Last night my buddy and I finished the brakes. I was able to replace the original brake light switch (hydraulic type) mounted on the end of the master cylinder. It was mighty close to the exhaust downtube and I didn't like it being so close to the heat. We were able to get a 1/4" mpt to 1/4" fpt elbow which would orient the replacement switch in an up-down position putting it (and the wires on the end of it) farther away from the exhaust. The local O'reilly auto parts store found me a replacement switch. I brought the old one in and told him I needed a generic hydraulic switch but it would be nice if the thread size was the same. He looked in his BWD catalog, went in the back and came out with an exact duplicate! I was surprised they still existed and were obviously still in use and also surprised he was able to locate it, then to top it off it was in stock! After installing the switch, adding fluid and bleeding the brakes it was time to check it out. Started the car, placed it in reverse, the transmission engaged and it was on it's own power after about 23 years! The last time it was inspected was in the 80s. I drove it back and forth on the driveway because it was dusk by now and I don't have the lights wired yet. But what a thrill! After that we killed a sixpack of Hobgoblin Strong Dark Ale (excellent beer from Wychwood Brewers in England), and a couple of ESB singles. Then a trip over to Dixon's Famous Chili for some tacos and a chili dog to top it off. Great way to end a day.

 

You have a camera, now we want pictures. Call you son he will walk you through it If you don't I and others will hunt you down and kill you. Chime in guys!!!!!!! Make Dan do it

 

WHAT!

You did all this last night and you didn't even call me!

 

Well gosh son, after nine beers and seven tacos I was kinda tired....

 

Only 7 tacos? Kyle ate 21 and he only drives a Taurus SHO.

 

Did he work on an Oldsmobile and drink nine beers first though?

 

OK, here goes with the pictures.

 

More

 

and more

 

Yet more

 

And some more

 

What are ESB singles, Is there possibly some kind of alcohol I haven't tried?

Cool car, I know you're excited.

 

The picture quality could be better on some of them. It is my fault as I am not used to the new camera yet. As an example, I think the hood ornament is really a pretty good one but some of the others aren't. I will get better. Thanks to citcapp for the camera, you're a real champ Pat!

 

Oh, they were bottled by Red Hook brewery, not sure what ESB means, maybe Extra Special Bitter? They were pretty hoppy. I also had a Flying Monkey Amber Ale and as I said we shared a pint of Hobgoblin Dark English Ale (great stuff!). Ok I see a mistake on my earlier post. It wasn't a six pack of the Hobgoblin it was a sixpack of 1554 by New Belgium Brewery.

 

Well we do strive for accurate imformation here but, I [we all] forgive you.

 

I wish I could get all those great US micros up here in Canada. I can't, so I brew my own!

-Justin

 

We do too! In fact right now I am drinking a honey wheat we brewed last spring.

 

I am at my buddy's place now on his computer. He has some pictures I don't have of my car. So here goes!

 

Here are some more

 

Yet more

 

I just posted on the HAMB. Here is a link with more pictures for you.

click here

 

That car is looking good. You're running a Torker manifold eh?

 

Dang....
I bet it was a hard choice deciding whether to mount the 455 in the car or in the engine hoist. That thing is massive.

 

zed, yes it is a Torker. I was hoping for an old style Hot Rod look on the car so I went with the Torker and the Mallory distributor without vacumm advane. I really like the look how the two clamps hold the cap on.

J it wasn't hard at all, I really wanted the 455 in that car fromt the time I purchased it. But you are right about the engine really fitting in the engine bay after removing the narrow and long straitght six. If you look closely at the pictures of the mounts we fabricated the passenger side one is about four inches wide and the driver side one is about three inches wide due to the geometry of the frame rails in that area. That was about a year and four months ago, maybe June of 07. It has been a slow process but worht it.

 

Dang, nice work! I'll have to stop in the next time I'm up, not just to see your ride but drink some ale. My older brother, in OP, and I really enjoy dark beer. We went to the Germanfest in Independence KS two weeks ago and they had Spaten Octoberfest on tap......yum!

 

If you like Oktoberfest try the Sam Adams, we think it is a pretty good beer for being a lager. We may not have any left if you wait too long, we have some honey wheat we brewed last spring that was still born and isn't too good. But still, come up any time!

 

Make sure you keep us posted on the Olds. Did you find any new information on the distributor? Weren't you considering putting a Pertronix kit into it?

 

Dan,

It's great to see the pictures after following your build for so long. Glad the camera worked. My wife and I will be traveling to the Mid-West soon. I have been looking for a Olds to make a daily drive out of for a couple of years and I am having my best luck looking in that area. When I find what I want I will drive it home to Washington and pass through your state.

Where are you located Jamsbo. My work takes my all over the Country, sure woul like to see your Garage before I build mine next summer?

 

Again, thanks for the camera, come visit me any time you want. I will be around as I have no vacations or traveling planned for about a year.

Jesse, I haven't had the time this past weekend to look at it but I think I made a mistake when I wired 12 volts to the distributor. I probably burned the points. I know all it takes is to remove the cap but haven't gotten to it, maybe tomorrow. Yes, I do think I might get a pertronix conversion if one is made for the Mallory distributor. I did not receive a reply from the website concerning this. It is going to be colder this weekend, indicating a trend which I need to get ahead of if I want to drive it on the road before snow comes.

 

Even if it gets bitterly cold in KC you can always put a Pertronix kit into the distributor in 10 min. You might have to call Pertronix or check out their website to see if they make that conversion kit for a Mallory distributor. At the very least you should be able to put new points in easily if the old ones burnt up.

Don't forget what is coming in April and then in May. That will be a busy time for both of us.

 

This morning I looked at the points, no damage at all. I think I have an internal resistor coil anyway. So, I double checked the carburetor choke and idle settings again, added 8 gallons of fuel and some stabil for the winter and it started and ran fine. And............................................... ....


I drove it around the block
I am really a happy clown now.

 

Latest update. I drove the car to my buddy's house and back yesterday and found another item that needs attention. I am not surprised this is happening. The transmission coolant lines are too close to the passenger exhaust down tube. Not a major deal but it needs to be corrected. Also, the spring to the passenger door lock assembly has apparently broken. The door won't stay closed unless you hold the door lock button down as you close the door. Another minor thing. I am contemplating whether to put the '46 in the garage or the Cutlass. I want to preserve the Cutlass but want to be able to work on the "46 this winter. Only have room for one as I need to leave the other half open for the daily driver, getting too old to wake an hour early to shovel it out of the snow this winter when the inevitable storms come. So, I have to decide, I have a decent car cover and a brand new 12X20 tarp to cover the Cutlass if I leave it out, or the '46 depending.

Back to the drive, my buddy rode with me and took some pictures so I am hoping he sends them to me soon so I can post them. There is a really cool one that shows the road looking over the top of the front hood, COOL!

 

Keep the Cutlass in the garage. Teh body work on the 46 hasn't been done yet so it can stand to be in the drive way under a car cover for a few months. It sat in Bob's field for over 10 years without anything over it.

 

Yeah, I am kind of leaning toward that, especially after hearing we are in for at least one more week of good weather after this little dip in temps.

 

Ok guys. Time to chime in here and help me out. I want to use the original gauges on the car if at all possible. I really like the way they look and as long as they are fairly close to accurate, say within 15% I will be happy. So, first one to start with is the oil pressure. It is a direct reading type with a very nice stainless line that is armor plated with the coiled wire. I have got the correct adapter to fit it to the engine block in the stock location just above the timing cover/water pump on the 455. The end of the line has a double flare with a nice nut that still spins very freely. My question is this. Should I flush the sending line with something before I attach it to the engine and if so with what? WD40, PB Blaster, Carburetor Cleaner, Starting fluid? I have them all. I was at first thinking about WD40 since it is closest to engine oil but thought that it may not have enough solvent properties to clean out the line. My thought is there may be debris in the line or some old dried up oil residue that would error the gauge. So, let's here it guys. Help me out.

 

Morning Older brother,

Yes disconnect the lines oil lines at both ends and blow out with air. Small cans o air used for cleaning the computer works great. Does the Oil guage go high enough for the oil pressure you 455 pumps out compared to the old in line 6., If I remember right those old oil guages only went to 30-40 lbs, amps should be fine. In you put a in line resistor in the fuel guage line to knock it down to 6 volts you should be fine. On the oil guage, if the pressure does not go high enougn then check outAUTO METER guesges they make several items to match the old guages.

Good luck

 

Compressed inert gas, didn't think about that. We use it here at work to clean keyboards and such.

 

Looking good...Its about time we get to see pics of this thing.

 

Congratulations Dan looks good!!! Larry Henry larry@vintageozarks.com

 

Stock gauge will work fine. Anything over 30 lbs is not a concern.




⅛" steel (Bundyflex) line, makes the meter react much quicker.

Other than the higher amperage, due to the lower voltage (Ohms law) there will be no difference.

A 6 volt resistor, on the power side, will probably work but without it, the difference in voltage will only increase the reading slightly. Just keep the meter above the "empty" line.

For a '46 Olds? Not even close.

Norm