So are you still thinking about the 455?

 

Yea I've got about 70% of what I need to build it.

 

Figured that was the case when you started talking about checking out your thread next year.

 

Hmmm.... a 455 and a 6 speed. Sounds like a lot of fun to me!

 

Where did my other gear go

 

This is the radiator I used in my car.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/cat...rchText=433840

 

On the subject of your 455, what kind of build are you planning. I am just starting on my 455 for my 48 Olds and have picked up a set of edelbrock heads, eagle rods, and forged steel crank from a guy who abandoned his build got a great price. Now I am trying to select pistons. The 455 in my 57 is similar and I used Keith Black 15cc Hypereutetic pistons. The engine runs real strong. But I keep reading about failures with the top ring skirt breaking so I am looking at other options. Whats your thoughts on this

 

I have never been a fan of hypereutetic pistons on high performance applications. They work great up to a point and then decentigate. On the other hand forged pistons will burn or break when they get to the ragged edge but don't turn to dust.

I have a new set of TRWs for my 455

 

Oops! I guess I got carried away thinking about a 455 with a 6 speed and forgot you had a 5 speed in there. Maybe I just gave you an idea for the next upgrade?

 

You stated "Mine are 18 x 9 front 18 x 10 rear" earlier - what size tires are on those wheels?

 

The front are 255-40-18 and the rear is 285-40-18. If I did it again I would use and 8.5" front. The 9" just barley hits the inside back edge of the control are at hard lock.

 

thanks for the information

 

great work!!!!!!!!
compliments.
very nice restoration

 

hey you made the goodguys march mag pages 34 and 35, cooool!

 

Thank you

I've been waiting for days with fingers crossed I got it in the mail Friday and sure enough there she was. It would have been nice if they would have made the big picture the car and the small one the back of my head but oh well...I'll take it

 

Good reading material right here

 

Well guys and gals after long and serious through I am going to let it go. I dabbled a little with it last Fall but now its time to get serious about it. I have a 2nd daughter due in July and we are just out of room in our house. The car will have to go to afford the room additions we need to do. With Spring on the way I think its the best possilble time.

To get all I can out of it I decided its going to require a few improvements.

Over they next month of so I will post the progress. The plan is to do the following:
1. Install a new top
2. replace the carpet and add Dynamatt
3. remove the front fenders and repair the only rust on the car painting only below the mouldings.

Stay tuned....

 

Another girl huh? you're really going to be out numbered now Your #1 should be happy now. So now that your selling whats the next project going to be?( after the addition to the house )

 

Yea we found out a couple days ago another one with indoor plumbing. That means a 13 and 17 yo under my roof in the future. Time to trade in my shotgun for a double barrel.

As for my next car I am not sure. Ive got a 4dr 67 that I have sitting in the driveway, A built 12 bolt in garage, a set of C heads off a 10 sec car on a shelf in the shop hmmmmmm

 

Congratulations

I think

 

Giving up your car for another kid huh? Beeb there and done that twice. I have three boys, so I know what it feels like. The next build will be something else. With your talent and two daughters to help what could go wrong. Congtats to you and your wife Richard.

 

Congrats, Richard!
Just think - you now you will have more help for your small jobs, like washing and tool fetching...
Hope you can keep the red car, as you did such a great job on it. But if you can't, you can't... Heck, just move your bedroom to the shop and let the other daughter have yours. Easy, huh??

 

Little bit of progress made today for the new owner.

5-24-10fs052.jpg

5-24-10fs053.jpg

 

I little more work today. Filled the lows with 5/16 Dynaliner and the 1/8" over the top to make an even smooth surface to lay the new carpet down. I ran out of 1/8" today so I cound not quite finish the driver's side.

5-24-10fs075.jpg

 

So I sold it for more than I was asking but the deal was I fix the only rust in the car at the bottom of the fenders, install a new top dynamat and new carpet. Well today I started on the first fender.

Kind of looks sad 1/2 way apart

5-24-10fs076.jpg

Here you can see where the damage is and where I decided to make the splice.

5-24-10fs077.jpg

here you can see the cancer cut out and what is left of a reinforcement brace. This piece goes between the main brace and the outer skin making 3 layers in that area.

5-24-10fs078.jpg

Here you can see how crusty even the main brace it. It cleaned up pretty good but will still require a patch to replace some deep pits.

5-24-10fs079.jpg

Here you can see the brace piece I made from some 16 gage scrap I had. This was harder than it looks to make in one piece with basic tools. If I have to do the other side I think I will make it in two pieces and weld it together. Thats it for tonight. Sunday I hope to patch the main brace and get the new skin piece made.

5-24-10fs080.jpg

 

Sad to see that car go - it was almost like a part of the family...
However the new owner will be getting one heck of a car - pretty much ready for anything.
The dynamat process looks like the road I went down. I still had to shim the carpet with cheap 3/8" jute material.
I will need to repair my lower fenders like that IF I ever do a repaint. Hopefully it will not be for a long while though.
I still can't believe it is going....

 

Well here is today's progress. I wish i could say this was a couple hours work but the truth is I was at it for more than 1/2 the day. Good thing I don't do this for a living. I would go broke quick. LOL

After a good look at the pitting this is what I decided to replace.
5-24-10fs081.jpg

I did one side at a time to help keep the shape. Most of the time spent was sizing the patches. I got the size close then grind check grind check sneaking up on the final size to fit the hole near perfectly.

5-24-10fs082.jpg

Here you can see the finished piece on the right and just welded piece on the left.

5-24-10fs083.jpg

inner stucture all finished up ready to start on the outside now.

5-24-10fs084.jpg

5-24-10fs085.jpg

Well Oldsmobile purists you may not like this part. I had an old Chevelle door out back and the top edge was very close to the contour of the bottom of the fender that I needed so Chevy metal will be used for this repair

5-24-10fs087.jpg

5-24-10fs086.jpg

Well after lots of time shaping here is where I finished up tonight. I'm not sure if the Chevelle door piece saved me any time or not. I might have been the same or even less work starting from scratch. That it for now more to come later.

5-24-10fs088.jpg

 

Look ma... no more yellow can't see through back window.

shed027.jpg

shed028.jpg

 

Very nice, thanks for sharing.

 

Moving along on the fenders. I made the first patch panel 3 times before I was happy with it. The 3rd try is now ready to weld in and the other side is about 75% finished.

The first picture is the hammer form I ended up making to do the bolt recesses. The mistake I made on the first one was I fitted the patch perfectly and the tried to make the recesses. This pulled metal from the edge so it no longer fit.

The 2nd patch I made the recesses first but I used wood and the wood gave way and didn't allow my bolt area to be steep and deep enough. This would not have allowed the same adjustment of the fender as original.

The 3rd and final patch I made the metal hammer form and it allowed the metal to go exactly where I wanted it to.

shed1003.jpg

1st try

5-24-10fs089.jpg

2nd try

shed024.jpg

3rd time is a charm

shed1001.jpg

shed1002.jpg

 

Wow! As usual you do some incredible work and have a ton of patience!
I love the form you made! Do you have any pics of how it was clamped and used??
Keep up the great work!

 

Great work Richard,

Wish you weren't so fare away or I would have you working on my 48

 

Thanks man. It was a fun learning experience. I don't have any pics of the process but basically you sandwich the sheet between the two pieces and clamp it down with c-clamps. Once that was done I made the bend in the brake. I roughed out the radius with a bag of sand with a old welding bib. I then shrank the edge a little and smoothe it all out.

 

Very nice workmanship!

 

Great info there I can work with down the road. Don't need any pics now...
Thanks for sharing that!

 

Richard,

Great work on the die. Are you tooling up and taking orders for lower fender patch panels yet?

 

ditto on the die work, wow... as always craftsmanship to spare!!

 

I have about 40 hours in these so I think I would go broke in the patch panel business



Well I made some progress this weekend. The left fender brace had to have similar patch work as the right and the reinforcement piece had to be made from scratch just like the other side. I used a spot blaster to get all the rust pits clean then I shot inside and out with epoxy to help keep this from ever happening again.

Once the epoxy dried overnight it was time to start putting it all together.
There is the reinforcment tab in its new home.

shed1004.jpg

Started tacking in place

shed1005.jpg

more tacking

shed1006.jpg
And finally finished welding and ground down. Overall I am pretty happy but it still is going to take a little mud to smooth it to perfection. When butt welding a panel like this the metal moves alot from welding. If I was doing this again I would have cut the brace out above where the patch was going to be so I had full access to the back side of the weld on the other sheet. This would let be use the hammer and dolly on the weld seam and have a much nicer finished product.

shed1009.jpg

Now I just need to weld the other side in and do a quick test fit in case I need a slight tweak here or there before paint.

 

Great work Richard! It's very satisfying to look at the finished product knowing all the work that went into it isn't it!

 

I thought you sold the car???