Sometimes, You Eat the Bear...Sometimes, the Bear Eats You!

Hello Gray Ghost Fans!

It's been a busy couple of weeks since my last post.  We've seen so much rain that you can almost hear everything growing.  That means that there is no time for doing anything truck related.  Except for gathering parts!  In that regard, I've been collecting fuel system components.  You wouldn't think that there'd be too many, but there are a ton of bits and pieces.  Anyway, I've got a notional layout in my mind and some of the parts to make it work.  So, with a day off, it was time to get out in the garage.

First thing I had to do was to assemble the gas gauge sending unit and then attach it to the gas tank.  As usual, nothing comes easy, but it is what it is.  The gauges that I bought and installed

use the modern ohm range to drive the gas gauge.  Originally, Chevrolet used 0 ohms for empty and 30 ohms for full.  It stayed that way for decades.  Then, in the 60's or 70's the changed it to 0 ohms for empty and 90 ohms for full.  Then it stayed that way for more decades.  Now, it seems to be an SAE standard to use 240 ohms as empty and 33 ohms as full.  Anyway, the gauges came with the proper sending unit.  So what's the problem?  The sending unit did not have a fuel pickup tube integrated into it.  That meant that I could use the original Chevy method of drawing fuel from the bottom of the tank (and the new gas tank does have a provision to do that) or I could use the better method of drawing fuel from the top of the tank and get a different sending unit.  Well...long story short, I found one sending unit that would work.  Just one.  Once again, what's the problem?  Nothing really, except that when you get a "universal" part, you know you'll have to adapt it to your project.  So that's what I set off to do this morning.  The first part of the instructions were clear and I had to layout dimensions, based off of measurements from my tank.  The layout lines look like this:

Right away, I figured out what they were trying to get me to do.  Top of tank, bottom of tank, fuel reserve when the gauge reads empty.  The center line is where you put the rheostat and the float pivots from there.

Once again, since this is a universal part, I have to adapt it to my needs and the instructions told me exactly what to do.  The resulting modification looked like this:

Here you can tell that there will always be some gas in the bottom of the tank that I won't be able to suck up, but that is good!  That's where the sediment will collect, so I don't want to draw that gas up the tube anyway.  That is the primary reason why I went for the top fuel outlet, versus the bottom outlet which is correct for my year of truck.  To be fair to me, though, top draw was used by Chevy the very next year....

Next it was time to attach the float the the rheostat.  Once again, the instructions were good enough to get me close on the first try.  However, I think that there was a typo.  I'll explain in a moment.  To get close, you use the same drawing and put the float arm over the bracket that will eventually hold it.  Then you align the top of the float with the top (full) line on the page and mark where the float arm covers the hole in the bracket.  Add another 3/16" and make a 90 degree bend in the rod "in the same direction as the bend by the float".  This is where I think they made a mistake.  I think they meant 90 degree bend that was 90 degrees different from the bend by the float.  The reason that I think this is that making the bend per the instructions (as I did) puts the float arm end in the way of the set screw that attaches to that hole!  Anyway, a little grinding with the Dremel to angle the end of the rod to allow for some contact with the set screw and I think it will work.  Final assemble looked like this:

I included the close up of the set screw and lock nut to show you that the set screw uses a 3/32" hex to tighten it down onto the rod!  Small, but effective once I took some meat off of the rod.

Now, I know what you're thinking.  Not much else to tell, right Gray Ghost?  Well, not so much.  So far, I'd been eating the bear.  Now, he gets a bite of me.  Somehow, I have to fish that mass of sending unit/float arm through the hole in the top of my gas tank.  The instructions that came with the sending unit tell me that the hole must be 1 7/8" in diameter (mine was 1 3/4") or I could notch out areas to allow it to fit.  Good grief!  The last thing that I want to do is cut on my brand new gas tank!  What to do?  Suck it up and get out the Dremel and grinding wheels.  My thought here is to use the smallest grinder that I could, in the hopes of doing some "precision" work and not destroy my new tank.  Once again, very long story short I managed to make just enough room for the sending unit.  Finally, right?  Nope!  So here's where things really come off of the rails.  The instructions tell you to loosen the rheostat and slide it to the bottom of the pickup tube.  Then, angle the float so it fits into the tiny opening (it barely fits!) then rotate everything so that the rheostat can be inserted into the tank next.  OK, but what about that float hitting the side of the tank?  Oh yeah!  That's a thing!  It seems like there may be some play in the arm (I'm guessing if that's the case accuracy of the gauge will be affected) but the arm goes in and so does the rheostat.  Now, you have to "clock" the rheostat/float unit so that it will move up and down inside the tank without hitting the side and align the screw holes on the top of the sending unit.  Once you have done that, you have to tighten the screws on the rheostat to lock it into place!  Oh yeah, don't forget to set it to the right height...!  Dagnabit!  Ok, deep breath, we'll get through this.  Rheostat locked down, screw holes aligned, ground wire attached to one of the screws, time to tighten it down!  What the?!?

Well Gray Ghost fans, either there is a manufacturing tolerance issue or one of the manufactures used metric measurements instead of English, but those screw holes do NOT line up!

You've got to be kidding me!  Nope, not even a little.  I had been using the cork gasket that came with the sending unit, so I still had the rubber gasket that came with the tank.  When I laid the rubber gasket over the top of the screws that were in the sending unit, I could see that they were off.

At this point, I was drained.  Today was one of the hottest days so far this year.  I'm a desk jockey and not used to the heat.  Once this became clear, it was time for me to call it a day.

So, the plan of attack is to come back when rested and rehydrated and drill out those holes using the rubber gasket as a template.  From there, I should be able to mount the sending unit onto the tank and finally get to putting the tank into the truck.

I had no clue that today would turn out the way that it did.  OY!

That's all for now...I need a nap...and to regrow some backside where the bear took a bite!

The March To The Engine Swap...Baby Steps

Hello Gray Ghost Fans!

A short update on the road to the engine swap.

The front motor mount is a funky kind of thing, with several pieces.  They all connect to a plate that mounts to the front of the engine block.  All of this, bolts to a crossmember that connects the two frame rails.  The motor mount is a high wear item, so I decided to buy a re-pop.  It looked pretty good and heavy duty, but came without any finish.  So, to protect it, I primed and painted it.  The stages of that process looked like this:

A good wipe down, first, to remove the protective oil layer applied during manufacturing.

Ready for primer.  Here, I used an old woodworking finishing trick.  I have four screws in each board that the parts sit on.  This supports them off of the wood and only makes a very small contact (the point of a wood screw.  This preserves the newly applied finish and allows you to do it quickly.

Here they are, in primer.  I used the Duplicolor self etching metal primer.  This lays down a really nice primer coat.  Now, onto paint:  I used the Rustoleum High Performance Semi Gloss Black.  It is supposed to be tough enough for industrial applications.  We'll see.  No pics on the blocks, but here they are on the workbench after drying:

I've laid them out in the order that they assemble in.  You can also see the biscuit, which is a rubber part that sits inside of the mount.  Next is what they look like semi-assembled:

Biscuit in the base.

Plate on top of the biscuit.

Cover on top of the assembly and the assembly bolted to the front motor mount plate.  As I mentioned, this plate mounts to the front of the engine block.  The cam and crank come up through the holes in the plate and gears attach to their respective ends.  You can make out the outline of the cover (rusty area that leans from bottom right to upper left).

Not much of a project, but all I could muster.  You see, I've managed to hurt myself, again.  This time, I was leaning over the fender working on loosening the bolts holding the generator to the engine block.  I felt a sting in my left peck.  It was painful enough to make me stop working at the moment.  The next day, I finished the job on my peck, picking up one of my grandkids.  That was two weeks ago....  It is still quite painful.  So there is no heavy lifting right now.  I know what you're thinking.  Gray Ghost, how do you think that you'll be able to do the engine swap if you can't lift anything?  Great question!  Right now, there isn't a great answer!  Seems like everyday life keeps re-injuring it, so it never heals.  In fact, it hurts as much today as it did when I initially hurt it.  Thus, the small project.  Don't get me wrong.  It needed to be done.  And now it is.  It just isn't a breathtaking type of project.

So, even with the hurt peck, this weekend I went back out there and finished removing the old generator.(Maybe that's why the peck still hurts?!?)  So, all that's left to remove from the old engine that I can get at from the engine bay, is the starter.  After that, it really is time to disconnect the torque tube and get that transmission off of the bellhousing.  Even with the baby steps, it is getting closer and closer.

That's all for now

Buttoning Up the Cooling System

Hello Gray Ghost Fans!

I've got a super short update for you.  As you know, I'm working my way towards swapping engines (the newer, running engine for the older non-running engine).  In that regard, I've been wanting, for several years now, to get the radiator out of the truck.  This solves two different problems.  The first is that it makes room in front of the old engine for me to maneuver the engine on its way out of the engine bay.  The second is that it allows me to connect it to the engine on the test stand to actually test the radiator, too!  Frankly, I have no idea if the radiator is any good or not!  I have high hopes that it is good, as I had to drain the old coolant from the bottom hose and plenty came out.  Of course, that doesn't mean that it doesn't have a pin hole leak somewhere, so testing is really necessary.  Now, you know I always tell the whole story, and there is always a story, when I'm working on my truck.  This time is no different....  I knew that containing the coolant was going to be an issue.  It is toxic to animals and people, so I really had to take precaution to prevent any spills.  I laid out a plastic tarp under the engine area and put the catch tub on the tarp.  Sadly, I had some eye-hand coordination issues aiming the lower radiator hose.  So onto the tarp a bunch of the coolant went.  I went into full on damage control mode and grabbed the nearest roll of paper towels and trash bag and literally dove under the truck!  Holy Cow, what a mess!  To properly set the stage, you need to know that I haven't been very diligent in sweeping under the truck lately.  About once a year, I get the compressor and blast nozzle out and clean things up.  So...there was a bunch of gunked up oil/dirt (remember how dirty these parts were?)  well, I had simply scraped that crud off of the transmission on my way to those parts and onto another plastic tarp.  Let's just say that I had an ecological disaster brewing under my truck!  Not cool!  Three rolls of paper towels later and most of the disaster is remediated.  A quick trip to the dump to recycle what coolant I was able to recover and it was back to business.  Good Grief!

So now that the radiator was out, it was time to plumb it into the engine on the test stand.  I had recently restored the thermostat housing.  As you can imagine, it was a real mess.  It is a cast iron piece, so I was reasonably confident that I could salvage it.  A quick soak in Super Clean and it was completely degreased.  That stuff is amazing!  Rinse it off and straight into the Evap-O-Rust.  I left it there overnight and the next morning it was like new.  I rinsed it off and let it dry in the sun, which also warmed it up pretty good.  Next it was time for some high heat primer and that wonderful Old Chevy Blue paint.  It always amazes me how good this old stuff can turn out when restoring it.

Now it was time to put it all together.  So, I bring the restored housing into the garage and notice that it looks identical to the one that is already on the engine...that's interesting.  Knowing that the thermostat in the engine is toast, I decided to breakdown the housing and at least replace the thermostat.  I did that, installed a new thermostat and gasket and sealed it with a little gasket sealer.  The instructions say that you need to let it cure for an hour, then torque it down, which I did.  I didn't get to the radiator that day, though.  So another week passes and I finally get to the radiator.  Much to my surprise, there was a difference between the housings!  The one on the test stand engine was made for a larger diameter radiator hose and my "little" 1953 hose would not fit!  Are you kidding me!?!  Well, that only means one thing.  Time to get another gasket, break it all down and redo what I just finished.  Time passes.  It's another week later and I finally have the gasket.  Break it down, scrape the RTV off of the housing parts and start over.  Get it all done and wait my hour.  Torque it all down and now for the ever popular test fit...success!  Who knew!  Of course, there was just one more issue to deal with.  It's a detail, for sure, but they say the debbil is in the details.  Hose clamps!  I didn't have any new clamps.  So into the box of parts that I had removed, grabbed the gnarliest, largest one I had, grabbed the Super Clean and went to work.  In short order it was brilliant again.  Bob's your uncle!  Everything went together exactly as it should.  All together, it looks like this:

And there you have it, all buttoned up.  You'll notice that there isn't a fan attached to the water pump.  I have been using an electric fan that I salvaged from the junkyard for the test stand.  It came out of a late model Honda Civic.  Why did I choose that one?  Good question!  I think it was close to the size that I needed.  But honestly, it was so long ago, I really don't remember!

Here's what Super Clean looks like:

I don't get any money from them, but don't mind letting everyone know if a product works or not.  This stuff works!  Just make sure to wear gloves and eye protection.  Safety first!

And now for the grand finale!  During this time, I got the third brake light mounted to those bedsides I built.  I've had the light fixture for more than 3 years.  This day was a long time coming and I'm not ashamed to admit that it made me smile when I stood back and looked at it.  It looks like this:

I know what you're thinking.  Gray Ghost, it looks crooked!  Well, something is crooked.  I'm just not sure if it's one of the cab mounts or one of the bed mounts.  What isn't crooked is the wood.  That is level to the floor.  So, my guess is that the bed mounts (which are wood) have rotted in some area and the bed isn't sitting level anymore.  Once I get past the engine swap, I'll look into it.

One last bit...while connecting the ground wire for that beautiful third brake light, something fell off of the truck, bounced off of my skull, went under my safety glasses and straight into my eye.  Once again, are you kidding me?!?  I went into the house and tried washing my eye, to no avail.  This happened on a Sunday, so I have the choice of going to the ER or waiting for my eye doc to come to work on Monday morning.  I chose the latter.  He was great and saw me straight away.  So, he's looking in my eye through the thing you put your chin into and he asks me, "Is your truck green?"  I said, "Yes, how did you know?"  He says, "I see a fleck of green paint in your eye and you normally see green in your eye socket."  A quick wash and the paint fleck is gone and I'm back to normal.  I remain convinced that the original owner of the truck hates me from the great beyond and actively works to sabotage me.  Oh well.

OBTW, I guess this really wasn't "super short"...sorry!  Hopefully, you enjoyed the stories.