Out of town...

I am going to be out of the shop for a couple of days.  E-mails might be a bit delayed as well as shipments of adapters.  If you need to get a hold of me, please feel to give me a call.  Sorry for the inconvenience.

Final fabrication on the '50...

Over the weekend, we were able to finish up all of the heavy fabrication on the '50 Chevy truck.  The original mount mount and core support was utilized so that all of the front sheet metal will bolt up like factory.

Mounting the original 6 in the sub frame presented an interesting problem.  Normally, when installing a V8 in an AD truck that has been subframed, you can use the original engine mounts and move them back about 2".  With a 235 however, the front engine mount needs to be located where there is nothing but open space.  Here is our solution:

Truck progress...

Now with the Opel out of the shop, our full attention can be concentrated on the '50 Chevy truck subframe.  We were able to make some progress over the weekend getting the boxing plates in.  Making a good transition between the old frame is critical not only for proper strength, but for looks.  Ultimately, it should look like the factory installed it...

Delivered...

The Opel is done and delivered!  What a fun little car to work on...going to miss it actuall.

Illuminating concept...

Originally, Opel engineers relied on two micro switches buried deep in the headlight assembly to switch  the headlight relay.  Apparently, these have been a constant source of grief for the owner, so I wanted to figure out a better way.  This is what I came up with....

It's a motorcycle brake light switch that was mounted on the headlight lever.  As the lever is pushed to expose the headlights, the assemble pulls on the switch and connects the circuit to turn the headlight relay on.  I wired it exactly like a horn relay as the switch only activates the ground of the relay coil.  This way, it's very low current draw and you only have to run one wire.  Should be able to get it all hooked up this evening...

Almost Done...

This list of things to do keeps dwindling...

- Heater motor
- Dome light switches
- Headlight switch

So far, everything is working like it is suppose to.  All of the gauges, dash lights and switches are hooked up and functioning properly.  It is really nice to have working gauges...especially the gas gauge.  After this, I might go back and hook the one up in the '40.

As I was checking the functionality of the gauges, I accidentally cranked it and it fired.  So after making sure it had oil and coolant, I gave it a couple taps on the accelerator and it started right up.  The gas was old and you can tell the engine needed to be run, but still, it did run fairly well.  The oil pressure came right up and it sounded good.  There were a couple of little oil leaks that need to be addressed as well as some re-routing of vacuum lines.  It's getting closer...

Subframe progress...

Well, there's no turning back now....

This is by far the most critical part of the job.  We must have measured for an hour making sure that the front clip is in the right location and square to the original frame.

We still have to make a transition between the original frame and the Camaro subframe.  Because the customer wanted this truck to sit close to original ride height, the sub frame had to be welded in fairly low.  Normally, the top of the subframe is much higher than the top of the original frame, making the vehicle sit much lower.  Regardless, we'll get it done and make it look like the factory did it.

There will be boxing plates welded on the top, bottom and both side to complete the transition.  Completely boxing the frame greatly increases the overall strength.

 

'50 Chevy Truck Subframe....

Let's get the torch....

Soon, we will be cutting and we will be in the put back together mode...

A Little More Dash Progress...

It's getting closer.....

The list of stuff to hook up is still fairly long:

Heater Blower Controls Hi/Low
Dome Light Switches
Dome Light
Neutrel Safety Switch
Back-up light Switch
Head Light Switch
Shifter Console Lights
Oil Pressure sending unit
Temperature sending unit
Electric Choke
Distributor
Fuel Pump

Terminating...

This is probably a good time to discuss terminating wire ends...

Here are the common crimp type terminals that I usually use when doing a wiring job.  They are readily available and generally are fairly heavy gauge material.  However, I absolutely despise the insulation on them.  The color is awful and they look horrible when crimped.

So...I cut it off.

With the insulation gone, I can then crimp and solder the terminal to the wire.  the trick with soldering automotive wiring is to use just enough to make a good connection.  To much solder and it can wick back up the wire and make it hard and brittle.

With the soldering complete, I then add a small piece of heat shrink to cover everything up.

I know, I could just get non-insulated terminals and yes, that would save some tine.  However, I have not been able to source a local store that carries them.  Inevitably, I always run out or do not have the correct end so being able to go to my local parts store and get them is a nice convenience.

Opel progress...

This was a productive weekend on the Opel.  All of the exterior lights are working.  Brake lights, running light and turn signals front and back are done.  Also, the back up lights, license plate lights and wipers are operational.

It's incredibly difficult to take a picture of a flashing left rear turn signal...

I also was able to get a start on the dash board.  here is what it looking like when I received it...

Luckily, I had an easy to read diagram...

I initially tried to save some of the wiring and ultimately reuse it, but after about 15 minutes of trying to clean things up, I couldn't take it and removed it all to start from scratch.  After a couple of hours of crimping, soldering and heat shrinking, this is was it looks like now.  It's only about 1/2 way done...

I did get to plug it in to the harness and confirm that the dash lights and indicators all function like they are suppose to.  I did have a couple of wires switched on the wiper motor, but that didn't take too long to diagnose and now they work with the switch like intended.  

A little weekend dumpster diving...

On Sunday, I had to pick up some wiring supplies for the Opel and as I was driving, I saw this sitting at the end of a guy's driveway by his trash cans.  I had to stop....I just couldn't bear the thought of letting it get thrown away.  Luckily, the guy was home and said that I could have it if I liked.  Apparently, he bought it at an auction and never tried to see if it worked.  Oh well, I'll clean it up, see if I can get it working and put it beside my Pacman machine.

Cosmic Guerilla...never heard of it...

It's Illuminating....

I have to admit that it's a wonderful feeling when wiring a vehicle and when you hook the battery up for the first time that everything electrically works like its suppose to.

I don't know if it is just the original styling or if the Opel knows it's going to be on the road soon, but in the first picture, it looks genuinely excited.

A Bit More Wiring Progress...

Who knew having a new born would cut into the shop time?  Right?  Well, I did manage to get several hours over the weekend to work on the Opel wiring and made a bit more progress.

It's starting to tidy up a little.  I was able to get all of the plugs for the dash terminated on the harness side as well as hook up the windshield washer fluid pump and brake light switch.  Most of the under-dash wiring is done and I can now focus on terminating the engine compartment and tail lights.  It won't be long before we can put power to it.  Oh, yeah....there's still the dash to do....

The Next One In Line....

Some of you might recognize this particular truck.  It was in the shop last summer to get a T5 conversion.  Well, the owner decided that he would like power steering, power brakes and independent front suspension.  So, we are more than happy to accommodate...

 

The plan is to subframe it with a front steer Camaro clip.  He wants to leave the 235 in it, which I think is fantastic.  We will have to fab up a front engine mount and core support and we were able to find an aftermarket power steering kit much like the originals.  Overall, it shouldn't be too bad and will make for a pretty neat driver.