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The cam is installed and has been "degreed". I have heard people talk about degreeing their cam but didn't really know what that was. When I was young we just bought a timing chain set and slapped it on the engine. I wasn't sure how you would go about adjusting that. Apparently back in those days it was a little more difficult than it is today. And who knew. All those numbers on that "Cam Card" actually mean something.
My engine builder explained it all to me. I really only understood about half of it. Probably only remember about half of that, but here's what I got, I think. Simply put, when you degree a cam you are aligning it with top dead center of your crank. When my timing set was installed in the "Normal" position, the cam timing was actually 2.5 degrees off from the crank. Fortunately the Cloyes timing set I bought has multiple key notches in the crank gear. You can change the timing by 2 degrees either retarded or advanced up to 8 degrees in either direction. We just moved the crank gear by one notch and everything fell to within .5 degrees.
Here is the set up for degreeing a cam. There is a dial indicator on the piston, another on the first cam lobe. You turn the crank to specifications listed in the cam specs and compare numbers. There is some math involved.
In the background you can see my freshly painted oil pan.
I have been playing with the powder coating. If you do a single color it is really easy to get great results. But for some reason doing a second coat or color is a little more difficult. It is easy to get impurities in it or not get good coverage. More practice and it will get better.
The "Chrome" color comes out of the oven looking awesome, but after it cools, it doesn't look as awesome. Not as "Chrome". I did do some samples and my engine builder and I decided that it would look good on the timing cover which ends up behind the cast aluminum water pump.
I also did my fuel tank filler neck and the two brackets that I made for the rear sway bar in gloss black. As you will see below, they turned out awesome.
Here is my new polished cast aluminum timing cover ready for sand blasting.
Here is the cover after sand blasting. After I sand blasted it, I baked it for an hour to get rid of any grease and oil. After that I wore gloves and cleaned it with a paint prep solution.
Here I am ready to apply the powder. I used silicone plugs and high temperature masking tape to keep powder from getting where I didn't want it.
Here is the finished product. The chrome color with a clear finish.
I'm amazed that it was bent that much. I wonder how the heck that could have happened.
In very happy you got it fixed. As my mother always said, if money can fix it, it's nothing to worry about.
Keep up the amazing work. i sincerely enjoy watching you do this.
Ed
Thanks, but I'm not out of the woods yet. Still have to get it through paint stripping and powder coating without someone damaging it.
FYI, it either had to be dropped or maybe backed into with a fork lift. Both places have big fork lifts and use over head cranes for dipping large parts into acid baths or coatings.
Thanks, but I'm not out of the woods yet. Still have to get it through paint stripping and powder coating without someone damaging it.
FYI, it either had to be dropped or maybe backed into with a fork lift. Both places have big fork lifts and use over head cranes for dipping large parts into acid baths or coatings.
I have just read your entire Thread start to finish. It is an amazing journey
and an inspiration to everyone who reads it. I cannot wait to see the finished project.
Kudos to you and your amazing skill sets!
87OldSchool
O.K., the frame has been repaired and has been stripped again. I went and picked it up today. I checked all the dimensions before I paid for it and everything checked out. It is currently back in my shop so that I can weld up all the seams. Someone a few posts back mentioned that I will probably end up with a better frame with this set back, and I am pretty sure that they will be right. (Thanks 65VetteVert )
This is what a frame looks like after it has been run through a giant oven to burn off the old powder coating and then has been chemically dipped.
When you are doing something like this never do a continuous weld. Move around. Go from one side of the frame to the other and from one end to the other. That way you don't build up too much heat and warp the frame from welding. Take your time. Let things cool. Walk away every once in a while. I will be welding on this for a few days. I will keep checking my dimensions throughout the process. I am even considering taking it back to the frame jig to check it before it goes to "A" coating and powder coating again.
Still welding. I got all the seams welded up. Top, bottom, left side, right side, front, and rear. I think I got it all, but if you have learned anything about me from reading my thread, its that I will not leave well enough alone. So, here we go.
I decided to add the frame gussets that go from the rear crossmember to the kick ups. These were added to the frames in 1969. They were obviously added for strength. And also added a few years after the first big blocks and high horse power engines. Go figure.
I could have bought the reproduction parts that would have welded right on but they were $50 each times two. So I bought a piece of 2 x 3 inch square tubing with 1/8 inch wall thickness for $24 and made my own instead.
I made a cardboard template to start. I cut each side of the gusset one at a time and then taped them together to check how they fit. Then I cut them apart and used them as templates on the steel tubing.
Here the first piece as been cut and fitted to the frame.
Here both sides are done and are welded to the frame.
There needs to be a hole on the inside. I needed this hole to get the trailing arm bolts in. The original frame pieces are only three sided and are open on this side. You could kick them out more to get clearance. I was trying to keep them some what tight to limit the work that will be needed on the body. As you can tell this is a discovery that I made a little late. I had to use my plasma cutter to add the holes. I am going to get in there with a die grinder and see if I can clean them up a little better.
A while back I discovered that when using the stock upper rear shock mounts with my offset trailing arms that the clearance between the two was close. At that time I had made additional brackets that fit in the stock shock bracket and re-located the shock to the inside of the frame. This tipped the top of the shock in and gave more clearance to the trailing arm. That of course was done because I had already had the frame powder coated for the second time and didn't want to mess it up.
Well hell, that powder coating in gone man. I might as well make some proper mounts. Right?
That is what I did.
I built two of these that were opposites of each other. I made them from 2 inch square tubing. The actual mounting tabs I bought from Summit Racing for $16. They are made by QA1. The same company that makes the shocks that I am using. I had to trim them a little and weld them on.
The angles cut into the square tubing on my new mounts create the same angle as the stock mounts. I boxed in each end and ground everything off smooth to make them look nice.
I attached the mount on the drivers side using the stock mount as a guide. I slid a 1/2 inch rod through the stock mount and then through the tabs on my new mount. I then swung the new mount up and clamped the 2 inch square tubing to the frame and tack welded it in place. After that I then used a sting and level to locate the mount on the passenger side. I took measurements from the cross member to make sure they were straight and tack welded the passenger side mount in place. FYI, the level does matter because I have the frame all leveled up on the jack stands.
Done. The mounting tabs are 1.5 inches apart on the inside. My shocks require a 1 inch space. I will use some stainless steel spacers when mounting the shock. (1/4 inch thick spacer on each side) The wider space will make room for a different shock if needed or by moving spacers around and changing their size will allow me to tilt the shock in or out if needed.
I continue to be amazed by your work and inspired by your desire to go far beyond "good enough"! I've often been told perfection is the enemy of good enough... I say BS!!
The frame is back to "A" coating and powder coating. I was told that it would be about two weeks. They are a little backed up in the powder coating department.
The last thing I did before I drove it north a hour and a half for the coating was box in the frame horns. Those things stick out on the front of the frame and are not very strong. The inner part of the horn buckles very easy. They do not support anything real heavy. The radiator, the front of the fenders, and the bumpers. But there is one item that can stress them. The front sway bar. The front sway bar bolts to the front frame horns and could put a lot of pressure on them. After my experiences with the frame horns being bent, I decided to box them in and strengthen them.
I used a piece of thin wall tubing to create curved inner pieces.
Here I have all the patches tacked in. Notice the braces I used to make sure that nothing moved. I was afraid that while welding the horns might want to suck inward. Even with the bracing I lost about a 1/16th of an inch after everything was done and I removed them.
Here is what the bottom looked like before.
And here is the bottom after a small piece was welded in and everything was ground.
Here is the top view after grinding. The large hole on the inside is so that I can access the bolt for the bumper bracket. Also, FYI, I welded nuts to the frame horns for mounting the sway bar.
But not without having a problem first. I happened to be at my engine builders place when he was installing the heads. The first head went on with no issues. The second head gave us some problems though. As you know it is a 50 year old block. My engine builder suggested using studs because they would be easier on the threads in the block. It makes sense. When you tighten a bolt, it twists and pulls on the threads. When you install a stud, it only pulls on the threads. Since we didn't know how many times those threads had been torqued on we figured the studs would be better. As it ended up, while we were torquing down the second head one of the threads pulled. (stripped out) We had to pull the head back off and heli-coil that hole. When we went to install it again, two more pulled. In the end, we had to repair 4 holes, but we got it on.
We installed the Comp Cams double roller rockers. We special ordered push rods that were 7.65 inches and 8.55 inches long. These are much shorter than stock because the roller lifters are longer. And then we installed the Edelbrock Victor Jr intake. This intake is pre drilled for sequential port fuel injection.
The next stop will be my shop and into the frame when I get it back.
The first head is on. Notice the 7 qt oil pan.
The engine is done. These are not my valve covers though. These are just temporary.
I bought a cheap 30 inch kitchen cabinet and mounted my oven to it over the weekend. I cut the bottom off it and screwed on a 2x4 frame to mount casters to. It works out great. I can move it around and have space to store my supplies.
Nice work once again on your project.
I am converting a 1973 frame to use as a replacement for my 1966 rusted out frame.
It has the kick up supports you just added. Everyone has told me I will need to modify the storage compartment quite a bit to use these supports in a C2 body.
What is your work around for this issue? I had planned to remove mine but I don't like that plan. Like you I believe the factory added them for a reason.
Mark
Nice work once again on your project.
I am converting a 1973 frame to use as a replacement for my 1966 rusted out frame.
It has the kick up supports you just added. Everyone has told me I will need to modify the storage compartment quite a bit to use these supports in a C2 body.
What is your work around for this issue? I had planned to remove mine but I don't like that plan. Like you I believe the factory added them for a reason.
Mark
Hi Mark, I plan on modifying the storage compartments. I do not think the actual compartment doors will need to be changed. Just a corner in the bottom of each compartment. I plan on cutting them out and reworking them.
01-29-2017, 05:53 PM
Engine: Update
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