The frame and body get closer...

This weekend I was able to add the new Wieand waterpump along with the alternator that was on the car before which cleaned up quite nice.  In addition to the front accessories I also plugged the unused holes in the intake and waterpump with allen plugs.   Once that was complete I spent a while (2 hrs) trying to prime the motor and eventually got everything working just fine with oil showing at the top of the motor on each rocker arm.

 

After the work on the motor I finished the rear drum brakes and got everything set (I think...), I also added the self adjusting kit.

 

 

 
I aslo added the Competition Engineer adjustable front shocks with the setting at 90/10 for now.  I purchased a used set of Competition Engineering shocks for the rear but I'm going to go ahead and order a new set.

 

In order to make room in the garage I went to Harbor Freight and purchased 2 sets of the car dollies to help move the frame around the garage a little easier.  The frame and body have not been this close in years!

 

 

I'm going to take a break for a few weeks to catch my breath and also wait till there is a bit more time over the Thanksgiving holiday.   Coming up next .... :

 

- Fix the clutch z-bar

- Build a custom trans cross-member

- Add some relief near the front cross-member and oil pan

- Protect the frame/engine and bolt the body back on the frame to begin the panel alignment



Rolling Chassis with Engine & Trans

After installing the motor and inspecting...the oil pan sits very close to the cross-member on the backside on both sides of the pan.  I'm going to try to add some 'relief' on both sides to ensure there is enough clearance.  

 

 

Finally got the clutch from Summit Racing today.  The original one was damaged and the second was shipped or routed incorrectly by UPS.  The clutch & pressure plate is from Centerforce along with the billet flywheel and throughout bearing, the model I choose was the DFX.

 

I purchased a used Lakewood housing and then sandblasted and did a bit of clean-up before repainting red.  Overall a little work along with some new bolts and it turned out nice.

 

Finally the engine and transmission are together!  I was able to use the clutch z-bar to release the clutch and then maneuver the transmission to slide into place without any issues.

 

After the transmission I then went back and finished using the glass bead on the intake manifold which now looks good as new again.  The pictures below finally show the chassis, engine and trans out in the sunlight for the first time in several years.  There's still quite a bit of work to do to finish but after just a few weeks it's really starting to come together.

 

 

Here you can see that I still need to build a custom transmission cross-member.   I have some 1 1/2" x 3/16" tube so that will be the next project.

 

Another area I ran into problems was the clutch z-bar.  The difference in angles is just too much to make everything work correctly.  In addition, the clutch rod that runs to the transmission is too close to the engine so I'm going to move it inward 1/4"