Thread: Project Special K

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I think it's wonderful just as it is! fwiw..lol..

Here is a funny thing I thought you'd all enjoy. My wiring kit is packaged by modules. IE starting, charging, headlights, ignition, dash gauges, etc.... So I had connected it for starting and the ignition module, but never hooked up the charging system due to time at the time I wanted to fire it up. So today I wanted to wire the alternator in, only to find it's one wire only! Yes that's right, one wire! I had to laugh out loud, but now it should charge and run at the same time! Tuesday it gets towed to the Muffler shop for the custom exhaust with crossover and Delta 50 mufflers from Flowmasters. Then it gets towed to a racing shop/Friend of mine who will fine tune the motor and hopefully check out the brakes and shift linkage for safety reasons!

Well had everything lined up for towing the truck today, only no tow truck. Friend got waylaid! So in the mean time I was able to plug my speedometer cable hole in the tranny, with the new pulse generator. After lots of research, I went to summit(online) for speedo gear and c-clip at 6 p.m. last night. Parts arrived at 10 a.m. from Sparks, NV today! So the hole is now plugged, also was able to find out my vacuum hose to my power assist brakes wasn't connected,(probably why brakes don't work so hot!) Got that reconnected. Got my mail order of new tires for the MR2, only they left the rear tires in Sacramento warehouse by mistake. Figured what the heck, and took the car in to change the fronts which did arrive today. Then for my finally, I got the meat smoker stripped of bottom rust and repainted with high temp enamel. I am nowsettling down for beer, figuring towing is a bust for tonight. Shop closes at 5 p.m. So now it's dinner time!

You're getting closer!

Even closer after this morning. Got the truck down to the muffler shop, and got the rear tires today also for the MR2 in the mail this afternoon after I went to work. So first thing in the morning I'll run down to Big O to get them mounted.
It was fun following the tow truck and watching people's heads turning as the truck past by them.

Progress is good!!! What's next on the schedule, Steve?

While the truck is away it will get tuned and the transmission shifter adjusted, and the brakes checked by a race mechanic friend who has a shop. At the home front I'll work on the front fenders and inner skirts, the hood, along with the fiber glass running boards. I will also be off work for about five weeks after my knee surgery which is coming up in a few weeks. Another torn miniscus repair, after a dog walking accident where a small dog on a long retractable lead attacked ours from ambush, causing me to get pulled over onto my kneecap on the concrete side walk. So I think during the time off, I'll work on whatever I have at home for the truck, and if I get it back quickly, I want to work on the inside dash and doors, to get ready to paint if I have the time. Also have to make time for a Salmon fishing trip up north with a few buddies!

Holy cow!!!! I gotta check in more often. Lots of progress since I was last here.
Steve, the bed looks amazing and hope all goes well with the knee surgery.

Thanks Wes

That's good to hear it's on it's way. Sorry to hear about your pull over. At least you can get it fixed relatively quickly.

Originally Posted by 40FordDeluxe

That's good to hear it's on it's way. Sorry to hear about your pull over. At least you can get it fixed relatively quickly.

Thanks, the knee actually feels better now, than 4 months ago when this happened. I was having sciatic nerve pain at first radiating from knee to butt, for a few months, then over night it switched from the knee down to the base of my heel, where it felt like a nail was in my foot. Took some Arnica for a few days by recogmendation of coworkers and it all went away! Now it just hurts when I over do it, or push the truck around too much.
I got a call from the Muffler guy, he got it all done yesterday, came at budget, even though he did a few mods! Great guy, if anyone local needs a custom exhaust his name is Kelly, and he owns the Muffler works in Petaluma.
Now the truck is on it's way to friend Randy's shop, who runs a smog and tow business, but is also an excellent mechanic, and ex dirt track racer here in town. He's going to fine tune the engine, check and adjust the transmission, and then if I have any money left, fine tune the brakes! Hopefully when it gets back home I'll be able to drive it into the garage, and avoid any pushing ever again!
Meanwhile my driveway has overgrown with shrubs, making it very difficult not to scratch the truck going from garage to street, so I'll be hacking away the greenery this weekend to make the driveway useful again!

Well post op day three with a ten gallon knee. Kind of gross walking up steps and hearing your knee gurgle. I thought I'd be more mobil by now, but if anything I can barely get around, which is putting a major dampner on any fun or hotrod progress. I have been able to track down two lost parts that have made life a pain. One was the key for the in-bed gas cap. It disappeared years ago, so I called Classic Performance and was able to buy a replacement. Second was the Lokar funnel adapter to add transmission fluid to their fancy braided stainless fluid stick! Without the adaptor, goodluck adding fluid, found this part at Summit. Now just to find a place to keep them where they won't get lost!
Haven't heard from mechanic about the truck and any engine tuning progress. Figure I'll check in with him next week.
You never realize how much you do, until uou suddenly can't get around for a while! I'm not one for sitting and that mentality didn't payoff, when I walked downtown for lunch on post op day 1, Ended up real sore that night and got a case of food poisoning from the restaurant to boot! My wife seems to think that was poetic justice and someone telling me to take it easy. It just sucks to have time off, and be couch ridden! O.K. I'm done whining, thanks for listening!

Since I can't work on anything but the computer, thought I'd post before and after shots of the driveway now that it's a little wider!
Here are some before and after shots. I think I gained over three feet in width in a few areas. Really glad I did this before knee surgery!

Hopefully your knee heals fast, don't over due it. Haha, I'm not trying to sound like your wife either. I hear ya on the lokar dipstick....... We lost the one for my corvette and good luck putting 18qts in with out that dumb adapter funnel. Haha

Finally an update! Talked with my mechanic friend who was fine tuning my truck engine and adjusting the transmission linkage and checking the brakes for any adjustments they may need. He finally got some free time to invest in the F1. Turns out my idle problems were related to one side of the carb not flowing properly. Instead of paying to rebuild and fix it, I opted to by a new one with an automatic choke. I figure at the cost of labor, getting a new one, wasn't much more than what it would cost to fix the old one. Once it gets installed, I'll rebuild the old carb and keep it for a back up or sell it to recoup some cash. Meanwhile new one should be here tomorrow. I'm pretty excited at the thought of a driveable truck in the near future. I don't think I would have figured out the carb as the source of problems with the engine without Randy's help. I had bought it on Ebay several years ago with the promise that it was brand new only used a few weeks, before being replaced with a lower CFM model. So in my mind I never considered it an issue. Funny how we can be lead astray so easily! I imagine the 460 should have a lot more power than initially during start up! Also looking foward to seeing the new exhaust as I never got to see it after that work was done, it was towed straight to the mechanic's house, while I was at work, and paid for via credit card over the phone. It seems like it will be a christmas day gift when she finally comes home. I'll post a video and some shots when it's back home hopefully in the next week or two!