1937 Dodge, Ol Bessy Is Coming Home!

[Sharps40]

I have no idea what you mean.

[Sharps40]

Ate breakfast. Cleaning shop.  First set of Ol Bessy's motor in a few hours.  Hopefully have it roughly set by evening.

[Sharps40]

Transmission installed. Penny lifted it!. Break for coffee and nearing the big lift.

[Sharps40]

 

In rough.  

 

Much to do starting tomorrow.....back to front again. Align the engine/trans up/down, left/right and forward/back. Check fit and potentially modify the Power steering pump bracket, fabricate the trans cross member, repair the frame x member where it was cut out to fit the ginormous other GM transmission, trim and drill the motor mounts, install the frame brackets for the motor mounts, etc.....prolly a couple days with everything still sitting or hanging on chains and jacks and such.....but, great progress. Couldn't have done it without help from GoodWife! Feels real good to have all that heavy iron off the stand where it could have fallen and sitting in better security between the frame rails.

[Sharps40]

Dad,

 

A full day today.   Temporary brace for the transmission, no more jack support, everything taking its weight and I don't have to rely on hydraulics to hold it all up.  

 

Hours spent measuring and aligning engine/trans to frame and rear but its all within 1/16" any way i measure it.  Trans will need a stiffer brace but for now, this gets me centered and allows me to shove the engine back once I bring its nose down some more.

 

Yard work and vet visit tomorrow but Fri and Sat should be trimming the motor mounts to drop the front of the engine down several more degrees.  

 

So, I have left to right figured out.   Next is up down and then finally, front to back.   After that, more measuring and selection of distributor and exhaust system.   Then steering and brake and suspension and wiring and fuel plumbing and.....

 

She's coming along.

[Sharps40]

Dad,

 

It don't look like much but one more big job tackled. Spent the morning on the Passenger Side, working positions for the lower motor mount bracket. Made up a drill jig and lots of measuring and found I could decrease the engine angle from 10 degrees to 5 degrees by dropping the front end about 1/2".....this put the motor mount bracket bolts just above the bottom of the arch in the front frame. I'll increase the bolt diameter later and sleeve the boxed portion of the frame to prevent pinching when the bolts are torqued. Probably also add an external plate and weld it all once finalized. Still need to trim this side and pretty it up but tomorrow I'll use the drill jig (indexed off the lower and now unused shock bolt hole) to set the Drivers side lower motor mount bracket.

 

The brackets are set 1/2" further back than the motor mount center line as we have enough room to scooch the motor back. Should still allow us choice of large or small cap distributor and gets the crankshaft triple pulley off the steering rack and out of the radiator.

 

In any event, the newly installed PS motor mount is taking weight and we should be 75% done with the installation by lunch tomorrow. After that, I'll clean up the mounts for aesthetics and figure out how to elevate the power steering pump brackets we acquired from Alan Grove in order to clearance the steering pinion.

 

Last step will be to check the angle at the tail of the trans and see if it needs to go up or down any.

 

Progress.

 

PS....we still had time to spread 3 cu yd of rocks in the front yard! Retirement is grand!

[Bbdakota]

Looking good! I enjoy reading about your progress! 

[Sharps40]

Prolly wrap up the mounts tomorrow....I hope.  

[Sharps40]

Dad,

Motor is approaching 75% installed. Finalizing motor mounts out front. Accessories bolted on and drive pulleys aligned, much creative cutting and drilling of the good quality Alan Grove accessory mounts to get them to fit in the space available.....damn, Bessy got a narrow frame. Some wiring and waiting the Dizzy, exhaust manifolds but should all fit good....even got room for steering now.

[Sharps40]

Dad,

Tossed the nose back on and started lining it up. 2.5" or more clearance between water pump and radiator. So, will still use a pusher fan, but may be room for a metal one. Almost time to order all the steering and radiator...another week or two.

[DJ194950]

Where does the AC compressor mount?  ?

 

DJ

[Sharps40]

Top left or top right if we have room on the firewall and under the dash for the ancelaries.  For now I'm not messing with ac

[Sharps40]

Dad,

 

Motor mounts done.  Trans mount 90%.  Choke hooked up.   Oil dipstick is installed.  Starting to route fuel lines.  

 

 

[Sharps40]

 

Dad,  

Rams horn iron exhaust is in and room for steering is assured.

 

[Sharps40]

Dad,

 

Getting ready for the final big push on the mechanical parts.

 

Called Walker Radiator in TN....Ordered a brass radiator with auto trans cooler.   Will sort the fan once we see how it fits and what the clearance is.

 

Ordered the steering u joints, stainless tilt column and stainless and mahogany Banjo Steering wheel.

 

A few odds and ends needed to button up the motor like spark plug boots, throttle/kick down bracket, chrome trans inspection cover, etc.

 

Once the steering is in the last big job will be to set up the brake master and power booster, we have three options for brakes.   Firewall, frame or under dash mount.   

[Sharps40]

Dad,

Starting the mock up of steering shafts while we await arrival of the parts.   In bound is a double u-joint, a single u-joint, a support bearing for the double joint, Stainless Steel tilt steering column and a Mahogany and Stainless steel Banjo steering wheel.   The column has 5 position tilt, turn signals, horn, etc.  Its looking like the shop set the hole for the steering column too high in the firewall.   May have to patch that one/use it for wiring input and cut a new hole lower (black tape) for the column.   Angles look good.   Plenty of clearance on the motor mounts and power steering pump.   The toughest angle will be at the firewall and I suspect it'll be well under the maximum of 35 degrees.   This first wag shows us somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 degrees.   Measurements will be more accurate one I have all the parts and start the install later this week.

[cturboaddict]

Here was mine.
 

Edited December 12, 2019 by cturboaddict
added photo

[Sharps40]

Dad,

Long day, lots of progress.

Been thinking about your Dad, Pappy, all day while I struggled with installation of the transmission inspection cover. Each bolt i installed stripped the threads in the aluminum housing and wouldn't snug up. Cast about for new bolts, none, not even thread cutting versions. Couldn't find the right tap to clean out the holes, couldn't find the right tap for the next size up. Then I thought of Pappy's like new but 70 year old tap and die set. Dug it out and low and behold, a perfect new old tap in the correct next size up......5 minutes later all the mounting holes were drilled and tapped and the chrome inspection cover sitting neatly between the engine and transmission.

I measured the new all brass Walker 3 tube radiator with transmission cooler. 22 inches across. Measured the nose and it was 22 inches at the bottom tapering to 21 inches at the top. What to cut.....the cars radiator mounts or the new radiator itself......then i noticed, the shop had cut out the center brace in the nose. It fits in front of the radiator and when they removed it, for whatever reason, the top pinched in. So, I knocked in a piece of oak of the right length to see if it would spread, it did. So, a new center brace was made up and fitted in front of the radiator, including the original wiring clips to route the headlight and horn wires and we were in business. The new radiator slid right into place and looks grand. So, I spose its about time to button up the motor, wire it and hopefully soon, turn the key!

[Sharps40]

 

[Sharps40]

Dad,

 

Reproduction 1937 Ford Steering Wheel has been converted to 1937 Dodge.   Trimmed Bessy's original horn button skin to the right size.   Gave it a buff.   Glued it to the horn button of the replacement steering wheel.   Like they were made for each other.   Now if the damn FedEx will just get off their butts and stop carrying the steering column on the truck for the last 6 days and actually make a rural delivery!   I'd like to finish the steering....only a few hours work once the durn truck gets here.

 

 

[Sharps40]

The flexalite black majic extreme electric fan with shroud was on sale on amazon. Regular $250, got it for $128. 15" s blade, reversible, adjustable fan controller, shrouded booted, not thru core mounted (brackets instead), 3300 cfm, soft start, and its sized perfect for the radiator of an 83 year old car. So......no metal fan, gonna give it a try.

[Bbdakota]

1 hour ago, Sharps40 said:

The flexalite black majic extreme electric fan with shroud was on sale on amazon. Regular $250, got it for $128. 15" s blade, reversible, adjustable fan controller, shrouded booted, not thru core mounted (brackets instead), 3300 cfm, soft start, and its sized perfect for the radiator of an 83 year old car. So......no metal fan, gonna give it a try.

What a deal! That's the same fan I'm using on my 58 I'm building. Seems to work fine. 

[Sharps40]

Yep.  2500 cfm is recommended for 5l so this with shroud and boot at 3300 cfm should do the trick and look cleaner than a metal fan. 

[Sharps40]

 Back from a great quail hunt. Dad and I checked the new fan and we need an inch so....sheet metal back off and radiator back out tomorrow to find the space!

[Sharps40]

Dad and I found the room we needed for the electric puller fan by relocating the Walker Radiator forward.    Moved the cross bracket in the nose 1 7/8 " forward and then located the radiator within the strong steel loop which is the backbone of the nose section.   Todays job will be to fit the fan in place.

 

Not sure I like the high mounted alan grove alternator bracket.   Belt wrap on the water pump is about 25% of diameter so I installed a double alternator pulley.   If it slips, I'll get or make up a passenger side alternator mount to try to get more wrap over the pump pulley.