MP&C Shop Projects

[MP&C]

The truck was performing better than expected, but I was losing a touch of oil. Travelling the interstates at ~70 mph, and given tire size and gearing, the old truck was revving about 2850 rpms. Perhaps some oil loss was expected. The transmission housing did have some oil on the outside, so I suspected valve covers. A rear main seal was ruled out as there was no clutch slippage or drips at the front of the bell housing. We were in Nebraska and heading to Hastings. Scenery a bit flatter than the neighboring Wyoming.





I've always considered 3 my lucky number, so I had to capture this....





My stop in Hastings on Friday was at the World Headquarters of Imperial Wheeling Machines. My good friend Pat Brubaker, the owner, dug up a ratchet, extension, and socket so I could snug up the valve cover bolts. The rear bolt on the drivers side proved to be the (a) culprit, with a good two turns to snug up the bolt. After talking shop with Pat, he suggested (as did others) that I stop at the Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed in Lincoln, NE. Quite a bit to take in...











I did find an engine I could use for the new shop truck...





and what is likely the first ramp truck in existence.











Next we headed into Iowa, and a visit that has been on the bucket list for quite some time...

















Quite a step back in time.....and the visit would not be complete without a picture in front of the mural...





I could have stayed for a day or two, but didn't want to wear out Joe's hospitality. That, and there was a storm heading in and I wanted to stay in front of it..

I headed the more southerly route on I-74 to bypass Chicago and head towards Cincinnati for our next shop tour, set up for Saturday morning. I drove into Indiana and found a rest stop. And set the alarm for 430.

 

[stinkity stoink]

Looks like the trip of a lifetime … I’m not sure I would disagree with your wife and daughter on the sleeping arrangement, but I have done the same.

 

[MP&C]

Saturday we had about a three hour drive to our next stop southeast of Cincinnati, @cornfield customs. Mike Wagner is among the premiere craftsmen in the country when it comes to metalshaping, it was nice to get to see his shop and some of the projects he has going on.





Mike's shop is a mix of both new and vintage equipment, here is an early Pettingel power hammer that came out of a local warehouse. If only it could tell stories of it's past life...





One of the projects, an all aluminum fabricated hood for a Galaxie, complete with tear drop hood scoop.





Before leaving I had to get a picture next to his 61 Unibody Salt Flats push truck.





Mike, thanks for the hospitality!! From there I had about a 9-1/2 hour ride home. Here's what 11 states worth of bugs looks like...





I had noticed that the fuel economy appeared to be getting better. Or more precisely, that it was taking less fuel to fill up at about the same mileage reading using the tape notation method. So I broke out the calculator again, the last tank was 14.1 mpg. My driving started at about 4 pm in Oregon on Wednesday evening and I was home all safe and sound back in Maryland Saturday night at 9 pm. Quite an adventure.

 

[gba2331]

RV trips out west are my favorite ones, the scenery is beautiful and we don’t have the DC traffic. Thanks for the pictures, great trip!

 

[Rockable]

Looks like a great road trip, Robert! Glad the old truck and you didn't experience any mechanical difficulties!

 

[txvwnut]

I think the best mileage I got out of my 66 was 11 or 12.

 

[zmotorsports]

That is a solid, clean looking truck Robert.

So sorry I had to work and couldn't meet up with you, this "work" thing really gets in the way at times. I would have loved to have met you in person. Hopefully, I'll catch you on the next trip out west.

 

[Bowtie4life]

Great road trip Robert and the shop tour stops just put icing on the cake. That truck obviously is in good condition considering the mileage you had to endure to get home. Awesome road trip and thanks for sharing it with us.

 

[larry4406]

Awesome truck and road trip.

How did you find that gem? Interesting mileage and condition so good.

 

[jimkinney]

Did a similar trip 6 years ago. Picked up a 2013 Tacoma X Runner with 7K in LA. Put about 2K on it, stopped in Phoenix and Houston on the way home in FL.
Was just after Thanksgiving, so no worries about heat, but wished I'd had a granny gear trying to get out of LA at rush hour. My clutch knee was not happy.
Enjoy the rest of the trip, and be safe at the rest stops.

 

[MP&C]

......How did you find that gem?

It was posted on an F100 group on FB that I didn't know I belonged to. Only thing I can figure is I must have liked one of those "recommended for you" posts, which added me. A few weeks back, Chuck had posted pictures of the truck along with "Latest find, 2 owner, all original paperwork, no wrecks, original paint. Unbelievable find. Will be available for sale after further inspections. Was registered thru 3/24, runs like a top, 1966, 352 with 4 speed" Looking at the pictures he had posted I could see that all the problem areas for rust were all solid, and that this was too good a truck to pass up. I was probably one of the first to message about the truck, and we just hit it off in our conversations. I can say both Chuck and Robert (the two guys I dealt with) were stand up guys, Chuck turned down more money from a local guy because he had already told me the truck was mine.

 

[SilverJimmy]

Chuck turned down more money from a local guy because he had already told me the truck was mine.

I really have great respect for true people who have honor and will say what they will do, and then do what they say! I just helped a buddy get a Snap-On tool box I had found on Facebook MarketPlace down in Southern California. Talked to the seller middle of June, made the deal, even offered to send a deposit. Seller said no need, it’s sold, when can you pick it up? We drove over last Saturday, almost a month later and picked it up. Box was in almost new condition and the seller even helped us load it into my old tool box moving trailer. Solid dude, I’m thinking we’d be friends if we were closer!
Back here in Flagstaff, my buddy cleaned it, gave it two coats of wax, and then moved all his tools into it. Almost wish I was still selling Snap-On Tools, he’s got a couple empty drawers now…

 

[MP&C]

I've shared in this thread and others that I preferred the ER70S-7 MIG wire over the -6 as I found the -7 to provide a flatter weld (better wetting) for less grinding/cleanup needed. This wire was more difficult to find in the smaller diameters and smaller (11 lb) spools. I just noticed this morning that the ER70S-7 wire is carried by McMaster Carr (in stock):

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

 

[zmotorsports]

Thanks for sharing that Robert. I have been wanting to give the -7 a try after my spool of -6 is depleted. Unfortunately, I don't weld much with the smaller .023" wire and welder so it may be a while.

 

[22george]

Thanks. Robert. I use the -7 on your recommendation . I made a fixture to spin .023 wire from the big spool onto the smaller spool .

 

[Rockable]

Cool! Thanks for sharing, Robert!

 

[MP&C]

The carb on the shop truck has been seeping and losing the gas in the bowl, as evident recently by many more revolutions to get the engine started. Did a carb rebuild tonight. Now with just a momentary turn of the key the engine starts as it should. Another item checked off the list....














The cleanest part of the engine.. I also picked up some farm truck tags for it..

 

[RickP]

That is one sharp looking truck!
I like the farm tags on it.

 

[Rockable]

You do know that if it sits for a few days, you will still have to pump the bowl back full. Today's gasoline is so volatile that it evaporates quickly compare to the old stuff. A leak would only make matters worse.

 

[Bowtie4life]

That is a nice original clean truck. I'm not a Ford guy, but I love the overall appearance of that truck.

 

[MP&C]

You do know that if it sits for a few days, you will still have to pump the bowl back full. Today's gasoline is so volatile that it evaporates quickly compare to the old stuff. A leak would only make matters worse.

It was firing off within a revolution or two of the engine until here recently, when it took noticeably longer.

 

[Ohmthis]

Robert, that’s a very nice truck. Thanks for bringing us along on the adventure. What plans do you have for it? I saw on FTE that you’re looking at the T5 swap. Are you planning on swapping the tail shaft with the S10 tail shaft?

 

[MP&C]

Yes, exactly. The S10 tail shaft puts the shifter in front of the bench seat where the Mustang version would require bucket seats.



Just got this last week, it has a .59 final drive ratio in 5th. At 70, that should be about 1680 rpm, at 55 it should be around 1320. Should help the big block get closer to 18 mpg's. Other plans are for disc brakes (front minimum) Dual reservoir master cylinder, dual exhaust, and AC so the wife be more likely to ride with me.. Other than that, drive the wheels off of it.

 

[txvwnut]

I didn't convert mine to dual circuit brakes but I did put a power booster off of Chevy Citation on it. Made a bit of a difference but its still Ford drum brakes.

 

[Ohmthis]

Yes, exactly. The S10 tail shaft puts the shifter in front of the bench seat where the Mustang version would require bucket seats.



Just got this last week, it has a .59 final drive ratio in 5th. At 70, that should be about 1680 rpm, at 55 it should be around 1320. Should help the big block get closer to 18 mpg's. Other plans are for disc brakes (front minimum) Dual reservoir master cylinder, dual exhaust, and AC so the wife be more likely to ride with me.. Other than that, drive the wheels off of it.

I researched the T5 swap a bunch and between the used costs around here and my budget, I went a different direction. I did a power brake dual resivior MC on my project. I believe somewhere on my build I show the part #. It was an easy swap. If you need/want the part # and I didn’t post it, please let me know. I’m excited to see the upgrades.

 

[SilverJimmy]

Is the T5 an actual S-10 or a Mustang with the S-10 tail shaft? I have a 65 C20 with a 292 that I want to do a T5 swap and am looking for ideas for best version of T5. Truck looks great, nothing better than an old truck, except maybe with a dog riding shotgun!

Me and my sweet Jodie Dog (RIP) cruising our old 3/4 ton Chevy!

 

[MP&C]

Is the T5 an actual S-10 or a Mustang with the S-10 tail shaft? I have a 65 C20 with a 292 that I want to do a T5 swap and am looking for ideas for best version of T5. Truck looks great, nothing better than an old truck, except maybe with a dog riding shotgun!

Me and my sweet Jodie Dog (RIP) cruising our old 3/4 ton Chevy!

It’s a Mustang T5 with the S10 tail shaft

 

[SilverJimmy]

Your trans looks like a fresh rebuild, any info or source for it? I have a T5 out of a early 3rd Gen Camaro and I have a S-10 unit with the cable speedo hookup. I think I’d need a spacer between the trans and the bellhousing, so I probably have everything I need. Just have to figure out if I want to try to cobble it all together or have a pro do it, decisions, decisions…..

 

[Ohmthis]

Your trans looks like a fresh rebuild, any info or source for it? I have a T5 out of an early 3rd Gen Camaro and I have a S-10 unit with the cable speedo hookup. I think I’d need a spacer between the trans and the bellhousing, so I probably have everything I need. Just have to figure out if I want to try to cobble it all together or have a pro do it, decisions, decisions…..

Reach out to American Powertrain. They may have an adapter for what you are looking to do. Not that they are the only game, they definitely do some custom amalgamations.

 

[PugetDude]

I have an S-10 T-5 hanging on a '49 8BA Flathead if anyone wants a project...

 

[Ohmthis]

I have an S-10 T-5 hanging on a '49 8BA Flathead if anyone wants a project...

I’d love a go at that if I could afford it

 

[PugetDude]

I’d love a go at that if I could afford it

Road trip?

 

[Ohmthis]

Road trip?

Possibly in 2025, my vacation time has been claimed this year. Hmmm Louisville to Arizona and back, I might need three weeks to see all of the cool stuff between here and there……And Back!

 

[MP&C]

Been playing catchup for a while since my cross-country venture, time for some long overdue updates. Finishing up on our tailgate, the last stainless pieces of the puzzle came from McMillan Rod and Custom in WI. Pretty good source for polished stainless trim pieces...





We had emailed them dimensions for existing holes in the tailgate, and the welded studs were spot on.








All our stainless parts added for a test fit/pre-drill/pre-screw of all the hardware to insure they'd go in straight during final assembly. Here's my contribution to the upholstery effort on the car....








And our tailgate installed....





And our update would not be complete without the requisite back up and punt moment. As we were closing the tailgate there was a slight binding as the tailgate was all but closed. Hey, you know my luck by now. Seems our trial fit in bare metal showed no issues but now we had multiple layers of paint that didn't want to play nice. The hinge notches in the bottom of the tailgate skin were digging into the inside of the hinges..





At this point a hinge is an easier repair than a completed tailgate, so the hinges were milled down .080 on that face and the countersunk holes deepened that much as well..





Then about three rounds of epoxy, block, repeat to eliminate the casting flaws, and on to the organic green kandy basecoat once more...





And then groundhog day, install it once more, with much better results this time.

 

[Bowtie4life]

People have no idea what goes into a show car restoration of this type. Everyone just looks at the finish product and tries to find a flaw somewhere to talk about or completely compliment the build. There has been so many small details that you have done to this car that no one would every imagine unless you point them out.

 

[Rockable]

Fabulous job, Robert! Can't wait to see it in person!

 

[larry4406]

Fabulous job, Robert! Can't wait to see it in person!

This!

Robert - if there is a semi local showing of this to me when finished I would love to see it!

 

[WoodsTruck]

Along the lines of the tailgate hinge repair, I'm sort of surprised the support cables appear to be exposed cabling with no scuff guarding on them.

 

[MP&C]

Along the lines of the tailgate hinge repair, I'm sort of surprised the support cables appear to be exposed cabling with no scuff guarding on them.

OEM design. They did have the guide blocks made out of a casting, and after decades of use you would see a groove cut into the casting from the cable. The ones we installed are made of billet stainless, polished. On the cables, I'd almost try a clear heat shrink but anytime I've used that it tends to yellow after about a year..

 

[WoodsTruck]

Can you use any 3M clear vinyl patches where the cable may contact without fear of it also yellowing over time?