falconvan Posted November 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2012 That's true, Tim. Lots of tedious stuff done this weekend. I had made a wiring harness for the 49 from a Buick G-body and it worked good so I decied to transfer it to here. I laid it out and made some changes before the transplant such as fixing and using the factory turn signals and some lengthening and shortening here and there. I got it all zip tied up, installed, and most everything hooked up.The dash is almost done; I do have a factory radio thats going to fill the hole, too. I might even get it fixed; I always listen to AM anyway. Either that or stash a unit in the glovebox. A few other things, too; pulleys are on, heat gauge hooked up, and started changing the forward harness for the Mopar connections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted November 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2012 Lots done today; I finally got the fuel line run and the fuel pump on. Now just need to run from the pump to the carb and that's done. I wanted to use a GM alternator since the harness was already wired for it so I flipped the alternator bracket upside down and put it on the othe side of the water pump. I had to cut and lengthen the adjuster bracket and build a support bracket for the back but it worked out good. I started putting the front clip back on just to see what I was going to need to do with the inner fenders. Both had to get sliced and diced a bit but I've got some new pieces tacked in place so I can pull it back apart, finish welding and paint them before it goes together for good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted November 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2012 And a few more... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted November 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2012 Getting real close to firing this thing up. I finished all the engine wiring and fuel lines, put in an HEI distributor, plus finished the fender wells and got them and the fenders bolted on and adjusted. It was really nice out yesterday so I put the back wheels on and rolled it outside to see what the stance looks like. I used 2" blocks in the back and cut a coil in the front; I think it's about right where I want it. It was cool to be able to roll it out and clean the spot where it's been sitting for several months. It was a mess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted November 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 Got a few more things bolted on today; spent most of the day on my 48. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted November 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 More stuff done; the grill and all the little panels behind it are bolted on, plug wires on, swapped to a Demon carb, accelerator cable and pedal done other than hooking it up to the carb, battery tray built and installed, and the radiator came in today. It looks like it's going to be a good fit; just need to build a mount for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlemo Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 falconvan; did I miss it, where did you order your radiator ??? I guess I'm going to have to come up with one from somewhere as I don't think I can use the original with the newer engine ??? Cass, alias littlemo.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted November 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 Hey Cass, this radiator came from Speedway Motors. Its just a universal 22x19 aluminum radiator and it was about $120. I'll have to fabricate brackets for it. I bought a new aluminum one for my 48 from Champion Radiator that is a direct fit unit; it was $225. It's a nice piece; bolts right in where the old one came out. No trans cooler built in but I'm going to run an external cooler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted December 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 The good news is; it's running and sounds great. The bad news; it's pumping oil out the rear main seal like crazy.:CRY: I bought a Fel-Pro gasket kit from Summit and the seal that came with it did not look like the original one. I think the original was a rope seal and the replacement was a mechanical seal. I called Summit, they said it was right and checked with Fel-Pro and they insisted it was the retrofit seal. I went ahead and put it in even though it seemed like it was a little small in the groove. Im really aggrevated about this.:mad: So now I guess the motor comes back out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerseyHarold Posted December 3, 2012 Report Share Posted December 3, 2012 Bummer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenbomb Posted December 3, 2012 Report Share Posted December 3, 2012 As much as that stinks, at least it's better now than 10 miles into the maiden voyage! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pflaming Posted December 3, 2012 Report Share Posted December 3, 2012 (edited) Did you have someone redo your gauges or were they like that when you got the car? The floor board. To make such a floor do you hand form the pieces that go over the tranny etc. I see you used a lot of 'small' and medium sized rectangles rather than several larger pieces. There must be a reason so I must ask why? Can one purchase floor boards ready to weld in? Edited December 3, 2012 by pflaming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted December 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2012 Did you have someone redo your gauges or were they like that when you got the car? The floor board. To make such a floor do you hand form the pieces that go over the tranny etc. I see you used a lot of 'small' and medium sized rectangles rather than several larger pieces. There must be a reason so I must ask why? Can one purchase floor boards ready to weld in? The dash is actually a cut down 54 dash; the gauges are stock although the only ones i'm using are the temp, oil press, and speedo. Im putting a fuel and volt gauge under the dash. As far as the floor, I formed it from flat 16 ga sheet. On the trans hump I had too make some changes to accomadate the 5 speed so it ended up being smaller pieces. I had cut the shifter hole too big so I went back and patched around it. I did buy the piece that goes around the pedals. You can buy some floorpan pieces from Ebay but they are thinner and they're not cheap. Now that I've had a day to cool off, I think Im going to try and just pull the pan to replace the seal rather than pulling the motor. It has to come off either way so I might as well give it a shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pflaming Posted December 3, 2012 Report Share Posted December 3, 2012 I need to get a piece of 16 ga to know how flexibe/plyable it is. It appears that you can 'form' it over a barrel or pipe or what ever by pressure and a lot of light hammering. So select an area, a piece of stiff cardboard, roughly shape that as a pattern, then repeat with the metal, lay it in and tack weld it. Continue with this format til all is in. Then spot weld it all so it doesn't warp, lengthening the welds as you go. Probably lay in a few temporary wood blocks from underneith for temporary support. Is this a fair explanation for building a new floor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted December 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2012 Sure, sounds like a good plan. I always preferred 16 ga for floors; it's stout and it seems like it's pretty close to what the factory used. I dont know why the reproduction ones are thinner; production cost, i guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pflaming Posted December 3, 2012 Report Share Posted December 3, 2012 Falcon: That's what I'm going to do. I have some welding skills so will borrow a tig welder, cut and fit and spot weld. Then I will get one of my friends who are GOOD welders to come in and do the finish welding. That will reduce the cost of fixing that floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted December 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2012 I just didnt feel like pulling that pan yesterday so I worked on other stuff. I got the grill and bumper back together and mounted my fuel and volt gauges. I had several 3/8" holes in the floor from the three differnt seats I had mounted when this floor was in the other car so I welded them up, hit all the edges with seam sealer, and gave it a final coat of paint. Finally I put it up on jack stands to pull the pan today. Back to work tomorrow; bummer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted December 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2012 I bought a Mopar Performance seal this time and it fit much better. It's back together, running great, and no leaks! I also got my brackets cut to mount the front brake calipers. Those water jet machines sure make some slick cuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pflaming Posted December 12, 2012 Report Share Posted December 12, 2012 (edited) What width wheels and what size tires are you going to use. I'm learning the wheels come in several widths, ID bead to bead. I just finished reading your entire thread. It is VERY helpful to me. Since I'm keeping it original with the exception of front disc brakes and different differential ratio, some of what you swapped does not apply. Question: How difficult is it to remove my dash to refinish it and to rewire it on the work bench? Seems the 51 and 53 were very much alike except for the exterior, fenders, etc. Edited December 12, 2012 by pflaming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted December 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2012 What width wheels and what size tires are you going to use. I'm learning the wheels come in several widths, ID bead to bead. I just finished reading your entire thread. It is VERY helpful to me. Since I'm keeping it original with the exception of front disc brakes and different differential ratio, some of what you swapped does not apply.Question: How difficult is it to remove my dash to refinish it and to rewire it on the work bench? Seems the 51 and 53 were very much alike except for the exterior, fenders, etc. Im using the stock wheels and 205/75/15 tires if the wheels will clear the front brake calipers. They did in the back. I think they are 6 or 7" wide; not sure. Dash comes out pretty easy; about 6 or 8 screws across the top under the trim, one on each end at the bottom, and a couple braces. Glad you like it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pflaming Posted December 12, 2012 Report Share Posted December 12, 2012 I have the wider 15" wheels on my truck and they fit over the calipers with room to spare. But I'm thinking 5" wide wheels will look better on the convertible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted December 12, 2012 Report Share Posted December 12, 2012 a well written brochure on the tire will give you the height and cross section of the given tire size as per the various recommended rim widths..you want to be careful not to mount a goodly sized tire to a very narrow rim... I remember Pirelli was very good about these dimensions but they are a well know performance tire and you come to expect such from folks like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted December 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2012 Now that I've got a running engine I figured I'd finish up the front end work since it's up on stands. I started trial fitting the Explorer front brakes tonight and everything worked out good. I needed some spacers between the new plate and the caliper bracket so I drilled the threads out of some 1/2" nuts and they worked real nice. Other than that it was pretty much a bolt on. Now to clean everything up, paint the brackets and put it back together for good. I've also got a heavy duty sway bar from a Grand Cherokee that looks like it will fit good once I make some mounts for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted December 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Brakes and tie rods are on, now just need to run the brake lines to the calipers and I'm ready to bleed the system. Here's the Jeep swaybar next to the original; about twice the diameter. It should help handling quite a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted December 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 I finished plumbing the brakes tonight, just need to bleed them. I got some front shocks ordered so I figure I'll wait until I've got them mounted before I mount the sway bar. I also found this cool old tach on Evilbay, I painted it to match the dash and I think it looks pretty spiffy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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