ORIN'S 50 REBUILD !!!!

[grfishmaker]

 Hey Orin, looking good.
 I know you can get marine grade fir plywood in Winnipeg at Windsor Plywood. They were the only place that I could find that carries it without being a special order. It comes good two sides, so that helps. The only bad thing is the price, $59.99@ sheet. It will take six sheets to do your narrow.
 Also, good idea with using the rags to heat up the oak to bend. Your idea never crossed my mind as I used a pice of PVC pipe and an electric kettle (something I see on a "google" search). That's what's nice about this NT site; being able to see other peoples ideas to reach the same end.
Keep up the good work, I hear winters coming. ha ha

[the old trucker]

  Thank a bunch Orin. That information will be spot on by the looks of it. Don't seem like there's to building them, I just needed something to go by so it will be to scale.
                                                                                                      OT.   

[orin]

Went to the auto wrecker yesterday to get a manifold and came back with seats and an electric fan for the motor door. Does anyone know when you put these fans on the door, do you just take the fan off the motor and turn it around to get it to blow instead of suck?http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/ae141/orinleecarlson/IMG_1187.jpg

[the old trucker]

  It won't be any different if you turn the fan blades around. I think you will have to mount the fan to the door so that it will blow out. I have seen some electrical motors that will work in reverse if you change the wiring, but I don't think it will work on that motor being it's newer. 
  Would it work if it hauled in fresh air through one door, across the top of the engine & out the other door ?? Hot air rises?? Just a thought. Is your heat riser in the manifold working properly ?? 

[orin]

O.T.  Good idea about the frost plugs and the fan blows if you switch the wires. Heat riser for the choke? I have the choke hooked manual, the one on the old manifold was broke off. Anyone know the number for the bearing that's in the bottom of the steering shaft?? Got small brass bushing from princess auto, going to try one down there, but if it does not work good going to have to find a bearing.

[the old trucker]

 

   Yea, I was talking about the manifold. Orin, there's a bearing at the bottom of the steering column ?? I think all that was in mine was broken needle bearings. I have to replace the piece of pipe that the column fits into. Sounds like a good idea to go your way. Thanks
                                                                                              OT. 

[orin]

O.T.  it is needle bearing, but they are in a cage. What ever that kind of bearing is called.

[the old trucker]

  A friend of mine was sizing up my bomber & thought a sealed ball bearing should work. Should be easier for me because where mine goes, that piece of pipe is rusted pretty good !! I could get the lower part of the steering shaft rebuilt straight & have a sealed bearing to fit over that & into the new pipe. 
  Needle bearings are the type originaly found in the boggies. Like short lengths of 1/4 rod.

[the old trucker]

 Quote from Orin

I think the frame work is almost done, a little to do in the front yet where the tin is behind the shocks and make new blocks for behind the half moon gear on the steering. I phoned around here to get plywood and all i can find is "good one side". One place told me they could order "good two sides", but i had to buy a whole lift!   Don't think I need that much.

 Orin can you let me know the proper size of those blocks, PLEASE. Thanks

[Cranman]

The doors on my 53 metal are wood lined like the wooden machines. I bought birch plywood at about $26 a sheet 5 years ago, and the back side veneer has some flaws and it definitely isn't birch, maybe a japaneese mahogany or something but it took a dark stain nicely that Cam put on it before the varnish. He put the finished side in against the metal and lined the doors completely, then made the maple frames around the perimeter, put some insulation in the void and then the plywood. You have to make sure your metal is bent just right to fit the opening before you skin and line the interior as it is impossible to change the shape afterward.

[orin]

O.T.  I used 1'X3" oak 6"s long. It took 4 of them and had to put a little piece of 3/16s steel to get it tight. The original was a bunch of pieces of plywood stacked together.

[the old trucker]

Quote from Orin;
   O.T.  Good idea about the frost plugs and the fan blows if you switch the wires.

  Orin, think you should be able to wire in a three position toggle switch, so you could push out hot air or pull in fresh air ? Probably a good idea to mount the fan on the manifold side of the engine.

[the old trucker]

O.T.
no muffler, just a piece of flex pipe curled around and coming out the back. I measured the rad for you and its 20"s wide, 25.5"s high and 3"s thick. Also took a pic of the way the vacuum hose is pointing on the distributor. For my motor mounts I used 2, 3" wide channel irons that are 57"s long. I made the motor mount part of it myself and the tranny part I just used the cross member that was in the van I took the motor and trans out of. I mounted the motor and trans on the channels out side, slid the whole thing in, lined it up where I wanted it and bolted it down. http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/ae141/orinleecarlson/008.jpg

   Orin, in this pic it looks like the two bolts made onto the trans, that are used to bolt the trans to the piece of cross member are in line with the angle piece that the lower pieces of plywood screw onto. If that's right, I should be able to use it as a reference point to line up my motor/trans.  Only other way I can do this is wait till I get the "tunnel in place & try measure it from there. Any thoughts about this ?

[orin]

O.T.  Are you going to just weld the cross pieces in and then bolt the channel iron to the like I did, or are you going to weld the channels in?

[the old trucker]

   I was thinking of welding in the channel iron like Swamp Dawg did. For the trans I was thinking of welding a piece of channel across between the frame rails, drill two holes in it & bolt the trans to it. Sound OK ??