E-tek Racing and Restorations

Air Fuel Meter Installation

2012-03-09T20:31:00.001-06:00

I've decided to move my ability to tune into the 21st century by installing an Air/Fuel Meter, first in the Galaxie, then into every carbed car I own. From the beginning of time, anyone who's ever tried to tune a carb has generally done so blindly. The only somewhat reliable method to getting a carb set-up properly was with an exhaust gas analyzer (EGA). I bought and restored an old Sun tune-up machine, with EGA, but even to, it measured latent hydrocarbon production, not Air/fuel ratio. By measuring AFR, you can dial in the mixture at different RPM ranges for the optimal settings for various loads. Sure beats the millions of attempts made by guys with a screwdriver looking like they knew what they where doing when twisting mixture screws in the driveway!

In order to use the same meter in several cars, all one has to do is weld a bung into each exhaust down pipe and then plug it when not in use. I think it'll be a worthwhile exercise, especially since - once the bung is installed - it'll only take about 20 minutes to move the meter from car to car.

Here is the lower portion of the install - I'll wire up the top side tomorrow, then we'll see how close I was with the old screwdriver-tune method of yore.

After a bunch of research I bought this AEM unit from my local Speed Shop.

The AEM gauge has a bunch of different back-lights available and a couple face plates.

Here's the bung welded into the pipe and the sending unit screwed into it. I know, I know - that's FAR from a pretty weld! I'm a little embarrased to show it, but it wasn't the easiest spot to weld. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

The wiring from the sensor will run up and through the firewall to the gauge, then from the gauge there's another set of wires that go to the battery and ignition power. I've been thinking of installing it in such a way that it could be easily removed and sawpped into another vehicle. I'm just not sure if swapping it around from car tocar is worth the cost of the unit ($250).....although me thinks it would be. An A/F gauge is mostly used for tuning, so it doesn't really need to reside in the car all the time....

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com! Special thanks to
www.Eastwood.com and www.CarCraft.com !

2012-03-08T21:01:00.001-06:00

OK - finally back to the fun - working hard to get the Galaxie done. Sometimes I'm surprised at how much I decided to do on it this year....

New Addcco (from PST) 1 1/8th sway bar on front was installed - what a difference in size. Should make a major difference in the slalom - or at least freak out some tuners on the street! Rear bar is still en route after they sent an incorrect one....

KYB Gas Shocks replaced very old - if not original - units. This will add yet another level of control in the corners. Ever seen an 18 foot long land yacht carve corners? Stay tuned!

Spent about 5 hours today mocking up, fitting and welding the front sections of the dual exhaust pipes. Here I'm shaping the smaller primaries to blend into the new 2.5" pipes. A full set of headers will be installed on the 4 bbl 390 I'm rebuilding but until then, I'll be running the stock manifolds.

I tried to tuck them up as close to the trans cross-member as possible.

Dual exhaust was a LONG time coming for the Old Gal! I can only imagine what uncorking this restriction will do to our power levels! Next week we'll see for sure with some "seat of the pants" dyno numbers.

Still a few things to do before calling her done though.....

Front shocks....

New brake shoes, E-cables and brake hardware all around.

Aswell, new speakers for our tunes - finally, no more AM Talk Radio while cruising!

As I said, I'm trying to tie-up the Galaxie while awaiting metal parts for this 1967 CougarI'm restoring for a freind. This week the front and rear glass came out and while the front area was perfect, the rear showed typical rust damage in the bottom corners and, while not nasty, there was enough rust damage to warrant some metal replacement.

Even though the owner stripped 90% of the parts, the truck will still fill up with other stuff!

Exhausting work!

2012-03-02T23:00:00.002-06:00

The next E-tek project is this sweet '67 Cougar XR7, owned by Trent Lalonde, who spear-headed the resto of the '56 Chevrolet 3100 Truck I completed last month. This one will look cool done to those standards - but even though he wants it show-ready and real purdy, he told me he wants to drive it regularly and has even thought it all out - right down to shoulder belts for the back seat to keep his two beautiful daughters safe during summer cruises! How can you not like a guy like that?

At first glance, the car looks solid and fairly clean, save for the wear of many years and 3 paint jobs. Looking a little more closely, we start to get clues as to where some more time will need to be spent and also where some more investigation will be required. Under the vinyl top on the left side is some fairly heavy surface rust. This makes me thing there will be some perforation in the corner where the glass sits - very common. So, very first thing I did is call my glass guy, Chase from Showtime Glass. He'll come out tomorrow and remove the delicate original glass mouldings - front and rear - as well as the glass itself. If there's one thing I've found over the years, sis that ome things are best left to the sub-specialists!

This side looks a bit worse in that the rust is spread out more, but it's not as flakey, so hopefully there isn't perforation. Regardless, it'll get sandblasted clean and if it can't withstand that, it'll get new metal.

Looking closely up front, we can see it had been hit at some point, hard enough to damage the front of the inner fender. This means that this panel, and therefore this side and corner, are "shorter" than the other, non-damaged side. Critical here will be to get some measurements of the front end in an X-pattern to see if the front-end is square. It should be close, as the gaps all look decent, but there's lots of ways to hide stuff like this and even-out gaps, even though the substructure may not be square. Along with another clue - that of the hood hinges being welded to the inner fender apron, means a lot of study and likely some work will be required to get everything lined up - BEFORE bolting or welding anything to the front end.

Here's a 'sweet' (I mean disgusting!) old-school access port. Trent tells me it was common on these Cougars for mechanics to cut a hole in the shock tower to access the upper ball-joints grease nipples. I guess we can say that at least someone greased the nips - but hell, they could have at least used a holesaw and then fitted a rubber button in it afterwards. Of course Ford could have thought of that too...which always leads me to think: am I REALLY the first person to think of that?? Unlikely.

The owner tore most of it down inside and out, leaving me just the front suspension and some minor trim pieces to remove before tearing into it. With everything out, we can see some of the work that lies ahead.

See below.....

Looking inside, the floor pan is generally good, except for the passenger front section, where it's rusted through - swiss cheese style. So the decision has to be made - make a patch for this area, or order an pan just to use this area? Lucky for all, nowaday these sheet metal parts are made in good quanity AND of good quality, so that we can buy larger sections and not break the bank. That way you get exactly the cut you want, with all the right markings and ridges.
On the driver side, the floor pan is solid, but the firewall is toast. This is one of those situations where you now have to buy two large sections of metal to get the sections you need. The trick - or art if you will - is finding some lines that would best hide the cuts and welded seams......

But for now we'll leave the Cougar until the glass is out. I can remove some trim and stuff too, but I want to get the Galaxie done so I can swap it off the lift.

So, back to the Galaxie.....

Today I continued the exhaust mock-up and fitment on my Gal, then got started on some of the suspension bits. First up was replacing the lower control arms that where removed to repair the frame and torque boxes.

When I removed these arms, I had to cut the bolts out of the axle shackles, so I looked for new replacements but couldn't find any with the exact right shank diameter. Once again I went to my parts stash and found a pair of bolts the exact same size.....where they came from I can't recall, but once again it re-enforces the need to keep most everything like that!

The Rolling Jack on the lift helped keep the mufflers at the right height while I set up the axle section of pipe.

Getting close here - a little more adjustment at the other end and it should come together nicely.

Here's the tab and hanger I made up for the up and over. Once everything is as high and tight as possible, I tacked the tab sides to the pipe.

Here's the two sections welded together.

Below is the finished product - from the trans cross-member back anyways. Now I need to make up the front sections to tie into the stock manny's, which will include stepping the 2.5" pipe to a short section of 2", then to 1.75" to bolt into the stock openings. This will hopefully be temporary, until I get my other 390-4V rebuilt with headers, at which time the headers will fit right up to these 2.5" pipes. More work, but necessary when customizing parts!

I know they look a little crooked here - the mufflers aren't welded to the pipes yet, so I've got time to make sure they are straight and even, plus tucked up close to the driveshaft. Best to leave these until the very end - just in case you need to twist the front section to fit!

Bushings and exhaust hangers - behind the scenes....

2012-03-01T20:18:00.001-06:00

There's a lot of stuff that goes on with restorations and repairs that not very exciting - even for a car guy. The installation of bushings and making exhaust hangars are two of those tasks - but the real "sexy" stuff ;) can't happen without these support bits. Like any great play - it's only as good as it's supporting players..... (who said car guys can't be cultured?).

After much work resulting in my ruining one bushing, I took everything to the local Minute Muffler Shop. I needed extra tubing for the exhaust system anyway and had purchased pipe from them before, so I thought I'd see if they had an industrial press - which they did. I left all the pieces in their much more capable hands and will pick them up later. Oh well, I'm smarter now and only out a few bucks!

Here's all the bits and pieces that came with the exhaust setup from SUMMIT Racing. I know, exhaust clamps suck and shouldn't be used in a nice fab-job, but they are good for mock up. Once I get it all fitted, I'll weld up some tabs as well as the joints.

The Galaxie had one main hangar that I could re-use for the axle loop, but I needed another, so I fabbed up a similar set up. Using a piece of a tire that had given up pieces for the Challengers exhaust, I cut a piece the same size as the original and also cut and bent some metal pieces for the rest of the hangar.

Close enough.

This is how the exhaust was cobbled together previously. It's not that it didn't work, it did - for many years - but I'm excited to see and hear the car with the new full-dual 2 1/2" set-up with the Dynomax free flow mufflers. It's a similar system I had on the Challenger and it was great.

As I mentioned, I did a lot of "background" work today - and didn't take a lot of photo's. Tomorrow I'll shoot the fruits of all that labour.

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com ! Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com and www.CarCraft.com !

Back to the fun!!

2012-02-29T20:55:00.000-06:00

Finally got some time to work on the Galaxie again and broke thorugh the worst part, that of rebuilding the torque boxes. This right rear wasthe last one to be done:

Once that was all done (phew!), I started the mock up of the exhaust. I still haven't decided whether to try and remove the stock exhaust manifolds, which makes a difference in both the manifold end and the overall length of pipe required.

The 2 1/2" pipe looks massive and is going to make a huge difference. I've been told it could make a 30-50HP difference....I doubt it'll be that much, but we'll see.

Next up is getting the real control/trailing arms back in. I tried everthing I could using my makeshift press but couldn't get the bushings to seat, so I'll take them to a shop tomorrow. At the same time I'll buy some extra 2 1/2" tubing.

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com ! Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com and www.CarCraft.com !

The Michelin Man - History

2012-02-28T18:32:00.001-06:00

Andre Michelin was the marketing genius, speaking as early as the 1890s, that reliable, inflatable tires would be essential to the acceptance of automobiles. He also created Bibendum, the Michelin Man, in 1898, inspired by a sketch of Gambrinus, the Gallic god of beer.

Ya think he was drinking while thinking about driving?!

Been away a while - here's where!

2012-02-28T18:29:00.000-06:00

Back to the shop tomorrow!!

Motels on the move!

2012-02-15T22:35:00.000-06:00

Ever see an entire MOTEL going down the highway?

It's actually fairly common to see homes, offices and even MOTELS being moved down the highway in Saskatchewan! This one was split into 3 and passed me as I was working my way down south this week.

As for me, I'm off to Barbados for a little Restoration myself - see ya in a couple weeks!!

Tying up some loose ends

2012-02-11T21:03:00.002-06:00

Finished up the Left Rear Torque Box and put some RustBullet on it. I may put a skiff of fiberglass over the rail repair - just for aesthetics, but that's about all it needs. Can't imagine too many people are ever gonna see the inside of this rear frame rail - but it's the way I roll. ;)

Also today, the '56 Chevrolet Pickup left today on the flat bed. Drove it out of the shop and everything seemed to be working, but I'll get it back in the spring to do a few things, not the least of which is an antifreeze leak that started at the heater core as I drove it up onto the deck - ARRG!

The operator was about to winch it up onto the deck, but I had enough confidence in it to take a run at it and hold the brakes while he evened it out. First run didn't take as the rear tires spun in the ice - so, against my own better judgement I backed it up about 20 feet and took a run at it! Up she went and thank GOD the brakes worked! LOL!!

She Shore looked PRETTY in the sunlight - didn't She?! Good-bye sweetheart....but we'll have her back in the spring for road testing, a few final things that I'm sure will come up...not the least of which will be an antifreeze leak I saw at the heater box as I drove it up the ramp. Although it's been running quite a bit in the shop, it hadn't really produced any pressure until just now. Figures.

Don't forget how it showed up:

NB - Just want to say that this is the "template" I want all my future restorations (for others) to take. The family was into it, the owner was thrilled with it and visited often, the Son and Son-in-Law came out to help a few times, and the bills where paid all the way along! I actually spent $200 and 18 hours of my own after the last payment and didn't even care - because the entire project was enjoyable for me too.

Good luck to the Crozon's and their "re-NEWed" truck - enjoy the attention it brings!

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !

Do you REALLY think you can save him Doc??

2012-02-10T21:53:00.001-06:00

It doesn't look good.....but I'll try my best - with these hands and Gods will.....

We have the technology to make it faster, better, stronger than it was before.
You MUST SAVE the patient doctor!

In some spots, I like to drill holes in order to spot weld a new piece to a repair panel:

Like this:

Damn it Jim - I'm a mechanic, not a doctor!

IT's ALIVE!! I little make-up and.....this pig will LIVE!!!

One more and we're done!! Then I can get to the fun stuff - dual exhaust and flame throwers!!

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !
Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com www.RustBullet and www.CarCraft.com !

2012-02-09T19:57:00.000-06:00

After getting those control arms out, the next step was to remove the bushings. Ironically, I was just saying that a press was one tool I've never had much use for and hence, do not have. This would have been a good excuse to buy - or better make - one, but then I notices how the stand I made for the brake would do the job perfectly - and mean I wouldn't have to try and squeeze another piece of equipment into my already CROWDED shop!

They came out very easily!

Now that they're out of the way, I can do the repairs to the rear frame rails:

Here's just some of what was hiding inside. All in all it about 10X that came out....

I've ordered new bushings from RockAuto.com, Front and Rear Sway Bars with poly bushings from PST, shocks, brakes, strut rod bushings and some seals and stuff for the top-side from Dearborn, not to mention headers and dual 2 1/2" exhaust from SUMMIT.

Of course the left rear was MUCH worse than It looked. I cut off the bottom and then saw that I had to also cut at least 1/3 up each side:

Here is is with a little more cut out. I like to cut a bit at a time, in order to make templates from the original pieces. Then I remove that section and make the inner accessible to make templates for the inner pieces.

Once all the parts that are being replaced are cut out, I soaked the rest down in a Phosphoric acid solution. This will make the remaining surface and any hidden rust inert and make for a better surface to both weld to and apply a rust paint like RUST BULLET to.

Here are the template pieces made from scrap paper and laid out on the sheet of 14 gauge steel plate:

Stay tuned for fitting, welding and finishing!

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com ! Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com, www.RustBullet.com and www.CarCraft.com !

A break in the action.

2012-02-05T17:11:00.001-06:00

Since I took today (Sunday) off, I thought I'd update y'all on my 46 MERC. In this mild winter we;ve been having, I've left it outside and have even started it a couple times! I have a thermostatically-controlled blocks-heater (magnetic) and battery charger on it. It was out front for a few months with Christmas lights on it - neighbours LOVED it. I just moved it to the back.

As you can see I had the doors lettered this spring - whole nuther story there.... and it's still getting used as it should be! Was going to do the lettering myself - and as usual - I should have! But decided to take it to an old-time sign painter, told him what I wanted - even (tried to ) confirm he knew what I meant....

Insread, he just thinned out the paint a little and painted away! When I got it home I burnished it best I could, but it was dry - and tough! NExt spring I'll rub it out some more.

Here's me taking some engine blocks to the recyclers. They sucked them out of the truck with the giant magnet!

I like this shot - 2 FORD products, 50+ years apart. They don't make 'em like they used to...GOOD or BAD?? Less style, better made!

This spring the Old Man is getting new tires - full WhiteWalls - and I'll paint the rims a cream color. I've been considering finally switching over to 12V as well. As much as I like the kitchiness and old-school flavour of 6V, it sometimes strands me as it turns over soooo slowly. Everything else remains the same.

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !

Special thanks: www.Eastwood.com www.CarCraft.com www.RustBullet.com

2012-02-04T20:31:00.000-06:00

Before the Cougar comes in I'm trying to finish up my Galaxie. Every year it's the same - I want to go a bunch of stuff, but other projects get all my attention - and I want to drive the Gal!!

Today I removed the rear lower control arms - of course what should take an hour, took three! The bolts where seized through the bushings and had to be coerced out....

First up, getting the bolts apart. I used my half inch ratchet and a 3 foot extension tube and barely got the front ones out. On the rear ones, the nut came off, but not the bolt.

Screw it, lets cut 'em off!

To get these gall-darned control arms out I had to use every high-persuasion tool I have! The bolts where seized, so I cut the ends off, but the brackets wouldn't spread enough to go over the stubs still left, so I had to cut inside the brackets (which you can see me doing above).

After that, they STILL wouldn't budge, so I heated up the brackets and tried to pry them apart and BEAT them out with the sledge! With all that beating and prying I had the lift wobbling pretty good a couple times - scary!

They finally came out, but not unscathed. I still need to get the seized bushings out too! Believe it or not, I've rarely ever needed a press, so here's a great excuse to build one - which I would love to do - if it weren't for the day it would take that I could be doing something "more productive". Of course I like fabricating stuff so much I'll likely buy the metal Monday and get 'er made one night next week!

Now that they're out of the way, I can do the repairs to the frame rails. This is where the rails go up and over the rear end - so a very important junction, taking a lot of torque from holding up the entire rear end - it HAS to be strong. Likely, once I make the basic repair, I'll add plates to either side to add even more strength and rigidity to the entire rear section.

Here's just some of what was hiding inside. It's what causes all that rust!

This baby is going to be a completely different animal after all this work: I've ordered new bushings from Rock Auto, Front and Rear Sway Bars with poly bushings from PST, shocks, brakes, strut rod bushings (as well as some seals and stuff for the top-side) from Dearborn, not to mention headers and dual 2 1/2" exhaust and full-flow mufflers from SUMMIT RACING (along with my flame-thrower idea!), so it's going to be an AWESOME summer for "OUR GAL"!!!!

I know a lot goes on here at E-tek, so tell me if I'm moving too fast!! HAHa!!:lol:

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com!

Special thanks to www.RUSTBULLET.com and www.CarCraft.com!

2012-02-04T19:08:00.000-06:00

Here's a few more of the next E-tek Restoration project.

May be the "nicest" start to a job I've ever had!

Add caption

Looks so good.....but here's some of the work required:

Can you spot the CRAPPY bodywork?

It's not that you wouldn't have a few little wrinkles on the back side of a repaired panel, but my standards are much higher than this! With much more hammer and dolly and much less filler, there would have been fewer wrinkles - which I then would have finished on this side (the inside), so it would look like there was never a repair made.

In all it'll need front floors and quarter panels, plus whatever pops up once it's here and gone through. The owner is stripping it down and it'll be painted at BridgeCity Collision, owned by a very long-in-the-tooth restoration specialist named Corky. He has done - and owns - many wicked rides and is a perfectionist - which makes us the perfect team!

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com.
Special thanks to www.RUSTBULLET.com and www.CarCraft.com.

2012-02-03T20:24:00.001-06:00

Anyone who's ever done a restoration - or a renovation - knows how much of a pain it is to strip treatments off after years and years of exposure. Rubberized undercoating is the back-yard restorers worse job and there are as many methods to aid in the removal as there are pissed off guys doing it!

A few weeks back I picked up one of these newer tools that vibrate back and forth quickly and the different attachments can cut wood, remove grout and strip paint. I decided to try it on the undercoating that needs to be removed on the Datsun and WOW! The tool easily stripped off any parts that where at all soft and even made short work of the parts that where rock hard after 40+ years.

The blade can even be re-sharpened on the grinder.

I highly recommend this to anyone having to strip undercoating!

A few final (I know I've said that before) parts arrived for the 1956 Chev Truck that is slated to go out the door next week. It now has a new upper rad hose and spring clamps, as well as new parking brake cables.

The cables where a little easier to replace than I thought they might be - not even necessitating the removal of the the pads and springs. That almost never happens!

After those fun tasks, it was back to the rust work on the Galaxie frame. Someone on GarageJournal said I was using CAD - meaning Cardboard Aided Design - in making templates for the pieces. I thought it very clever.

These 14gauge pieces will be welded into these cut-out areas to renew the torque box on this right side:

Prior to welding them in, I again treated them with Eastwood's Rust Encapsulator. One thing I've noticed about this product is how it barely burns off with MIG welding. After welding up the front piece, I could see the reverse side and it wasn't burned at all, even right at the weld seem.

I've found that moving the grinder to my work area - mounted on a stand - makes it easy to do all the fine grinding required to fit the parts prior to welding

Here's the area after the first pass and some grinding of the welds. Being 14 gauge steel, I used a higher setting on the MIG welded than usual. It made for a very strong final structure.

A couple touch-ups with the MIG and grinders and it was ready for some Rust Bullet paint. This stuff if now my new favourite in terms of application and usage. It goes on easily, self levels nicely and looks great. Unlike my previous favourite, POR15, it also has UV protection built in, so although you CAN topcoat, you don't need to. Long term testing is under way here at E-tek and we'll see how it performs over the course of a mean Saskatchewan winter!

Ta da.

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com ! Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com and www.CarCraft.com !

Torque box V - Right side

2012-01-29T15:40:00.001-06:00

The Right side looked better than the left. If I where a lazy man, I'd say it was hardly worth doing....

Until I poked a screw driver through it....

Once I saw how bad it really was, I new I had to start cutting. As you can see, I remove the gaurds from all my grinders in order to be able to use much more of the tool. It can be rather dangerous if you don't pay attention and even so, I've gotten a few cuts and burns right through gloves while cutting metal.

Check out all the dirt, mud and rusted metal that was residing in the box and frame rail - unreal! This is what causes rust to form so heavily - a place for moisture to remain, along with chemicals that are put on the roadways in winter: salt and potash mostly. I wish I had done these when I got the car 8 years ago!

Once the worst rust was cut out - back to strong, cleaner metal - I removed all the loose dirt, scale and rust by scraping and vacuuming, using the long hose attached to the vacuum to reach into the frame rail and rocker panel. Once cleaned, I'll put several coats of Rust Bullet's single stage Epoxy on the areas I can reach, plus Eastwood's Internal Frame Coating with it's long tube applicator, on areas I cannot reach.

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com ! Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com and www.CarCraft.com !

240Z's ROCK!

2012-01-28T13:39:00.002-06:00

It's hard NOT to be a fan of the 240Z - especially when you see someone kick ASS in one. This one gets away from 350Z's, spec cars and then laps back marker at 7:35.

240Z Kicks it at Summit Raceway

Here's another one....

Ours is still a ways away, but one day.....

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com ! Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com and www.CarCraft.com !

Parts

2012-01-27T20:32:00.001-06:00

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com.....

Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com and www.CarCraft.com....

2012-01-26T19:56:00.000-06:00

Just back from Las Vegas Raceway where I took some laps in a Ferrari F430.

They had several other rides to choose from too:

Of course a Ferrari is a Ferrari!

After a couple 'discovery laps' where the head instructor whips you around the track in a Porsche Cayenne, you get in your chosen ride and get to beat on it for 5 laps. While most of the other drivers where taking the first couple laps easy, I was gettin' my money's worth and I can tell you now, that no mater how many times you read about big 6 caliper brakes and 500+HP, you don't realize just how good it feels until you get to beat on one on the track! I will say however that the track was a lot shorter than I would have liked....

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com ! Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com and www.CarCraft.com !

Tokens

2012-01-21T14:26:00.000-06:00

The owners of the 1956 Chevrolet 3100 Truck gave me this Die Cast Replica as a token of their appreciation for doing the restoration. Ironically, I appreciate THEIR gesture and for being such a great family to do a restoration for!

Although it's a '55 model, it's incredibly close in color and overall look! It'll look great with my other collectibles, which I keep on a shelf along the ceiling in the shop.

Being in a hockey town I even have Joe Thornton MVP stick, that Mrs E. got when she worked for Kelloggs.... It's one of the few non-automotive items in the shop.

I bought this Datsun 240Z die-cast when I decided I would rebuild our Datsun for my son Colton. It's a great motivator of just how nice these cars where - and can be. I'm not sure why they would make a 1972 version of all the years to choose from though - our car (the real one) is an early '71, which is much more desirable.

Just a little ways to go before the real one looks the same! Why haven't I removed the glass yet?

Lastly, my collections also include some cool vintage HotRod Magazines and "personalized plates" for my other cars.

Vintage magazines, Mrs E-tek's race-suit, plate for the 46 Merc.

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !
Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com and www.CarCraft.com !

Rebuilding the Torque-boxes - IV

2012-01-20T21:20:00.000-06:00

The bottom plate will complete the structure on this side and is ready to be welded in. I ground the edges again, taking away an Kitty-hair that got close to the welding area. The inner part of the plate was sprayed with several coats of Rust-Bullet, a new to the market, single part, moisture-cured resin in the same category as POR15, but with the added benefit of having full UV protection.

I held the plate to the torque box with several items, including this bottle jack and a couple of sections of pipe. Beginning with several tack welds, I then turned up the voltage slightly and ran 1" long beads, alternating from side to side, until it was welded in solid.

I dressed the initial welds then went back and filled in any gaps. The plate was solid and the box was now complete, except for some finishing work.

After a thorough cleaning with Pre-paint solvent, I coated the welded areas with a thin coat of kitty-hair. This stuff dries so hard that - if needed - would add another layer of structural integrity. It certainly wasn't required here, as this 12gauge plate is the heaviest material I've ever done repairs with - but it is important, mostly to seal up the repair and secondarily to smooth it all out.

Galaxie Torque-box repairs - III

2012-01-19T20:52:00.000-06:00

All the side pieces where welded in today, confiring a lot more strength to the torque-box structures.

First up is fitting the pieces. Grinding edges, bending into shape and trimming holes for any pass-throughs.

After that, I marked the edges on the torque-box side and used a carbide bit and grinder to clean off the metal where the weld would hit.

Something I like to use when welding near anything that may get heat damaged is Benzomatic's COLD COAT. It's a gel that blocks heat and dampens it's damaging effects. Also, it confers an additional level of safet when things get hot!

Here I've coated a fuel-return line with the Cold Coat. It was far enough away so as not to be in direct contact with the weld, but better safe than sorry!

Before welding in the patches I measured the distances from the frame to the lift ramp on each side to be sure there was no twist in the frame. This left side was about 1/4" lower than the right side, likely due to the effect of driver weight over time. Regardless, I used a bottle jack to equalize both sides prior to welding so that when everything was welded solid there wouldn't be a discrepancy in frame height.

Front and rear pieces welded in.

Welds dressed with carbide bit and 40 grit disc on the 4 inch grinder.

In order to seal any gaps - and add even more structural integrity - I always cover my patches with "kitty hair", a fiberglass re-enforced filler. Although this area will be forever hidden once the bottom plate is welded on, one can forsee moisture from puddles getting in there, so it's critical not to leave any spaces or surfaces where water could penetrate and sit. Oncethe filler is dry I'll smooth it out and apply a black undercoating - prior to welding up the bottom plate.

The outer surfaces where also coated with Kitty hair. It dries to a solid, again, it's a structurally sound surface that can be smoothed out with a grinder or sander, whcih will be important here as all the outer surfaces will get dressed out until the repair is invisible.

Tomorrow, the last piece to go on will be the bottom plate. This will enclose the torque-box and add much needed strength where the frame meets the front substructure. Almost done this side!

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !

Crozon Family visits E-tek for the BIG REVEAL!!

2012-01-19T19:22:00.004-06:00

Today was a big day at the E-tek Restoration Shop, as one of the original owners of the freshly restored 1956 Chevrolet 3100 came to see the finished product.

After a good look at all the details, we fired it up and Mr. Crozon sat in the truck that he and his brother purchased, 55 years ago! I hope it brought back many pleasant memories!

LEFT: The owner and his son, Warren, who helped his brother-in-law Trent tear the truck down when they couldn't find a "retail" shop to perform the work.

BELOW: The Crozon family. During their visit they told me several stories of how relatives would come out to the farm as children and drive the truck around the farm. Sounds like quite a few people learned to drive in this sweetheart of a ride!

Over the next few weeks Warren will be trailering the truck to an undisclosed storage spot to await the spring thaw. At that time it'll be back for a final road test and to install a few parts that are still on order.
As a token of appreciation, they gave me a die-cast replica of the truck - same color and all! It'll look great in my collection and be a nice reminder of the restoration. Thanks Warren!

240Z metalwork: floors

2012-01-18T20:49:00.000-06:00

Between the Galaxie, the 240Z and a soon to arrive '67 Cougar, there's going to be a lot of metal-work going on in the E-tek Shop for the next while!

This weekend I got my son Colt to help me clean up around the 1971 Datsun 240Z so I could begin the task of cutting out and replacing the floors. First think I did was make some braces in order to shore up the trans-tunnel sheet metal. I bolted these to the transmission crossmember mounts and the the rear-end mount. This should help keep the bottom end from moving when I start cutting - but even with this hep, I'll work on only one side at a time.

This is a first cut I did some time ago - before deciding to build a rotisserie. The patches (below) run from the toe board to behind the front seats.

The rotisserie not only gives me full access to the underside, but allows me to work standing (or seated) with the work in front of me. I built this unit in a weekend for about $200 in metal, hardware and wheels.

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !

Galaxie Torque-box pieces

2012-01-18T20:29:00.000-06:00

Although I only got a couple hours in Zanadu today, it was anough time to cut out the pieces I need to repair the Galaxie torque-boxes. Tomorrow they get welded in:

My son Colt helped in the measuring:

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !

2012-01-13T19:54:00.000-06:00

1967 Galaxie 500XL Convertible.

Torque boxes, built to add rigidity to convertibles and big-power cars (Hemi's), they had a tendency to collect mud and dirt and rot out....

First, I propped the car up LEVEL - with the jack under the front Cross member and big wood blocks under the tranny mount. Then I stripped off the parts that where in the way, including removing the mudflaps and loosening the inner fender.

Next I spent about an hour spend cleaning all the accumulated dirt and dried mud out of the inner rockers, frame rail and cowl area. I hooked a length of heater hose to the vacuum and pushed it into the voids where everything had collected. There was a ton of stuff in there!

Here's a cool shot of the hose reaching right into the frame rail:

It kept coming out too - even found a peanut shell!

I undid the E-brake cable (heating the nut with the torch) and after about an hour with various grinders and cut-off wheels, this is what I was left with:

Now it's time to put the rust to sleep as best we can. First up is always Metal Ready from POR15. It's similar to many of the rust-fixing products that use Phosphoric Acid to turn Iron Oxide (rust) into Iron Oxite (An inert black substance). It needs to be kept wet for 30-60 minutes.

There was still MORE dirt and loose rust in the rail and rockers, so out came the long picks and vacuum hose.

Since it's so hard to get any POR15 or Rust Encapsulator deep into the frame rail, Eastwood came up with an Internal Frame Coating system, consisting of a moisture repelling primer and a long nozzle hose with a conical tip that sprays the product in several directions deep in the rail.

Unfortunately, since I had used this can and applicator before, it wouldn't work this time. I tried to clean it and clear it out, but it just wouldn't shoot....so on to plan B!

Another Eastwood rust treatment, Rust Encapsulator, is supposed to keep rust at bay. Although I sprayed a couple heavy coats on the inners, I just wanted a "first" coat on the outer pieces. That's because I'll be welding pieces to it all before applying a second/third heavy coat

Next up, I'll cut and fit all the pieces for welding.

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !

Let there be LIGHT!

2012-01-12T21:39:00.000-06:00

Great day today!
After a lot of crawling around, staring at diagrams and re-lacing all the wires under the cab, the lights on the '56 Chevy Truck are now working! I still need to figure out the blinker system, but the rear lights work on the park and brake circuits , so that's a large part of the

After that big win, I finished up the rebuild on this Motorcraft carb, fitting the 330Ford that I got for my Rod (with 4 spd). It'll be all TORQUE!

I can't believe I'm getting caught up on a lot of stuff, so I gave the Galaxie a little love, detailing the engine bay, putting on fresh battery wires, plug leads and re-setting the timing and carb.

After that, it was time to dig deeper and get to the torque-boxes that have needed help for a while now.

The torque-boxes are parts build into the frames to make up for the lack of a rigid rood system. They are built into convertibles as well as some high-hp cars, such as the Dodge's Hemi cars.

The drivers side is by far the worst, needing a full rebuild, with plates bottom and sides. Unfortunately, this sis also the side that houses the emergency brake cable, so that will have to be worked around and moved as required.

Stay tuned!

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !

2012-01-06T20:00:00.001-06:00

Working on all the things I started yesterday....plus a bit of a wiring job.

Finished with the carb clean up - using both the parts washer, then some solvents like thinner and brake cleaners to get the baked-on stuff. It was so caked on - including a ton of black that looked like exhaust (?) staining. A lot of wire brushing, soaking and rubbing - which got rid of the dirt and stains, but left it looking dull and beat up.

Eastwood has an incredible array of detail paints as well as everything you need to bring a car back to day one - or better. For carbs they have dedicated carb paints in silver and gold (Holley) that resist both fuel and additives, but I have been using their AlumaBlast, which I've found both matches the silver coloring of Motorcraft and Autolite carbs and is very resistant to fading and fuels. Eastwood is serious about restorations and has a dedicated team of R&D people that come up with new shades and products that make restorations much easier than ever.

Once the outer pieces are painted, it's time to check and adjust the float level and replace all the parts and many gaskets that come in the rebuild kit. This is where attention to detail - and surgeon-like precision - gets the job done.

Like most Do-It-Yourself types, there was a time that electrical systems and work gave me a hard time. They still do - to an extent - but I am much more comfortable with tracing circuits and making well-made wiring systems now. One thing I've learned from How-To articles and books is how NOT to do it. The real the key to making up wiring systems, from adding a length of wire to putting on a end piece to splicing in, is to not to leave wires twisted, crimped or taped. Soldering is the only acceptable way to do this work if you want it to last and work. If you twist them - or use "solderless" connectors, they will come apart as you try to wire them up or connect them, or worse - when you think you've got it all completed.

A while back I lamented that the wires to the steering column on the '56 Chev had been cut straight off during the trucks tear down. It looked as though it was going to be a massive pain to get sorted and re-connect all these systems...so I suggested to the owners a while back that they may want someone else to tackle it (please... ;))

Of course I'm not really the type to slough things off to someone else and although I have been saying that the truck is "pretty much" finished, I knew the electrical work was still needing some attention. After thinking about it for a couple weeks, going over various plans and looking for parts, I was feeling a little better about it. Then, after speaking with one of the owners and going over it all with him, he asked me to have a crack at it. So I had at it.

First off, I measured how much wire I needed, then went to the old (original) harness and cut off enough to reach the new plug LMC attached to the main harness. Although I had looked high and low for a female connector to match the one that came on the harness (from LMC Trucks), I just couldn't find one. One method would have been to remove that connector and move the 6 wires to a new one with matching female end, The problem here is that the harness is quite short and tucked up behind the steering column. If I was going to do it, I needed to find connectors that would fit - individually - into that connector.

As luck would have it, a few days ago I tried some different spade connectors and found one size that fit tightly into that connector. So, instead of having a connector that would mate up, I would make up a harness with 6 blades and fit each wire individually:

Above: Measuring and removing a length from the Original. This was important, as the colors would match, making it easier to troubleshoot and look more original.

Here, the blades have been crimped to the wires, then soldered with a touch of flux and then fitted with shrink wrap. Many times these connectors are referred to as "solderless" connectors - but as I said earlier, solderless is not an option. Now I always cut off the hard plastic cover that comes on these connectors, crimp, then solder, then use a shrink tube to cover and protect them. My soldering technique goes like this: I brush on a tiny bit of paste flux on the crimp and wire

then hold my solder gun on the bottom of the wire, holding the solder wire on the top side. This is so that the paste flux and lead-free solder flows into and down through the wire.There's about 45 minutes of work not shown in the finished photo above, but here's some better step-by step splicing the new section into the steering columns harness....

I stripped off about 3/8" form the end of each wire and threaded shrink tubing onto each strand. Taking the entire mess into the truck, I first twisted each matching colored strand onto the original, then soldered each. After it cooled, I pressed the soldered bit flat against the strand then pushed the shrink tube over it. A little heat from the Piezo gave it a nice tight covering. It was a lot of upside-down dash work as you can see by all the fluid that rushed to my face (or maybe I really look that fat!)

Here, all the connectors are soldered to the column harness and shrink tubed. Looking much neater now, bit I wasn't done yet....

Over top of those connections, I put on another, larger section of shrink tube that I had purchased for a job just like this. I slipped it over all the connections at once and heated it with the Piezo torch to shrink it. It fit very well over all the wires and connections and shrunk down 4:1, making for a decent looking harness that just needs to be tape-wrapped for that original, aesthetic appeal.

Below is the entire section, all the same color, with spades to be inserted into the LMC harness.

After carefully matching up the colors, then reaching up under the dash to insert them, here is the finished harness with all 6 wires connected to those coming from the column. Tomorrow I'll wrap it all with tape and use some connectors to attach this strand to the underside of the dash to keep it up and out of the way. Although I have a ways to go to get everything down-line hooked up and sorted, upon initial testing today I had signal lights on the dash and up front. Now I just have to figure which system goes to the rear marker lights!

Lastly today, I devoted some effort to Mrs E's bed-bench project. I first stapled a sheet of 3/8" ply to the top and then applied one more coat of paint to the entire think. It's now ready for upholstery. I think bringing home and re-purposing junk furniture makes Mrs E-tek feel like Sarah Fergusen (a favourite - and cute!) designer on HGTV. I'm sure it's basically the same kick I get out of watching the guys on Powerblock, except in that those guys are NOT cute....

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com - How To and Product Reviews and more!

Lots to do = FUN in the shop!

2012-01-05T21:46:00.000-06:00

Now that the 56 Chevrolet is by-and-large complete, I was able to get to a few things that I'd been adding to the to-do list.....

I'm working on a Ford FE engine that I initially bought as a spare for my 67 Galaxie. After a lot of research I found it to be a 330MD, which where used in a lot of big trucks like grain trucks and UHauls, as well as in industrial applications, like generators. It's apparently worth more to a truck shop than to a restorer, but since it's in such good shape and came with a 4 speed, I think I'll rebuild it, make it purdy and keep it for a future rod project.

The previous owner ran it for me in the truck it was in. The only issue at the time was the carb, which is now getting the full E-tek treatment:

On a different, yet still automotive thread, I'm putting together and mounting this vintage 2-car racetrack that from Mrs E-tek's childhood. She recently found it in her late grandmothers home and brought it home for me, but I suggested we mount it and display it in our kids playroom:

A project I've put off for a couple years now is rebuilding the "torque-boxes" on the Galaxie. These are areas of the frame, normally in convertibles, that are required to reduce frame twist, due to the convertibles lack of roof and pillars. Once I get into it I'll post the entire process.

Firstly though, I thought I'd fix up some of the electrical systems under the hood:

Just about then, the 56 Chevrolet owners son came by to take a look at the near finished product. I tell him to hop and start it up - which he did - and it does - jumps to life in one short press of the foot starter. So it's warming up and I tell him to bump the Throttle in a bit, which kills it. Well do you think it would start again?? Of course not!!

So, after a bunch more fiddling with the carb and distributor, we could NOT get it re-started!! He thought it was his fault...I thought it was anything/everything else. More timing. Less. A vacuum cap off - make it stay on. Hand on throttle plate. Manual choke.....everything I could thing off. It would fire, run a second, then starve itself. I'm sure it made me look like the WORST mechanic on record!

Of course he has to leave, at which point I decide to go back to the top of the trouble-shooting tree.....check the fuel. Gauge looks to be at a quarter, but I grab the can and put another gallon in. Bump - nothing. Bump - here she comes. Bump - God'damned thing was too low on gas! I guess we learned that the first dot on a Chevy truck means EMPTY.

So I immediately call his cell and let him hear it running - just because I was so embarrassed and I had to tell him it wasn't his doing - nor the trucks.....it just sucks fuel!

Now that I was back on it, I thought I'd pull it out, due to us discussing the gearing and it not having anything of a road test yet. So I gingerly pulled it out of the shop - reverse works, 1st gear good, clutch - beautiful! When I went to pull the E-brake though, it seemed weak.

It rolled unless I really reefed, so I pulled it back in and removed the rear wheels and brakes. The lines moved, but not enough, so I doused them with PB Blaster and will rebuild them tomorrow.

Just before the day ended, I stripped and painted a piece of furniture Mrs E-tek brought home - so she could turn it into a bed-end table, y'know, somewhere to pile the pillows! Always have to keep it mind:

HAPPY WIFE - HAPPY LIFE!

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !

More things you can do with WD-40!

2012-01-02T14:55:00.000-06:00

WD-40 Tire Repair

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !

No shop pics this weekend.....BUT!

2012-01-02T00:25:00.000-06:00

How about something MUCH better!

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !

And now, for something completely different....

2011-12-28T19:42:00.001-06:00

Life can't only be about cars (unfortunately!). But being a creative sort, I try to make as many things as I can. Last month we finished a major renovation of our bedroom,main/en suite bath and I built Mrs. E-tek a walk-in closet and changing area. For Xmas, I promised her a closet ironing board. This way she doesn't have to run to the laundry area (downstairs) to iron stuff to wear.

To make it fit the overall theme, I bought a door that matches the wall-set that I installed earlier in her closet. I wanted it to be bigger than a "travel" size board which are barely big enough for her undies, but still small enough to be hidden away - and be out of the way - when it's not in use.

First things first - cover up the cars in the shop!

I cut down a pine door jamb to make the box - no MDF here. This will locate the door hinges, as well as the board itself. Glue and brad nails made it solid.

The door makes the entire thing look pro. No more college-style living for us!

The ironing board portion needs a leg that folds out to hold it up. Making it all fit was going to be a challenge... and making it all fir, even more so. What I did was locate a hinge on the underside of the board for the leg and then, to make the leg long enough to reach the ground, I'll have a second leg piece hinge off the first with a piece of heavy fabric (leather?).

Here it is all mocked up. Tomorrow I'll sand the filler I put in the staple and screw holes, then attach the hinges. I need to have it installed in the closet before I go pick Mrs. E and the kids up at the in-laws!

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !

2011-12-27T09:56:00.000-06:00

I had some calendars and posters put together from the photo's we took in the shop.

Kinda the best case scenario - I get to put cool pictures of women in the shop

- and Mrs E-tek doesn't mind them (too much!)

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com ! Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com and www.CarCraft.com !

Lots to do!

2011-12-26T21:48:00.001-06:00

Drove back from the in-laws farm where the family continues there Christmas traditions: eating, visiting, playing, snowmobiling, walks in the snow.....

Me? I'm back in the shop - finishing the Chevrolet for the Crozon's, building a wall-closet ironing board as part of Mrs E-tek's Christmas gifts and maybe, just maybe, doing some work on my Galaxie!

Put all the fender braces on the Chevrolet. Much harder than I thought it'd be too. Once I figured which brace went where, I had to drill holes that disappeared when new metal was welded in, then weld up on that broke when remvoed:

Then I finished tearing down the FE, which I bought as a 390 but turned out to be a 330....oh well, on the bright side it's in incredibly good shape!

Which is MUCH more than I can say for the SECOND early-style flathead block I bought as a donor for my 46 Merc truck...the first one had BADLY rusted deck faces and this one has holes in it where a piston let go of the crank. Talk about buyer beware....or, don't buy blocks in the dark!

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !

Merry Christmas to all!

2011-12-26T21:33:00.002-06:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone!!!!!
I hope everyone got what they want this year or, at the very least, has a decent day - because compared to so many people, in so many parts of the world, a decent day for us is a gift so many people are wishing for.

I got 'almost' everything I wished for this year: Time with my family, the health of (most) of those around me, the means to give my family the gifts they wanted, and the continued Love of those around me. I say I "almost" got everything I wanted because ever year I still, niavely, wish for my son Colby to "get better"....

2011-12-23T20:51:00.000-06:00

Lots more details on the 56 Chevrolet tied up today:

First up, back to this trim piece that fills the space between the dash and windshield. This is the 3rd time at it, trying different clips, different methods to make it look right....and this time, adjusting the clip receptors to hold the filler trim a little more evenly. Sometimes getting things to look right can be a major PITA!! ;)

Next, I needed to remove the front bumper gain, to get the front plate bracket bolted in behind it:

Of course once I got the bolts out I decided they too could be spruced up a notch, so I resprayed, then cleared them.

I said earlier that one of my favourite parts of a build is the application of the decals at the end. As much as I want to do them earlier, I wait until it's nearly out the door, so they stay perfect looking. The decals make the vehicle look dealership fresh - like the day it was purchased.

Above: Oil filter decal is clear so the writing looks painted on.

Below: The oil breather cap on the valve cover. Behind it you can see the valve cover decal - I need to double check whether it goes on the top or side....

Air cleaner decal:

Early on, a decision was made to buy the Plain-Jane tailgate, without the Chevrolet insignia. It was a for a variety of reasons, owing mostly to availability and cost, so I decided to buy and apply the CHEVROLET decal and see if that was a decent compromise.

After measuring and centering, I applied the letters, each one separately.

As the day winded down I decided to once again run the engine and check the dwell and timing. I can't say it enough - this was the MOST DIFFICULT starting rebuild I have ever come across! The owners sent the long block out for a full rebuild so I have no clue as to what - or if - that has anything to do with it at first. The fogging agent they used was tough to burn off for sure, but that was only part of the problems encountered!
Today however, the truck fires up and now idles nicely at just over 700 RPM. The dwell is a little shy, at 22, so I'll have to adjust that up a titch. The carb now works well - after a rebuild and a re-look. And the fuel pump pumps fuel, but oddly the filter has very little fuel going through it. Normally, these plastic filters look half full, but with this one I can barely see fuel going through it. The oddities of General Motors products! Most importantly, the engine produces good oil pressure and it registers nicely on the original oil-fed gauge.

Next week - after Christmas with the family - I'll be back at some electrical work under the dash and a final polish. Delivery is December 30th!

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !

Tearing down Ford 390FE engine

2011-12-22T19:48:00.000-06:00

I bought this 1967 Ford 390FE engine, which I had to pull out of a Camper Special Truck, to rebuild and add either a turbo or supercharger set-up and then stuff it into my 1967 Galaxie 500XL. The Galaxie has it's original 390FE mill still and - although it runs good - is getting a little long in the tooth....

Today I started on the tear down:

The engine's internals turned out to be in VERY good shape. Barely any cylinder ridge, all the bearings where nice, no scratches on any journals - I mean, it barely needed a tear down - but how do you know? You don't - so you do the tear down, check all the parts, do a full cleanup and rebuild it even better than it was....

Of course the 56 Chevrolet is still here, and there's a few minor items left before I can deliver it. This being winter - and the owners not really having anywhere to store it yet - I can take some time to get these items done. Today I detailed the wheels and tires:

In addition to touching up the wheels with some flat black, I cleaned the tires. For the white wall stripe I used Wax and grease remover, which is a light solvent and takes an grease and grime off, then some Spray 9, to make them shiny white. For the black portions I used WD40! This stuff has thousands of uses and leaves a perfect sheen to tires. I see I forgot to take a photo of the entire thing, but will tomorrow.

Lastly, I ran it up again and did some more tuning. This time though I found my exhaust ducting and ran it out the door. You can see that it's nothing more than flexible dryer ducting. It's not very durable, but if you take care of it, it'll last a while - and at $10 for 6 feet, I can buy a lot for what a length of real shop rubber exhaust hose costs, which is about $200. Still, much better than filling the shop with fumes then running it out the wall fan.

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com for lots of "How-To" and some new photo's of Mrs E-tek! ;)

Next up at the E-tek compound......

2011-12-20T20:49:00.001-06:00

A lthough the 56 Chevrolet truck still has a few days of finishing work before the keys can be truly handed over to the owners, I've already been thinking about and lining up my own projects, as well as a special purchase that will help me move some of my mechanical skills into the 21st Century!

First, let's have a look at some things already in the E-tek compound:

Above: a 1971 Datsun 240Z on the rotisserie. This was originally purchased as the spare/parts car for E-tek Racing's IP2 effort that Mrs E-tek (Chili) raced out of Westwood in Vancouver, BC

Left: I pulled this Ford 390FE Engine from a 1967 Camper Special . It'll make up the base for a twin-turbo engine I'm building for our '67 Galaxie 500XL Convertible.

The Galaxie currently has a 390-2bbl which MAYBE maxes out 250HP. With a full rebuild, bumping the compression closer to 9.5, a dual plane intake, 4 barrel carb and a power-adder, I would hope to net something closer to 450, maybe even 500HP.

Out at the farm, my father-in-law has a 351Windsor engine just waiting to be saved, as well as this 38 Ford truck shell. Not really restoration material, it does however lend itself to a rodders dream effort.

If the frame is solid we can use it, otherwise we'll just build a frame from 2x4 tubing and cut the shell down to look the part. Something along these lines. The term "Rat-Rod" is thrown around a lot, but well built examples aren't much different than the "rods" that graces the tracks and road ways of the 40's and 50's.

Lastly, and certainly way out of the box around here, I'll be picking up this 2003 Porsche Boxster S come spring. As much as I love classics, big engines and muscle, I also love the intricacies of driving, the technical highs of well-made 21st century marquees. I have always wanted to do some to hone my driving skills with racing and auto crossing and the Boxster S is a nimble, sure-footed and hard-braking example of German technocracy. As well, I'll be able to move m mechanical skills into the future by learning more about the newer hardware and software out there.

Of course, it won't hurt to have something that can compete with Mrs. E-tek's Mini Cooper, especially since she wants me to put in the smaller pulley kit that increases boost from her supercharger 17%!

Like Father, Like Son....

2011-12-18T11:48:00.000-06:00

My 8 year old son Colt has been into LEGO for years now. But these aren't the (boring) blocks we all used as kids - now LEGO comes in more pieces and sets than Detroit uses to build their fleets! Not to mention the characters: including LEGO StarWars people of every iteration, LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean, LEGO Ferrari sets, there's hundreds and the boy has gotten many for birthdays, Christmases and many purchased using his own allowance.

Of course in these days of cross marketing, there are also LEGO Video Games for the various consoles. We have aWii and the kid has had the LEGO StarWars Game for a while, then got the newest LEGO Batman game. Interestingly though, LEGO doesn't make the Batman characters yet - but that doesn't stop a creative mind!

So last week Colt asked me for my shop SHARPE markers. He went out and got a few, then made himself busy upstairs. A little while later, he showed me his new LEGO Batman and Robin Mini-figures. Then again today, he called me to come see his latest creations:

The green one, well none other than the Riddler. The white one? Two-Face....and the blue one is Mr Freeze. Later he made Poison Ivy and some other villains I don't know. One thing I do know - the new world is full of incredible new jobs that kids like Colt will be able to chase. It's a far cry from Policeman, Fireman or Tradesman.....

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !

Hot Rod TV just RUINED Corky Coker for me! (See UPDATE below post!)

2011-12-17T09:58:00.001-06:00

At the E-tek household, Saturday mornings generally start with several cups of Java, while my son Colton and I watch car shows. Powerblock TV, Two Guys Garage (I still miss Sam Memolo!) and Hot Rod TV, a TV show from the guys behind HotRod Magazine, every cool-car guys bible.

This morning I'm watching what could have been an awesome idea for a show, a special, heck I'd even pay $10 to see it as a movie. The idea was to have a host cruise around looking for "barn-finds" - cool old iron hiding out in sheds, garages and shops across, in this case, the south. A great idea for a show for sure because every car guy has heard about - and dreams of - coming of across a rare model that was parked long ago and can be hauled home and returned to it's original glory.

The host for this particular iteration of "Barn Finds TV" was none other than Corkey Coker, the multi-millionaire son of Harold Coker who started re-manufacturing old-style tires from his BF Goodrich tire store for the masses of cars being restored around the world. Over the years I've read a lot about Corky, as HotRod Magazine and other print media have featured him in many articles owing to his interest in all things automotive.

In print Corky rocks, with his bushy, curled under moustache and his penchant for finding, restoring and using classic cars of every size, shape and vintage. The millions he's skimmed off the profits of Coker Tire has also allowed him a lifestyle coveted by car-guys around the globe and when I see or read about people like that, there's always a part of me that hopes the guys is a decent sort, someone who knows how lucky he is and cares about the cars and people involved and maybe, just maybe, treats them with one-tenth the respect that people deserve to be treated, even if they don't travel in the concours de'elegance crowd of a Corky Coker.

On TV however, the way someone is portrayed - due largely to editing - can make or break the show and, of course, the host or person being featured. The way some editor decides to cut the shots, the things the get people say and the decisions as to what makes it into the final edit can seriously affect the personalities featured. In this case that personality was Corky Coker and that 20 minutes was enough to make him look like a cheap, grind you for $500, self-serving southern dufus!

The guy was so brutally portrayed, that that one show was enough to make me hate the guy! Poor rich bastard. Now I'm sure Corky Coker, or the editors of HotRod TV, didn't mean to make him look like the kind of guy that grinds you for $200 on a $10,000 car while holding $50 grand in his wallet, but that's what happened! And it's amazing to me that they - or anyone involved in the production of this episode - wouldn't have seen that having some rich guy cruise around finding rare old metal that any of us would beg, borrow and maybe even trade our kids for, then grind the owners down from $7500 to $6700 would be good for the guys persona! Poor rich bastard indeed.

*************************************************************************
Well, so much for always giving people the benefit of the doubt (and blaming editors!).....

I posted thisblog entry on www.GarageJournal.com and not 2 minutes later another member posted a link to www.Hotrodders.com (excellent site) where they explain how Corky made himself out to be even (much) worse than he was portrayed on the HotRod TV episode! My aplogied to the editors of HR-TV!!!

Maybe Corky Coker really is "like that"!
Weird.

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !

There sure is a LOT to do when it looks finished!

2011-12-16T22:23:00.002-06:00

If you've been following, you'll know I called it nearly finished some time back.... I mean, it LOOKS done - right?

Even the lights work!

Of course if you've been following you'd also know we spent a TON of time troubleshooting the fuel system to get it running. It was like one of those Troubleshooting Tests where they hide some problem and you try to start it up.... Well, our "hidden" issue was a kink in the flex line from the tank line to the frame line - about 4" long and tucked up under the cab. So about 15 hours later I finally thought to check it. Kinked like a folding table. So I rebent and adjsuted the steel lines and relieved the pressure on the flex line portion. Fuel is now flowing!

Regardless, it still needed the carb to be rebuilt. And it needed a new fuel pump. Really, it needed.....a ton of LOVE I guess! So after all that spilled gas and wrenching, it was time to re-clean all the components that got all that love and attention.! First up was re-applying the Golden Cad from Eastwood, which does a good job re-creating the cadmium plating carbs got.

Dropped it back on - all tuned and measured, the floats now set and finally - had it running! Can you tell it's running at about 2500 rpm in this pic?

Now here's where the "issues" start appearing.... A while back, when I was doing the rear brakes, I got around to the front and noticed when I removed the Left Front wheel and drum that the shoes where new-ish and the brake cylinder looked good. the owners son happened to be there, so I asked if I should leave them as is and he said "yes", so I did...... You KNOW where this is going.... ;(

So, when working under the truck a few days back, we noticed brake fluid coming from the RIGHT front wheel. Now that the thing is running I decided to pull it and see...and sure enough the brake cylinder was gushing fluid . Another thing that needs resto and shoulda been done! Now it is. Once the wheel went back on, I put a light coat of semi-gloss on the wheel and left it overnight to dry. Perfection. So, that leaves the LEFT front corner the ONLY bit on the entire truck that wasn't completely restored. That'll happen tomorrow for sure.

What else needs doing you ask? Well, the rear signal lights, turn signals, horn and more are all on that steering column harness that was so unceremoniously cut off - so I'll try to find one of those connectors. Once the engine gets run up you find a lot of leaks, and while we dealt with most, there's still a couple pesky ones - one at the heater core (I hope it's not the core itself...), so I'll deal with those. Bought new window cranks- that's take a few minutes. As well, the front licence plate holder has to go under the bumper - so I have to remove the entire bumper to get that item on. a bunch of other wiring to - the accessory block and heater fan come to mind.

Once all that is complete, I'll machine polish it, detail it and then hand the keys over to the owner. I'm sure I'll be sad to see it go.

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com ! Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com and www.CarCraft.com !

Is it the fuel pump? The carb? Floats? Lines? Filter?

2011-12-15T23:28:00.000-06:00

As you'll know if you've been following along, we've spent several days (and many hours)trying to get the beautiful '56 Chevy running - and running properly. Being a scientific thinker and understanding the value of troubleshooting, I have been though every system on the truck in order that it would run as it should. After many different attempts at troubleshooting, we finally got it running, reasonably well, but only while introducing fuel through the carb top.

After rebuilding the carb, trying it with and without the filter, pushing air through the lines, checking the fuel pick up and everything else, it was till only pushing a small amount of fuel out of the pump - and not enough to reach the carb! This is where my love of cars turns into a seething hatred for all things GM!
So what the hell? I know a fuel pump puts out 3-5 psi, so more than a dribble should come out - right?! Right! The odd thing was that when we hooked up a vacuum to the line, we where able to get gas to flow fairly easily.

Then, the proverbial light bulb! There's a short flex-line between the cab and frame lines and it's really the only part that hadn't been removed and checked. So up she went on the BendPak. Sure enough, it didn't even take a second to see that the GD piece was kinked. BAM. Major issue found!

So I bend the lines until the pressure was relieved on the flex-line portion and went back to the engine bay to see what would happen....sure enough, the fuel is now POURING out of that line and into the pump. But even so, it still wouldn't pump all that hard through the old pump. So back on went the new pump, this time: success, now THAT'S what 3-5psi looks like!
But even so, it still ran and bogged as though it wasn't getting enough fuel into the float bowls. So off the carb came for the THIRD time! And here's what I saw:

The float drop measurement - which I just checked when I rebuilt the carb last week - should be 1 3/4". It was more like 2 1/4"! So, after setting it the first time I must have bent it when I opened it up to check the gasket placement....sometimes you can't win for loosing!

To be PERFECTLY HONEST, I have NEVER run into a situation like this in 35 years working on cars. After you learn COMPRESSION-TIMING-SPARK-FUEL things normally move along.

Sure, sometimes you have to troubleshoot every system on your way to get it running, but this thing has been absolutely backbreaking!! It's also been burdensome, exhausting, fatiguing, formidable, grueling, harsh, heavy, laborious, murderous, no picnic, onerous, painful, punishing, rigorous, rough, severe, strenuous, taxing, tiring, toilsome, tough, troublesome, trying, uphill. I can't say it any clearer than that!!

Tomorrow, I'll put the carb back together and HOPEFULLY can get this thing moving!!!
Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !

2011-12-13T22:14:00.000-06:00

Here are the replies and comments from several site I posted these tests on:

From Garage Journal.com

From theoldwizard:
"I have read on several forums that POR15 will not adhere to new metal. I have no idea what type of metal prep, if any, was done."

It definitely DOES NOT adhere well to new, SMOOTH metal. It needs something to bite into, either surface rust, or properly prepared new metal. You can either sand it with 80 on the DA, grind it, or use Metal Ready/MetalPRep/OSPHO, etc. . They do the job by roughening up the metal enough so that the POR15 can bind. It also doesn't stick to previously painted surfaces without proper prep either.

From kc-steve:
"Is there a recommended time limit before sanding POR-15? Due to the fact that I brush it on, I'd rather try and smooth it out before applying primer and paint."

It does a great job or self-levelling itself, especially if you apply thin coats. If you are going to top-coat with primer or paint, either do so after it's dr but before 24 hours, or - if you waited longer - use their Tie-Coat primer to tie the two products together.

From widerberg:
"Forgot to say, thanks, E-tek! You got me thinking about these products again.Have you done anything with internal (cavity) rust proofing/preventing? I was going to go with Waxoyl (Waxoyl 120-4) for the inside of my Landy's frame, but cheaped out and bought a couple aerosol cans of Eastwood's similar product instead."

I used Eastwood's Internal Frame Coating and wrote it up on my web site. It seems like it would do the intended job of repelling mositure, since it's an oil/wax substance. I did like the applicator they've come up with - it has a long tube and a broadcast tip so you can get it all the way into enclosed areas like frames and body channels. I haven't looked at long-term results yet through.

From ElectroLight:
"I used Eastwood's Rust Encapsulator on my truck frame (bought a kit) and I'm not impressed. Not long afterward, the rust started to return. The rest of the Eastwood products found their way to the trash can, I will use POR15 from now on..."
Thanks for adding your experience.

From widerberg:
"I don't want to hijack the thread, but in the case of my frame, I am going to have it blasted, but wanted to POR-15 or Rust Encapsulate it also. POR-15, especially, I've heard creates a super hard shell, which I like the sound of. Mostly, I'm just going for overkill here in case any microscopic traces of rust survive media blasting."

My preferred method for frames and body panel undersides is just that: sandblast, wipe down with a wax&grease remover and apply 2 coats of POR15, each applied thinly by brush and within 8 -16 hours of eachother.

From the Stovebolt Forums:

"you don't have to sell me on Por15. It's been my drug of choice for years.
I had to grind some off the chassis to weld a bracket for the power steering box on my panel. While I'll admit I used a flap-disk on it I could still tell its some tough stuff. Nuff said!."

From MP&C:
"In using POR as a stand-alone product, painted over slight surface rust as you described, it was on there as if it had been powdercoated. Smacked it with a screwdriver a couple times, didn't even leave a mark. On another occasion, we had some bare metal with some factory finish paint (from mid 50's) next to it, and the POR was used to cover both surfaces (for consistency). After curing, the POR peeled off in sheets from the painted surface."

VERY IMPORTANT!

Number ONE most important thing about POR15 is that it NEEDS soemthing to bite to. Rust is perfect, but if you want to coat new metal or previously painted surfaces, you have to prepare them properly. New metal can be prepped with their Metal Prep, which gives it a slight etch, or it can be sanded with 80 on the DA, or hit with the grinder (though I'd still go over with the DA to make sure it's evenly scuffed). Painted suraces have to be well-sanded. I'd go with 320.

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !

POR15 vs Zero Rust and Eastwood's Rust Encapulator - NO CONTEST!

2011-12-12T20:02:00.002-06:00

A couple years back I made some comments on various websites whereby I said that I couldn't see HOW a spray-can product (such as Zero Rust and Rust Encapsulator) could have the same properties - and therefore work the same - as would products like POR15 ( and now RustBullet), which are single-part epoxy products.

Some time after making those comments, the Zero Rust people sent me some of their product and asked me to try it, which I did. After several trials in my restoration business, I still felt the same way, but there where a few voices - some in the profession - saying otherwise. It was then that I decided to do some actual "testing"of these products. As luck would have it, I had also just partnered with Eastwood, so I ordered some samples of their product, Rust Encapsulator,as well.

While not a "scientific" test, it is a "real world" and "as intended" trail. The products where used as recommended, the way an enthusiast would use them in their shops or garages. In every instance, both Rust Encapsulator and Zero Rust were applied from the spray cans supplied, using 3-5 medium wet coats. The POR15 was applied with a brush in a single, thin coat. Regardless of the number of coats or the percieved thickness of product application, all products where applied per instructions, at temperatures near 60F/15C and as you would in practice, to cover rust and confer some protection, as advertised.

I have 3 expereinces (or "tests" if you will) to share with you:

In the first instance, I applied Eastwood's Rust Encapsulator and POR15 to either end of a spare tailgate for my 1946 Mercury truck. This item had lived outside for a long time and had developed an even surface rust, making them the exact surfaces applicable for these products. Since the application of these products, this particular Tailgate was kept inside my shop, dry, at temperatures between 7C and 25C. In this trial then, the products where not subjected to harsh conditions (as per a susequent, ongoing test) so we can see how they age on their own.

After about 2 years one can see that the Rust Encapsulator has "thinned", while the POR15 has remained solid and opaque. Again, this part stayed inside my shop all this time, so I'm not sure why the amount of Rust Encapsulator would have decreased on the panel. Looking closely, you can almost see the rust through the coating in some spots, leading me to believe there is a lack of solids in the product and that one may infer it will ot provide a long-lasting coating.

1946 Mercury Tailgate: On the left is the Rust Encapsulator, on the right the POR15.

Above: If you look closely at the above photo, you'll see how the Rust Encapsulator has - for lack of a better term - worn out. You can almost see through it to the rusted surface in some spots. If exposed to the elements outside, I would guess the product would provide less than optimal protection.

Below is the POR15 coated portion. It still looks solid and opaque. There doesn't appear to be a weakening or wearing of the product and rust-through is non-existent.

Of course that being a fairly easy test and certainly not the one everone wants to see, I did a second test where the part (another tailgate) was left in the elements for an extended time. This time all three products (POR15, Rust Encapsulator and ZeroRust) where used on a Chevy tailgate that had been exposed to the elements long enough to produce a heavy coating of surface rust on it. After proper application of all 3 products, the tailgate has been left outside, throughout the seasons. This test was started about 6 months ago, so not yet ready to be reported on. I'll do a full posting on the results in another 12-18 months, depending on how fast I see differences in the performance of the products.

This third experience speaks to the compositon of these products, their robustness, as well as their ability to resist chemical degradation and protect what is under them:
We all know that brake fluid is highly toxic to paint - right? In the photo below, the brake backing and tie rod on a 1956 Chevy Truck restoration where brush painted with POR15, but the wheel rim was sprayed with Zero Rust. After bleeding the brakes and getting brake fluid all over both surfaces, the Zero Rust was completely removed while the POR15 was untouched. Up close, one could see the POR15 was completely intact and would likely never be impacted by brake fluid. Again, both surfaces where in prolongued (several days) contact with brake fluid before being noticed and wiped down.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that products in a spray can cannot dry as would an epoxy. If it did, it would ruin the spray tip so that upon second use, it would not spray again! For anyone that has ever used POR15 (which cures in the presence of atmopheric moisture) you know just how hard it dries. It actually WELDS the lid to the can and it dries to a hard shell, regardless of how thickly or thin it is applied. On a suitable surface, POR15 bonds like nothing else you'll ever try.

The exposure test will be the most telling. After 2 years exposure to the elements, in a climate that ranges between 30 below (-28F) to 30 above (120F), we'll be able to say it was tested under the most extreme conditions! So check back to this site often, or better yet, sign up with your email address for update notification!

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !

The Mrs E-tek/Chili Hill photo shoot!

2011-12-10T12:25:00.000-06:00

As this project will ony be here for a few more weeks, I took the opportunity to shoot some photo's with the "official" E-tek model, Mrs E-tek (aka "Chili").

Here's how the shoot turned out:

Don't forget - there's a nice TRUCK in these photo's..... ;)

Of course it can't ALL be about the truck - can it? Here's a few others we shot:

That's it for now - but check back regularily to see new shots of "chili" and lots more resto-work!

Don't forget to check back in at my website: www.E-tekRestorations.com !

Lights, decals, ACTION!

2011-12-09T18:43:00.079-06:00

More details today......

I put in a "near" final LMC order for the owners and the parts arrived today. All those little things forgotten, overlooked, or just plain missed - until it's nearly done. But what a difference they can make! One of my (many) favourite parts of these restorations are the decals. They make the vehicle look like it just came from the dealership!

....along with the other stuff that came in the package.

This is a Peep Mirror. So small, yet it nearly makes the entire truck!

Interior light cover. You'd never notice it - until it isn't there.

Marker lights. Licence plate and surround.

The plate alone took several hours of work. It was bent, rusty and illegible. An earlier post describes the steps, but in a nutshell: sand-blast, hammer and dolly, then wood paddle and dolly, sand, primer, sand and repeat (x5!), paint lettering white, then clear. When dry apply top color - which all wrinkled due to some mismatched chemical. Strip again, primer, paint raised letters white, clear, top coat again. This time all good. Wet sand top color off lettering to expose the white, then cleared the entire plate. Nothing to it!

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !

Electrical issues slowing me down!

2011-12-06T18:29:00.000-06:00

Due to the cut steering column harness, the new engine and lights harnesses, as well as having to re-hook every last wire and having to re-time the dizzy.....in addition to the foot-starter system, this sweetheart is proving to be a pain to get running! Even the 1974 Dodge Challenger, with it's complicated MOPAR electrical system, was easier to get running!

I spent some time last weekend re-timing the dizzy (for the third time!), just to be sure. It all matched up again. I reset the points and then turned it over again. It fired, several times and is "close" to running, but still has not. I'm sure it's something simple, but just haven't found this old girls sweet-spot!

Today, with the Internet, it's easy to confer with experts in every area. I started a thread on the Stovebolt Forum and got a little more advice from one of the members there. Once I get back to it Thursday I'll be armed with everything I know, plus anything else I can learn in the meantime. It WILL start!

Which will be bitter-sweet, because it's really the LAST thing that needs to be done. After 350 hours over nearly 2 years, I'll be a little sad to see it done!

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !

Finished?? Not by a long shot!!!

2011-12-02T23:41:00.001-06:00

Even though I've named a few threads "near completion" or some such thing, the details involved in getting a total resto 'road ready' add up to many hours of work and it's mostl the stuff no-one ever see's. Projects always "look" finished way sooner than they ever get finished. Of course some will alwas say: are they ever really finished?

Over the past couple of weeks - and especially the past couple of days - I've done a bunch of big and things, front to back, that still needed doing. As well, there's the things you catch on a go-through that take longer than expected. During the run-up to this stage, I kept a list taped to the windsheild where I kept track of a lot of little things that needed doing. Such items included final brake bleed, checking the tranny mount bolts and bending up the safety tabs, checking annd filling the tranny and diff with gear oil and cleaning up any wires that where run down the frame rails.

Besides another two trips around the brake bleeders, including having someone pump the pedal to get that final "hard-pedal" feel, it was the box tie-downs that took the most time. After putting nuts and washers on most of the nearly 70 carriage bolts that go though the bed strips (2 stringers are awaiting missing cross beams), I got to work positioning the entire bed to line up with the bed to frame holes.

The front holes where relatively easy as I was able to line up and drill from the bottom with my short, 90 degree drill:

Above: Lining up the frame to box holes from below.
Below: Drilling up through the box wood with 90 degree drill.

Unfortunately, no matter what I tried, I could not get a drill in from the bottom on the rear holes. I tried shorter bits, putting the bit in first and even using a drill adapter - with no luck. So, with a level, a square and a tape measure, I pinpointed the entry point of the holes and drilled them from the top. God forbid I got it wrong, as there's no hiding a hole here!

As it where, the old adage "measure thrice, drill once" worked.

The owner also brought the new battery over. I switched the one I was using out, which fit perfectly and we put the new one in. Unfortunately, even though the dimensions where the same, the new battery has rails on either side for a plastic carrying handle, which are now in the way of the top hold-down frame. We'll either have to remove them, or find one without those rails.... Add that to the list.

During all this work, I was also doing some final prep on the original 1956 "farm" plate. After sanding the yellow to expose the white lettering underneath, I masked it all up again to do a final coat of white on the large letter and numbers:

In case ou missed the procedure, the plate was first sprayed white, then a few coats of clear where applied. After that, the entire plate was coated in yellow.

Finally, the raised letters and numbers are wet-sanded to reveal the white underneath:

As the plate is so old and had sustained a lot of damage over the years, it was difficult to remove all of the yellow from the large letter and numbers without going through to the metal. I opted to mask it up once more and spray several more coats of white on those areas. Better too much paint than too little!

Unmasked, here is the (near) final product - I'll just touch up the smaller letters and it can be mounted on the front of the Chevrolet again!

Today in the mail was my own plate, for our '46 Merc Truck, When we got the truck several year back, my youngest son Colton named it the "Old Man" and we've referred to it as that ever since. THAT's how memories are built!

I wonder how long the undersides of these trucks looked like this after purchase....and then I wonder how long this one will too.....

While under the truck, I checked the gear oil levels and added half a quart of gear oil to the pumpkin and nearly a quart to the tranny! You can bet these haven't been topped up for 30 or more years - if ever! The "Old Man", (our 46 Merc truck) drank 1.5 quarts when I got him, which made one hell of a difference in shifting ease and decreased running noise substantially!

Another detail was routing and protecting the rear light wires:

After wiring up the taillights, I installed all the wires in corrugated wire wrap. This will not only keep them protected, but, mabe more importantly on this vehicle, looks clean and organized!

Finally, I spent some more time in the engine bay. The owners wanted to be here when the engine fires and runs for the first time - which is a great idea for sure, but it can go south quickl if you invite everyone over and the troubleshooting takes 8 hours!!
So, in order to facilitate that day, I put some gas in the carb and kicked it over, only to get a couple more back-fires, even though I rotated the dizzy 180 degrees. So, once again I removed the #1 plug, cranked it over to get it to TDC and then re-strung the wires as per firing order. I also noticed a little gas leaking around the phenolic carb spacer, so I quickly fabbed up some gaskets for that too.

Once the carb was removed and gasketted, I cinched it back down, added some more fuel and cranked the engine over - success! The engine fired and ran for a few seconds.....however that RARELY means it's ready to run for any longer than that....

Then, as if to confirm my suspicions that it would be ready to run quite yet, as I tried to relight it, the starter began to act up. It would either get hung up on the flywheel and not turn, or release and then not re-engage. Then, just as I was going to remove it to see what was happening, the 3 o'clock bell sounded - time to pick up the kids from school!

It'll have to get pulled tomorrow!

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !

2011-11-28T22:26:00.001-06:00

A couple months ago, I purchased a complete, running, 390 FE FORD engine, which I removed from the '68 F150 truck it was residing in. My plans are to do a full rebuild on it, then add some sort of power-adding kit and stuff it in my 1967 Galaxie 500XL convertible. I'd like it to be as reliable as is the 390 that's in it now, but get about 500HP by 5000RPM.

The current mill in the Gal has really turned me into an FE believer. It has NEVER balked in the 8 years I've owned it and for who-knows how long before that. It's only a 2 bbl, but runs as strong as any 4 bbl motor I've had. I'm guessing it only pushes about 250hp right now, maybe less, so my goal of 500hp would make a healthy difference, even in a 4000 lb land-yacht!

One tact would be to go with Edelbrock's Performer RPM package. The heads/Intake/Cam combo will easily meet my power and reliability goals, but is rather pricey. Below are the Edelbrock-recommended parts needed to turn a base 390 FE into a Vic-stoked powermill:

Edelbrock 7505 - Edelbrock Performer RPM Dual-Quad Air-Gap Intake Manifolds $43

Edelbrock 60069 - Edelbrock Performer RPM Cylinder Heads $750

Edelbrock 5767 - Edelbrock Sure Seat Valve Springs $87

Edelbrock 7106 - Edelbrock Performer RPM Cam and Lifter Kits $196

COMP Cams 7106 - COMP Cams Keyway Adjustable Billet Timing Sets $132

700CFM HolleyCarb $400

Total = $2001, which, as we all well know, will be closer to $3000 minimum once installed!

All in, I could see this build being in the car for about $3000.

The other way to go, would be a reasonably stock rebuild, with a cast crank and pistons, but then adding a universal T3/4 Turbo kit. These kits sell for about $1000 online, but require a LOT more fabrication work. This work includes making up an exhaust manifold/turbo intake flange system, plus routing and connecting of the various inlet and exhaust tubes, intercooler parts and oil lines.

All in, the smoke would likel clear somewhere around $2500 with this method of adding power.

The debate continues!

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !

2011-11-27T16:38:00.001-06:00

Today, being Sunday, was reserved for family time, as well as some clean-up and organizing in the shop. My son Colt came in (in his PJ's!) and decided to do some work on his project, the 1971 Datsun 240Z. Of course it's up on the rotisserie, so he has to step in through the sunroof....

Having several engines that need rebuilding in the shop, I needed more shelving for storing the parts. As anyone who's taken apart a car or engine knows, as soon as you take something apart, it's space requirements expand exponentially. If you don't a lot of empty space to put all the parts, fasteners and new stuff, you'll end up piling parts on top of other stuff, making a mess and you risk becoming totally disorganized.

I save everything. to make the shelves, I took a bunch of scrap wood from a deck I dismantled about 5 ears back, as well as some bi-fold closet doors that came out of our bedroom for the renovation. Now re-purposed, I have an extra 15' of shelf space to store the engine parts!

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com ! Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com and www.CarCraft.com !

Details and parting shots

2011-11-26T10:40:00.001-06:00

The owners son and grandson spent the day here today. This beautiful truck, with it's important family lineage, will be handed down through these generations and it was a thrill to have them here to photograph while it was being put together. As a restorer, I find it very satisfying to bring any vehicle back from a wreck to a show-stealer, but when there's a story behind the vehicle, especially one that involves family memories, it makes my work all the more special.

While the kids played in the yard, inside with the Lego-Batman Wii game, or in the shop (carefully!), I layed under the truck threading nearly a hundred nuts on the bed's carriage bolts. It was a tedious two-man job so it was nice to have someone to help me out by holding the tops still.

Warren also shaved some clips we needed for the front Windshield moulding, by running them against the grinding wheel. Unfortunately, although these replacement plastic clips looked like the would work, they still wouldn't hold the moulding as tightly as did the original clips. Below is the clip, in it's receptacle (without the moulding):

Back to the drawing board with this one!

The side rail bolt holes still needed to be drilled through the bed wood pieces. After drilling, I brushed in some clear lacquer to provide protection to the wood. As you will sometimes find, the supplied bolt kit came with some incorrectly included fasteners. In this case there where carriage bolts of a larger size, which didn't fit anywhere, necessitating another trip to the bolt supply store - thanks Warren!

As is often the case with car/garage guys, the next generations get indoctrinated into the car and truck culture early! Even though the owners of this beauty don't have their own garage, memories will be forged by having them come in and take part - or play - while this one is being restored. I know first-hand what it's like to have fond memories of seeing vehicles built my Dad and plaing in the shop, so I always encourage people to bring their own kids - and family members - around as the project progresses.

The owner's grandson Alex has the red hat, while my own son, Colt is in the blue jacket. As you can tell by their attire, it's winter in Saskatchewan!

Checking lug nuts....

As I've said before - it's all in the details. Can you spot the addition?

We put it back on the hoist to get the last items buttoned up. I still need to bleed the brakes, tighten a few more fasteners, wire up the taillights and get the engine broken in - all the fun stuff! One thing is certain: it's easy to rush it out at this point. The customers are excited, it looks finished and I have other projects to move on to. But it's imperative to take some time here and get everything done and done right. The last thing anyone wants (especially me!) are minor annoyances, like a tailight that won't work or a loose trim piece, that detract from the 300 hours of hard work that went into the build.

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com ! Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com and www.CarCraft.com !

2011-11-24T22:22:00.000-06:00

OK, here she is - EVER CLOSER to being completed! Sure, there's still many details to attend to (like bleeding the brakes!), but what you see now is a 1956 Chevy Truck, as it appeared new (OK, likely a little better than new!)

Today I finished up the doors: trim plates, seals, mirror and outside handles. as well, the bed wood was trimmed to fit and now it all goes together like butta'. Warren (the owners son) and I bolted up the fenders and bolted on the steps. Then I re-installed the spare tire carrier and put some clear rock gaurd sheets on the step sills to protective those areas from wear (again, a great idea attributed to Warren!).

Tomorrow there'll be a lot of nuts and bolts to tighten and check, the Tailgate will be hung and the doors rechecked.

Luckily, the temperatures have warmed, so I can get the Galaxie off the lift and put the truck back on. That'll allow us to bleed the brakes, do a lot of undercarriage work and even work on getting the engine broken in. Keep watching!

About the only things I'm still waiting on are the front marker lights and front shocks. They should show up soon I hope. Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com - lots of How To, Why to, Who to and absolutely no doo-doo!!!

Doors and more!

2011-11-19T20:17:00.003-06:00

Went motorcycle shopping with Mrs E-tek today. She likes the softtails. The day may end up costing me $30K.... So, back to work!

After motorcycle shopping, I got a little more done on the Chevy prior to the owners coming to check it out. With those adjustments, the doors close very nicely. (Not Acura nice - but 50's Chevrolet nice.)

The gas tank line - from the cab to the rail - needed to be hooked up in order to get gas for the next start up. Of course, as go most things in the resto of a 60 year old truck, one of the lines had a seized end on it, so after first trying several spray-lubes, heat and knocking the fitting loose, I ended up cutting the end off and flaring on a new fitting. Once the end was free I was able to hook the parts up so fuel will once again flow to the pump and engine.

The truck is looking the part once again. Here's a photo of the front end, nearing completion.

As with so many things, it's the details that make the whole. The hubcaps, with creme colored centers, with white-wall tires, really give a nice contrast to the trucks robin-egg hue.

After a couple months in this position, I cleaned up the shop, got a 390FE engine I'm working on (for the Galaxie) onto a stand and out of the way and swung the '56 over. This way there will be enough room to get the box done without danger of being too close to anything else in the shop.

Here's that 390 I put on the stand. One day it'll be as clean as the truck (with twin turbo's too)!!

Stay tuned!

Doors, glass and paint protection

2011-11-18T21:54:00.001-06:00

After so much work went into paint, the owners decided that - while paint protection was paramount -

they didn't want to see undercoating covering so much of it. So, instead of attaching the rear fenders and coating the box sides with rubberized undercoating, I sourced clear rock guard film from a vinyl graphics and sign company (Trimline in Saskatoon) for the box sides under the fenders. Now when you look from the side, you won't just see black undercoating. Expensive, but definitely worth it!

After it's cut to fit, a soapy water is sprayed to allow time to place the film and work out the air.

Once all the water is worked out the film is nearly invisible.

As I was applying the clear film, the front and rear glass where being installed. It was my first time using Showtime Glass and the owner, Chase really impressed me with his expertise, care and attention to detail. He'll definitely be our glass vendor of choice fro now on!

A suction cup is used to pull the glass into the truck so the rubber seal can be manipulated into place. It takes some wiggling and a little slapping, but he got it in and it really completes the "look".

On a side note: one of the trucks' owners was over, helping me get the doors mounted and he took a couple photo's with his BB Phone - basically the same device I use to take all these blog photo's. One look at his photo's however told us there was something wrong with my device. His photo's where SO much more crisp, with WAY more depth, contrast and clarity! Was it maybe my lens? Could it just be dirty?

Sure enough, he cleans it out and the next photo's where like day and night. So, if you're using a digital device(especially a phone), remember to clean the lens regularly. It makes a HUGE difference:

The doors also went on today. It's nice to have two guys for this job, even just to get them hung. Of course hanging them is barely one-tenth the job. If you've ever done this, you'll know how many times you have to loosen and tighten the hinge bolts while moving the door - in, out, up and down - to get it to fit right. A real time-saver is to drill a small (1/8") hole in the hinges - on both the body and door sides. This gives you a "close-enough" point when first bolting them up, then final adjustments can be done when the door seals are installed.

Next, we'll tackle the bed wood install, then the rear fenders and steps!

Bed wood and chrome trim

2011-11-15T20:56:00.003-06:00

The bed wood was delivered by one of the owners. It looks spectacular! Several coats of marine-grade Epoxy where used and they look like glass was glued to each piece! This is really going to be a crowning touch.

What should be a fairly straightforward install was thrown into disarray when I noticed some fitment issues. The rails that where replaced on the box sides where giving me grief. Although a lot of measuring and fitting was done - there doesn't seem to be enough room to get the wood under those pieces. Everything else fits well and it should go together well, as soon as I figure out this issue!

Anytime I run into a "problem", I generally think it through for a while, then go on to something else before going back to it. Next up was installing the (now black) trim pieces. To further protect the fenders - and ensure a tight fit - I cut out some rubber washers to act as cushions behind the nuts that attach these trim pieces to the body panels.

They look great - if I do say so myself!

The hood trim is like the crowning touch! I think it looks great either way: black and red or red and black. After more research I found examples of both styles, so I'm sure it's a matter of personal taste.

Next, the Front and rear glass gets installed, then I can install the doors!

A few other things that where done today include getting the taillights mounted, a front tire was removed for resealing and I spent a couple hours getting my 390FE engine onto a new engine stand.

If you're interested in a 390FE rebuild, plus the custom installation of a turbo to it, stay tuned to this blog!

The big run-up to completion!

2011-11-14T21:41:00.000-06:00

This week is going to go a LONG way to getting her to look like a complete project. After (too) much time on stuff you can't really see (wiring!), I'm about ready to install the doors, the bed wood was beautifully coated by one of the owners and the rear fenders are here. As well, on Friday the F & R Glass goes back in.

Once I get some of those parts on, I'll move it back to the lift. That'll give me more access to finish up the brake system, rear light wiring, do a basic alignment and tune it up.

Stay tuned - by next weekend I hope to be taking some "Near completion" photo's!

Yikes, after a year and a half and nearly 300 hours on this sweetheart...it's time to start thinking of the next project.... :)

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com ! Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com and www.CarCraft.com !

Chrome trim paint

2011-11-13T22:43:00.001-06:00

Today was Sunday. Family and rest....but rest takes on many forms - right?

After a family walk and playing with the kids for a few hours, I sat down to search out some more information on the ignition wiring situation and did a little detailing on some of the trim pieces. You may recall I painted them red first. While looking at different examples with one of the owners, including the LMC parts book, we decided they should be black, with red inserts. Today, with a razor, I carefully stripped the paint from the parts that are to be left chrome. I think they look great!

Anyone who has done some factory-correct restoration work knows how much research goes into a build. Like anything, these days information is readily available - if you search long and hard enough. After a couple hours of troubleshooting the ignition on Friday, I found a better schematic today online and got some more information from the members on the HAMB Forum. The HAMB forum is devoted to older cars and trucks in every form and a great place to get a lot of information quickly.

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com ! Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com and www.CarCraft.com !

Let's get this started! Part 2...of several.

2011-11-12T22:46:00.110-06:00

Quite a bit of time spent today getting the wiring sorted out. What was throwing me for a loop was the one-position ignition switch that wouldn't send power to the START and "RUN" (IGN2 here) tabs on the ignition switch - and therefore getting power to the coil, which is needed to get spark to the plugs.

So I "bench-tested" the switch - which just means pulling it out of the truck and hooking it up to a battery and a tester on the work bench. There I found no power was going to the IGN2 or START tabs on the switch, and therefore no spark. The key, unlike modern switches, only moves one position on this one. It powers the ACC (accesory) terminal, but doesn't send power to the START terminal and, as I mentioned, doesn't have a second notch to light up those terminals. Like so many of these issues, it's partly due to the fact I didn't take this truck apart, so I wasn't sure if GM IGN switches should have 2 positions, or if all terminals should light up at first/only position, or was it somehting more sinister?

After much head scratching and a call to one of the owners, I ended up jumping power from the ACC terminal across to the IGN2 and START terminals to get power to all terminals. I then had spark at the plugs, but I knew that set-up means there's 12V to points all the time....which can burn them up in short order. Good enough to set the TDC today, but it'd have to be figured out before getting it running for anything longer than a few minutes.

GM's 6 cylinder ignition switch - terminal view.

So, after pouring some gas down the carb to get fire (it did!), I decided to leave it for a fresh day and a fresh brain. That decision was made after a fine-sounding backfire - one that reverberated off the big garage doors and seemed to yell: "I'm alive!"

Today, after a few hours of research, I started a thread on the HAMB (a great classic car and truck forum) and someone told me what I needed to know: that 6 cylinder ignition switches only have the 2 positions (off and on). There is no key third (or "start") position because it used a foot starter. Apaprenlty only a V8 switch will have 3 positions.

I also found that the IGN2 and START tabs don't even get power from the switch in a 6 cylinder truck, due to the foot actuated starter motor. They get it from that starter motors switch when the foot pedal is depressed. This circuit is used to bypass the ballast resistor while starting the engine. Therefore you get 12V for starting, but somewhat less for running. Very unique.

After some more research, I also found a better schematic diagram to use - key tools for wiring up old vehicles. As with so many things, I sure wish now I had spent more time concentrating in Grade 9 electronics class!!

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com ! Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com and www.CarCraft.com !

The shop truck

2011-11-11T22:41:00.001-06:00

My own vintage truck is this 1946 Mercury M1 we dubbed "Old Man". It see's a lot of action every summer and fall hauling stuff and taking my lawn equipment to our rental homes. That makes it a write-off!!

Let's get this thing started!

2011-11-11T22:35:00.001-06:00

Today, I worked on getting a few things out of the way in order to be able to concentrate on troublehooting the engine prior to starting it up. This included the installation of the firewall pad and front bumper. Of course as it goes in restoration work, everything takes MUCH longer than you think it should!

After deciding which way was up, which took much longer than it should have - owing to the thing being fairly similar top and bottom...I finally gotthe bumper bolted up.

Along the way, I sprayed the Bowtie insert on the hood emblem red, first applying some self-etch primer to ensure adhesion.

When I went to install the firewall pad, I ran into the opposite issue I dealt with on the cowl to hood seal. Recall the cowl seal came with metal clips that where too big and would have scratched the paint causing a possible rust spot - so I opted for plastic clips there instead. The firewall insulator pad however came with the push-in clips you see below. There where slightly too large and very brittle. I pushed and pushed, then used a mallet, which only served to bend and brake them.

When I was going through the various clips and things, I had noted that the original firewall pad clips where very unique. I found them - properly labelled by the owners who did the tear down - and took stock. They where a sciccor clip that wouldn't damage the paint and likely would hold the pad just fine - as it had in the past! As well, there's something about saving items so unique to the year and make that I liked. A quick buff and some Zero Rust and they where ready to be put back into action!

The pad comes with all sorts of pre-cut holes, in order to facilitate the pass-through of various wires, cables and accessories. ...of course none of them matched this particular type of heater, even though it was a GM unit that came from the factor....So I had to fight like hell to make holes through it for the heaters' water pipes and mounting rods. I first used a heated probe (solder gun) to melt a clean hole through the rubber membrane layer, then used a razor to cut the jute padding below it.

After much struggling and fitment issues, I finally got it back through the firewall. Holding it in place with my left hand, I reached around the front and over the fender to thread the nuts on to hold it in place.

The floor mat covers everything you see here - from the front of the seat half way up the insulator pad. I'm going to leave it off until the very last thing, then have the owner roll it out before he drives it away - kind of the "red carpet" treatment for the owner and then he can say he helped finish it!

OK - it's finally, time to troubleshoot the engine and get some systems ready for start up tomorrrow.

Once the heater, battery tray and battery where all re-installed, I pulled the distributor out and rigged up a long slotted bit to turn the oil pump drive with a drill. This pressurizes the oiling system and brings oil up to the rockers, cam and lifters. Very important. When I do a V8, I plumb a gauge in somewhere and look for 60psi of oil pressure. As it was, I could feel the system pressurize: the drill spun freely, then slowed down as the pressure increased, then sped up again once it was freely flowing through the engine,

First off though, a new oil filter was installed in the remote filter cannsiter.

Once it was pressurized, I re-installed the distributor, bumped the starter until I could feel the number one cylinder come to TDC, then ran all the distributor leads in sequence.

Next, I put a gallon of antifreeze (mixed 50:50 with water) into the rad to check for leaks and all seemed OK at first - until I heard a dribble while I was doing something else in the shop. I checked and it was coming from a bung I had missed - due to it being covered by a circle of black tape! So, I caught the antifreeze in a clean container and wondered why the rad wouldn't have come with a stop-cock....because it came with blocking inserts for the auto-trans cooler, which I installed prior to putting the rad in the truck. Likely it was extra....

Anyways, in the back of my mind I knew I had one - somehwere....

That 'somewhere' was in the bits and bites compartment of my old toolbox. Much of this stuff had been in there since my Dad used the box, back in the 60's. I checked and sure enough, there was a stop-cock that I'd seen a thousand times, over 30plus years - another reason NOT to throw anything away!

So, after a quick buff and some sealer, it screwed right in and solved the leak!

While I was under there, I took a minute to admire the part of the truck few others will ever spend time admiring.... but where a LOT of the work went into - the undercarriage.

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com ! Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com and www.CarCraft.com !

A better wrench?

2011-11-07T21:36:00.001-06:00

A couple posts back I lamented on wanting to get a set of these new ratcheting open-end wrenches. These Mastercraft double-ended wrenches where on-sale at Canadian Tire so I poneyed up the $50 ($24.99 for each SAE and Metric sets) and brought them home. The beauty of Mastecraft tools, in addition to their decent design, is the Lifetime Warranty. Like Snap-On, MAC and Craftsman tools, these are a one-time only purchase. Unlike Snap-On and MAC, it's much easier to find a Canadian Tire store (in Canada!) than a tool truck!!

When I brought them home, Mrs. E-tek said: "You buy tools like I buy Jewelry!"....but I had to disagree - these wrenches just made my other 4 sets of open-end wrenches obsolete. I can only HOPE that doesn't happen with diamonds!

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com!

Why does this bug me so much?

2011-11-05T19:30:00.001-06:00

This cut wiring harness is still bugging me ~! :)

Bits and bites....

2011-11-04T19:35:00.001-06:00

In order to hook up the oil sending line to gauge pods oil guage, I had to stretch the oil line into the dash, then get the pod very close to being seated in order to mate the two. Once I had a couple threads caught, I was able insert a 5/16" wrench in behind to slowly tighten it up.

On that note: every time I use an open end wrench lately I tell myself I'm going to buy one of the new ratcheting open-end wrench sets, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. Definitely one of the more useful tool inventions of the last while (IMHO)!

Although I meant to buy new plugs several times as well, I noticed today they where actually in decent shape - the electrodes being square and full. So i gave them a quick buff on the wheel and gapped them to 0.025". (One of my pet-peeves is replacing plugs that have many thousands of miles left on them!)

I threw in one of my batteries to get power to some of the systems. This allowed me to start tracing lines and getting things powered up. It's one of the more time consuming - and patience-testing - parts of a total resto!

A few last items got a coat of Zero Rust, including the hardware for the chrome trim, as well as the mouth of the filler tube. After all that work cleaning and sealing the tank, we don't need a source of rust right at the entry point!

The next full day will see the doors, winsheild and backglass installed. Then it'll really look like a completed project. Stay tuned!

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com ! Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com and www.CarCraft.com !

Beauty - in the eye of of the beholder?

2011-11-03T20:19:00.001-06:00

If you've been reading this blog, you know it started part way through the restorations of a 1956 Chevy Apache Stepside - but it's not the only truck around the E-tek compound. This 1946 Mercury M100 is one of the rarest "yard-trucks" you'll ever come across. While not restored to the fine level of detail as the Chev, is it any less beautiful to an enthusiast?

While I'm proud of my work on the Chevy - and love it's big round lines - there's another part of me that thinks all is right with the world when I see a truck like the Mercury still working as it should.

On that note, todays task for this 65 year old work horse was a dump run with 700 pounds of junk and bags of leaves. Every fall the Merc gets loaded (sometimes even overloaded!) up with all the crap that builds up around the house and shop and gets driven to the dump. On the way there people smile and wave and when I stop for gas, or to weigh in at the dump, guys invariably ask if it's for sale and often strike up a conversation of seeing one in this or that field. No one ever says they used to have one of these though - I guess it's that old!

That reminds me - when I first bought the truck, the kids said we whould call it the "Old Man". That name has stuck and I've even ordered a "personalized" plate that says: OLD MAN!

Soon enough it'll be time to park it for the winter - tucked into it's corner in one of our garages - just waiting for May, when it can be put back on the road for another summer of yard work and parades.

While Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com ! Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com and www.CarCraft.com !

Where they THIS nice new?!

2011-11-03T19:49:00.001-06:00

After getting the tank sealed and installing it's new sending unit, it was installed in the truck and connected to electrical and gas lines. The paint work really looks great - even where you won't see it!

Once the tank was in - and even though there's still more electrical work do do - I couldn't stop myself from installing the bench seat.

The next two photo's are identical - except for the horn button. As they say: "It's all in the details!"

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com ! Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com and www.CarCraft.com !

Lipstick on a pig? Hardly!

2011-10-29T12:14:00.001-06:00

You know you're moving along when it's time to get the chrome bits ready for install - and we're at the point where I need to put some red and black accents on some of the trim pieces.

As chrome can't easily be sanded, you HAVE to use an etch primer to connect the paint to the substrate. As well, over the years I've found Tremclad brand paints binds extremely well to odd materials, so that's what I'll be using here - just for that extra bit of bite I might get.

Before starting the masking process, I wiped every piece down with a wax and grease remover. I have some in a gallon bulk container from Pro Form, but I also like Eastwood's PRE in an aerosol with straw sprayer. It's easy to apply directly to the pieces and then wipe off. Just make sure it goees on wet and you wipe it off while still wet. That's how it removes contaminants.
First task is masking the parts that you don't want painted. I'm using "Fine Line" tape from 3M, which is a vinyl tape that stretches easily around curves and bends, as well as standard 3M 1/4" as well as 1" and 1 1/2" masking tapes.

A quick bit about masking tape: there is really no substitute for 3M brand masking tape in the auto body business. I've been doing this for over 35 years and in that time have tried several brands of tape and can honestly say both the glue and the paper is better with the 3M brand. Other brands have glue that comes off on your work, get gooey when exposed to moisture or heat, dry up if left out too long and the paper used is often too thin. As well, regarding shelf life, the entire roll can deteriorate very quickly. Many shops try to cut a few corners and try other brands, but the best shops always go back to 3M. It's just a product you don't need to cut corners on - OK, you actually cut a LOT of corners on masking tape (!), so you want the best there is. End Rant.

Once everything is all masked up, I'll clean it again with a Wax and Grease remover. There's no telling how many contaminants come off your hands - like skin oils, whatever else you've touched - and that's exactly what causes "fish-eyes" (pinholes in primer or paint) and adhesion issues. As well, there are airborne particulates that settle on your parts as you get ready to paint, which you want to minimize by cleaning again just before applying your primer. On alrger jobs, professionals also use a "Final Wipe" to clean the panels between primer and paint and even between base and clear coats.

Two to three coats of Self-Etching primer were applied. After sufficient dry times, but still within the "re-coat window", you can apply the next coat. The re-coat window is a term that describes the time where the previous product or coat is dry enough that the solvents have sufficently flashed off whereby another coat won't cause a run or sag but still soon enough whereby the chemical bonds can still be`adhered to by the next product or coat. Each product will have this information on the can - or in it's MSDS sheets. It is a critical time period and easy to manage when known. If the re-coat window is exceeded, the previous coat will require mechanical abrasion (sanding) to allow adhesion of the next coat.

After applying the paint (one medium and 2 wet coats of the Tremclad Red), I threw together an impromptu bake oven. It bears a mention here that it's not the equipment you have, but the processes you adhere to. Since we know primer and paint adhere, flow and set-up better at warmer temperatures, it's prudent to keep the parts warm - no matter how you get them there! Normally, I would be using my parts painting booth, but I had dismantled it after the lion share of the parts had been painted to make more room for parts re-assembly!

NExt, the process is repeated, though on a much smaller scale. I need to reverse-mask the Chevy Bow-tie's in the centre of the hood and horn pieces to spray them black. Stay tuned for that process and a photo of the final product - they'll look GREAT!

Now..... back to the gas tank. As anyone who has tackled a restorations knows, there can be a lot of prep that goes into the re-installation of some parts. After the "fun" I had drilling out the three broken bolts for the tank straps, I spent time connecting the electrical and gas lines that reside behind the tank and connect the sending unit.

A key side note: Grounds are absolutely CRITICAL and will haunt you forever if you don't give them proper attention. Make sure - whether it's an engine to body ground, a signal light, or this gas sender ground wire - you scrape away the paint that the ground wire attaches to. It's NEVER enough to assume a screw will be sufficient ground - because 12 out of 9 times it WON'T be....and you'll be searching forever trying to figure out why you gas gauge is bouncing around! There's many a cautionary tale of guys and shops replacing all kinds of equipment trying to get things working when it was just a loose or impoperly set-up ground path.

Of course the next thing you'll be thinking is: "What about RUST?" This is where you should use some grease (di-electric grease is good) to protect the the area from the elements - AFTER the connection is tight.

Once all the connections are made, I used some tape to keep the wires within reach after the tank gets installed.

As well, the tank straps where attached on the back side with new hardware:

Next up, yesterdays news: Remember the cowl seal and the crappy METAL clips that came from the "repop" (re-manufacturered parts supply) company? As I wrote yesterday, I decided the metal ones (after breaking a couple!) could scratch the paint causing rsut, or just rust themselves. So I went to my local autobody supply store and found a couple different PLASTIC clips to try.

Be careful where you go though and check pricing on these small items! A lot of places price clips and other small hardware pieces at ridiculous "Insurance Company" prices. It's an auto-repair industry secret (or was!) that nuts, bolts, clips and such are marked up 300%-500%, because insurance company's pay for them and rarely argue. In this case, the EXACT same clip at one supply house was $9.56 retail ($6.56 my cost). At another place that same clip was $4.70 retail ($2.35 my price). Still pricey for a little piece of plastic, but far less than the first place!

Unfortunately, the wide-topped clip was too big for the hole in the cab. It would have been preferable to hold more of the surface area of the rubber seal, but I ended up using the smaller clip. I justified the choice with the realization that the seal would not be subject to any shearing forces, just the hood setting down on it and then lifting straight off. I think of stuff like that....

Lastly, I applied the sealer to the gas tank. During the day I rinsed it out again with water about 4 or 5 more times, then thoroughly dried it with mechanics paper towels (attached to a grab-it tool) and also a heat-gun stuck into the sending unit hole. Once very dry, I rinsed it with white gas (Naptha, or cooking stove fuel), then allowed that to dry again.

Finally, I was ready for the sealer. There are several manufacturers to choose from and for the Challenger tank, I used Eastwood's sealer, which worked VERY well and dried to a white rubbery film. This time though, I had a can of Steven's that I purchased a while back. It came highly recommended from the Model T and A (I love saying that!) community. It looked like honey, so I'm guessing it will dry clear. Tomorrow we'll know!

Regardless of which one you use, follow the directions, which include pouring in the sealer, taping shut all the holes (filler neck, air tubes, sending unit hole...), then slowly turning the tank in ever direction and holding it in each position for a minute or so. This allows the sealer to evenly coat the tanks insides. Once exposed to air, the sealer will dry to a semi-rigid film, impervious to fuel and water and sealing in any rust or scale that are left on the tank walls. These products will also seal small pin-holes, but of course it's advisable to repair those before getting to this stage. In this case the tank had held up well, it was just full of rust, scale and old, foul gas!

I removed the tank plug and set it up so that any excess sealer drained out from this opening. Don't use other openings, as the sealer will obscure them again. With the drain hole, you can always open it up again after the sealer has cured, with a piece of wire, pipe cleaner, or what have you. The can says a minimim of 24 hours is required before adding gas - but it'd be best to err on the side of caution. Double it in warm weather and triple it if cooler. I'll be giving it much longer!

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com
Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com and www.CarCraft.com!

Sometimes you have to go backwards to move forward.....

2011-10-26T21:45:00.000-06:00

Today was spent going backwards on a few projects in order to get them to the point that we can move forward. First up was the cowl vent seal.

These are the clips that came with the seal. Although I should have known better, I attemped to put a couple in only to find the metal tabs bend and break easily, plus could scratch the finish upon insertion, leading to a rust spot.

After aligning, measuring and inserting the metal push-in clips through the seal, I ended up breaking several of the clips upon insertion.

In the end, I decided to purchase plastic push-in clips to replace these metal ones. Breakage, paint damage and rust are likely some of the reasons car makers went to plastic clips and here's a perfect use for them.You would think the replacement parts compnaies would know that too and I highly suggest you try to find a plastic replacement for any metal clips you come across in a restoration.

Below is the larger original clip and the new ones that came with the seal. Crappy!

Next up was the gas tank and it's hold-downs. These are two of those things that should have been done prior to paint, but I missed the boat on the broken studs and the gas tank itself went direct to the painter without being cleaned and inspected.

Oh well - time to get 'er done so the project can move forward!

I've learned over time to use a scribe before drilling, especially in a spot like this! The last thing you need - especially after paint - is a skating drill bit!

I broke 4 small bits, used a dremel at one point and also broke a large bit.....but I got it done. Sometimes I actually LOSE money at my shop rate!

Things are arely what they seem! The time lapse between the two drilling photo's was nearly 90 minutes!

After the drilling was finally done, I painted the holes with POR15, to protect them from any rust formation.

The tank looked great after paint, but no one had taken it apart yet. As soon as it was deleivered I could smell bad gas and hear rust sliding around. After removing the cover, this is what I found:

First, I vaccummed out any loose material from the bottom of the tank. I was surpirsed to see how much there was. Here it is filling a half-inch of the bottom of the vacuum bucket:

Next came several good water flushings:

Once the tank is dry, I'll repeat the wash-out with fresh gas, then Muriatic Acid, then a baking soda solution to neutralize the acid. Once that's all dry the sealer gets poured in and the tank rotated until it's evenly distributed. Stay tuned for that tomorrow.

A couple other projects included relacing the gasket on the oil breather/filler cap. One of the owners noticed it was loose and commented on how it would dirty the valve cover quickly if oil could blow by the gasket - good eye.

By bending the tabs, the piece that clocks into the valve cover comes right out. Then I just cut a piece of rubber gasket material to match the old one and tested it for fitment - nice and tight!

Lastly, I glued the seal onto the tranny cover lid. I used Pro-Foam seam sealer in black, which adheres well to metal and rubber.

Once the gas tank is sealed, the interior will come togther quickly. I'll be able to install the tank and hook it up, do (a lot!) more work on the electrical connections under the dash, then I can install the seat and finally, the doors. It's key to do things in the right sequence: even though I would have liked to hang the doors, they would have been in the way doing all this work. Once the gas lines are attached wired and grounded, we can pressurize the engine with oil, add some antifreeze, stitch up the dizzy and get 'er running!

Thanks for following along!

2011-10-24T21:17:00.000-06:00

One of the best ideas for restoring a vehicle is the rotisserie. After years of crawling under a car - at worst on a gravel drive, at best on a garage creeper - restorers now are able to flip a vehicle up on it's side, or even upside down, in order to be in a sitting or standing position while stripping, repairing and refinishing the undersides.

There was a time that a restoration ended at the rockers. Even in decent quality shops, vehicle refinishing below the doors left a lot to be desired. It was not uncommon to see repairs left undone, filler left unfinished, primer spots and even a lack of paint down low on cars. Nowaday, if the shop you take your vehicle to doesn't have some way of lifting the car up to eye level, or of tipping the car over on it's side, I would suggest you walk away! There's just no way a man on a creeper, or piece of cardboard can do the work down low to the same quality as when that same area is easily accessable.
While the rotisserie is one tool that allows full access to the underside of a project is it by no means the only one and - arguably - not the best tool in every situation. Have a look below at the myriad of ways people have thought of to gain access to the underbody in order to treat these important parts of a restored vehicle.

Mine:

Here's the link to my post on Garage Journal.com. It has a lot of great ideas, in addition to the wooden tip-over style: Rotisseries and tip-over jigs

1956 Chevrolet Apache/3100 truck restotation - final stretch!

2011-10-24T20:58:00.002-06:00

As promised - today was an 8 hour romp in the fun-zone! Got a lot of different bits done or started and other things sorted out for later this week.

First up, I pulled the seat out again, flipped it over on some stools and attached the underseat baffles:

Lubed and attached the runners. It's the last time I'll use graphite lube near upholstery though - it was hard to get off even after a few seconds, so I'm guessing it would stain if left any longer!

Ever screw and bolt gets lubed upon assembly:

Next up was the drivers door that didn't have it's windows installed yet. Even after learning how it should go when I did the passenger door, and having a helper, it took several tries and over an hour!
The "key" is to put the door glass into the static runner (latch side), holding it about half-way in, then carefully sliding the vent assembly in as well, moving it towards the window once it's half-way in to catch it in it's runner. Once that happens, you can then carefully push the vent assembly down into the door and into position, making sure it's tab engages the slot in the door. While still holding the window, put one or two of the small screws in that go around the top of the vent window. Next, put in the large screws that attach the bottom of the vent runner assembly. With the glass in between the two runners, attach the regulator arms to the bottom of the door glass and slowly roll the glass up and down to ensure it doesn't catch on anything, finally tightening the lower vent glass runner screws.

As I mentioned in the post assembling the passenger door, make sure to put a bunch of tape on the door to protect it from scratches. Of course no matter how well I know that, I often don't put tape on - until it's too late.....

The kick panels where attached - again with white-headed screws, just to add a little sum-sum...

Staying with the interior, I started on wiring the gauge assembly and more:

On the steering column I cleaned up the horn contacts and torqued the steering wheel down:

Next up were the HL buckets and rings. Sandblasted, primered with self-etching primer, the inners where painted with hammered-silver and the outers with flat lack, then rocker guard on the back, This will protect them inside the fender wells.

The retaining rings where cleaned with fine steel wool. It works on all stainless and chrome.

Lastly, I re-installed the window winder knobs in the handles, which consisted of trying to flare what is left of the metal stub. When removed, much of the metal was also removed, so it's not as solid as stock. If they don't stay attached we may have to order new knobs.

Stay tuned - lots to come this week!

Tune in this week!

2011-10-23T15:21:00.003-06:00

Now that nearly all the parts are ready and have come together and the 1956 Chevy Apache 3100 Truck has it's basic components attached, we are feeling the home stretch nearing. This week we are putting eveything else on hold to go at it full throttle. With some long days devoted to this single project, we can get deep into tasks like wiring the dash, hooking up the gas lines, bleeding and adjusting the brakes plus assembling the bed wood. Once all that is very near completion, we'll be able to hang the doors and attach the box fenders and steps, the front and rear bumpers and have the glass installed.

This is where the "magic" happens - and by magic I mean where my sweat and stress turns into a finely finished vehicle! My last project, the E-tek Chili-Challenger, really came into being when the strobe stripes went on and the bumpers where bolted up. It's a time when you can easily put in 12-14 hours days seeing so much progress and not wanting to stop until it's done!

Stay tuned!

Bits and pieces.....

2011-10-17T19:55:00.002-06:00

Polished and riveted the data plates back to the driver door jamb...

Cleaned upand detailed the instrument panel. The plastic cover had a lot of scratches as well as some sealer or glue where someone tried to seal it to the bezel....

After a couple hours of air dusting, brushing, polishing & detail painting.....

2011-10-15T19:15:00.000-06:00

The Chrome was all delivered this week and boy was it ever nice to see! Although one can see some tiny imperfections in some pieces, I've been through this before (with this company) and they may not come out any better if you send them for redo. I do know though that if I where going to do a concours job, or a 1936 Mercedes Coupe, I'd send the stuff to one of the high-end chrome shops in the states.

Also did some more detailing of parts, including putting some texturized coating (aka Rocker guard, or sprayable undercoating) on a few pieces: