falconvan

Check Ebay and Craigslist for comparable cars to compare price. It's a good way to tell if what they are asking is fair. Floorboards and trunks seem to be the worst rust out areas on these.

I rooted through my scrap barrel today to find something to build a crossmember and came up with some 2" and 3" angle iron. I cut a 6' piece of 2" in half and welded the two halves together to make a box, notched out for the trans mount, then cut some 3" pices for the ends. After much trimming and trial fitting it looks pretty good and should have enough room for the exhaust to pass under.

Steering, yes; Brakes, no. i'm going with four wheel disc brakes with a hanging pedal assembly from a Jeep and a firewall mounted master cylinder. Clutch will be hydraulic.

A few more.....

I got the motor and trans put together today and my motor mounts built. I had to dimple the firewall in one spot and box part of the frame for the exhaust but it looks good. Now I need to build a trans crossmember and get the pedal assembly mocked up. I got a clutch/brake pedal assembly from a late model Jeep; it should work with some slight modification.

That old IH pickup next to it looks pretty cool, too.

I spent half a day at the boneyard gathering some misc pieces yesterday so I didnt get as far as I hoped this weekend. I did get a few more things bolted on the engine, cut a set of shock mounts and welded them on the frame, painted the front of the frame with some POR-15, and got the suspention back on after cutting one coil off the springs. I need to work some OT this week but im hoping to get the engine and trans bolted together at some point and start mocking up the drivetrain to build mounts.

This should move it around a little better than the flathead.

Welcome, Eddie! You picked the right place for all things dealing with old Mopars. Great looking projects; we're looking forward to seeing them come back to life.

Let me know how it goes, Ed. I bought that same set up off of Ebay for my 48 but havent got to that point yet.

I hit mine with some engine degreaser from Oriely's and then a powerwasher. Finally went over it with a wire brush on a drill and wiped it off with laquer thinner. I've never had great luck with the spray bomb engine paint holding up long term but it looks good for a while.

Wow, what a difference! Great job, Chester.

Looking great!

Got my shortblock buttoned up, now to lap the valves and replace the seals before I bolt the heads on.

Doesn't look like much yet. I was going to do a basic re-ring but the bearings look like they were just put in and the cylinders still have visible hone marks so I'm going with it as it is. I did get a new oil pump, timing set, and stuck in one of Summit's mild street/strip cams. The only thing i could find wrong was two freeze plugs with pinholes rusted in them and some gunk in the cooling passages. I popped all the plugs out and flushed out the block so it should be good to go.

Im still hoping to come, Tim. I'm scouting a new job so it will depend on if I make the switch before then.

Very nice job! It'll be a great looking ride when you're done.

Hah! Thanks, Cass. I spent my work days organizing work for my crew so I guess I've gotten fairly good at organizing my own work and knocking it out at a good pace.

I got the frame cleaned up today; this has to be the dirtiest job there is when doing a build. It took about 4 hours with a heavy wire wheel on an angle grinder. I had cleaned and painted all the suspension parts on the 49 and it's the same parts so It'll all go on here. From this point it's almost all reassembly; that's a nice point to get to.

Thanks, Ed. It's moving pretty good; hopefully it wont be too long before a test drive. Lots done today; I got the front clip apart, motor pulled, powerwashed the front of the frame, pulled all the suspention, and cut out the old crossmember. Tomorrow we start cleaning it up to get ready for a trial fit on the motor once it's together.

Not sure why these pictures are turning out so grainy, I guess my camera has about had it. Anyway, I finshed a few welding spots and wire brushed all the old paint off the floor to start fresh. Next step on this is a coat of etching primer and some seam sealer followed by a topcoat but im going to take a break from the floors for a bit and start pulling the front clip apart and putting the drivetrain together. My back needs a break from all that bending over.

A Ford in a Dodge; that will be different. I'd use it, too.

Thanks for considering me a great forum member, Adam. Talent? Well, there's some very good builders on here and I'm just happy to be part of the group. I try to stay away from these nitpicking catfight threads; it looks to me like the original poster was trying to stir people up and apparantly did a pretty good job. As far as my Chevy powered s**t box; I still have to contend that Chevy's LSs series motors are the best power per dollar ratio motors out there. It best fit the final goal of the project which was a budget priced street rod with the most power I could get for the amount of $$ I had allocated for the drivetrain. That's why it's in there, no apologies.

She's back on all four feet and I pulled the 318 out of the parts pile. New cam & lifters, timing set, oil pump, and gaskets came in the mail today for it.

Great job, Cass!