2nd half....

I found some time to machine the 2nd half of the vavle cover mold.

Now, on to the mold for the inside...

I think I need a bigger machine...

At 26" in length, the 235 valve cover mold is a bit long to machine in one piece. 

To make the mold, I lamitnated 6 pieces of 3/4" MDF.  This stuff machines super easy allowing for some pretty fast feed rates.  It took about an a hour to accomplish this.  That time could have/should have been less if not for quite a few wasted moves and air machining...

Molding bench....

 I bought this table at an auction several years ago.  It was part of a lot that included a Van de Graaff generator that for some reason I had to have.  I have no idea what it was used for as it was covered in gauges and electronic giszmos, but it looked like a good base for a molding bench.

I still have to put a top on it so that it can be used as a table when I am not casting.  It sure beats storing sand in buckets...

Mr. Tinker....

With the endless attempt to refine the foundry, I stumbled across this video posted by Mr Tinker on youtube.  He uses waste oil, both vegetable and motor, to fire his furnace.  Needless to say, I was impressed and ordered the required parts from Patriot Supply. 

While charcoal works decent as a fuel, it takes too long to sufficiently melt a full crucible.  Also, I am finding myself using an entire bag each time I start the furnace.  At $9.00 a bag, creating ingots is becoming expensive.  So, onto the next step...I'll keep updates with the progress.

Ingot making....

As I was cleaning up over the weekend, I realized that I had an excessive amount of aluminum scraps lying around.  These needed to be consolidated into conveniently stackable ingots.  Out came the charcoal.....

Loaded with charcoal and ready to light....



bye bye piston...




cover and let simmer for about 40 minutes...



liquid hot magma...



once cool, convenient stackable ingots ready for use.


Once most of the random pieces were melted, I wanted to experiment with aluminum cans.  I have read on many websites that cans are more of a pain than they are worth but still, I had to find out for myself.

Because an aluminum can has so much surface area compared to the quantity of aluminum it possesses, much of the usable aluminum reacts with the atmosphere and creates aluminum oxide.  However, once you have a puddle of molten aluminum that you can entirely submerge the can into, there is much less wasted.  The picture below is what is left of 100 16oz cans.  On the left is the aluminum oxide and the ash leftover from the paint.  There is as much of that as there is melted aluminum.  I wasn't using any type of flux, so I am sure that I could have gotten a bit more.

Carbs are bad for you....

With the help of a couple NAPA rebuild kits, the '40 is back on the road.   Yeah!...now on to the body work...yuck.

Over the past week or so, I have become intimately familiar with the Rochester B carburetor.  They are actually quite amazing.  Are they the best carb out there?  Probably not.  However, it is still fascinating to think how they were developed.  They were not designed with the help of computers, the castings are so thin  in areas and the machining of all of the internal passageways is astounding.  There are small screens and restrictors hid in the passageways and there are very few parts to go bad.   

I came across an original GM published Operation and Servicing manual on the Rochester B.  It was released in May of 1952.  It explains the theory and execution of the design of the carb.  It cleared a lot of misunderstandings up for me.

I am working on scanning it into a pdf.

The Big Go.....

I got the chance to head out to Indy over the weekend for the drag races.

We saw this on the way out...



Nothing like an expert in the baitin' industry

 The seats on top of the tower provided a pretty good view.  It's nice to know the right people...

There were also quite a few of historical cars on display...

This roadster was extremely well put together.  There were quite a few innovative ideas that could easily get overlook.  I had a 45 minute conversation with the owner, Scott.  He isn't afraid to drive it either. 

Let Down...Part 2.

Well, it wasn't the fuel pump that stopped working on the '40.  The tank lining wasn't done correctly which led it to flaked off and clog everything. 

The lining company made good on their work, but the carbs are completley packed full of crap.  I did managed to get it running but it's not right.  I think I am going to have to pull the carbs back off for the third time an rebuild them. 

I did find a decent article on rebuilding the Rochester B carb over at bangshift.com  If anyone reading this has some good tips, feel free to hit me up.