'46 Chevy Shorty

[ol trunt]

Hey Tango, that is almost as pretty as a pair of long legs. Can't wait to see it buttoned up to the Cummins. OT

 

[Tango-SKO]

You and me both Jack --- Course wrangling that package during the fitting stages is going to be tricky. The combined weight will be about 1,050 pounds as near as I can tell. And Lord knows how many in and out trips it will take before I can bolt/weld everything down. Heck...I'm gettin' tired just thinking about it.

A nice overhead crane & electric winch are all I want for Christmas.

 

[ol trunt]

You will without a doubt want to build at least a temporary gantry of some kind and I'm sure it will be a lot more clever than what I ended up doing when I was building my TOAD--I just reinforced the 2x6 rafters in my garage (vertically) and hung the entire body from them using 4 HF come-alongs. It worked great and spread the weight out nicely while allowing for lots of angularity. The weight was probably about the same as your combo. As I recall, I fit and refit the body 16 times before I was done. Unless you have a magic shoe horn I'll bet you'll top that!

Oh, and keep the dog away from your camera. Jack

[b/]

 

[Tango-SKO]

OK Jack, you've convinced me. I'm changing my Christmas wish list to include a "Magic Shoehorn"!

 

[Tango-SKO]

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays Skoolies! --- Hope you are getting to spend any spare time off on your projects. I spent part of the day today stripping the second wheel well cover and wanted to pass along a couple of discoveries. You may already have them in your bag of tricks, but just in case...

1. An angle grinder attachment called a "Quick-Strip Disk". This one by "AvantiPRO". Best thing I have come across for removing just about anything from metal. Cut through three or more layers of paint like gangbusters. Also removed most of the ancient tar like rustproofing leaving just a thin film and did it all without removing very much metal at all. Far less than the sanding disks I've tried and the tar just plugged up. At almost ten-bucks a pop at HD they sound pricey but it cut my time spent from about 10 hours on the first well to about 3-1/2 on this one so it was worth it to me. The trick I discovered is to try and use it's flat surface as much as possible rather than the edge. They wear fast when used on the edge but last much longer when laid flat.

2. The second item cleaned up the aforementioned thin film of sound deadener/rustproofing and left the metal very clean and ready to paint. DupliColor Prep Spray...removes any kind of grease or oil. Found it at O'Reilly Auto Parts.

No, I don't own stock in either one. It's just that I am so surprised when I stumble on something that actually works I want to share it with my friends.

http://www.homedepot.com/buy/avanti...ck-strip-disc-pnw045strb01g.html#.UNfnOaxQ8fA

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/d....oap?ck=Search_N2540_-1_-1&pt=N2540&ppt=C0171

Hope someone finds them as useful as I did.

 

[Diesel Dan]

Thanks for the tip Tango - I'll be picking up a couple of those. I can think of many occasions when that would make shorter work of a nasty job.

 

[Tango-SKO]

My pleasure Dan --- the disk really made a big difference with the added benefit of not gouging the metal at all. Cut through the paint and gunk better than 40 grit sand paper but with no swirls or metal loss. Like I said, just try to use the cutting surface as flat as possible. I went through one of them in a heartbeat but once figured out what to avoid, it lasted through the whole session.

 

[Tango-SKO]

BTW...where did the "Cargo Space" posts disappear to?

 

[travelinwithus]

BTW...where did the "Cargo Space" posts disappear to?

He edited the post to add a new picture and I guess because he is still under the 5 post threshold his post was put into the moderation queue. I just approved it and it is back safe and sound.

 

[Tango-SKO]

Merry Christmas All! --- Hope this finds everyone in good spirits and making progress. Personally, I am way behind and may well not see my bus again for a couple of months. The project that is helping pay for all this fun is pressing.

I did manage to get both rear wheel well covers down to bare metal and treated with rust converter using the materials mentioned above. And just to prove I haven't been a total slacker over the holidays, here is photographic evidence of some minor (but very necessary) progress.

Both are now rust free, treated with converter (the black finish is not paint) and ready for the next round of work. The curb side unit will get some square steel tube welded on to support a cabinet that is somewhere in the distant future. Actually, I may do them both the same...we'll see.

While it may not look very different than it did a few months back, there has actually been quite a bit done including prepping for the engine/tranny installation. Have a feeling it will be a nail biter.

Anyway, back to work. And Happy Holidays to all.

 

[GreyEagle-SKO]

Good to see a man and the love of his life together at Christmas time..... Enjoy and Merry Christmas everyone....

 

[lars larsen]

Hey Tango, I may have missed it somewhere in your write up, but do you know the mfg of the radiator you have. Looks like it fits good! I've been looking at a few, just not to that point yet. Thanks for any info! Lars

 

[Tango-SKO]

Howdy Lars --- Nope. No ID on it. It appears to be a generic aluminum rad. Probably an Ebay find, there are tons of them there that claim to fit a '46.

 

[lars larsen]

Thanks, probably same ones I've seen on ebay. Most likely what I'll end up with unless I have one built. But like I said, that's a ways off!

 

[Tango-SKO]

Hey Lars --- it is very possible that I may wind up selling my radiator. It is in perfect condition and bolts right up to all the right holes but may not work with the crazy arrangement in my front end that the new turbo-diesel engine/tranny combo requires. It is going to get very crowded in that narrow little Art Deco nose what with a radiator, large intercooler and very large transmission cooler all having to go somewhere.

Like you, that decision point is a ways out, but if it turns out a different rad is necessary, I will be happy to offer you this one at a discount.

 

[lars larsen]

The tight squeeze your going to have makes shoving by big block chevy into the art deco front sound simple. Sounds good on the rad. Keep me in mind. Thanks!

 

[Tango-SKO]

BTW --- It was a 350 Chevy I just removed from my rig. There was plenty of room around it.

 

[Seeria]

O.O That is one **** of a project! Excellent pick, too.

 

[chocolatetoothpaste]

New to the skoolie scene, I just bought a 1954 chevy short bus. Please keep the pictures rolling in! I'm waiting for the spring weather to get started but I'm chomping at the bit to get my plan all figured out! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Tango-SKO]

Well folks --- My apologies...it's been a while. Both since I've posted, and since I've even seen my bus. Been working 14+ hour days for the past couple of months on a commission art project that is helping fund the shorty. But there must be a lot of distractions going around these days...where the heck is Ol' Trunt!? At least I was able to live vicariously through his progress for a while.

I did get the call that my Cummins engine and new 6-speed Allison transmission are now mated and ready for pick up though. Even had a dream the other night that it was in the frame and running. And it was indeed a very sweet dream!

Will be on this art project for at least another month then (hopefully) I can get started on the engine installation. Really need to beg, borrow or steal a rolling A-Frame hoist. I have a feeling that this thousand pound package will have to go in and out a few dozen times before all the engine mounts, crossmembers and firewall work are finalized.

Sheesh...I'm getting tired just thinking about it.

Onward!