rattle_snake's random shop projects v0.1

[ntsqd]

It is missing parts, but I can't say for sure what they are.

 

[zmotorsports]

First of all Justin, I didn't care for the "old-timers" comment.

It's hard to tell in the picture but if my "old" memory service right, the Holley 4150 and 4160 models had several choke options, from the standard "stove" style, that had the coil located on the manifold with a linkage that run up to the choke linkage, to the manual and the electric styles. The electric choke was always my favorite, although it took some trial and error to get the adjustment just right, but it was a nice hit the throttle once to set the choke, start, then when the coil tensioned enough tap the throttle again to allow the pull-off to open the choke blade and you were off.

By looking at the picture that you posted I only see the actual choke linkages and nothing for mounts. I would only assume that this style used the remote mounted coil that heated up and move the lever which is indicated in green. There appear to be missing components for it to be either manual or electric choke.

Personally, I was also a bigger fan of the 4160's for daily driving and off-roading than the 4150's but both were excellent carbs. The choke mounting used standoffs where I marked in yellow. The electric choke was a cast aluminum base where the coil resided and then a plastic of phenolic cover went over the coil and was adjustable in the recess of the casting. The linkage went out the back of the body and engaged with the green choke linkages.

Not sure about the boss where the secondaries connected, but I marked it in yellow anyways. It may not have been a mounting point for the choke as it is a pivot point.





Not sure if that helps or not as my old memory may be off.

 

[rattle_snake]

Hi Mike,

Thanks. I'll use 'Grandpa' instead if that makes you feel better.

It looks like the stove style, that used a vertical actuator rod. I could convert to a cable.

 

[rattle_snake]

Headliner was a little beat up and could use some help. Repaired the cracks with some foil tape and wrapped in a Ford flag.

 

[PhantomEB]

Totally downright cool!

 

[rattle_snake]

Choke on this carb was for a manifold stove setup, which I don't have, so...

I spent a fair amount of time cleaning the old carb. There was some varnish in the bowls but all the passages were clear, I bet it would have run the way it was. Ran when docked, haha. I blocked off the choke air port and the hole for the actuator rod on the horn.


Waiting on some parts. I may go back and paint the rusty bits on the base. No going to remove the butterflies or the shafts.


Cobbled up a fuel log with some AN fitting I had on hand, and bought a few more. Plan to run hardline to pump. Already has filters in the fuel inlets. I bought a cheap 3/8 180* bender, too loose on the tubing and more of a kinker. I think I can modify and make it work decently.

 

[rattle_snake]

Pulled the steering box out to reseal it. the whole area is a disaster. The input seal leaked really badly. Trans fluid is remarkably flammable.


After an hour of oven cleaner and scrubbing, I had something I could work on. I clamped the box down and measured the sector shaft play. 0.002. Hmm. I could see and feel it move slightly on the truck. This box has 3 sector bushings, replacing the bottom one isn't going to help anything so leave t be.
I was able to extract the dust seal and oil seal from the box without disassembly. I drilled 2 holes 180 in the oil seal, put some screws in and pulled it out.


All happy now with new seals.


I set the unit vertical to dry after cleaning and found some fresh fluid out of the sector. Before is was so caked with grime it didn't appear to be leaking in that area. So I pulled the pitman arm off and for some reason I had to turd polish it.


I was able to extract the two oil seals in the same fashion as the other.


The kit I bought had different seals and spacers. One oil, one dust. I measured the stackups and it appeared like new would fit. Can't remove them without destroying them. I found a piece of DOM that was perfect for a seal driver. Snap ring just fit.


Hit the box with some paint, it is now a 'red head rebuild' minus the cost, shipping, and wait time. In this case there was no need to open up the box to do anything else.

 

[rattle_snake]

Now that I have addressed the brake fluid leak, PS fluid leak, and intermittent distributor wiring, I still need to get some 3 pt seat belts and fix the brake lights. Then it should be 'road worthy' in my opinion.

But I got distracted and this happened.

 

[Boosted1]

Nice job on the steering gear box and the headers look good!

 

[Ohmthis]

Now that I have addressed the brake fluid leak, PS fluid leak, and intermittent distributor wiring, I still need to get some 3 pt seat belts and fix the brake lights. Then it should be 'road worthy' in my opinion.

But I got distracted and this happened.

Not a distraction…….Just an Improvement! Great work on the old truck!

 

[zmotorsports]

Looking great Justin.

If you are looking at getting some tubing benders for small tubing, please don't make the mistake I did and buy multiple cheap *** benders "hoping" they would work. I finally broke down and bough the ones I had always wanted about 15 years ago and wish I would have bought them 30 years ago. I think I show them in multiple places in my thread, but I really think the Rigid tubing benders are about the best available for small tubing. They make very nice and uniform bends without kinking. Over the past 15 or so years I have purchased multiple so I have my sizes covered from 1/8" up to 1/2". I'll warn you, they are spendy, but still probably less than I wasted on the junk previously.

 

[PugetDude]

Now that I have addressed the brake fluid leak, PS fluid leak, and intermittent distributor wiring, I still need to get some 3 pt seat belts and fix the brake lights. Then it should be 'road worthy' in my opinion.

But I got distracted and this happened.

Justin, did you meet Randy @TimeWarpF100 at the FOCUS group?

 

[ntsqd]

What Mike said. I got a bit of a head start on these benders as my first real job out of HS included bending Ø.25x.035" 316 SS tubing processing gas manifolds and I was given one of the Imperial-Eastman benders (chrome plated clone of the Rigid benders) to use for that. I later figured out that I'd bent nearly a mile of that tubing working there. Some of it even fit! LOL

First brake plumbing job I did I didn't have the right bender, by the second brake plumbing job I did. I had to scrimp and save to be able to buy it. I went years before buying another size. Got by with borrowing the Ø3/8" bender from a local industrial hydraulics shop for one fuel plumbing project, but again I scrimped and saved to get one that size. Oddly the Ø3/8" bender cost more than the Ø1/2" bender that I bought later for a blown Hemi fuel plumbing job, from the same local source. Never needed an Ø1/8" until this position. Could maybe have done tidier work with one, but for as little as I needed one I couldn't justify it. For this job I made one. Flat bottomed .136" wide groove in a section of rem Ø.875 aluminum, which is screwed to some 1/8"x1.00" aluminum strap. It produces an R 0.425" CL bend.

 

[rattle_snake]

Nice job on the steering gear box and the headers look good!

Thanks boosted!

Not a distraction…….Just an Improvement! Great work on the old truck!

Thanks. Trying to finish out the steering before I start playing with the next toy.

Looking great Justin.

If you are looking at getting some tubing benders for small tubing, please don't make the mistake I did and buy multiple cheap *** benders "hoping" they would work. I finally broke down and bough the ones I had always wanted about 15 years ago and wish I would have bought them 30 years ago. I think I show them in multiple places in my thread, but I really think the Rigid tubing benders are about the best available for small tubing. They make very nice and uniform bends without kinking. Over the past 15 or so years I have purchased multiple so I have my sizes covered from 1/8" up to 1/2". I'll warn you, they are spendy, but still probably less than I wasted on the junk previously.

I broke down and bought a Rigid bender for 3/16 as I use that size frequently. Money well spent. My neighbor has most of the other sizes in Rigid brand and I can use a quality tool at any time. But some times it's late at night and I need just one bend... hence more tools debacle. I know I should buy a decent tool, but bad time financially. Just need to be patient.

Someone here was recently discussing slide hammers, which I need but have none of, and made the Christmas list over another bender.

Justin, did you meet Randy @TimeWarpF100 at the FOCUS group?

No not yet. I strive to up my game as I see his work.
For some reason I like to smooth rough castings and break sharp edges on brackets even though it's not the best use of my time. But at least there are other here who would do the same.

 

[zmotorsports]

Someone here was recently discussing slide hammers, which I need but have none of, and made the Christmas list over another bender.

Touche Justin.

 

[ntsqd]

snipped......
For some reason I like to smooth rough castings and break sharp edges on brackets even though it's not the best use of my time. But at least there are other here who would do the same.

I justify it as making sure that I won't be gashing myself and causing a leak when working around those sharp edges.

 

[rattle_snake]

In this case that was the reason. It was so caked in grease I didn't find the gashes in my hands until I attempted to clean them. It was a wrestling match going back in, to get the input shaft seated into the rag joint. I was glad I took the time to smooth those few spots. Without a lift the job would make me want to choose another hobby.

 

[Ohmthis]

In this case that was the reason. It was so caked in grease I didn't find the gashes in my hands until I attempted to clean them. It was a wrestling match going back in, to get the input shaft seated into the rag joint. I was glad I took the time to smooth those few spots. Without a lift the job would make me want to choose another hobby.

I say time and time again. My lift was the best tool investment I’ve ever made. It opened up jobs I would have never even considered doing before.

 

[rattle_snake]

My half-*** cleaning but at least where it can be worked on. Can see the bolts. The grime is still sandwiched up past the lower steering box hole.


Slowly bringing order to the mess under the hood.

 

[plain2car]

nice job on the front end.... you guys kill me with this talk about lifts!!! both my car buddies have shop lifts and now i can't get them to come over cuz they don't like the cold/hot concrete!...... buncha wussies!!! LOL!! Real.... Errrrr poor men lay on concrete.....

 

[zmotorsports]

Awesome work Justin. That front end is looking much better already, as is the engine bay.

nice job on the front end.... you guys kill me with this talk about lifts!!! both my car buddies have shop lifts and now i can't get them to come over cuz they don't like the cold/hot concrete!...... buncha wussies!!! LOL!! Real.... Errrrr poor men lay on concrete.....

Yep, I think I fall into that category. I worked outside under a carport for the first several years and just bundled up and sucked it up. Then when I built my first shop it was not much better than the carport but at least had four walls. Next shop was quite nice, but I still worked off of floorjacks and jackstands for nearly 20 years before getting my 2-post lift. When closing down the old shop to move to the new one, the lift came with me and although I've only had my lift for about 12 years, I won't do any work off of jackstands these days unless absolutely necessary, and I have a nice warm shop. Hell, I even ***** about having to crawl under a vehicle on a creeper to tighten suspension bolts once the vehicle is put back to ride height under its own weight.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Hell, I even ***** about having to crawl under a vehicle on a creeper to tighten suspension bolts once the vehicle is put back to ride height under its own weight.

That's why you need a 4-poster too

 

[rattle_snake]

Yes Indeed I do need a 4-post as well.

 

[rattle_snake]

Headers. Loved by the youngster, hated by the old timers. Why? because they are a pain in the ***.
I'm old but I have to have the sound and performance. So with stupidity comes the saga of death by 1000 cuts.

I bought a set of 73-79 2WD headers for a 302W. I had no hope or expectation they would fit. Such fallacies may only be applicable only to products costing five times as much. There is no point in coating or painting them prior to attempting to install them, because they will get beat and hacked.

The 1/2" increased deck height of the 351W block puts the exhaust port both out and out by sqrt(2)/2 each, or .353". Should just slip right in. Removing the old manifolds was a breeze. Some guys claim to spend hours or even days just removing a few bolts. Rust or something like that.

There was no hope the right side would fit. The left side didn't fit either. The dipstick interfered, and was in a poor location under booster, so I bent it out of the way. I then proceeded to delicately hammer the **** out of the offending tube until it fit. But simply fitting isn't enough need some clearance. It is generally accepted that denting a primary has minimal effect. I try not to go past 1/2 the radial area.


Next step was to chop up the new dented header to pull the outer primary in tighter. It would have been smarter to start with this, but it wouldn't have been enough and the hammer would have come out anyhow.


Then simply re-attach.


I had to remove the goofy super tall valve cover bolt to shove it into place. Not my style. Heavy, ugly, in the way. Spark plug access is improved with the headers over the manifolds.

 

[SilverJimmy]

I see you have a factory A/C truck. When the heater blower motor died in my 73 F-100 I decided to replace it myself, how hard could it be? I could see it sticking out of the right side of the housing! After I had to completely disassemble the entire HVAC system I finally came to the conclusion that the very first item to come down the assembly line was that damn blower motor, and that Ford built the entire truck around it!

 

[OutlawDrifter]

You Ford guys and your 27 different bellhousings and small block configurations and whatnot

Looks like the headers have a nice thick flange at least.

 

[ntsqd]

One Chevy bell-housing bolt pattern, works great. Right up until you want an LSx/LM/LQ and then it bolts up, but doesn't work. Which I think is a bigger problem because it looks like it will work and why it doesn't only becomes apparent once you try it. I call those a "trap" and I work really hard in my own designs to not have any.
The thing that I find curious is that the BOP b/h bolt pattern bolts to the lower 4 bolts of every GM engine and the dowel pins are in the same place relative to the crank, it's only the upper bolts that miss depending on which block and which b/h or trans are put together.

 

[zmotorsports]

Justin, nice work "cheating" that header in there.

However, if I could make a slight suggestion. Butting tubes up like that and vibrations of a running engine don't play well together. That **** weld may end up failing, but what I would suggest is maybe taking a short section of tubing, say 1" or so, and slicing it lengthwise and then placing around the welded **** seam. This should spread the load out and not allow all of the vibration be focused on that joint and possibly causing a fatigue failure.

Just a thought, it may not work but I would worry about that **** joint failing, especially after grinding down to metal finish it.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

One Chevy bell-housing bolt pattern, works great. Right up until you want an LSx/LM/LQ and then it bolts up, but doesn't work.

This is incorrect. You can put ANY transmission that will bolt to a SBC/BBC behind the LS/LM/LQ. TH350/400, 700R4, 4L60/80E, Saginaws, Muncies, NV3500, NV4500, etc. You will need the correct parts inside the bellhousing, but saying they won't work is incorrect.

 

[XJSuperman]

Removing the old manifolds was a breeze. Some guys claim to spend hours or even days just removing a few bolts. Rust or something like that.

I feel attacked. Yes, I may still have one LS bolt needing removal...no I don't have more than 15hrs in it yet....

 

[ntsqd]

This is incorrect. You can put ANY transmission that will bolt to a SBC/BBC behind the LS/LM/LQ. TH350/400, 700R4, 4L60/80E, Saginaws, Muncies, NV3500, NV4500, etc. You will need the correct parts inside the bellhousing, but saying they won't work is incorrect.

Perhaps I said that wrong. Yes, the b/h bolts up, and that's the end of it. The b/h bolts on, but little else SBC/BBC does and fits correctly. Gone are the days when you could mix and match SBC & BBC b/h - clutch - flywheel - flex-plate parts almost indiscriminately. GM, in their infinite wisdom, has moved closer to how Ford does it.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Perhaps I said that wrong. Yes, the b/h bolts up, and that's the end of it. The b/h bolts on, but little else SBC/BBC does and fits correctly. Gone are the days when you could mix and match SBC & BBC b/h - clutch - flywheel - flex-plate parts almost indiscriminately. GM, in their infinite wisdom, has moved closer to how Ford does it.

It's still pretty easy...you're making it sound much worse than it really is to adapt! 20 years ago there was a pretty steep learning curve, but these days the parts are all readily available and the info is out there.

Definitely not as easy as it was in the old days, but I'd still rather deal with something as simple as a crank snout spacer(or the correct flat flex plate), and opening up some holes for metric vs SAE hardware on a torque converter...than trying to mix/match the Ford parts.

 

[rattle_snake]

Onto the other side, where the header won't go in from top or bottom. I don't want to have to remove other parts to remove/install the headers so that complicates things now, to not later. The big old starter is definitely going to be an issue so I pulled it out. I can hear the armature chunking back and forth and saw some loose bits on the snout. Not good. Clockable PMGR starter on the way. I carved away at the right frame rail, RA cross member, motor mount, and the motor/trans plate until I could get the header in from below. Bolting it on the head showed lots of interference on the outside. So more rounds of grind and fit.
I don't like just hacking up the frame, so I filled a square hole in the place where I had to take out more meat. burned in a scab and blended it smooth.


With the frame clearanced, the cross member no long fit. Did a big chop in place and it appeared enough. I pulled out the cross member, cleaned it up, and started hacking on it.


Welded in a piece or bar to maintain the shape and structure.




Paint it black, put it back in. Good thing paint dries quickly in December.


But not enough. With the cross member clearanced, the frame no long fit. See the pattern here?


Another round and as far as it can reasonably go. The header clears but not by enough. I plan to pull the motor out soon for a re-seal and can fine tune at that time. Let the paint burn off.

 

[larry4406]

And just like that, we have a fully resto-modded truck!

Ohhh the path on the slippery slope is well trodden....

 

[rattle_snake]

yes it is...

With headers in, on to the rest of the exhaust. I cut off the piping into the mufflers to be replaced with fresh 2-1/4 al'd steel. The collector adapters are 2-1/2, so I took a ball peen hammer to to the smaller pipe and hammer out a bell flange.


From there I ground the flange flat and round. I needed to go up and over the trans cross member so angled the adapter as needed.


Then a strait shot into the mufflers. Header paint dries amazingly quickly.


Rinse repeat the other side and done


Simple, short, light. Cheap. $250 for the whole system.

 

[SilverJimmy]

WHAT!? No X Pipe?! This can not stand!
looking good, can’t wait till I can start working in my shop.

 

[ntsqd]

Put a cross-over pipe where the paint stops burning off. I know of no scientific reason for this, but it's a good place to start.

 

[rattle_snake]

Justin, nice work "cheating" that header in there.

However, if I could make a slight suggestion. Butting tubes up like that and vibrations of a running engine don't play well together. That **** weld may end up failing, but what I would suggest is maybe taking a short section of tubing, say 1" or so, and slicing it lengthwise and then placing around the welded **** seam. This should spread the load out and not allow all of the vibration be focused on that joint and possibly causing a fatigue failure.

Just a thought, it may not work but I would worry about that **** joint failing, especially after grinding down to metal finish it.

Hi Mike,
Thanks for sharing this. I had not considered. Should have put a sleeve on the inside I guess. The joint is under tension so not ideal.

I feel attacked. Yes, I may still have one LS bolt needing removal...no I don't have more than 15hrs in it yet....

Ah, well trolling successful. Good luck with that bolt!

WHAT!? No X Pipe?! This can not stand!
looking good, can’t wait till I can start working in my shop.

No, no X here. It won't make much of an improvement on a lo-po engine.

 

[rattle_snake]

Changed up the line lock button and wiring. It needs to be on the left side/left hand. I used a microphone cord and stuffed the switch into the male XLR connector housing. Cable is flexible.

 

[rattle_snake]

Made a cupholder out of poo pipe to hang off the ash tray.


Added a sticker for fun.