Grfishmaker's '47 rebuild

[the old trucker]

   It's a good thing that I have broad shoulders . It takes a lot to look after you, you flatlander you !!!  Har Har Har.
   
   

[grfishmaker]

Yes, I think I may need a 10 blade fan (with all that hot air blowing in from the east).

[grfishmaker]

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh31/grfishmaker/f017.jpg
Installed the new heater. Judging from the various old mounting plates that I cut off of the cross pipe; this will be the fourth heater mounting bracket to be welded in.
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh31/grfishmaker/f018.jpg
Ran new heater hoses.
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh31/grfishmaker/o025.jpg
Cleaned up the wire run in the tunnel.

[the old trucker]

  Looks like your a busy man, my friend. Looking great. Keep it up !!!!    OT. 

                                                                                           

[grfishmaker]

Quote from Cranman
"I've used the old shift linkage on chev powerglide autos. The direction is no problem if you put a bell crank back near the tranny. The bell crank can have holes about an inch apart that allows you to adjust the distance of travel to complete the shift. BUT it is nice to make a detent at the shift lever for more positive gear selection and prevent the shifter being hit inadvertenly into reverse or park. Sask power machines used a motorhome shifter on the dash and a cable set up to the 727 trans and I really liked that. Your neutral (well park actually) safety switch can go at the bellcrank or at the tranny. You can use any push buttton momentary switch but I like an old starter pushbutton as they are rugged. "

Cranman
 Where you mention making a detent at the shift lever; do you mean some sort of recessed rest that the shifter arm has to be lifted up and out of? I think I know what you mean, but you wouldn't happen to have any pictures of one would you? Would you have to have some sort of spring tension on the shift lever so that it stays in the recessed holder or simply let it lay there on its own weight. I know what you mean about accidently hitting the leaver and jumping gears.
 Between the touchy shifter, backwards gear pattern and no brakes, it makes for an interesting ride on the old girl. I certainly will be mounting a bell crank before I'm done and plan on getting Shaver to install some sort of braking setup sometime this season.

[grfishmaker]

I mentioned before that I planned on making a defrost vent for the windshield. I would also like to change the dash from the original flat dash to one with a slight 45 degree angle to it. I know the size of the steering wheel doesn't allow too much opportunity for much redesign, but figured I'd try. I plan on making it out of wood (I'll use my birch plywood somewhere) rather than metal.
 Has anyone done this? tried this? or have any ideas? More ideas the merrier!

[the old trucker]

  Grfishmaker I like the shape of the 1930 Ford model "A" coupe dashboard. I would like to try & build one for mine next year. It looks like a big Ford blue oval emblem. I have a few ideas in my head of how I would build it.
  Could you use part of your existing dashboard for a mounting base, build an angled dash & screw it on from behind to the old one, eliminating screw holes in front ?? Mount your gauges into a piece of aluminum plate & secure from behind your plywood. You can even make a trim piece to cover up the edges of the plywood with a router.

[Cranman]

When I was putting the 327 /2sp Powerglide in we were planning on making one out of a piece of teflon and securing it to the column somehow. But after we had the linkage hooked up with the bellcrank, and a few springs here and there, the shifting was positive and we didn't need it. The detent would be easy to make for a console or dash shift but the steering column would involve some seoius fabricating. On that one we put the safety switch at the end of travel on the tranny so it was engaged only in Park, and we spliced it into the solenoid wire so the engine would only start in P. Most trannies have sort of a natural detent in Park. Brakes are nice to have especially on start up when the choke is still on. After warm up you should be able to leave it in gear without creep. Cam and Darrell Mclean have some nice shifters with wood or stainless detents. These are beauitiful wood dashes. Darrells is "bird's eye maple" and it is a sight to behold. Maybe you'll have to make a trip over to see if those fish you spawned are surviving and look at some of these!

[the old trucker]

   Please Grfishmaker if you go over to Cam's or Darrell's place, BRING YOUR CAMERA, extra batteries & take lots off pics. Don't forget to tell Cam I said hello !!!! Thank you very much my friend !!
   
                                                                                             The Old Trucker getting excited.

[grfishmaker]

OT, sounds like I might be able to make some money here. Do you pay mileage? ha ha

[the old trucker]

  Yes I do. You heard about Clint Eastwood's movie " A Fistful Of Dollars ". I'll give you a "Fistful Of Knuckles" if you don't.  It's like he says, Ya feel lucky Punk, Go ahead & make my day !!!! ha ha

                                                                                             Don't fool with OT.

                                                                                           

[grfishmaker]

 Cranman - I hope to see you guys machines someday and see all the adaptations. On my machine here, it's simply going to be a working machine, nothing fancy. I hope to use it for moose hunting, etc.., so that is one reason that I would never varnish up the exterior or anything too fancy like some people (although they surely are beautiful machines). The main thing this machine needed was new wood and glass. Although once you redo the woodwork, where do you stop? I don't want to do anything too fancy; but also, nothing too rough. I can still here my father saying "If you're going to do something, do it right; make it look like someone stopped and worked, and never just passed through". I don't know how many time I heard that growing up.
I could still here him saying that as I ponder simply patching some of the rotten oak that I did. Although he is no longer with us, I still try to do things right, like he might stop by and check things out.
 OT  - I know what you mean on the taking pictures. It sure is nice to be able to see other peoples machines and tha various ideas that they have incorporated into them. I clened up and redid the interior of my wide gauge before I found the NT wedsite. I was surprised that there was anyone out there that were using these machine for recreational purposes as I had only see machines used for commercial fishing purposes. Usually the only work that was done on those machines was work that was required to keep it moving (motors, tracks, etc..).

[the old trucker]

   
                 If you're going to do something, do it right;
  Are you sure your not related to Mike Holmes on Holmes on Homes !! Sounds like it. Since I found this site, I'm after building a dozen of these in my dreams. Now I finally have the opportunity to do just that for real with the help from all of you people. Keep the pictures coming !!!


                                                                                   This Old Trucker is proud of you all !!  10/4 !

[orin]

Thats a good heater, you got there. The pops has the same one in his bomber and it blows alot of heat. You may want to make a flap to open and close on the open side or you could have a hot right leg! Oh and we fishermen, besides having the motor running and the tracks turning, usually try to keep most of the snow out. Sometimes an old mit or burlap bag stuffed in the crack or hole works.
Oh yeah, don't forget the piece of plywood nailed over the broken side windows!!

[grfishmaker]

Orin - Yeah, I know what you mean by repairing enough as long as the machine keeps moving. It's a little different different world between a working machine and a recreational machine. I know that alot of the tourist that come by this way in the summer think that all the bombardiers sitting in various yards are old broken down machines. When I tell them that they are used every winter for fishing, you can tell that they really don't believe me that they are used every winter. Most of the time all they need is a charged battery and away they go. I tell them the fish don't know or care if the machine has fresh paint or how it looks, as long as it gets out there and back, the fishermen don't care either.
 That's good to hear about the heater. I wasn't sure how much heat it would throw. I remember when I picked it up at Princess Auto, I remarked to the sales clerk that the sticker on it was something that I never seen in a long time. It said "Made in Canada".
 It's funny you mention the "hot leg". I had planned on making a heat defector for that open side, and before I realized, I had it mounted in the bomber. Oh well, I'll add that one to the "do later list".