car sponsors, to have them mount up any throw away tires they had on hand.  Turns out they had a perfect size - P205/70R 15.  Once they are mounted up, I can check the fit to make sure the back spacing is correct and the suspension clears.  Brake parts and shocks aren't due for delivery until Fri but I wanted to get a jump on the install so I put the rear shock cross member back in and installed the 57 rear end.  The stock wheels are back on and the car is on the ground.  I'll put it back on jack stands under the rear end to check the shock fit and mark the cross member so Dick can weld on the shock mounting brackets.  The rear end position looks good to my eyes.  Might be just a tad forward in the wheel well but the wheelbase measures correct at 116" on both sides.  I noticed a possible conflict between the new shock cross member and the top of the rear end housing.  Going to have to check that closer and make sure the shocks and snubbers do the job to prevent banging metal!

Mar 14 update

Received the aluminum slotted wheels today.  They look decent and should clean up nicely.  Gonna need some lug nuts and center caps.  Thinking I'll use black lug nuts and see if I can find some flat center caps that snap in.  Can't do much else until the shocks come in.  Tracking shows it'll be Friday before they get here.

More updates

Thurs, Mar 10 - Picked up the rear brake shoes and wheel cylinders that came in at Auto Zone.

Fri, Mar 11 - Received two shipments today.  I now have the correct bell housing to allow using the T5 transmission with the 235 as a direct bolt on along with the foot action 6 volt starter.  Also received the extra transmission cover for the floor.  Now I don't have to cut a hole in the original cover.  Both pieces arrived unscathed.  Next to get the bell housing out to my buddy Dennis so it can be sand blasted.  Then a fresh coat of primer and paint.

Mar 9 Update

Removed the engine from the dyno and put it back on the engine stand to await repairing the rear mail leak fix.  Ordered rear shocks and brake parts today.  Checked the pulley sizes on the crank and water pump and talked to Patick Dykes at Patrick's Antique Cars to verify using the 216 wide belt pump on the 235.  He agreed it would work but told me I'm nuts for doing so!  He recommends using the narrower 3/8" belt with the 235 as it fits all the later items I may want to add in the future.  However, all that costs mo money!  And I don't need to "invent" expenses.  I have a balancer with a narrow groove pulley ready to go so when/if I decide to upgrade, I'll replace the water pump at that time. 

Daily update

Tues, Mar 8.  Finished the exhaust hookup for the dyno.  The motor started without a hitch!  We set the timing and warmed it up a bit but heard a noisy rocker assembly.  Pulled the valve cover and reset both valves on #5.  I either missed them previously or they both came loose.  Got it back together and started right up again.  Ran super smooth.  Ran one pull on the dyno after it was warmed up and the freeze plug just below the water pump blew out!  Another flood!  After vaccuming up the water, we pulled the thermostat out, ran a compression test to be sure a head gasket hadn't blown.  HP on that short pull was right around 150.  Still less than I anticipated but the motor runs so good and sounds excellent so I can't complain.  Spotted another issue with a leaking rear main seal.  I'll have to fix that before the motor goes in the car.  Also need to check the pulley sizes of the 216 balancer and water pump and compare them to the 235. 

Quick update

Sun, Mar 6 - Got the rear crossmember/shock mount system fastened in to finish the drilling of the mounting holes.  Also marked it for the shock mounting brackets that will need to be welded on.  The strings indicate the shock angle.  Also got the center section (aka: pig) installed in the rear end housing along with the brake backing plates and new Moser axles.  Did a test fit on the brake drums and it was perfect on both sides.

Mon, Mar 7 - Spent the day at More Power installing the external engine pieces; intake & exhaust manifolds, water pump, thermostat housing, fuel pump, fuel line and road tube.  Got the engine mounted on the dyno, primed the oil pump, installed the distributor and got everything ready to run except the exhaust system.  Plan is to finish the exhaust tomorrow and break in the rebuild before running some HP full pulls.

Scored a couple of nice extras tonite.  Found a transmission cover on ebay last week and I was the only bidder tonite when the auction ended.  This piece is a floor panel that covers the transmission.  Now I won't have to cut a hole in my original panel to accommodate the shifter for the T5 that'll be going behind the 235.

   Yesterday I saw a For Sale post on the H.A.M.B. forums for some 6 lug x 5 1/2" bolt pattern, 15 x 6.75 Aluminum Slotted wheels.  These should bolt right on and the back spacing looks good.  Hopefully, I'll be able to mount up a new set of radials and give the 41 more of a hot rod look when the time comes.  May not use these wheels right away but the price was irresistible and I can save them for later.

Making progress

I was able to spend quite a bit of time in the garage working on the '41 this past weekend.  Got the rear shock crossmember template made and a basic design drawn up.  The rear end housing dropped in perfectly after Dick moved the spring perches.  He milled the factory welds flush with the axle tubes so I could knock the perches off with a chisel.  Then we positioned them 1/2" farther toward the outside.  He also drilled new locating holes in the perches which will locate the housing 1 1/2" to the rear of the car.  The repostioning is necessary to keep the tires centered in the wheel well.  The original torque tube rear end would pivot and positioned differently than the 57 rear.  You can see the milling operation in the pics and the new holes in the spring perch.  Directly under the tool bit in picture 2 is a scribe mark on the axle tube.  A corresponding mark was made on the perch edge to allow proper positioning of the perches for welding.  This assures we maintain the proper pinion angle.

The new axles had come in from Moser Engineering and I bought new brake drums.  The 57 axles used the later 5 lug, 4 3/4" wheel pattern while the 41 wheels require 6 lug, 5 1/2" studs.  The Moser axles have the 6 lug pattern so the new brake drums needed to be drilled to match.  Dick preferred the mill to perform the drilling to maintain a perfect 6 lug pattern.

Once all the drilling and welding was completed, I sandblased the coatings off the brake drums and gave all the parts a nice coat of gloss black paint.  The reworked housing fit perfectly.