Above 1200 Sq/FT The Warthog Hidey Hole

[jbmatth]

Not surprising you're using a spreadsheet to track fuel economy. Are you making notes as to special conditions which would affect mileage?

Sealing up aerodynamic gaps, good idea! Do you think I'd get better fuel economy with my show truck if I fixed that dang starter boot?

The original felt worked amazingly well on the old Chevys.

Andy,
I have so many spreadsheets for all sorts of things it is mind-boggling at times. I do not keep notes on special conditions in this car, outside of the very rare case of driving to Wichita to H.F. or a long trip which usually means multiple fuel stops in a few days it is just a commuter car. Now on my truck it has an hour meter that I use to track my average speed and track that as well. The biggest difference for the Green Dragon is when refineries switch from summer to winter blends and back. I loose about 3 mpg on average during the winter and can see as high as another 3 when the outside air temp drops.

I would think you could see some improvement but I'm doubtful it will be noticeable. Also a new shiny part on the show truck just wouldn't suit the style. Speaking of which you really need to make your fuel take match the ambiance of the rest of the vehicle, perhaps use an old Jerry Can.

The felt is up there with rope packing, it works pretty well but updates have been made in the decades since the original design.
JB

 

[BUGTHUG]

Hey is that Hearst going to be ready by this weekend? I didn't remember if you were waiting on a part or not? I still working on getting the trailer unloaded. I could use a few more days, or I can get it cleaned off? No hurry just checking.

 

[jbmatth]

Hey is that Hearst going to be ready by this weekend? I didn't remember if you were waiting on a part or not? I still working on getting the trailer unloaded. I could use a few more days, or I can get it cleaned off? No hurry just checking.

Herb,
Yes the Hearse should be ready by this weekend, the last torque tube seal is scheduled for delivery on Friday then all that is left is installing it and filling everything with oil. So Sunday could be the day, if you need me to hold onto it for another week I think I could find it in my heart to store it one more week and I won't even charge you a storage fee for this week.

JB

 

[HSpencer]

JB

Do you guys also have plans on building the "Family Car" to go with the Hearse?

My Funeral: Six Carrying, Nobody Crying"

Best Regards
Herb

 

[madoc1]

great work on the hearse. why am i surprised you dont have a name for it? because it is not your's? a note about teflon tape- it should never be used on trans cooling lines so i would think that would also apply to small hydraulic lines. too big a chance that a bit could get in the line and clog something. paste is fine.
on my '75 fj40, the front axle uses felt seals just like the hearse.

jim

 

[jbmatth]

JB

Do you guys also have plans on building the "Family Car" to go with the Hearse?

My Funeral: Six Carrying, Nobody Crying"

Best Regards
Herb

Herb,
I have no plans for a family car, unless you think the Barbie Trailer Park Pink Dream Mobile would qualify? Why do I have a feeling you'd have plenty of people sad to see you go. Of course I'm sure some of them are also sad to see you go to the bathroom in the front yard too.

great work on the hearse. why am i surprised you dont have a name for it? because it is not your's? a note about teflon tape- it should never be used on trans cooling lines so i would think that would also apply to small hydraulic lines. too big a chance that a bit could get in the line and clog something. paste is fine.
on my '75 fj40, the front axle uses felt seals just like the hearse.

jim

Jim,
I think I may have come up with a name for Herb's Hearse early on but don't really remember what that was now. I have an easier time remembering Herb's Hearse so I think I just switched to that.

For the tape, I knew I wasn't "supposed" to use it, but didn't have any paste handy at the time. However, I was very careful to not wrap any near the ends of the threads but that didn't really help much anyway.

With older style seals you just can't argue with something that works, but in my case they had stopped working a long time ago.
JB

 

[jbmatth]

With Herb's Hearse in limbo waiting on parts again I didn't want to waste a few days sitting on my thumb so I found something I've been wanting to get taken care of that should be a quick project, final disassembly of the Duramax from B.B.B. The problem I was having is that the flexplate bolts are tightened to 58 ft.-lbs. in a star sequence, then again tightened another 60° in the same sequence, then again another 60°. After that you are supposed to verify they are tightened to at least 266 ft.-lbs. That means these bolts are torqued to yield and are not suitable for reuse. The two problems I was having were that my impact wouldn't break them free and the engine would simply spin when using a breaker bar. My solution:
View media item 69679
A piece of .25" x .25" x 2" (6.35mm x 6.35mm x 50.8mm) angle with two 1/2" (12.7mm) holes drilled 5.5" (139.7mm) on center. The only bolts I have with the correct thread pitch were the old head bolts, insert a block of wood:
View media item 69680
Grab a big cheater bar, use one leg to keep the engine from rolling over and BAM!:
View media item 69681
All 8 broke free easy enough and that is all it took. I have the flexplate off and a few other parts then I'll continue taking everything else off to get the aluminum out for Andy to make some muffins. The crank might make a good mailbox post.

JB

 

[oldironfarmer]

Good solution!

Are you asking me to come visit? I heard you wanted an old crank at your house, maybe to hold a mail box.

 

[BUGTHUG]

Well I hope I can afford the high cost of free storage.
This is the hearse sitting on the side of the road on its way back from its maiden voyage from JB's.It started backfiring and sounded like a gun. It seemed the distributor came lose and spun out of timing. Also the gas cap made a sealed air sound when I took it off, guess it needs a vent. Its a good thing it wasn't an emergency cause the house I was in front of didn't even come out to see whats going on, even the dog didn't bark. I could of sworn I heard dueling banjo's playing
JB took off for a jog to his house to get his truck and a roap. The whole time I was there only one old lady drove by, and had a look of fear in her eye. That was the ONLY person on that deserted road, about a mile from town.
I'm going to try and get the trailer unloaded, but next week would work out MORE BETTER If you want to see whats on my trailer, check out my site, just clicky the underline address below

 

[-Brent-]

If you want to see whats on my trailer, check out my site, just clicky the underline address below

No link to click. C'mon you got me all curious!

 

[jbmatth]

No link to click. C'mon you got me all curious!

Herb's Gashole Garage

I think he was excited, he doesn't have it posted as of me typing this.
JB

 

[jp828108]

Nice update and progress on the Duramax. Making me feel lazy for not getting out in my garage and working.

 

[BUGTHUG]

OK its there now! gee.

 

[jbmatth]

Well I hope I can afford the high cost of free storage.
This is the hearse sitting on the side of the road on its way back from its maiden voyage from JB's.It started backfiring and sounded like a gun. It seemed the distributor came lose and spun out of timing. Also the gas cap made a sealed air sound when I took it off, guess it needs a vent. Its a good thing it wasn't an emergency cause the house I was in front of didn't even come out to see whats going on, even the dog didn't bark. I could of sworn I heard dueling banjo's playing
JB took off for a jog to his house to get his truck and a roap. The whole time I was there only one old lady drove by, and had a look of fear in her eye. That was the ONLY person on that deserted road, about a mile from town.
I'm going to try and get the trailer unloaded, but next week would work out MORE BETTER If you want to see whats on my trailer, check out my site, just clicky the underline address below

Herb,
Glad the banjo didn't have a guitar start to join in for a little dual. You know you are close to a BIG town when your a mile away and only one person passes by in 20 minutes. Also I'd say the trailer contents looks good, but perhaps a good project would be the better term.

Nice update and progress on the Duramax. Making me feel lazy for not getting out in my garage and working.

JP,
Don't feel lazy, it was just some impact gun work and some creativity, but yes, get out there and get something done and post on it. Look at who is talking trash.

OK its there now! gee.

Thanks!

 

[mybigwarwagon]

Might be time to weld that dizzy in place.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Ummm... It is not much of a town.

I found the "little old lady" comment mildly but morbidly amusing being I keep our local hearse on speed dial.

 

[Vieux]

A good solution for loosening bolts.

 

[jbmatth]

Might be time to weld that dizzy in place.

I like the way you think! We had a steam line at work that kept leaking and we discussed repair options. One of the contractors at the time was the very back woods Louisiana type and he suggested stick gasket. I had a very confused look on my face and he laughed and said just weld that some ***** solid. Funny thing is on that same line there is a set of flanges that had been welded shut, but they never leaked.

Ummm... It is not much of a town.

I found the "little old lady" comment mildly but morbidly amusing being I keep our local hearse on speed dial.

By town I think he assumed because we have a post office it is considered a town, but with no mayor who are you going to ask to confirm that. Maybe I should be a politician and run for mayor.

A good solution for loosening bolts.

That it is Vieux, thanks for stopping by.


All,
I finished up tearing the engine down from B.B.B. this morning, crank and cam out, pistons out, and lifters coming out. I was surprised by the two broken rings I found, the weight of the crank, and the massive size of the cam.
View media item 69747
Compared to the small block Chevy cam that came with the '57:
View media item 69748
JB

 

[Grumblebum]

I'm still playing thread catch up but good to see the hearse moving under it's own steam.

Looks cool. A couple of those pics in black and white framed on the wall would look nice.

Better catch up on bug's thread now too.

Good work fellas.

GB

 

[jbmatth]

GB,
Thanks for stopping by, I have some updates for ya'll I'll try to get to today if all goes well. Productive weekend for certain.
JB

 

[jbmatth]

I received the driveshaft seals a day early so I was able to install them Friday morning on Herb's Hearse. I started filling the trans with gear oil just as the manual calls for when my pump broke. Later that day I picked up another one and was able to fill it and the rear end. Here is a photo of the driveshaft:
View media item 69815
On the left is the rear end and to the right is where it comes from the trans. This is the joint going to the rear:
View media item 69816
Then here is the front joint:
View media item 69817
That was all I was able to acomplish before having to make a trip to get the girls some ice cream.

Saturday morning I dropped it to the ground and started it up, pulled it out of the shop under its own power, the clutch feels much better now that it is properly adjusted. Everything seemed to work just fine so I pulled it into the empty bay on the south end so I could put the '57 on the lift:
View media item 69819
I only really wanted to see what it looked like on the lift and check out the underside, I'm still impressed with the quality of the metal under there. I'll need to do some metal work but nothing major luckily. I did have a helper so I couldn't do too much:
View media item 69818
She was so proud of her dirty hands.

Saturday I also managed to clear the last of the small trees on the NE corner of my yard. I still have some low limbs I need to trim up and lots of stumps to pull and or grind out but it is in much better shape. I have some photos but want it to green up some more before I share them. I then mowed the now 4.5 acre yard, 2.5 acres of which were very overgrown when we bought the place, I just tackle it for a few hours here and there when the weather is nice enough and it is nice to have it all cleared now! Lastly I then went to a my oldest daughters soccer game, they won 5-3, and are now 2-1 on the season.

Sunday and Monday were spent stripping down another chair for my mother. These were originally her parents (Same house the JD came from.) and she brings me one every few months to strip down and repaint. This one had 3 layers of paint with the middle yellow layer being very thick and I'm sure at least one layer was lead based:

After lots of time with the angle grinder I have the hardest part mostly stipped:

I'll work on the rest this week. In other news Herb said he would be able to get the Hearse picked up sometime this week!

Life is good,
JB

 

[1/2 Cup]

JB, looks like you have been a bit busy of late, well done..

 

[dittle fart around]

Saturday I also managed to clear the last of the small trees on the NE corner of my yard. I still have some low limbs I need to trim up and lots of stumps to pull and or grind out but it is in much better shape. I have some photos but want it to green up some more before I share them. I then mowed the now 4.5 acre yard, 2.5 acres of which were very overgrown when we bought the place, I just tackle it for a few hours here and there when the weather is nice enough and it is nice to have it all cleared now! Lastly I then went to a my oldest daughters soccer game, they won 5-3, and are now 2-1 on the season.

Sunday and Monday were spent stripping down another chair for my mother. These were originally her parents (Same house the JD came from.) and she brings me one every few months to strip down and repaint. This one had 3 layers of paint with the middle yellow layer being very thick and I'm sure at least one layer was lead based:

After lots of time with the angle grinder I have the hardest part mostly stipped:

I'll work on the rest this week. In other news Herb said he would be able to get the Hearse picked up sometime this week!

Life is good,
JB

Your weekends sound familiar, we had two kids playing soccer year round on different traveling teams.

And loving the chairs. The one's I have are from a different manufacturer. Those are classics.

 

[jbmatth]

JB, looks like you have been a bit busy of late, well done..

1/2,
Not much time around here to waste so I try to make the best of what little I do have. Doesn't hurt I woke up at 2 AM for no reason this morning and got an early start.

Your weekends sound familiar, we had two kids playing soccer year round on different traveling teams.

And loving the chairs. The one's I have are from a different manufacturer. Those are classics.

Fart,
All three of her chairs are different and have anywhere from 3-4 layers of paint on them. She wants to paint them each different colors for her front porch, red, white, and blue. Lots of paint to remove and the shop is a mess from all this paint dust. A good respirator and goggles are worth wearing.
JB

 

[-Brent-]

Fart,

...

JB

JB wins among all posts on The GJ, today. Hahaha. I'm such a child.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Looks like productive work, JB!

I'm intrigued by the driveline on the hearse. It looks like the from u-joint housing is riveted in place. I've never seen one of those that is fixed. The slip joint takes up for axle movement but also allows you to easily disconnect the u-joint. I'm assuming the carrier bearing has to be moved to disassemble the from one. I need to check the show truck again.

Love your helper. Glad you're letting her help!

 

[jbmatth]

JB wins among all posts on The GJ, today. Hahaha. I'm such a child.

Woo Hoo, I love winning, what is my prize? Do I still get to post in the Garage Gallery even though I haven't worked on the shop in a long time?

Looks like productive work, JB!

I'm intrigued by the driveline on the hearse. It looks like the from u-joint housing is riveted in place. I've never seen one of those that is fixed. The slip joint takes up for axle movement but also allows you to easily disconnect the u-joint. I'm assuming the carrier bearing has to be moved to disassemble the from one. I need to check the show truck again.

Love your helper. Glad you're letting her help!

Andy,
She is definitely my little helper, I need to get her more work clothes though, mamma doesn't like having to clean grease off of her clothes and doesn't bother with mine.

That little extended portion between the u-joint is riveted on both ends. In order to replace the gasket around the ball on it I actually had to cut the gasket to install it, then dabbed it with gasket maker, let it dry, then installed it all. The front u-joint really does nothing other than allow for misalignment from there to the carrier bearing. For removal I had to take the cross member off, then the slip joint had to be pushed all the way back to take the bolts out the rear u-joint. The front just slid out easy enough. Kinda wonky but was much better than having to remove the rear axle and start all over on the brakes. I'd assume most/all non stretched just had the single slip style joint without the extra shaft in the middle but what do I know, I'm just a hack with a grease gun.

All,
In other news Herb is scheduled to pick up his Hearse this afternoon! And just as exciting to me the Dodge Challenger Demon is to be released today at the New York International Auto Show. If you haven't been following it I highly recommend you look it up. Makes me wish I had $80,000 or so to throw at a car.
JB

 

[krcoomer]

JB wins among all posts on The GJ, today. Hahaha. I'm such a child.

Brent: I was thinking the same thing.

JB: You have the best looking helper I have seen in a long time on GJ. Her work clothes will sort themselves out even if mama doesn't like it. You just have to make sure she wears the same ones to work in.

I will have to keep the "stick gasket" idea in mind in the future. Need to get a welder first though.

Also, the appropriate spelling around here is "sumbitch". Seeing this reminded me of an older man who had a spoken prayer request every Sunday when I was a kid. He used the term a time or two during his prayer requests. Made Sunday services a little more interesting when I was a teenager waiting to see if he would do it again and feel his wife's elbow in his ribs.

 

[jbmatth]

Coomer,
Every now and then I'll toss a nugget of humor into my posts just to see if anyone is actually reading or just looking at my pictures...yeah all of the great pictures. LOL

Your story reminds me of the song by Ray Steven's The Mississippi Squirrel Revival. "She began to cry and then to confess to sins that would make a sailor blush with shame
She told of gossip and church dissension but the thing that got the most attention
Was when she talked about her love life and then she started naming names."

JB

 

[krcoomer]

I remember the song well. It came out about the same time. The man I was talking about was a great guy who had had a stroke and I guess some of his filters came off after that. I have never really had filters so I just speak my mind. To paraphrase Harry Truman, I just tell the truth and it sounds like Hell.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

Brent: I was thinking the same thing.

JB: You have the best looking helper I have seen in a long time on GJ. Her work clothes will sort themselves out even if mama doesn't like it. You just have to make sure she wears the same ones to work in.

My 5 year old already has work clothes. Although a few days ago he came home from school in greasy clothes. I guess I should really have coffee before I dress him.

 

[jbmatth]

I remember the song well. It came out about the same time. The man I was talking about was a great guy who had had a stroke and I guess some of his filters came off after that. I have never really had filters so I just speak my mind. To paraphrase Harry Truman, I just tell the truth and it sounds like Hell.

Coomer,
Good quote from a Missouri native at that, who'd of thunk we'd have someone so eloquent from Mo.

My 5 year old already has work clothes. Although a few days ago he came home from school in greasy clothes. I guess I should really have coffee before I dress him.

War Wagon,
I've put my two girls in cloths for school I probably shouldn't have but it'll help keep them humble. I think they have more money in cloths now than I have in my entire life.

All,
I'm in the process of producing a post on Herb's Hearse, stand by it may be quite long!
JB

 

[jbmatth]

All,
As I mentioned earlier Herb planned to pick up his hearse yesterday and it all worked out in the end. I first picked it up at the end of November 2015 I did a lot of work at first then just tinkered with it here and there for about a year waiting on a few things. Eventually I decided to just go whole hog and get it going. Now 16.5 months after it arrived it is back on the road with just a few things left for Herb to finish before taking it on a cross country trip.

During its not so brief stay here at the Warthog Hidey Hole I rebuilt the carb, installed the fuel tank, and ran new fuel line. I had to adjust the timing a few times, and install a battery that seemed to be hiding in plain sight. I also completely rebuilt the brakes front to back, new lines throughout for the most part, new wheel cylinders in the rear, new master cylinder, and lots of adjusting and bleeding. The biggest project was the suspension, I completely stripped everything down to bare metal, primed, painted, and installed later to grease everything I could find. I had to work over the vacuum booster for the shift linkage and adjust some of it as well. I had to adjust the clutch, reseal the trans and torque tube, remove lots of old oils and grease then pour in some fine dino oil to get it back on the road. I drove it out of the shop and snapped a few photos before Herb arrived to pick it up.

View media item 69833
View media item 69834
View media item 69835
View media item 69836
View media item 69837
View media item 69838
View media item 69839
Herb and is wife arrived right on schedule and we had it loaded in a short time:
View media item 69842
That is when I saw something I didn't want to see, a brake fluid drip about the size of a dollar bill. There was a cap of some kind installed from the factory on the master cylinder that was leaking. I guess I never though about having to tighten it and it was just loose enough to seep out. I got it tight enough but now Herb has some homework, he will need to bleed the brakes one more time. The other bits of homework for him will be a muffler replacement, (I didn't feel comfortable welding on a leak free exhaust plus who knows maybe he will want a glass pack or flowmaster ), and an alignment. I just hope he remember to put some lead additive in with every tank of fuel as well. We took a photo op:
View media item 69840
And he was on his way:
View media item 69841
In the end I was very satisfied to get a great old classic back on the road. Would I do it again? Maybe, but I have to get some other projects done first. My oldest daughter is ready for her Jeep bed and when asked about colors she said Mizzou theme, I'll have her help me with it so she knows how much it will actually take to complete the project and teach her about power tools.

Have a great one, and keep moving forward,
JB

 

[rmalkow2]

Awesome job on the hearse and fun to follow along. That is one beast of a vehicle but great that you could carefully restore it to former function and keep it so original. Herb will definitely draw attention going down the road in that thing.

 

[1/2 Cup]

JB, done well

 

[250]

Finally made it through the thread, just in time to see the hearse chapter close. Pretty cool to get it going again.

 

[oldironfarmer]

The hood on the hearse sure looks long. Beautiful!! I guess it's a standard hood but it looks like it would hold a straight eight.

Great work on it, and an even better plan to do the bed next

Herb sure has a decent trailer. But that hearse has some length too.

 

[a_thiel24]

JB, I finally worked my way through the entire thread and all of the great commentary. I love your country home and am so envious of all of your acreage. I hope in the next couple of months I can find something like that to myself. The WHHH is absolutely amazing. The size alone would be beneficial to almost anyone. I spent numerous pages wishing you would fix the roof so all of your cool things would stay dry and was so excited to see you finally did! I hope Andy (I love his thread too) and you can get the slope around the shop adjusted to keep all water out. Best of luck!

 

[BUGTHUG]

That Herb guy sure is a good looking devil
Thanks to JB for getting a dead hearse back from the dead
It still needs some love, insurance and a tag. I need to come up with a vanity plate, thinking about DEAD END, or ASH2ASH?

 

[krcoomer]

That Herb guy sure is a good looking devil
Thanks to JB for getting a dead hearse back from the dead
It still needs some love, insurance and a tag. I need to come up with a vanity plate, thinking about DEAD END, or ASH2ASH?

Were we looking at the same picture Herb?

I like your ideas for the vanity plate. Not sure that I would use DEAD MAN though.

Great job on reincarnating the hearse JB!

Enjoy the ride in it Herb. Make sure you post dates for your World Tour because that looks like it is about as long as the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile which I have passed several times over the years.