'46 Chevy Shorty

[Tango]

Yeah...if I can get through the wiring without letting all the smoke out, it will be a minor miracle. And the electrical on this thing is going to be complicated (at least for me). Need to hire some help in this area to avoid burning everything down.

Meanwhile...

It looks like I won't have to modify (chop) the motor mount after all (Hooray!). My race car buddy spent half a day going through a hefty hydraulic fitting catalog and found one that will save us a precious 1/4" where it comes out of the Saginaw pump. Excellent!

Now if I can just get through a day or two of ice on the roadways here. No one down here in the Tropics owns chains or has any idea whatsoever how to drive in these conditions. Me? I know exactly how to deal with it. Stay home and enjoy a tasty beverage.

20 degree temps? Sleet? Snow? Freezing rain? In Houston?

Must be The End Times.

[M1031A1]

Hey Tango, we're going to be in the 50s tomorrow......

M

[Twigg]

Originally Posted by M1031A1

Hey Tango, we're going to be in the 50s tomorrow......

M

I have the day off, and with the wind chill we are currently sitting at -5F.

Not happening today.

[Tango]

Up & down here. 20's and icing today...back into the 70's by Saturday. No wonder we have a massive flu epidemic going on.

I'm ready for some flip-flop and Hawaiian shirt weather! Screw the cold!

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by Oldcarnut

Hey Tango, good idea on the throttle return, had the throttle spring brake on my grandmother's car thankfully while I was driving and not her. Was an all manual car so threw it in neutral and killed it then coasted to the shoulder.
Oh, I love your pedal, found a pair years ago and am saving them for a future build.
As for your wiring skill, as long as you don't release the smoke from the wires you are good to go.

Be careful on how much spring you put on the return. Too much and your foot will tire from having to use so much force holding the pedal down. There's a fine line between enough and too much.

[Tango]

Roger that marc --- the spring tension definitely has to be "tuned" for function and comfort. Would love to have cruise control for that reason but doubt it will happen on this rig.

[Tango]

Nothing gonna happen today. Houston is pretty much shut down due to icing everywhere. Hope all you local Skoolies are staying warm and enjoying the "ice day".

Might be laughable for some of you Canucks and Michiganers to hear that a major city can come to a halt at 26 degrees...but since this only happens once a decade or so, we just sit it out with a Tropical drink rather than coat everything in salt. Margaritas are the only thing we like salt on here...not the roads.

[Tango]

Holy Moly! --- I just noticed that the views here had rolled over to 300,000+ !

And it is certainly nothing to be proud of. It is just a testament to how long I have been screwing around with this project. I would have been thrilled to have wrapped it up with 300 views.

I've said it before and I'll say it again...if you intend to rebuild/convert a 70 year old bus...START YOUNG! I turn 73 in two weeks so I really need to wrap this thing up before Oldtimers Disease sets in and I can't remember where anything goes or why I started this project in the first place.



ONWARD?

[ol trunt]

Happy BD fellow old coot! Being old is just like being young. Every day is a fresh learning experience--never mind that it is the same stuff learned anew every day!
Jack

[Tango]

Thanks Jack --- And you are probably right. I very likely spend too much time re-learning stuff I have forgotten that I already learned. Either way, as you note...every day is indeed a fresh, new learning experience.



ONWARD! (but I forget...which way were we going?)

[Robin97396]

I guess you were born on a cold winter's night!

Happy birthday. I'll buy a virtual round for the house.

[Tango]

Thanks Robin. You got me curious as I was quite young and don't really recall what it was like that day. So I looked it up. Much nicer then than now.

On February 2nd, 1945, the closest available weather station to Houston, TX (HOUSTON ELLINGTON AFB, TX), reported the following conditions:
High Temp:56.3°F *
Low Temp: 51.3°F *
Average Temp:55°F( 24 )Dewpoint:53°F( 24 )Sea Level Pressure:1023.8 mb( 24 )Station Pressure:n/a
Visibility:3.8 miles( 24 )Wind Speed:9.9 knots( 24 )Max Wind Speed:13 knots
Max Wind Gust:n/a
Precipitation Amount:n/a
Snow Depth:n/a

[Robin97396]

I stand corrected. Apparently it was a balmy evening. The stars were twinkling and screams of child labor were in the air. Good times.

I was comparing that date with our current weather situation which was the wrong weather assumption. By the way I am usually frosty and snowy this time of year, but am enjoying mid to high 50s during the day and low 40s at night. I accidentally slept with the hatch open last night.

[Tango]

Mmmmm...balmy! Sounds like great sleeping weather.

[M1031A1]

Happy B-day Tango! Hard to believe this thread is as long as it is! But, hey, look at the bright side, if you forget how something goes together, you can always re-read it......

M

[Tango]

Thanks M...I have been doing just that for years now!

[GuidoLyons]

Originally Posted by Tango

Holy Moly! --- I just noticed that the views here had rolled over to 300,000+ !

And it is certainly nothing to be proud of. It is just a testament to how long I have been screwing around with this project. I would have been thrilled to have wrapped it up with 300 views.

I've said it before and I'll say it again...if you intend to rebuild/convert a 70 year old bus...START YOUNG! I turn 73 in two weeks so I really need to wrap this thing up before Oldtimers Disease sets in and I can't remember where anything goes or why I started this project in the first place.



ONWARD?

Hang in there Tango! You'll be cruising in style soon. You got all the big bits done, just need all those fiddly bits to fill in.

Just like eating an elephant, one bite at a time.

[Tango]

Thanks Guido! --- Sometimes seems like this elephant just keeps getting bigger.

How is your instructor cert coming along? You still coming and going from the Houston area? With that commute...you really should be flying back & forth bud! Remember... me & REHAB are also in the area and I will always be happy to provide some adult refreshments.

Just sent part of my brake booster off to Kaliphornia for some fixes so it will work with the new all mechanical system we built. It is all installed now and I just need the master/booster to have the right fitting on the input shaft.


The outfit that built the hydraulic version is going to replace the input shaft end with a threaded version like you see above. Will take a couple of weeks with all the shipping back and forth so I am moving on to some other "fiddly bits".

Will go ahead and start on the hydraulic lines and brake lines next.



ONWARD!

[Tango]

Still on hold for numerous items that are out to be built but I did get started on the brake lines today. Spent nearly all of it chasing parts. Gotta drill and tap numerous holes for the line mounts. Drilling, grinding and welding upside down are among my least favorite pastimes. At least I have someone to call on who is an old timer at bending & flaring.

The past week or so was spent on equally exotic and un-photogenic little chores so not much to show. Hopefully that will change soon...along with the weather. I am SO ready for Spring!

[dan-fox]

I once had a 73 Dodge Tradesman 300. Interior of that van was just a smidge smaller than a handball court. At any rate, an unfortunate series of events resulted in my having to replace a couple of brake lines. While I was about it I found that some of them were rotting; evidently they had separated from the undercoat, resulting in the undercoat holding moisture against them.

My point is that if I could figure out how to bend and flare tubing as a 27 year old idjit, you can do it too. Not rocket science.