as some guys may remember I live in palm beach county florida and theres a big car show this weekend
http://www.barrett-jackson.com/
well this generally results in the local guys interested in cars showing a bit of interest as might be expected.
one of my neighbors saw a guy towing a trailer with an engine less and suspension missing. drive train missing, 1938 pick-up truck , basically a gutted cab, and partial frame with very little but the cab and partial pick-up bed, to start with, that gutted truck cab, has doors and a floor,but it, had no interior or glass, steering column or gauges in the dash, and while it was not heavily rusted it was also not chopped like the one pictured below and the tail gate, and floor was missing on the bed.
I don,t know what he paid, but he seemed thrilled with the price , but I don,t think he has a good mental grasp on whats going to be required to get that bare shell into drive-able and legally street licensed, condition with a valid title.
"jumping into a project like this, without ever seriously working on cars and engines before you do, is a bit like jumping off a bridge into the ocean and assuming you'll learn how to swim in mid air before you hit the water",anyway,he had the guy drop the partial body off in his driveway, then came over last night after it got dropped off, and started asking questions!
and only after he paid this guy and starts asking me whats going to be required to get the car built. and where he can get the car modified, a rear differential, an engine, a transmission etc. does it start to become clearer what hes started on as a project!
now keep in mind this guy needed my help replacing disc brake pads
but he sees all my buddies constantly driving up and hes developed the beginning stages of the car building mental infection and while I sympathize and understand, he has no clue , as to the time and expense and effort that this will require to do correctly, and while I'm fully willing to help out , BUT I get the distinct feeling he assumes this should only take a couple weekends and a couple thousand dollars more to accomplish!
while this looks like an interesting project , I know for a fact the guys garage is stacked full of the wifes (can't throw that OUT we might need it crap) and ALL his tools fit in an easily carried sears tool box,
so this will either become a learning experience where I gain a rather dedicated to his project hot rodder friend,(probably with a not too friendly wife)
or a rather disillusioned neighbor with a not too happy wife after he clears out all the wife's trash, nick knacks, and used furniture etc,
PODS has storage containers, I rented one for several years before my shop was built
or a BIG YARD SALE might help
so step one is clear out the garage so he has a place too work and buy 4 12 ton jack stands
or the home built versions
if your working on cars with limited ceiling heights the kwik lift is a nice tool
on most more modern cars theres no easy to access place to hook a tow strap
so if you intend to trailer and race any car it makes a great deal of sense to customize or bolt or weld on substantial loops or rings too the lower frame where a tow strap can be securely clipped in place to tow or secure the car too a trailer
extended tow loops can be added too the forward and rear frame rails on the cars corners, by welding or bolting , to allow secure towing or tie downs on a trailer, these come in dozens of sizes and designs
and sitting down and discussing in DETAIL,what he wants for an engine,transmission,rear differential, frame, interior gauges seats, radiator radiator grill, oil cooler oil pan, induction, lights etc, to use in the drive train, brakes suspension, tires interior and body mods, upholstery, paint and putting it all down on paper in detail, and looking into prices and suppliers, sure won,t hurt either
and of course theres the skills in wiring,welding,measuring and custom fabrication that will need to be upgraded along the way, and joining a couple local hot rod or muscle car clubes wont hurt either
if you don,t remember what a 1938 ford pick-up truck hot rod looks like I found this picture on the internet
I think a good deal of the build process will be guided by the goal you have in mind for the completed car.
having a defined plan and precise goal will save you a great deal of time and wasted effort during the build
Its up to the guy who assembles or builds an engine to verify that the machine work on any components been done correctly,
theres unfortunately a good percentage of machine shops that don,t employ people that have the skills and experience,
or the tooling to do the work correctly, or in some cases and desire or capacity to accurately measure the components accurately,
before and after precision machine works been done.
I'd bet 90% plus of the people who have a machine shop do precision work on any major engine component, like that
would have naturally assumed that the precision machine work was done correctly,
and simply assembled the engine without thinking a second about that work being done correctly.
this is one reason I strongly suggest most serious engine builders may want to have some precision,measuring tools,
and spend the time and effort to check that machine shop work you paid good money for, was in fact, done correctly ,
taking the time too verify the precision machine work was done correctly,
takes a good deal of the time required, in any engine build
(vs slapping parts together out of the box and wondering why it never quite runs up to your expectations)
and yes you probably could use the block in its current condition and find the engine runs,
and most people would never know the engines measurements were not correct or why the engine did not produce power to its full potential,
and the results might be so close that it would hardly matter ,too most car/engine owners.
but that engine block machine work ,being off specs, does not mean its been built correctly either
related threads
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/precision-measuring-tools.1390/#post-68861
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ing-parts-and-a-logical-plan.7722/#post-68651
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/finding-a-machine-shop.321/#post-59253
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/block-prep.125/
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/parts-prep-cleaning.6255/#post-51146
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/how-to-find-a-decent-machine-shop.800/
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/bare-minimum-tools.11026/#post-51843
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/machine-shop-sequencing.4460/#post-11720
related info,
yeah theres a ton of related info,
but time spent reading the links,
(a day or so in most cases)
and related,sub-links, can and usually will save you weeks of work ,
and thousands of dollars in cash wasted on the wrong parts,
and badly done machine work,
keep in mind one of the main reasons I started this web site was..
to help prevent the time and wasted effort that not knowing exactly whats needed and how to correctly assemble parts you need to build exactly what you want, TOO ACCOMPLISH, as money spent & wasted on the wrong parts or machine work being that needs too be re-done , are all too common, in most guys first few engine builds , experience from mistakes made,is an expensive teacher
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...r-basic-performance-concepts.9731/#post-52498
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ing-parts-and-a-logical-plan.7722/#post-26314
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/block-prep.125/page-2#post-48605
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/tbucket-engine-project-dart-shp.3814/
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...nk-durring-short-blk-assembly.852/#post-21611
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...years-now-i-want-to-sell-it.13790/#post-70731
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ilding-a-dream-or-wasting-cash.775/#post-1125
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...k-about-in-your-engine-combo.3156/#post-59958
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...the-links-you-posted-grumpy.12020/#post-57517
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ting-started-in-the-car-hobby.339/#post-52906
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/bare-minimum-tools.11026/#post-51843
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...istakes-but-learn-from-them.11333/#post-51640
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...-calculators-and-basic-math.10705/#post-50173
http://www.barrett-jackson.com/
well this generally results in the local guys interested in cars showing a bit of interest as might be expected.
one of my neighbors saw a guy towing a trailer with an engine less and suspension missing. drive train missing, 1938 pick-up truck , basically a gutted cab, and partial frame with very little but the cab and partial pick-up bed, to start with, that gutted truck cab, has doors and a floor,but it, had no interior or glass, steering column or gauges in the dash, and while it was not heavily rusted it was also not chopped like the one pictured below and the tail gate, and floor was missing on the bed.
I don,t know what he paid, but he seemed thrilled with the price , but I don,t think he has a good mental grasp on whats going to be required to get that bare shell into drive-able and legally street licensed, condition with a valid title.
"jumping into a project like this, without ever seriously working on cars and engines before you do, is a bit like jumping off a bridge into the ocean and assuming you'll learn how to swim in mid air before you hit the water",anyway,he had the guy drop the partial body off in his driveway, then came over last night after it got dropped off, and started asking questions!
and only after he paid this guy and starts asking me whats going to be required to get the car built. and where he can get the car modified, a rear differential, an engine, a transmission etc. does it start to become clearer what hes started on as a project!
now keep in mind this guy needed my help replacing disc brake pads
but he sees all my buddies constantly driving up and hes developed the beginning stages of the car building mental infection and while I sympathize and understand, he has no clue , as to the time and expense and effort that this will require to do correctly, and while I'm fully willing to help out , BUT I get the distinct feeling he assumes this should only take a couple weekends and a couple thousand dollars more to accomplish!
while this looks like an interesting project , I know for a fact the guys garage is stacked full of the wifes (can't throw that OUT we might need it crap) and ALL his tools fit in an easily carried sears tool box,
so this will either become a learning experience where I gain a rather dedicated to his project hot rodder friend,(probably with a not too friendly wife)
or a rather disillusioned neighbor with a not too happy wife after he clears out all the wife's trash, nick knacks, and used furniture etc,
PODS has storage containers, I rented one for several years before my shop was built
or a BIG YARD SALE might help
so step one is clear out the garage so he has a place too work and buy 4 12 ton jack stands
or the home built versions
if your working on cars with limited ceiling heights the kwik lift is a nice tool
on most more modern cars theres no easy to access place to hook a tow strap
so if you intend to trailer and race any car it makes a great deal of sense to customize or bolt or weld on substantial loops or rings too the lower frame where a tow strap can be securely clipped in place to tow or secure the car too a trailer
extended tow loops can be added too the forward and rear frame rails on the cars corners, by welding or bolting , to allow secure towing or tie downs on a trailer, these come in dozens of sizes and designs
and sitting down and discussing in DETAIL,what he wants for an engine,transmission,rear differential, frame, interior gauges seats, radiator radiator grill, oil cooler oil pan, induction, lights etc, to use in the drive train, brakes suspension, tires interior and body mods, upholstery, paint and putting it all down on paper in detail, and looking into prices and suppliers, sure won,t hurt either
and of course theres the skills in wiring,welding,measuring and custom fabrication that will need to be upgraded along the way, and joining a couple local hot rod or muscle car clubes wont hurt either
if you don,t remember what a 1938 ford pick-up truck hot rod looks like I found this picture on the internet
I think a good deal of the build process will be guided by the goal you have in mind for the completed car.
having a defined plan and precise goal will save you a great deal of time and wasted effort during the build
Its up to the guy who assembles or builds an engine to verify that the machine work on any components been done correctly,
theres unfortunately a good percentage of machine shops that don,t employ people that have the skills and experience,
or the tooling to do the work correctly, or in some cases and desire or capacity to accurately measure the components accurately,
before and after precision machine works been done.
I'd bet 90% plus of the people who have a machine shop do precision work on any major engine component, like that
would have naturally assumed that the precision machine work was done correctly,
and simply assembled the engine without thinking a second about that work being done correctly.
this is one reason I strongly suggest most serious engine builders may want to have some precision,measuring tools,
and spend the time and effort to check that machine shop work you paid good money for, was in fact, done correctly ,
taking the time too verify the precision machine work was done correctly,
takes a good deal of the time required, in any engine build
(vs slapping parts together out of the box and wondering why it never quite runs up to your expectations)
and yes you probably could use the block in its current condition and find the engine runs,
and most people would never know the engines measurements were not correct or why the engine did not produce power to its full potential,
and the results might be so close that it would hardly matter ,too most car/engine owners.
but that engine block machine work ,being off specs, does not mean its been built correctly either
related threads
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/precision-measuring-tools.1390/#post-68861
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ing-parts-and-a-logical-plan.7722/#post-68651
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/finding-a-machine-shop.321/#post-59253
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/block-prep.125/
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/parts-prep-cleaning.6255/#post-51146
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/how-to-find-a-decent-machine-shop.800/
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/bare-minimum-tools.11026/#post-51843
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/machine-shop-sequencing.4460/#post-11720
related info,
yeah theres a ton of related info,
but time spent reading the links,
(a day or so in most cases)
and related,sub-links, can and usually will save you weeks of work ,
and thousands of dollars in cash wasted on the wrong parts,
and badly done machine work,
keep in mind one of the main reasons I started this web site was..
to help prevent the time and wasted effort that not knowing exactly whats needed and how to correctly assemble parts you need to build exactly what you want, TOO ACCOMPLISH, as money spent & wasted on the wrong parts or machine work being that needs too be re-done , are all too common, in most guys first few engine builds , experience from mistakes made,is an expensive teacher
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...r-basic-performance-concepts.9731/#post-52498
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ing-parts-and-a-logical-plan.7722/#post-26314
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/block-prep.125/page-2#post-48605
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/tbucket-engine-project-dart-shp.3814/
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...nk-durring-short-blk-assembly.852/#post-21611
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...years-now-i-want-to-sell-it.13790/#post-70731
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ilding-a-dream-or-wasting-cash.775/#post-1125
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...k-about-in-your-engine-combo.3156/#post-59958
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...the-links-you-posted-grumpy.12020/#post-57517
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ting-started-in-the-car-hobby.339/#post-52906
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/bare-minimum-tools.11026/#post-51843
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...istakes-but-learn-from-them.11333/#post-51640
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...-calculators-and-basic-math.10705/#post-50173
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