70 Hemi Road Runner Street Monster build

[70chall440]

I was able to get the package tray reconstructed to a useful point. I am now working on the left C pillar and left rear window corner. I had ordered some corners from Rock Auto and they came in rather quickly, unfortunately they are the lower corners and not the outer corners (I believe the inner is there to support the outer. So, had to order the outers and now I wait... After this, it will be onto the trunk rail.... 

[70chall440]

As I wait for the AMD sheet metal I thought I would mock the engine up and check a few things. The first thing I discovered was that the hole for the dipstick has been welded up when the engine was repaired after blowing up. So, I will have to come up with something going into the pan it looks like. On a brighter note, I installed the heads to see what the intake gap looks like and it appears that this is going to work (I was concerned because the heads have been cut). I attached the headers I have which are admittedly not all that good, but it shows me what clearance is going to look like and that isn't too great.

I have to say though, despite the issues, seeing it mocked up is quite a sight 

[tony 73]

Now thats an engine 

looking forward to your answer to the dipstick problem.

[70chall440]

Yes it is.

The answer to the dipstick issue is actually pretty simple and was actually done by Mopar already (not on a Hemi); on BB truck motors, they used a rear sump which would not allow the use of the normal dipstick, so what Mopar did was put a brass fitting into the oil pan that allowed a tube to be screwed into it, this tube serves as the dipstick tube. In other words, the dipstick does not go into the pan itself, rather it just stays in the tube. This will also allow me to put the dipstick onto the passenger side because the drivers side is pretty congested with the oil pump and headers.

The motor mounts are going to be a challenge but we will see how it works out.

[70chall440]

Have not got done much on the RR lately due to a number of things going on. I had to make some pallet forks for my wife's tractor (small Kubota) because I came into some forks for free from a neighbor. Had to redesign them several times to get them to work, but in the end I overcame.

I purchased a vertical band-saw, I've always wanted a good one (had a HF horizontal which I made into a vertical). Its Jet VBS-400, early 80's model. Its a 3 phase 230V machine which means it will cut through pretty much anything I will need to cut.

Bigger news, I am going to pick up a mill and a lathe on Saturday; pretty stoked about that. Nothing like new equipment 

I took my 52 B3B out the other day and drove it around, ran really good (Fitech EFI is awesome), however the left front brake was hanging up and ended up smoking up pretty good, so I have to pull the wheel and check it it out.

[73440]

That's going to be nice to get all that equipment !

[70chall440]

Yeah I am really looking forward to it. Of course it is not all "milk and honey", I then need to power it all since it's all 3 phase 230V.

[70chall440]

its been a little while since I posted because I have been pretty swamped. Last week began by me going and picking up my mill and lathe, then last Monday I had to drive from here (WA) to ND to see my sister who is suffering from cancer and is in hospice. I returned Saturday evening (drove straight back, 1274 miles). I drove my 10 PCP Challenger RT 6spd which was a lot of fun and a nice ride, was running 110+ through Montana.

Sunday I unloaded the mill and lathe with some help of 2 friends and got them positioned, which was pretty straight forward overall. Last couple of days I have been trying to sort out my shop since I had to move everything to get the mill and lathe in. Yesterday was lawn day and I had to mow and trim the property (5 acres) which kicked my butt as it always does.

Today I am off to OR to get a Rotary Phase Converter (RPC) to power the mill, lathe and my vertical mill/drill. Additionally I am picking up a 13' sheet metal brake which is really too big but the price was right, perhaps I can sell it or trade it for something smaller.

Eventually this will slow down and I can get back to work on the RR. I am driving my 53 B3B more now as a parts truck (which is what I built it for). More to come to be sure.

[70chall440]

Picked up my sheet metal brake yesterday, its a big beast...

[73440]

Was reading about those RPC , get a little costly for the bigger ones, also saw some homemade ones on youtube.

Gonna need a bigger shop, and a tip of the hat to Jaws.

[70chall440]

I bought a 5HP RPC and it was $525, gets very expensive fast. 5HP will do everything I need.

Yeah shop space is always an issue. In my "working" shop which is a 40x60' with 4 bays, I am down to 2 1/2 available to park a vehicle in  but it is what it is. I still have the other 40x60' shop where I store the ones I am not working on, so I can make it all work. Better to have the tools and equipment than not.

[70chall440]

Obviously its been a little while since I posted on this thread, mainly because I haven't done anything on the car. As of late, I have been focused on getting my new equipment installed, hooked up and working. Additionally I have been dabbling in some work type stuff (got to bring in some revenue to fund the projects). On the equipment front, here is where I am;

Mill - got a Series 1 Bridgeport with power feed and DRO. Upon arrival I had to remove the head and replace the drive and timing belt. I also had to spend some quality time cleaning years of old coolant, cutting oil, and general grime. I am in the process of repairing the power feed which had a fried circuit board. I got a Kurt mill vise with the machine which was horribly dirty, but it cleaned up nice and I repainted it.

Lathe - got a 1942 South Bend 16" x 7' turret lathe. This machine was in pretty good shape overall but insanely dirty. Initially I had an issue where the machine would not reverse, turned out that it was a bad electrical connection. currently I am in the process of installing a quick change tool post onto it. I spent a lot of time cleaning it and while it still isn't truly "clean" it is far better than it was.

Band saw - got a Jet VBS industrial band saw. Before I got it, it had sat in a green house for a number of years. Generally it was pretty clean and in good shape, however once I got it hooked up I discovered that the blade welder didn't work. It did work once but then died, not sure what is up there but since I don't expect to weld any blades any type soon, I will be fine. I ordered 2 new blades (10' 4" long) and it works pretty well.

Finger brake (aka box and pan brake) - I posted a picture of the huge brake I obtained, however it is in excellent condition. I have a friend that has a sheet metal business and he was hot on it, so I ended up selling it to buy a pile more equipment. I ended up buying a 48" finger brake to replace the monster.

22' HD press brake - bought a SWAG Off road press brake that will bend up to 5/8" thick (3" wide), will do 15" wide 1/4" plate.

English wheel - bought a HF English wheel, I've wanted one for a long time (not exactly sure why). This is the "new and improved" model but does not come with additional anvils. I had to buy the extra anvils from Northern tool.

As you can probably tell, I love tools. Now I need to get back to work on the car 

[73440]

Some cool machines you are getting setup there .

Is something like this hammer on your list for the shop ?

[70chall440]

Some cool machines you are getting setup there .

Is something like this hammer on your list for the shop ?

LOL no but I wish I had one of those. My hammer is a much smaller plenishing hammer (HF model).

[73440]

https://hackaday.com/2017/05/22/blacksmiths-junkyard-power-hammer-packs-a-punch/

 The videos are no longer available and I couldn't find any on YouTube where they show how to make a drop hammer using an engine block