ssnowden

I want a semi-permanent paint booth, but want to be able to collapse it. I didn't want to go with the plastic pipe and plastic although that's a great idea. I have a corner of my shop where this will work very well. I'm pretty sure I'm going to do this. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/wanna-build-a-spray-booth-but-no-room-in-your-shop-check-this-out.417424/

Yes, I'm wanting to minimize the complexity as much as I can. Also, I'm planning on putting new gaskets and bearings in it to hopefully have it in good shape for a long time.

I really enjoyed this series I found on Youtube. https://youtu.be/huoEMqq6Oe4?list=PLNbF_n8tv3wkIi8bx8M7xqVGXT1gryCL-

I started working on the 3 speed transmission. I planned on starting with draining the oil. I unscrewed the drain plug and all that came out was water. Since it was laying in the back yard of the PO for 6 years, I wasn't too surprised. I opened it up and from what I can tell, all the gears look to be in very good shape. Of course, I've not seen that many, but to my eye, I don't see visible wear or chips on the gears and it all spins easily. I used what I had near, so I filled it with Pine Sol and let it soak a few minutes and wire brushed what I could reach. Then I washed it all out. Then, I sprayed about a can of PB Blaster in it and then filled it up with oil to soak for a few days.

I had a good chat with one of the guys at Andy Bernbaum this morning. He said the bigger transmission with the 1 3/8" spline most likely came from a bigger truck, like a 1 ton. That makes sense to me because it is such a significantly bigger and beefier transmission than the 3 speed extra one I have that I know came out of the truck originally. The 3 speed spline is the exact same size as my P15 transmission and should fit right in with the new clutch and pressure plate I have for it already. I'm thinking it would be worth investigating the 3 speed to see how it is mechanically and use it if it's good.

I've got two truck bell housings. Both look like they will bolt up to the engine. I used http://www.t137.com/registry/help/otherengines/tengines.html as my source. The engine has a T245 prefix which should be a 230. I wonder if someone changed cranks? The pressure plate that works with the larger transmission is larger than what was on the 4 bolt flywheel, so if I were to use it, I'd need to have bolt holes drilled for the pressure plate to fit.

I'm looking for some insight on how to proceed. Here is my situation: The truck came with a Chrysler 25" engine out of a '49 Royal or Windsor with a Spitfire head. The PO had it all just sitting in there and hadn't done any modifications for the radiator yet to make it work in the 23" engine space the truck has. It had this transmission in it: The spline is thick, it's 1 3/8" and the smooth end of the shaft is 2" long and 3/4" thick. This is the transmission I want to use if possible. The engine that was in the truck has an 8 bolt crank. The engine I want to put in the truck is a 23" 230 from a 1953 M37 truck that was in my P15 car. It will bolt right in to the truck with no modifications necessary. I want to put the Chrysler in the P15 with the Spitfire head in a future project, and I know there will be modifications per Don's threads with his DeSoto engine. It has a 4 bolt crank. The transmission that worked in the car has a 1" spline and the smooth end of the shaft is 2 1/2" long, 3/4" thick. The truck came with an additional engine and transmission. The extra transmission is this one: It has the same size spline as the car transmission of 1", but the smooth end of the shaft is 2" long which is a 1/2" shorter than the car transmission. So here are my questions. 1. Will an 8 bolt flywheel work with a 4 bolt crank and not cause it to wear or break because of the differences? 2. Could I use the 4 bolt flywheel that came with the 230 engine and just mount the bigger clutch and pressure plate to accommodate the bigger transmission? Since the shaft ends are the same thickness if that works, it seems to be the cleanest option. 3. If I can use the 4 bolt flywheel, will the bigger transmission work ok considering I do have the right clutch and pressure plate for it? 4. If I can use the 4 bolt flywheel, will the 1/2" shorter shaft end of the truck transmission be an issue? 5. Is there any advantage to using the smaller spline extra transmission? I have no idea if the transmission even works. It was laying in the back yard of the PO. I've been reading many threads on flywheels and I've seen where some have used a 4 bolt flywheel on a 8 bolt crank, but I haven't seen the opposite to my recollection.

I got the second coat on all of the frame now.

I got one coat on the frame now. It covers well. It took one quart for the one coat. It spreads like ink instead of paint. It's very easy and I used a brush. I'm going to pick up the front end and do it separately, plus I have the disc brake kit to install and the rear end comes back out again and I'll get it all cleaned and painted.

I had a busy weekend prepping the frame for the KBS Frame Coater kit. I got all of the scale and heavy rust off first and then did the cleaner/degreaser step and the Rust Blast steps. I am very happy with the results. It pretty much got all the rust off with a 30 minute soak. Before: After:

I got the running boards off now. I couldn't be happier with how good they are and how solid the supports are. I just need to clean them up and paint them.

I got the engine, transmission and fuel tank out this evening. The tank looks to be in decent shape, except on the side closest to the frame had some old debris piled on it. The result is there is a hole in one spot.