A good day!

[Boyd Who]

Today was a special day.

I drove the Essex home from storage today and started making changes to it. The hood sides came off so I could see what that would look like. Once the ugly old slant-6 is gone and a V8 is dropped in it's place it should look really good.

I plan to start tearing the truck apart starting Thursday. Tomorrow night I'll finally get the insulation done in the ceiling so the bales will be gone from the shop floor, giving me room to work on the Essex. Happy happy joy joy!!

Before...

After...

 

[Daniel Dudley]

Well done Al !

I always liked your other space, but this is what you need.

 

[jabberwoki]

What size V8 is it?

 

[djd99]

Nice truck!

 

[Boyd Who]

Well done Al!
I always liked your other space, but this is what you need.

Thanks Daniel! I still have the other garage but it's just being used for storage now. It sure is nice having some room to work and a decent amount of power. I might be able to do some real work on the truck for once!

What size V8 is it?

The current engine in the truck is a 225ci Dodge slant-6. I will be replacing it with a SBC of some type. I hope to find an older 283 or 327.

Nice truck!

Thank you!

 

[ddawg16]

Very nice truck....at least you will have a warm garage to work in it in.....

But why SBC....as much as I love them (I have one in my jeep), I would think the Ford small block would be easier to shoe horn in....especially with the dist in the front of the engine....on my jeep I barely have enough room to remove my dist cap.

 

[jwillis]

Boy!! What a sweet lookin' truck. I don't think I have ever heard of an Essex before. But it really is sharp. Was it made here in the states?

 

[tdkkart]

Very nice truck....at least you will have a warm garage to work in it in.....

But why SBC....as much as I love them (I have one in my jeep), I would think the Ford small block would be easier to shoe horn in....especially with the dist in the front of the engine....on my jeep I barely have enough room to remove my dist cap.

I too think the 5.0/302 Ford is the better choice, narrower, lighter and somewhat easier to deal with, yet has the aftermarket support to make the swap easy.

 

[m.james]

That truck is great. I bet you get second looks at it all the time.

 

[Beaner242]

NO NO NO. Put a Duramax in it.

 

[HOTFR8]

Well done Al !
I always liked your other space, but this is what you need.

What size V8 is it?

Nice truck!

NO NO NO. Put a Duramax in it.

Every one has said well done.
A 4BT Cummins would have looked good in that

 

[Denee007]

Why did whomsoever install a slant six in the Essex? Neat truck!!

I remember the slant six from my '66 plymouth valiant in '71(highschool days), never broke down or gave me any trouble during my years in highschool~
dne'

 

[Cword]

Lookin' good Al

Bryan Long will be sad that you're dumping the slant 6, his '41 dodge is gonna be the only one left.

Mike

 

[Jayincali]

NO NO NO. Put a Duramax in it.

Or drop in a real diesel engine, CUMMINS

 

[Doug B]

Yeah,put a small block in it so everyone on the HAMB can give ya **** for it ( I have a 283 in my '30 coupe build).
Nice lookin new shop there...keep the updates coming on this one,it will be a good winter read

 

[Boyd Who]

Very nice truck....at least you will have a warm garage to work in it in.....

But why SBC....as much as I love them (I have one in my jeep), I would think the Ford small block would be easier to shoe horn in....especially with the dist in the front of the engine....on my jeep I barely have enough room to remove my dist cap.

Thanks! I'm looking forward to not freezing my *** off working on it. LOL
I've always been a Chevy power kinda hotrodder. Yeah, they're like bellybuttons, but I like 'em. As for room...I could probably get a Hemi in the engine bay with room to spare. It has a fairly large engine bay.

Boy!! What a sweet lookin' truck. I don't think I have ever heard of an Essex before. But it really is sharp. Was it made here in the states?

Thanks! Essex was made in Detroit by the Hudson company up till 1933. They're nice to work with as they didn't use a wood substructure in the bodies like most other makers did back then. FYI...Essex never made a truck. This one was cut down from a sedan back in the 40's, quite common for the time.

I too think the 5.0/302 Ford is the better choice, narrower, lighter and somewhat easier to deal with, yet has the aftermarket support to make the swap easy.

You could be right but I've always been a Chevy fan.

That truck is great. I bet you get second looks at it all the time.

Thanks! Yes, it does turn alot of heads when I'm out with it.

Every one has said well done.
A 4BT Cummins would have looked good in that

Ummmmmmm...how to put this nicely??

Why did whomsoever install a slant six in the Essex? Neat truck!!

I remember the slant six from my '66 plymouth valiant in '71(highschool days), never broke down or gave me any trouble during my years in highschool~
dne'

It's an incredibly reliable engine, it's just not what I want in there. The original builders used it because they had it available at the time. It was poorly installed. The chassis under the truck actually makes a rat rod look good.

Lookin' good Al

Bryan Long will be sad that you're dumping the slant 6, his '41 dodge is gonna be the only one left.

Mike

Thanks Mike! Bryan's '41 will be all that more special now that he's the only one.

Yeah,put a small block in it so everyone on the HAMB can give ya **** for it ( I have a 283 in my '30 coupe build).
Nice lookin new shop there...keep the updates coming on this one,it will be a good winter read

Thanks Doug! Yup...the HAMB Chevy haters will have fun with this one. At least I have a line on a late 60's 327 for it. That should help a bit.

 

[jabberwoki]

Thanks Daniel! I still have the other garage but it's just being used for storage now. It sure is nice having some room to work and a decent amount of power. I might be able to do some real work on the truck for once!



The current engine in the truck is a 225ci Dodge slant-6. I will be replacing it with a SBC of some type. I hope to find an older 283 or 327.



Thank you!

Why not use a 360 dodge?

 

[Boyd Who]

I actually considered using a 360, but I have a line on a Chevy 327 that I might pick up. This won't be a billet-laden street rod (refer to my user name ) but more of an early-60's hot rod. I've always wanted a 327/tri-power powered rod. The engine will be dressed to reflect the time period.

I got the ceiling insulated on Wednesday, then spent yesterday cleaning up and organising the shop a bit more. Here's a few new pics...

 

[Call me the Breeze]

Very nice Boyd! Have fun out there!

 

[Groovy]

I agree with the 5.0 L Ford with a super charger. i love that truck and the garage looks nice and warm and a great place to work..your a lucky dude

 

[TA^Guy]

Oh wow looks good! I wish my garage was insulated. I'm going to wait untiL i purchased my next house in a year or so to go all out on the garage.

 

[Boyd Who]

Thanks guys!

 

[e-tek]

Shop looks great - really happy for you! But why no drywall yet??

 

[slip knot]

yup better get some drywall in it before you start tearing up the vapor barrier. BTW very nice looking truck slant 6 and all. looking forward to seeing what ya do with a 327 6pack set up. should be sweet.

 

[Boyd Who]

Nope, no drywall/OSB for the time being. I have a feeling I'll be re-arranging the cupboards and shelves a bit before I'm happy. Once I get things exactly where I want them I'll finish the walls. One advantage to unfinished walls...they help keep things quieter inside, especially with the compressor running.

 

[sophianeuron]

I like the clarity on all the pics of trucks. Wonderful.