This posting is one in a series. If you have not yet read the earlier postings in the series, you’ll need to, as this posting won’t make much sense without having done so! Just do a search using the word “SLURP”.
In my last posting, I talked about the exhaust and steering issues, and how we found a solution for the exhaust, and MAY have found a solution for the steering.
In this posting, I’ll update you all on a few critical odds and ends.
First, the Flaming River steering box arrived the other day, and Randy and I will trial fit it either yet tonight or tomorrow. I’m crossing my fingers. This box is not only small, it weighs only 11.6 pounds. I don’t yet have a weight for the BARE factory steering box, as we don’t want to disassemble it until we’re sure we don’t need it anymore for fitting measurements, but the box, Pitman arm, and steering shaft weigh 26 pounds, so I suspect we will have quite a weight reduction, as well as superior steering feel – IF this Flaming River box will actually work in this situation.
The stove paint to refinish the exhaust manifolds arrived as well. This is paint designed for use on metal woodburning and gas stoves, and the manufacturer tests it to 1200 degrees. Randy told me this stuff works better than the so-called header paints. The manifolds will get removed and wirebrushed after the steering box fitting, and painted “aluminum”.
Tonight, I wirebrushed and painted the brake drums with high temperature black engine paint (500 degree rating). Here are the before and after photos:
By the way, for those who just HAVE to know, the rear drums weigh almost 11 pounds each, and the front drums are over 12 pounds each. This is ONLY the bare drums – not including the brake shoes and other working parts. That’s 46 pounds in drums alone.
I’ve also been looking all along for a good replacement set of instruments. The factory configuration on Red is a pair of large dials, one of which contains a large (about 5 inch) speedometer, and the other of which contains water temperature, fuel, oil pressure, and ammeter. The factory instruments on Red work fine, but have three problems after the refurbishing of the truck is completed:
1. They use mechanical connections for the speedometer, oil pressure, and water temperature, which wasn’t a problem with the old engine and transmission, but the LQ9 engine is designed for electrical sensors not mechanical, and metric fittings not SAE fittings. The beautiful Phoenix-built 700R transmission can use either mechanical or electronic fittings, but the electronic is easier to route, and enables easy electronic speedometer calibration.
2. The factory instruments have no provisions for a tachometer, which with a 6500 to 6800 rpm engine is not so great.
3. The use of an ammeter is discouraged nowadays in favor of a voltmeter, since the ammeter requires running a very large wire, and current, into the dash.
I have been looking for weeks for a set of gauges that have ALL the following features:
1. Use the stock factory dash mounting holes
2. Are as large as possible – which basically means nominal 5 inches diameter each
3. Will contain all the stock gauges PLUS a tachometer
4. SIMPLE White faces and SIMPLE, large lettering (white, because Red’s interior upholstery will end up white down the road a bit)
5. Will use modern senders that thread right into the metric V8
6. Will work with the stock original fuel sender in Red’s fuel tank
7. Includes SIMPLE billet rings to adapt the 5” gauges to the ’55 truck dash
8. Include a tachometer that is as large as the speedometer
9. Cost less than $700!
I have not been able to find anything that meets all the criteria – until yesterday. Haneline ran a large color ad in one of the hot rod magazines, talking about their “3 in 1” gauges. By “3-in-1”, they mean Speedo – fuel – volts in one, and tach – oil – water temp in the other. In each one, the speedo or tach is large, and the other two are small arcs on bottom left and right. These mount via simple billet rings into the dash holes, have simple white faces and simple white lettering, come with ALL senders needed, work with the stock fuel sender in Red’s fuel tank, and cost FAR less than the $700 next closest fit instruments. Perfect. They were in stock and are on their way to me.
Randy and I checked the roughed-in angles of the engine/tranny and rear axle pinion, and they are currently within about 1 degree of each other, which is great, BUT that is with the factory steel multileaf springs temporarily installed. This will likely change a bit when we install the mono composite leaf springs that should make their second, and final, trip to me within the next few days. THAT is another separate story worthy of its own posting, and that posting WILL follow just as soon as Mark Nielson at Flex-a-Form, who has worked tirelessly on this with me, gets his refined second set of prototype AD composite lightweight springs to me! You guys are going to be impressed by what Mark has done!
Jim G
Linear Mode
