37 Ford build--IE: old Header issues thread /37 Ford/5.0/GT40P heads

[Don Shillady]

I don't belong here since I have a plastic roadster with a SBC but I find Dave/IC2's details helpful. I just want to say that while the trees are still totally bare and the mornings are still in the 30 F temperature range, we now have a few flowers jumping up here in central Virginia so I will be checking the thermometer in the garage. With a fresh attitude, wiring the '29 just can't be that bad. All I have to do is check it again before I give it the smoke test! A Model A restorer just three houses down on my street has a heated garage and has been working all winter. I am going to look into his heater arrangement because in the past he has turned out a whole restoration over a winter while I am hunkered down in the house. Twice I have had horrendous sinus illness from working in a cold dusty garage and I plan to avoid that in the future so I am interested in how my neighbor heats his restoration garage. This year January was almost a psychic experience with a feverish head cold and body aches that just would not go away for almost the whole month so Spring will be very welcome here! There was an optimistic "Flower Show" in Richmond on February 12 (!) and it was a "must" for my wife so I went along and the best part for me was one of the Florists who had a 1930 Ford Sport Coupe as a driveable restoration. Sometimes I wish I had a real steel "A" because they are so simple mechanically (except for the lousy brakes), then one could envision a counterbalanced crank and pressurized oil pump with a high compression head and a 3/4 race cam and just be satisfied to make it run! Hey, how about the snow in Los Angeles!

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

[35fordcoupe]

I don't think any of us around here shun 'glass cars, Don . Hang in there it should be about 60* today! I've been trying to work through the cold this winter (mostly outside ) because with any luck we'll be driving this summer. The biggest hurdle probably being the DMV since there is no numbers on the car and no proof of ownership for a car in the family for 50 years

It's good to see you around..I'm looking forward to some updates on the A.

[34_40]

I don't belong here since I have a plastic roadster with a SBC but I find Dave/IC2's details helpful.
Hey, how about the snow in Los Angeles! Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

You belong as much as anyone else Don !!! My feeling is, that if it didn't come out of Henry's "shop" it ain't "real", so the many running around saying I've got a real steel car is bull! Dave and I have spoken of this a couple times and we agree it's all bull! There are many topics that decide why you own what you build, financial and availability being probably being the 2 biggest choices! And what really busts my buttons is the knucklehead saying his car is "real", then he cut's it up and creates something that Henry and Edsel never envisioned! It ain't real anymore! IMHO!!! That's what is so great about this site! A lot of tolerance and acceptance to others in the hobby! Stepping off the soapbox now!

Sorry to hear about being ill. Hope your feeling better now and like you I'm close but not close enough!

I missed any story about snow in L.A. and it's funny because I'm near San Francisco as I type this and completely missed this event! I guess I'm working to hard!!

[IC2]

Don - what do you mean that you don't belong??? Good grief, we don't hear from you for months and.......... OK with that said, the only place that you might have a problem is the HAMB - and while I am a member, do not necessarily agree with their way of doing business. Here - absolutely.

Sounds like you and Eastern VA weather don't agree. I guess you wouldn't like it here in the normally frozen tundra of the Northeast since we still have a couple feet of snow, including in my front yard and today at 18*F an hour or so ago.

Get some warm days and get back into that garage - and heat, a catalytic heater might be your salvation. Not really cheap to buy, but most are run inside without any outside exhaust venting - http://www.amazon.com/Camco-57351-Ol.../dp/B000EDQR8M

There is also a 24 page gov't paper, tho a bit old, you can read by Googling 'catalytic heater' that spells out any CO dangers; www.cpsc.gov/library/foia/foia05/os/co03.pdf

[RestoRod]

! A Model A restorer just three houses down on my street has a heated garage and has been working all winter. I am going to look into his heater arrangement because in the past he has turned out a whole restoration over a winter while I am hunkered down in the house. Twice I have had horrendous sinus illness from working in a cold dusty garage and I plan to avoid that in the future so I am interested in how my neighbor heats his restoration garage. Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Don, you should check out the Garage Journal at:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/f...splay.php?f=26

Lots of good discussions and comparisons of heating systems for garages there.

[bluestang67]

I don't belong here since I have a plastic roadster with a SBC but I find Dave/IC2's details helpful. I just want to say that while the trees are still totally bare and the mornings are still in the 30 F temperature range, we now have a few flowers jumping up here in central Virginia so I will be checking the thermometer in the garage. With a fresh attitude, wiring the '29 just can't be that bad. All I have to do is check it again before I give it the smoke test! A Model A restorer just three houses down on my street has a heated garage and has been working all winter. I am going to look into his heater arrangement because in the past he has turned out a whole restoration over a winter while I am hunkered down in the house. Twice I have had horrendous sinus illness from working in a cold dusty garage and I plan to avoid that in the future so I am interested in how my neighbor heats his restoration garage. This year January was almost a psychic experience with a feverish head cold and body aches that just would not go away for almost the whole month so Spring will be very welcome here! There was an optimistic "Flower Show" in Richmond on February 12 (!) and it was a "must" for my wife so I went along and the best part for me was one of the Florists who had a 1930 Ford Sport Coupe as a driveable restoration. Sometimes I wish I had a real steel "A" because they are so simple mechanically (except for the lousy brakes), then one could envision a counterbalanced crank and pressurized oil pump with a high compression head and a 3/4 race cam and just be satisfied to make it run! Hey, how about the snow in Los Angeles!

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Bullocky I have been watching your build for a long time . I don't care about it being glass I just care about the fun you have in building it . If it wasn't for glass cars there would be a lot less seen out there today . You have to keep up the history for the young guys who are still looking !!!!

[randyr]

Bullocky I have been watching your build for a long time . I don't care about it being glass I just care about the fun you have in building it . If it wasn't for glass cars there would be a lot less seen out there today . You have to keep up the history for the young guys who are still looking !!!!

Well said, Bobby.

It's slow going for me these days. Just trying to stay afloat. I'm still scraping undercoating off the underside of my fenders. Hope to make some better progress before too long!

In the meantime, I'm keeping up with you guys whether on this thread or the others. I'm sure you're all looking forward to spring! Heck, I am too!!

[IC2]

Just to change the subject a wee bit -

In the last few weeks have changed the springs - the fronts (posted elsewhere) and lastly, the rear. The fronts were too weak(150#), the rears, too 'strong' (300# - 540# progressives) which of course made for an interesting ride. Of course with another fresh 8-10 inches of snow yesterday on top of the 2 feet already on the ground, it doesn't look like I'll make my hoped for March 15th back on the road date

Then yesterday, put some heat shields on my Flowmasters to keep the exhaust heat away from the floor, but more to keep it away from the fuel and brake lines. I had a set all made up to be installed before the body went on - but being 'of age' have a problem with CRS so I ended up buying the Flowmasters. The straps need to be redone to the top of the mufflers, but that's a 10 minute job when I can get the car a bit higher. Here are a couple of pictures just to let you know I haven't just been sleeping under the car.





(yep, it is kinda dusty under that car!!)[/B]



DAMMIT it PO's me when the photos don't show!!!!!

[bluestang67]

Well said, Bobby.

It's slow going for me these days. Just trying to stay afloat. I'm still scraping undercoating off the underside of my fenders. Hope to make some better progress before too long!

In the meantime, I'm keeping up with you guys whether on this thread or the others. I'm sure you're all looking forward to spring! Heck, I am too!!

Slow going here also just can"t Munster up the energy with out sunshine . That vitamin B is needed on these foggy days .

Dave W. These springs are a science that I don"t think any one has down yet . I have 200# on the rear of the 31 and hope they will work with the road .

[randyr]

I know you guys will be shocked but I've actually done something to my car lately and here are some pics to prove it..

After scraping all the undercoating from under the fenders I decided to tackle stripping the paint and repairing a little rust spot. The rusted section was in front of the wheel well on the passenger side rear fender. There is bracing behind the rusted section. After cutting out the bad section, I heavily coated the inside of the bracing with Rust Bullet before welding the patch piece. A thin coat of filler and it should be good as new.

[randyr]

I got one of the front fenders stripped today but I didn't take a pic of it yet. It's not quite as bad as I thought it would be. I wanted to send it all to a media blaster but that's just not in the budget right now. I had a gallon of stripper sitting around so I decided to put it to use! The hard part is getting everything out of the little corners & crevices with this method....any tips?

[IC2]

I got one of the front fenders stripped today but I didn't take a pic of it yet. It's not quite as bad as I thought it would be. I wanted to send it all to a media blaster but that's just not in the budget right now. I had a gallon of stripper sitting around so I decided to put it to use! The hard part is getting everything out of the little corners & crevices with this method....any tips?

Randy - Harbor Freight have several low end media blasters, i.e around $15 bucks or so. They aren't the best, but with some of their media(Starblast) (or even mason's sand for a small area) will clean up most residue and tough to sand paint. I used one when I had to get the Brookville red primer from behind the cowl lip on my car and it worked OK. This area here, both sides:



I then sold the blaster at a swap meet for about what I paid for it

[34_40]

Well said, Bobby.

It's slow going for me these days. Just trying to stay afloat.
In the meantime, I'm keeping up with you guys whether on this thread or the others. I'm sure you're all looking forward to spring! Heck, I am too!!

I made some progress today! Finally!! Thought I'd share a couple pics with you.

It used to look like this..