Above 1200 Sq/FT The Warthog Hidey Hole

[jbmatth]

I've seen many people judge tire condition based only on how much tread is left...

You bring up a very good point, I have some roller tires that hold air just fine but are dry rotted like crazy and I wouldn't do more than drive around the farm or to the gas station. Here is a link to more info on determining tire age.
How to determine the age of your tires.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

I had a little vacation time I needed to burn here at the end of the year so took a few days off to get some work done around The Warthog Hidey Hole. I finished re-installing the 'Vette suspension so I could roll it out of the way, the toughest part was installing the front spring. There is a tool made to do this, but it is very expensive and I didn't have time to wait for it. I came up with this little idea to compress the spring:
View media item 78217
It worked, maybe not the best idea but it did work and I was able to roll the 'Vette out of the way. I brought in the other twin that didn't sell to get it ready to go to the scrap yard. Step one, pull the body and load it on a trailer in a very brute force and dumb method:

Check, step two, pull the rear axle and springs to take to a deliver to a friend who is in need of it:

Check, step three, grind off rivet heads, punch out rivets, cut C channel rails to be used for a later unknown project:

Check, step four, step back realize you did a lot of work just to send most of this to the scrapper:

I also removed the torsion springs and a few other parts that I will need later, the springs will probably be turning stock if I ever need it for some reason.

After this I used the mower to move the '57 into the shop to begin working on it, finely!!! More coming in the next post...

JB

 

[jbmatth]

So now I have the '57 at the lift, I know what you are thinking, and you are right, I never thought I'd see the day either. Here is some proof:
View media item 78219
A shot of the interior, yeah it needs some work as well:
View media item 78220
First order of business what to determine wheel center-line front and back. The laser level came in handy here:
View media item 78221
I did this with the wheels on then removed the wheels to mark the frame, now I will be able to center it on the frame table and match up with the jigs to get the tires fit into the center of the wheel wells. Next up I removed all of the suspension parts that will no longer be needed:
View media item 78222
Here is a pile of the old suspension:
View media item 78223

That went really easy and I didn't have any bolts give me fits. Too bad that didn't hold through to the body bolts. The only body bolts that were tough were the ones that were captive on the inside of the car under the floor pan, nothing a grinder can't handle though. Now position the frame table, level it out 6 ways to Sunday, lower on the frame and pull the body off:
View media item 78224
Sadly these cars were not meant to be removed from the frame with the front sheet metal still installed. I had to do a little cutting on the inner fenders but at least it was all removed. Next up was removing everything else I couldn't get to with the body installed. I removed the spring hangers, transmission mounts and a few other odds and ends that are no longer needed.
View media item 78225
Then spend lots of time cleaning the top of the frame and removing some of the junk that had collected under there the past 60 years. I then spent even more time squaring up the frame to the table. Last but not least modify the rear suspension jigs for the new wheelbase. It turned out I only had to move everything 1" (25.4mm) to get it all to line up again. I decided to work on the rear suspension first as it'll need the least amount of work and at this point I can still unbolt it from the table to slide the jig in place:
View media item 78226
So plenty of more work to go but I'm well on the way!

JB

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Nice work JB, you're still making me look bad!

 

[jbmatth]

Nice work JB, you're still making me look bad!

I don't know about all of that, I'm just a hack with a grinder and welder so far, if this thing ever runs it'll be a miracle if it ever drives down the road straight.
JB

 

[dchance]

I am enjoying watching you work and like the explanations. Glad you got started.

Dwight

 

[jbmatth]

I am enjoying watching you work and like the explanations. Glad you got started.

Dwight

Thank you Dwight, I hope it isn't too boring for those watching along. Metal fab seams to take me so long it is tough to really have much to show even every few days.


All,
Speaking of metal fab, I ran into a little problem when trying to fit the jig for the rear end. In the photo below look at the back of the jig where the anti-roll bar mounts are located:
View media item 78226
I had to jack up the back of the frame quite a bit to even get the jig in place without cutting a huge piece of the frame out. I searched online and found that 90% or so of the Tri-Five Chevy's using C4 IRS (Independent Rear Suspension) don't use the anti-roll bar and those that do end up mounting it above the frame. So this morning I cut the extensions of the jig off (after marking them so I could re-install later if needed) and lowered the frame until I ran into my next hurdle, the shock location isn't quite ideal either. I'm going to have to move those inboard slightly to make it work. I also made some mounting plates to hold the rear and front of the frame in place when I start cutting more out of it.

Nothing too exciting, but progress is progress. Have a good day ya'll, and keep moving forward,
JB

 

[oldironfarmer]

Hmmm, most of my tires don't have DOT numbers. I wonder when they started putting them on?

JB's chop shop

Seriously now, you are doing great! Lightning fast on the 57 project! WOW

You're making me feel really old, by the way.

Your time spent making the table and fixtures is really paying off. It is really great to see the progress.

 

[jbmatth]

Hmmm, most of my tires don't have DOT numbers. I wonder when they started putting them on?

JB's chop shop

Seriously now, you are doing great! Lightning fast on the 57 project! WOW

You're making me feel really old, by the way.

Your time spent making the table and fixtures is really paying off. It is really great to see the progress.

Andy,
From what I've ready they started in the 60's or so but the code was only 3 digits long so you didn't know if your tire was 10, 20, etc. years older. Starting in 2000 they became 4 the first two are the week of the year and the second are the year. I learned something new today.

Don't feel old, just feel slow. Thanks for the accolades though, we will see how much it pays off soon I suppose.

JB

 

[rmalkow2]

Fun watching your process JB. You are making good careful progress and I have no doubt will have a straight driving '57 when finished. Keep up the good work.

 

[don long]

Hey JB
I have a 57 nomad that could use this kind of attention.
You do know that my 62 vette has the same suspension you are mounting in your 57 I will be able to let you know how much better it is in the very near future. I still love your frame bench Great job

Don

 

[jbmatth]

Fun watching your process JB. You are making good careful progress and I have no doubt will have a straight driving '57 when finished. Keep up the good work.

Thank you for the kind words rmalkow, I have no doubt it'll drive straight, my fear is the body will be canted to the road. It is moving along ever so slowly, I had an early start today and was able to make 4 brackets that will hold the "bat wing" in place. I have it all laid out now to make some cuts on the frame when I remove the jig again, and measure a few hundred more times.

Hey JB
I have a 57 nomad that could use this kind of attention.
You do know that my 62 vette has the same suspension you are mounting in your 57 I will be able to let you know how much better it is in the very near future. I still love your frame bench Great job

Don

Don,
I'm sure I could do some of the work for you but you'd be so far down the list of projects I might be retired before I get to it. I'm looking forward to how it drives, I'll set up the shock mounts so I can switch to coilovers in the future if I can't get the ride height I'm after with the stock leaf springs. I would love to know how your 62 drives, maybe when you make your trek to Oklahoma this spring you can drive it.

JB

 

[HSpencer]

JB

Wow! You have turned into "American Restorations, Inc"----.I love what your doing.
Just thought I better post here as I haven't twisted your tail in a while!!
BTW: Merry Christmas and a superior 2018!!

Best Regards
Herb

 

[jbmatth]

JB

Wow! You have turned into "American Restorations, Inc"----.I love what your doing.
Just thought I better post here as I haven't twisted your tail in a while!!
BTW: Merry Christmas and a superior 2018!!

Best Regards
Herb

Herb, Great to hear from you, however, if I were American Restorations I think I'd go broke in a week. Nice to hear from you and a Merry Christmas and Happy New year to you and all others as well. I have a bit of an update from this weekend coming up shortly.
JB

 

[jabin]

JB, What you get done in just a morning, could take me all year! Keep it up!

 

[jbmatth]

I managed to get some more work done on the '57 the past few days, lots of measuring and marking before cutting and welding. To start off it was time to make the brackets to hang the "Batwing", I marked out the location of where the cuts needed to be made:
View media item 78336
I had to make some brackets that were wider than the frame so I kinda pieced them together a bit, but I think my welding is improving:

That was using .030 flux core wire, not too terrible, but I have some room for improvement. Here is one of the complete brackets:
View media item 78335
I got them all welded in the made some brackets for housing the 4-link bars, a bit different than some other designs I'd seen online but it will work for what I have planned:
View media item 78337
I will trim both sets up a bit more later on and reinforce them as well, here is a shot of the other side:
View media item 78338
As a side note I don't like the way the mounts are made completely and I'll have to do some reinforcements to reduce the stress points at the corners of the brackets. No need to crack a frame so more metal and welding will be coming.

Before I work on the shock and anti-roll bar mounts I'll put the suspension under the frame and do a ride height mock-up. At some point I'll also have to flip the frame and weld everything out on the bottom. Lots of welding left to do and I managed to set myself on fire again this morning while welding. My hand will on occasion get pretty hot while welding but I set my glove on fire but didn't notice until about half of the back of my hand was up in flames. Oops, time for new gloves.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

JB, What you get done in just a morning, could take me all year! Keep it up!

Jabin, you snuck in on me there, I am getting a lot more done lately, but I've been having trouble sleeping so my mornings start around 3:00. So much more time to get things done.

JB

 

[oldironfarmer]

Looking good JB! Flux core weld looks great to me.

Did you check the section modulus before and after on your cutout? It looks fine from inspection but a little arithmetic is a pretty cheap check. Remembering the frames all flex I wouldn't stiffen it too much right there.

Also will the four bar mount require a cutout of the floor pan?

Really looking great. Good job!

 

[Finallygotit]

Nice job JB!! Those welds look great for a flux core.

 

[jbmatth]

Looking good JB! Flux core weld looks great to me.

Did you check the section modulus before and after on your cutout? It looks fine from inspection but a little arithmetic is a pretty cheap check. Remembering the frames all flex I wouldn't stiffen it too much right there.

Also will the four bar mount require a cutout of the floor pan?

Really looking great. Good job!

I have not but judging by how much had to be cut out around the back of the "Batwing" brackets I probably lost some strength because the brackets is pretty close to the neutral axes of the original frame. It shouldn't need much but I will put a plate along the inside of the frame in similar to a fish plate (at least that is what I think they are called. I also plan to stiffen up the frame with some more material similar to how Art Morison does in this photo:

The four bar mounts will require cutting of the floor, I made them too big and will trim them off before lowering the body back down, but will still probably have to cut some. Thanks for the reminder, there are a lot of "moving parts" to this that I need to keep in mind.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

Nice job JB!! Those welds look great for a flux core.

Thanks Finallygotit, I really need to just break down and get some gas, it could have come close to paying for itself by now rather than the flux core.

JB

 

[Finallygotit]

Thanks Finallygotit, I really need to just break down and get some gas, it could have come close to paying for itself by now rather than the flux core.

JB

I hear you. I really should just break down and get a nice used gas MIG. There are a few for sale around here.

 

[jbmatth]

I hear you. I really should just break down and get a nice used gas MIG. There are a few for sale around here.

I have the bottle connections and some old wire that I wouldn't want to use, I'm just too cheap to buy/rent the cylinder and pay to have it refilled. However, on that note I just found out my company is going to pay be for "some" of my overtime from the turnaround. Maybe I should bite the bullet and get one now while I have an extra 2 weeks of pay in the bank.

JB

 

[sean Buick 76]

Very very nice work on the 57 project I like it~!!

 

[jbmatth]

Very very nice work on the 57 project I like it~!!

Thank you Sean, I'm slowly getting there, I have a lot of head scratching ahead of me now.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

I am to the point where I wanted to move up to the front to get started on it for several reason. The first order of business was to stabilize the front of the frame where the bumper bolts on, nothing a little pipe and welding can't handle. I also integrated the front core support jig into this. Then to just lay out the cut lines:
View media item 78416
Even with a laser level, square, level, and a tape measure it took about 2 hours just to mark the lines. Then it was time to get down to business and make the cuts, hold your breath and just go for it:
View media item 78417
As you can see I also installed the front suspension jig. I've decided to roll the front anti-sway bar mount points from where they are currently and rather than use the standard shocks up front build brackets to use similar to the rear or possibly coil-over shocks in the future.

That is all for now, I need to get some steel to make it all happen, hopefully I can find some in stock, but if not I will order some.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

With the Holiday season just around the corner I might as well try to do my yearly "Year in Review" post. If for no other reason it is a good time to go back and see everything I may have or may not have accomplished in the past year. Sadly we didn't get any family Christmas photos so I don't have that to show, but luckily I don't have any of my ugly mug either so I'll spare you that.

To start off the year I worked on condiment corner, finished installing Tabasco and all of the new hydraulic lines. I'm happy to report I have not had any trouble with it all year:
View media item 67442
I worked quite a bit on Herb's Hearse to get it back to running condition, the fuel system, timing, and most frustrating the brake system. In the end it was able to drive onto his trailer under it's own power:
View media item 69840
Sadly that is when one of the brake lines decided to start leaking, I haven't heard if he was able to get that resolved. Herb if you are out there do you mind filling us in?

I was having a problem with some stuff in the house and when I couldn't fix it with a hammer I realized it was an electrical problem and that it was at the pole. My brother came out to take care of it for me, the same brother who helped to rescue Project Pinky Pi:

I designed the limit switch wiring that I attached to the lift so it would automattically turn on the in-floor lights when the lift was 2' off the ground:
View media item 67608
My friend Alex needed some quick and dirty help repairing the front of his horse trailer so I knocked that out over a couple of mornings:

We had a company come by and spray The Warthog Hidey Hole, it may not have sealed it, but it sure does look better now:

I did some maintenance and weight reduction on my DD The Green Dragon, out with the AC, power steering, trunk lining, and recently the passenger seat, no one wants to be seen riding in it anyway:
View media item 68362I'm happy to report I'm still getting pretty good fuel mileage but it has dropped off since I got new tires earlier this year (Extra rotational and un-sprung mass.) but am still averaging 46.17 mpg since the changes.

I did a quick and dirty trans swap in my FIL Dakota
View media item 68769
I then traded the donor to Andy for some dirt work:
View media item 70676Which is still working out great by the way, thanks Andy!

I did make sure to take some time out and give the girls a guided tour of the recently aquired property:

And let the little one get her hands dirty from time to time:
View media item 69818
More to come shortly,
JB

 

[jbmatth]

That is when the next big adventure began, it all started with TSF (The Silver Fox), a seized pulley on the toll road and a mishap with the ditch pulling in at 1am:
View media item 70209
That adventure led to pulling the body off to find the trashed piston and head:
View media item 70895
Which led to buying the twins and an extra engine:
View media item 71066
That is where progress really seemed to stall for the year, no better excuse than to take a quick vacation in a fun car:
View media item 71480
The Hot Rod Power Tour '17 sent Alex and I on an adventure where we met some old friends and made some new ones, Outlaw Drifter and his boys:
View media item 71478
And the gang we traveled with:

We plan to all try to meet up again for the 2018 tour starting in Bowling Green, Ky., then to Chattanooga, TN., Hoover, AL., Hampton, GA., Darlington, SC., Raleigh, NC., and finishing up in Concord, NC. If you are along that path let me know, I'm always open to making new friends.

I finely was able to get TSF all back together and sold, bought on 4-25, sold on 8-10, lots of time spent but I was able to make enough money off of that to send me onto my next adventure of working on Project Pinky Pi, it started off with buying a parts car, The Little Red Corvette:
View media item 73796
Then starting to build the frame table, thanks again Andy for the beams:
View media item 73668
I had to take a slight detour to Georgia to swap vehicles with my brother and brought home his (now my) S10:

You may see some good progress on this in the next few months.

I stalled out for a couple of months during the turnaround at work, but got back on it:
View media item 76710
I picked up the engine and trans donor for Project Pinky Pi :
View media item 76860
I built the suspension jigs and got Project Pinky Pi ready for a transplant:
View media item 78225
Since then it has just been a lot of cutting, grinding, and welding:
View media item 78338
With plenty more where that came from in the coming few weeks. I also made sure the girls still managed to get their hands dirty a few more times:
View media item 70213

Sometimes they even accomplished stuff like taking the doors off of Mama's Jeep:

And who could forget the Jeep bed:

That about covers it, when I started this review I didn't expect to have nearly this much accomplished. It just goes to show day by day and week by week not much seems to happen, but a few hours here and there throughout a year you can accomplish much more than you'd expect.

Keep moving forward,
JB

 

[rmalkow2]

You've had a great year and we've all enjoyed following along. Thanks for the recap and have a wonderful Christmas!
Bob

 

[Bob Heine]

JB, excellent recap! Have a wonderful Christmas and I look forward to your projects and adventures in the New Year.

 

[jbmatth]

Bob and Bob,
Thank you both, it was certainly a good year all in all and I look forward to next year.

All,
I missed it at the end of my posts but I would like to wish every one a safe and happy holiday, and a wonderful new year. I wish that it will bring each and everyone of you happiness and may all of your dreams come true. Okay maybe not all of them, because it would be just silly to see 100 people win the lottery and build their dream garage. I just can't read that many threads.

JB

 

[cortina64]

JB you have had a very productive year and I have enjoyed following your thread.
Warren

 

[oldironfarmer]

Congratulations on a productive year and a great review.

Please accelerate for next year!

 

[dchance]

I like the recap. It is good to remember what we watched you go through.

Good to see progress on the frame.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
You may even have a white Christmas.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

We plan to all try to meet up again for the 2018 tour starting in Bowling Green, Ky., then to Chattanooga, TN., Hoover, AL., Hampton, GA., Darlington, SC., Raleigh, NC., and finishing up in Concord, NC. If you are along that path let me know, I'm always open to making new friends.

I am in Gastonia NC. If you see a tall guy in a black hat limping around it will probably be me...

 

[jbmatth]

JB you have had a very productive year and I have enjoyed following your thread.
Warren

Thank you Warren, I'm honored to have one your third post on GJ on my thread. I'll try no to disappoint next year.

Congratulations on a productive year and a great review.

Please accelerate for next year!

Next year the name of the game will be accelleration, one way or another I'll have more vehicles running than not and maybe even a couple of "hot rods". Thanks for the kind words Andy, much of this wouldn't have been possible without your assistance.

I like the recap. It is good to remember what we watched you go through.

Good to see progress on the frame.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
You may even have a white Christmas.

We shall see if it is going to be a white Christmas, there is still a chance, but it doesn't sound like we will get much here. I know my girls would love to have some snow to play in.

I am in Gastonia NC. If you see a tall guy in a black hat limping around it will probably be me...

Hopefully so, you aren't very far at all from the end in Concord, if you decide to make it out give me a heads up and we can exchange numbers.


All,
Sadly I'm at a holding pattern right now, I decided to buy some 3"x5" square tube to make the new section of frame for Project Pinky Pi rather than completely fabricate them from scratch. Sadly I couldn't find any locally so one of the local businesses has a stick on order for me with an unknown arrival date. I do have the last of the twins on a trailer and am headed to the scrap yard after I finish typing, and the 'vette will be gone shortly as well, that will put me down to 6 vehicles.woo hoo.

Once again, have a great one y'all,
JB

 

[BUGTHUG]

JB, your wife and lovely daughters,
I hope youall have a joyous Christmas and New Year. May God bless you and your family and friends.
Stay safe in the shop, and enjoy the times you get to spend with your little helpers. These are good days
My hearse is still on the trailer and in the barn. Thanks for your help getting some things that needed to be fixed. Hope I can get it finished and drive it a little.

 

[adbanshee]

JB, I have just finished reading your entire thread and have really enjoyed seeing how the WHH and your skills have developed. I cannot wait to see PPP progress. We are in the process of having a new building (The Boathouse) built. Maybe now I am up to date with your thread and several others I have been binge reading, I can start thinking about my own thread. Anyway, a merry Christmas and a healthy and productive 2018 to you and your family! David

 

[jon72vega]

JB,
Excellent year in review!

Merry Christmas!

 

[don long]

JB
It's been a fun year riding along with you in the Cobra and watching your youthfulness get things done.
I have truly enjoyed the journey Thank you

I want to wish you and your family a Very Merry Christmas.

Enjoy those little girls, they don't stay little very long

Don