Time to catch up

It's been a busy time since my last post here.  Time to get caught up.

Thurs & Fri, May 19 & 20:  With the new exhaust system in place, it was time to fire up the engine.  That didn't go well.  As soon as I turned on the ignition switch, smoke began to roll from under the dash.  I quickly pulled the key and disconnected the battery.  Turns out I had not seen a wiring clip under the dashboard right by the ignition switch.  The new switch had three connection terminals and one of the terminals was touching that clip.  Luckily, the only damage was a smoked wire that was spliced into the hot wire going from the ammeter to the voltage regulater.  I replaced that wire, rotated the ignition switch to a new position and removed the wiring clip.  Once the wiring repairs were complete, the engine fired right up.  I'm not sure how the electric choke on the little 390 Holley carb is going to react to a 6 volt signal so, for now, I turned the adjusting ring to hold the choke open.  The engine ran perfect but I soon learned of a new challenge - the transmision wouldn't shift into gear with the engine running!  With the car on jack stands, the engine off, the transmission in 4th gear and my wife holding the clutch pedal to the floor, I attempted to turn the driveshaft with a pipe wrench.  I could hear the clutch dragging but it was nearly locked up.

Sat, May 21:  Pulled the transmission out and checked the clutch.  Internet research on Fri night had me thinking I needed to extend the input shaft splines on the transmission so I went to More Power to borrow a cut off grinder to do the job.  I hadn't pulled the clutch disk at that point.  Got back home and measured from the clutch spline area to the bell housing/transmission mounting surface.  Then I pulled the clutch and quickly realized I had made a mistake I've never done before - I had installed the clutch disk backwards!  Boy, did I feel like an idiot!  That had to be the problem, right?  Soooo, I put everything back together.  I had started at 7:45 in the morning and when I finished getting everything back together, it was 3:30 in the afternoon.  And guess what?  It still wouldn't go into gear!!  By 5pm the transmission was back on the bench along with the clutch disk and pressure plate.  I called Dick for some advise and he was equally baffled.  He decided to drive over and take a look.  The splines on the trans looked to be plenty long enough as the disk had 1/8" of movement available.  I rechecked the length of the bearing retainer and compared it to the original 3 speed trans.  That checked out fine too.  Dick had no instant solution but as we were throwing around ideas, one area that hadn't been measured became apparent - the distance from the beginning of the splines to the face of the transmission. I had had enough for the day and it was late by then so I promised to call Dick with the measurements on Sunday.

Sun, May 22:  Measured the original transmission and compared the two.  Then I measured from the pilot bushing in the back of the crankshaft to the face of the bell housing where the transmisson mounts.  All the internet info had said the T5 was a "bolt in" once the input shaft was shortened in the pilot bushing area and the bearing retainer was shortened.  Turns out that isn't true in my case.  The T5 spline area is 1/8" longer than the original!  1/8", that's all it took for the taper on the input shaft to lock into the pilot bushing.  Even though the clutch disk had plenty of clearance, the input would never release which acted like the clutch was locked.  I made a template of the front of the transmission with intention of having a spacer made.  Then I realized it would be easier to just use 1/8" shims between the transmission and bell housing.  There would still be plenty of depth on the bearing retainer to locate into the bell housing for proper alignment.  Plus it would be much quicker to add spacers than get a custom machined full spacer.

Mon, May 23:  First stop, the steel supply house for 2 pieces of 1/8" steel, 2.5" x 6".  Used the template I had made to mark the holes to match the transmission mounting and drilled the holes to 9/16".  Next I cleaned the metal thoroughly, primered and then painted them black to match the bell housing.  A layer of rtv silicone was applied to the bell housing and the two plates were clamped in place with the transmission mounting bolts to let the rtv dry.  A couple hours later, the bolts were removed and the transmission was reinstalled.  Rather than put all the pieces back together, I devised a method to test the spacer theory.  I wedged a board to hold the clutch pedal on the floor and shifted the trans into 4th gear.  I then went under the car and turned the yoke in the back of the trans which acted as a plug to keep the fluid from running out.  The transmission and clutch disk turned freely!!  Once everything was back together, I fired the engine again and smiled when everything worked. 

Tues, May 24:  Road trip day. A new issue quicky became apparent - the transmission refused to shift into overdrive.  Bah!  First stop was my buddy Tom's house.  He's a lover of old Chevy's and had seen the car the night we first test drove it.  Took Tom for a quick ride and he liked the changes I had made to the old 41.  Next stop was Dennis' shop.  His entire crew came out to check out the car and all comments were favorable.  On the way to More Power I had to slow for a turn and the car made a hard left.  Totally unexpected.  That issued lasted the rest of the day but I was able to compensate.  Not sure what the cause may be but plan to check the brakes thoroughly.  Dick and Duane came outside to check out the car and Dick noticed a decreased back pressure on the driver's side tail pipe.  Made a mental note to check the valves.  4th stop of the day was my friend Erik's house but he wasn't home so I proceeded to Maksim's.  Rob & Tom really liked the car and we talked about the front end alignment and steering work I want them to do.  Then it was off to Micro Belmont so Gary and Donna could see the car and get an idea where the parts Gary had made were used.  A few blocks from their shop, I crossed some railroad tracks and the exhaust sound increased a bunch.  I made it to MBE and was shocked to find one of the exhaust flange nuts had fallen off where the rear exhaust pipe attached to the header.  Gary found another nut and I clamped it back together.  I started the car and still heard a lot of exhaust noise from under the car.  The muffler and exhaust pipe had separated and were about 1" apart!  The dang exhaust system was falling apart!  Sooo, off I went to Lentz.  I had intended to stop there anyway to let them hear and see the car but now I had a different reason.  Josh & Eric were very accomodating and put the car right on a rack to check underneath.  The fixed the separation quickly and I was off and running again.  Everything looked good but I still thought I heard an exhaust leak.  More on that later.  I checked under the car while it was on the rack and noticed several leaks.  The rear main seal is still leaking and I found some fluid around the right rear brake area.  I hate leaks!!
 
Wed thru Fri, May 25-27:  No time to spend in the garage.

Sat, May 28: Attached the horn relay wires and adjusted the horn ring, adjusted the turn signals so they turn off when the turn is completed, checked the right rear brake area for a fluid leak and found none.  Drove the car around the neighborhood to warm the engine and fill the gas tank.  Spent Sat night waxing the entire car with Mequiars wax.  What a beautiful shine!
 
Sun, May 29:The new front springs and king pin set arrived last week and I have an appointment at Maksim's for the front end work on June 6.  I have a hunch what is wrong with the overdrive shifting issue.  I may have missed installing a roll pin in the reverse/od shift arm.  Now I just need to figure out how to fix the rear main seal.  The horn relay failed today and the horn stuck on.  Had to disconnect the power wire to shut it off. One more item to add to the parts list. Tomorrow is the Memorial Day parade and it looks like we're ready.  I found a good place to take some pics of the car with a great contrasting background today.  Once the front end is lowered, I plan to get some good shots.
    

Exhaust system install

Had a wrecker haul the 41 to the local Lentz muffler shop in Jenison on Friday morning.  The Lentz manager had hoped to get the exhaust all installed on Fri but the custom bending and pipe routing was a bit more challenging than anticipated.  Here's some pics of the undercarriage of the car showing how great the condition is as well as the transmission crossmember and the rear shock mounting. 

I went down to Lentz this morning to review the exhaust before they tighten everything up.  They wanted me to OK the install.  Eric, the guy doing the bending and installation took a lot of pride in considering the requests I made.  Everything looks good.  He has to cut the rear extensions to the proper length and add the stainless steel tips. More pics.

Pictures

As promised yesterday, here's some pics of the finished fan installation as well as an overview of the engine compartment.

I made some gaskets last night to fit under the front fender trim pieces and got them installed this morning.  Also reinstalled the hood hinges.  That is a tricky job without the proper tools.  I stretched the spring using my floor jack and installed washers between the coils to keep the spring extended.  Once the spring was positioned on the car, I lowered the hood a bid to stretch the spring and the washers fell out.  Found that tip from one of the guys on ChevyTalk forums. 
     The 41 got a bath this morning and I took a few pics while it was clean and sitting in the driveway.

Tomorrow is exhaust installation day.

Super Day!

More Power has been extremely busy of late and Dick was unable to fab up the 2nd spacer I needed for the fan/water pump assembly.  So, I talked with one of my computer customers yesterday and Gary at Micro Belmont Engineering stepped up and saved my bacon!  I picked up the spacer today.  Big thanx to Gary!  Got the fan installed with the 2 spacers, one on each side and reinstalled the radiator along with the radiator brace that connects thru the firewall.  Got some parts from Jeg's today which included some chrome valve stems for the slotted aluminum wheels.  Only took a few minutes to install the valve stems so I loaded up the wheels and headed off to Belle Tire for some new tires.  Had a $20 off coupon and managed to negotiate another $50 off because they didn't have the ones I wanted in stock.  Got the new tires mounted, balance and I installed them on the car.  Lookin' good! ( Pics to follow)  Then another lucky break, Dick's daughter Dixie stopped by with a computer for a minor repair.  Her husband Steve was with her and I asked him to help me install the hood.  Big Thanx to Dixie and Steve for their help too.  Getting close to run time now!  Plan is to have a wrecker take the 41 to Lenze muffler shop on Friday and get the exhaust system installed.  Then I can lay out the oil lines for the remote oil filter and have Dick make up the lines.  
     Yesterday, I ordered a 2" lowering kit for the rear and 2" lowering front coil springs from Jamco Suspension in California.  Rear kit should be here next week while the front springs will take a couple weeks.  I'm gettin' EXCITED!!  Just gotta hope and pray that I don't have any leaks.  (fingers crossed)

Promised pics

Here's the pics I promised.  First, front of engine water pump with fan and radiator removed.

Next is new cooling fan with one of the 2 needed spacers.  Dick is making the 2nd spacer yet.  One goes behind the fan and one in front.

Finally, here's shots of the interior all back together so you can see the new Hurst shifter and the Lokar gas pedal.  The radio and heater are still out of the car awaiting repairs.

Also noticeable in the last pic is the absence of a column shifter.  I removed the shifter and rod that runs atop the steering column.  The black plug in the top of the shifter bracket will likely be remove and painted to match the steering column and wheel.  The steering wheel will need some refurbishing also.  It has a few minor cracks and some scars on the left side where the "necker knob" was attached.  I removed the knob simply because I don't like driving with them.

Once the fan and spacers and radiator are reinstalled, I can put the hood back on and schedule the appointment for the exhaust system install.  Noticed a leak from the pinion seal that is going to have to be fixed too.  Still have to mount the external oil filter bracket and plumb the steel lines from the block to the adapter.  That project has to wait for the exhaust to be on the car.  I also have some new seat belts my brother gave me.  Those will be installed soon too.  Looks like all the seats and rear carpet will have to be removed in order to install the seat belts.   

Productive Thursday

Got to spend all day in the garage working on the car.  Pulled the radiator back out to provide better access to the cooling fan.  Dick is making a 2nd spacer/clamp to attach and position the new fan in the correct spot.  Clearances are really tight.  The balancer pulled on a little farther since the belt wasn't quite lined up perfectly.  The interior is all back together.  Floor cover is in place, throttle cable attached to the carb, carpet cut around the gas pedal, shifter and new boot installed, ignition/key switch installed, new dash grill installed and carpet and floor mats back in.  Added fluids too.  Oil in the engine, trans fluid and rearend fluid.  Mitch came over last night and we bled the brakes.  Put the tires back on and torqued them to specs and installed the hub caps.  The hood is still off until the radiator goes back in.  I'll add pics tomorrow of the interior and engine bay.

Wow! 10 days since my last entry

I've had a hectic couple weeks of more than usual work coupled with a bout of a virus going around.  Not the computer kind of virus but the human congestion kind.  Yuk!  Last time I posted I was about to begin the transmission assembly.  All went well with the new parts and the trans was back together the weekend of Apr 23.  Here's the finished product.

Also put the finishing touches on the trans cover with the addition of the insulating material and the Lokar gas pedal.

The insulating material is from Home Depot and is intended as a cover for heat ducting.  The back side is adhesive and the front is a foil type material.  It was a tip from several members of the ChevyTalk forums.

Yesterday I was finally able to get back to working on the car and had a good day.  The transmission is installed and bolted in place.  The crossmember my brother modified for me aligned perfectly and it is all bolted in now.  I reattached the brake line running from the master cylinder to the passenger frame rail junction.  That completes the brake system reconnects.  Now I have to bleed the brakes.  The clutch linkage is installed and adjusted.   The battery box is bolted back in with the exception of one bolt that is giving me a bit of a pain.  The generator is laying on the bracket awaiting the fan belt.  However, I discovered the crank balancer is so close to the body that I can't slip the fan belt under it!  I'm going to have to loosen one or both of the front motor mounts, raise the engine about a 1/2" and slide the fan belt on.  Then lower the engine and retighten the bolt(s).  The oil pressure line is connected and tight and the water line from the rear of the intake manifold to the block is installed and tight.  All four wheels are back on the car and it's on the floor again.  I've measured for the driveshaft and plan to call in the order tomorrow to Southwest Speed in Ft. Smith, Ar.  Another ChevyTalk tip led to finding this supplier.  They have driveshafts in stock at the best prices I've seen - $160 + $15 shipping. 

Obviously, I missed my goal of having the 41 on the road by May 1st.  Regardless, I've learned a lot and overcome all the issues so far and that feels real good.  Now I'm shooting for completion and debugging prior to Memorial Day so the wife and I can drive the 41 in the Jenison Memorial Day Parade.  The clock is ticking!