A little over a year ago, I picked this '56 Pontiac wagon up for a personal vehicle. It was running and driving with a 350/350 combo and a Camaro subframe. The car is fairly solid with very little rust. I knew there were some issues mechanically, but I told myself that I was just going to drive it and enjoy. Well, one thing led to another and it turned into a project. Isn't that how it always goes?
Wednesday, July 28, 2021
1956 Pontiac Wagon Redo, part 1.
Monday, March 22, 2021
Volvo 240 LS Swap
Finally, I am at a point where I can spend sometime on my own projects. I picked this 240 wagon up about 8 years ago from a really nice old lady. She made me promise that I would take care of her car when I bought it.
So, out came the original 2.3l and I dove head first into making a fun, reliable, standard shift daily. Well, after a couple months of working on it, customer's projects kept coming in. I eventually push it out beside the build and it sat for 3 years.
Before pushing it out, I was able to get the engine bolted in, completely rewire the car, figure out the majority of the hard stuff like accessory drives, exhaust and mount a clutch pedal. Initially, I wanted to run stock truck manifolds but the flanges interfered with the frame. At the time, the aftermarket manifolds weren't readily available, so I decided to build some headers.
One of the downfalls with Volvo 240's is the wiring. I did not want any wiring issues so it was completely rewired with a new aftermarket harness. I did have to purchase the 133page volvo wiring schematic manual to figure out how to get all of the original switch to work with basically a GM aftermarket harness.
Thursday, March 26, 2020
1950 Olds engine swap...
That's a whole lot of engine to cram into a stock engine bay...
The front mounts and cross member were all fab'd from 1/8" steel plate.
The passenger side header from a C10 fit without issue, the Driver's side was a different story. The steering box, steering column, master cylinder and clutch linkage were all in the way.
There is still some work to do but it is in and will clear the hood without issue.
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
'36 Ford roof...
Someone over the years attempted to install a sunroof. It appears that they used a hatchet..
In order to hold it in, I first need a frame.
Once I had the frame, I rolled a piece of aluminum sheet on the English wheel to get a nice crowned panel. The edges where then folded over the framed.
It's way more waterproof than before!
'65 Mercedes Floor repair...
Here is the previous "work"...I understand that it all gets covered with carpet, but...
Everything had to come out. The owner actually was able to find replacement panels that made it a bit easier. However, with most patch panels, they are not quite big enough.
As with most floor repairs, it is always worse than what it first appears.
All patched up as close to original as we could make it for the budget we we given.
Thursday, September 5, 2019
'46 Chevy Truck...
Well fast forward 3 years later and the truck is all together and on the road. However, it handled like a stock '46 Chevy truck and was legitimately scary to drive over 60 mph. So, with a little help from Fatman Fabrications, we installed a new front end and addressed a bunch of little issues.
Here it was when he drove it over. Overall a fairly respectable looking old truck.
Even though the original front end was completely rebuilt, there was a lot of wear in the steering components...
Before the Mustang II could be put in, the frame had to be boxed...
The inner fenders also interfered with the suspension hats.
There were a lot of little things that needed to be done like fix an AC leak and recharge it.
Not much difference on the outside, but it drove like a completely different vehicle. I wouldn't hesitate to take it cross country now.