'46 Chevy Shorty

[lornaschinske]

I've lost my 100 ft tape. It's great for laying out the bus. I thought I packed it in the bus before we left Socorro. Maybe David took it out. I've also lost my Small Batch Baking cookbook. I just had it a few weeks ago but it's gone now! I've put it up someplace logical and there's the problem.

[Tango]

Hey Trunt --- mine came from a Hippied-out campground called Mystic Hot Springs south of SLC near Monroe. The guy had about a dozen vintage buses set up as campers for rent. Mine was the only one in running condition, but he had some pretty cool units. They included a 1938 International identical to the unit that became the famous "Further" of Acid KoolAid/Grateful Dead/Neal Cassidy fame. He sold it as a result of pix I posted around the net to someone doing a replica of the original which now resides in The Smithsonian. Very cool unit.

Will likely be offline for a couple or three weeks starting about the 7th, so you folks just continue to have fun with this thread. In the off chance I can get connected occasionally, I will try to check in. Till next time...

Happy Trails to you...

[ol trunt]

Came over here to be annoying--wouldn't want to JACK someone elses thread when this one will do perfectly well!

'49, Tango isn't in Tenn/'bama--he's out trying to wheel and deal on that 41 military COE he was pitching a couple of weeks ago. Ya know its gotta be tru cause there is no way you can trust the veracity of a guy like Tango when he has fallen in luv with a new bus

[bansil]

Hey Trunt....can you actually hyjack a thread if.....you were given permission?.....so....I found out toady if you drive your bus to town with all the front windows open.....and the door to the bedroom open....there is enough air pressure.....to push out 1/8 fiberboard forward and pull 25 5/8 braids out and your wall covering falls and hits the fan and other crap in the way

[ol trunt]

Hope you are OK. If it had been me I'd have run to the back to try to hold everything together and wrecked the bus

I hope the damage isn't too serious--and what is your plan to avoid a repeat? Jack

[Tango]

Hey Trunt --- Reminds me of the story of an Iraqi fighter pilot being trained here in Florida back in the late sixties. He got very reliant on the "auto-pilot" feature in his F-4 Phantom since it did all the work. He rented a Winnebago one weekend for a quick trip to New Orleans and on the way needed to take a whiz...so while cruising IH-10 at 70, he simply pushed the "cruise control" button on the 'Bago, got up from the pilots seat and went back to the head.

Yep...the outcome was just what you might expect.

[ol trunt]

Tango, I wouldn't want your thread to go unmolested during your absence so I thought I'd post a second hand joke I read on the other bus forum--can't remember which one but I have CRS anyway--so sue me.

A woman gets on a bus and the driver looks at her and says "Lady, that is the uglest baby I've ever seen". Well, the lady was crushed by this remark but heads to the back of the bus anyway. While she is sobbing away her seat mate says "what's the matter" and she replies that the bus driver had been very rude to her. The fellow passenger says "You shouldn't take that kind of abuse from a bus driver. You should go up there and give him a piece of your mind!-- go ahead, I'll hold your monkey for you......

[ol trunt]

What?---it had a bus in it---but this one doesn't. Stole it from the same place I think CRS.

A cop (who'd have guessed) was parked next to a bar known to serve too much booze to it's customers. Just before closing time a guy staggers out of the bar and starts trying his key in various cars. Finally he finds his own car and gets in. The cop watches as the guy flips on the wipers (dry night)and turns them off again. People leave the bar and drive off. The guy starts his car and drives forward 3 feet and stops. More people leave and drive off. Next the guy backs up about 3 feet and stops. Most of the rest of the patrons leave and drive away. The guy now slowly drives out of the parking lot and the cop promptly pulls him over. The cop has the guy blow into the breathalizer and discovers a reading of zero alcohol. Mystified the cop tells the guy that the breathalyzer must not be working and that the guy will have to come to the station with him for a retest. The guy tells the cop that it won't do any good--the reading will still be zero. The cop asks why and the guy says that he hasn't had any alcohol because he is the designated decoy for the night

[ol trunt]

Hey! When are you comming back? My jokes are getting lamer and lamer but here goes another----

A public school teacher was arrested today at John F. Kennedy International airport as he attempted to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a compass, a slide-rule and a calculator.



At a morning press conference, Attorney General Eric Holder said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-Gebra movement. He did not identify the man, who has been charged by the FBI with carrying weapons of math instruction.



“Al-Gebra is a problem for us”, the Attorney General said. “They derive solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in search of absolute values. They use secret code names like “X” and “Y” and refer to themselves as “unknowns” but we have determined that they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country. As the Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say, “There are 3 sides to every triangle.“


When asked to comment on the arrest, President Obama said, “If God had wanted us to have better weapons of math instruction, he would have given us more fingers and toes.” White House aides told reporters they could not recall a more intelligent or profound statement by the President. It is believed that another Nobel Prize will follow.

I'm looking foreward to hearing when you plan to bring your new bus home as are many others I am sure. If only to stop my inanity.

[Tango]

Howdy All --- Just got back to Houston on Monday after logging a lot of miles. Good trip. The class I taught in Tennessee had another student who came all the way from Australia (Oz) to learn the wacky craft I practice (sculpting cement to look like old, weathered wood). Went from there to Detroit to visit my daughter & grandkids (they grow right in front of your eyes)...then over to Chicago to visit my ex-wife & ex-dog...back down to Indianapolis to hunt antiques along the National Highway and then return to Tennessee, picking up a trailer in Murfreesboro. Only glitch came just as I was nearing Nashville. Almost ran off the road on a cloverleaf exit when the power steering failed on my Toyota 4 Runner. In a straight line there was no indication of a problem, but going into a 55 mph tight curve...big problem. Made it but got mighty close to going over the edge. Wound up having to replace the whole rack & pinion on a weekend. Got lucky there too. Friends of the artist I stayed with owned an auto repair facility and fixed it on a Saturday when they are usually closed. Great folks in Tennessee.

Been playing catch up here but managed to finally get started pulling the front end off the bus. (Note to self...take camera and record how all this s*** is supposed to go back together.) Will try and get a few pix this weekend. Enjoyed the patter & jokes so much I almost feel guilty about getting this thread back on topic...so feel free to use it anytime as an outlet for fun & nonsense.

Just got a call that my engine is back together, running great with a new coat of Cummins tan paint and will be on a wheeled skid for pickup within a week. Really puts the pressure on to find a tranny to bolt up. After seeing the prices on what few rebuilt Allison 4th generation 6-speeds are out there, I called Stewart & Stevenson to price a new one from the factory built to my specs. Not sure if I'm quite prepared for the sticker shock but figure WTH. This thread could always use one more dose of outrageous nonsense...right?

[ol trunt]

Tango, Glad you're back and jumping back into your project--can't wait for pics! Jack

[Tango]

Hey Trunt --- Can't say as I've accomplished much but have begun removing the front sheet metal in preparation for the engine install. Grinding off more nuts & bolts than will otherwise cooperate is a pain. Sixty-six years of not moving makes for some mean fastener removal! And I am more convinced than ever that things were indeed "made better" in the olden days. Had one thoroughly frozen, slot-head sheet metal screw that wouldn't budge so I started out trying to whack it loose with an impact driver after soaking it in penetrant. Broke two Craftsman bits without budging it. Then I tried the drill and only succeeded in busting two Rigid bits without even even scratching it. The last resort was the angle grinder with a thin cutting disc and even it had a tough time cutting that sucker. Plus I wound up having to weld in a piece of steel to replace the spot-welded screw fastener that I wrecked in the process. All in all, probably an hour-and-a-half on one REALLY hard screw. The danged thing must've been Rockwell 28,000 on the hardness scale.

Anyhow, here is where I am now. Just hope I can remember how it all goes back together.

[ol trunt]

Man that is some nice looking sheet metal--makes me jealous.I agree that the old stuff was better quality.

[Tango]

Yeah Trunt --- most of the "Chevy Metal" was in outstanding shape. Just a couple of small rust holes down low on the cowl behind each front fender. No dings or evidence of any body work on the whole front end so far.

Finally finished up hanging the black/gray tank today. Drilled, rust-proofed, painted, added rubber pads, and mounted the four big straps that support it on bottom. Now to get back on the fuel tank. Also visited my engine today. Dang it looks purddy! They threw on a coat of Cummins tan that makes it look almost brand new. Went there just to pick up my intercooler so I can begin the head scratchin' on how/where to mount it. It's real big, but I think if I cut & rotate the inlet & outlet I may be able to make it work. Sure hope so, as good custom built units don't come cheap. I am thinking I can route the big air tubes out through the inner fender then back into the grill. It will be close but hopefully doable. No problem with wheel clearance as the will be tucked high and close to the inner surface.

The trip also paid off in another way. Chatted one of the techs about various options and he wound up giving me a key remote oil filter component. Should really help as that engine is going to be a really tight fit. Also need to figure a similar system for some power brakes. I seriously doubt there will be room on the firewall to hang anything I've seen so far. Has anyone else here had to deal with/rig something similar? I am definitely open to suggestions.

Then there's the whole power steering thing...

.

[ol trunt]

Hey Tango, I did a '56 chevy PU a few years ago and wanted a completely shaved cowl--so no brake stuff. I ended up using an aftermarket combo MC and vaccuum booster designed to go under the floor board. On the '56 the clutch and brake shared the same pivot point so I just cut off the clutch pedal below the pivot and used the stock brake pedal. I am assuming that the original MC on your bus was under the floor, correct? The kit included a proportioning valve set up for front disc brakes and drum rear though I'm sure that could be changed or eliminated as needed. As I remember the instructions were written in Chinese, translated by an Indian and copied on a mimeograph machine--they SUCKED. Anyway, the system works fine but throw away the instructions. Who made the kit you ask? I CRS but if you want I'll dig through my reciepts and let you know.

As far as the PS goes it isn't all that hard to figure out. Your Cummins might have a built in pump on an auxilarry drive like my Isuzu and if push came to shove you could adapt the old school drag link operated slave cyl -on- the- tie rod mechanism that Chevy, Ford and Studebaker used in the '50's and '60's ( Chevy actually used a pump run off a shaft sticking out of the back of the generator). That would eliminate the need to change out the steering gear (You'd be chasing the steering wheel a bit but man would it have power).

Of course I'd recommend changing the whole thing, column, gear and pump but that's only an effort to make more work for you

Wish my tanks were in (read green). Jack

[somewhereinusa]

copied on a mimeograph machine

Sounds like the first Lotus factory repair manual I bought. Loose leaf binder printed with a really BAD mimeo.

[Tango]

Howdy Trunt --- This rig has the original single pot MC hung on the firewall with the pedals pushing from the other side (hydraulic clutch too). I'm going to need to locate a power brake elsewhere but will still need reasonable access to the MC for refills/service. The clutch goes away when the auto goes in. It does have a factory Hyrdoboost, but that will like give way to something newer...just not sure where to put it all. Under the floorboard appears to be the only option. Maybe with a small hatch to access the MC. And Roger the proportioning valve. Can't see dialing in the jury rigged system any other way. Right now I am looking for a complete package that has reasonably similar fluid moving capabilities...i.e, piston size & volume. The Cummins engine/tranny package came from a P30 Step Van and included a hydraulic pump & steering unit (no vacuum anywhere), but I will need to go through/rebuild it before I know what I have. Might work, might not. Would love to go with a Ross power steering system from the wheel down if it could be made to fit. The original gearbox is on the inside of the frame which makes for a tight squeeze. Once again, I wont know until I start stuffing that motor in and see what (if any) space is left.

Hmmmmm...maybe I should be looking into "fly-by-wire" systems. Any Drone mechanics out there?

.

[GreyEagle]

Might have been easier to get a newer frame and mount the 46 body on it......
just thinking out loud here....

[Tango]

Hey GrayEagle --- I was tempted, but the very narrow "art deco" front end requires more mods than I was willing to deal with to keep the big,
old style wheels & tires that I think look right on these rigs (the hot rod look is not my thing). But I do envy those with the new running gear, rear ends & brakes...or...the talent to cut & fit a frame as necessary...like Trunt. I followed a P30 chassis makeover that made my head hurt just trying to keep up with all the frame and axle chopping. In the long run, it may be easier, just beyond my limited savvy.

[GreyEagle]

Mine too!!! I totally understand........