It’s been about three weeks since I’ve posted any update on the shop goin’ ons. There have been quite a few, actually so many is the reason why I’ve not been able to post much. I’ll post what I can remember, but I doubt it will be half of it.
First is the Screamin’ Woody
The motor is finished and installed with the fresh transmission. The car is about 15-18 hours from being Race Ready.
Petty Tribute
All of the trim is on. I bought a 10-circuit wiring harness to replace the 60-year-old stock wiring. I also bought a Competition Engineering aluminum dash to give it that NASCAR look, and a plasma cutter to more easily trim to correct fit. I’ve not yet decided on the gauges, but have bought the switches. The motor is ready and a Passion Performance Hemi 4-speed overdrive transmission ought to be here in another week or so. I found some rattle can blue-green that comes close to matching the vinyl of the seat tops, and I’ll remove and spray the metal interior trim soon. I’ve made a decision on the wheels – but not yet ordered them. This is a car that will stay on the lift of the stacker, and go to the races with me for off track duty.
The Mohawk
The Mohawk is a very neglected 30-year-old project, which has spent a lot of time at a couple shops rotting. It has been back in my hands for a couple of years now, and I’m starting to give it my attention.
To refresh memories, it started life a 63 GT Hawk. The “Mo” part is that it will be Mopar powered. I have a 25-year-old “Fresh” Aluminum head 340ci motor. That’s to say that it was built by the first shop 25 years ago. Pulled a head and the pan for an inspection, and turned the rotating around a couple cycles. All looks and feels well, but the outside needs a wire brushing and paint. The first guy also grafted on some fins that look horrible. I bought a fiberglass front sheet metal clip from a 53-54 Commander about 25 years ago, but I’m going to see if I can find real metal. I have a pair of fins from a 1960 Plymouth that will replace the ones grafted on.
At the second shop, the body stayed outside with the windows open for a couple of decades. The floors are shot and the body has a lot of surface flash. I’ll take it to get Dustless blasted, and then primered, so I can see exactly what body work needs to be done. The second shop convinced me that I needed to make a tube chassis for it, and grafted on the Fat Man Mustang II front end that I’d bought for the original frame. I think the problem was the first shop butchered the frame and the Fat Man front clip was far from on straight. The rear end is a Mopar 8.75″. All of it was rusty from so many years sitting in the weeds at the second shop. The chunk in the 8.75″ was locked up to where it had to be removed to move the car. I don’t know what is salvageable on the new brakes and front end.
Everything was stripped off the tube chassis frame, some added strength welded in, and I did a little grinding and smoothing. Then I took the frame to get blasted and Powder-coated semi-gloss black.
I picked it up from the powder coater and it looked good, so I took the axle housing and leaf springs for same treatment.
I’ll pick up the axle and springs tomorrow and set up an area to reassemble the chassis. I ordered a blasting hopper, and will bead blast the axles, which have a lot of flash on them. Like all projects before (the 46 Olds, the Thug, Screamin Woody, my Magnum, and the Petty Tribute – this will most likely take a year of two. Stay tuned for Updates.
The Thug
My racing season is pretty much over for this year. I traded my motorhome in on a 2020 that I ordered. It won’t be ready until October some time. I sold my stacker and ordered a new one to match the coach, and it won’t be ready until November. The new coach is three feet longer, so the new stacker will be three feet shorter. The Thug is ready to go, and I might take it to the next SHRA race.
New Old Aluminum Trailer
I bought an early 90s Aluminum trailer off Jim Bailey. It appears to have been well cared for. I’ve done some work, like mount a 12000# winch and motorcycle chalks. I bought the Screamin’ Woody back from Indiana; and took my Son’s and my Harleys to ride in Colorado in it. Nice light trailer. All of the bearings now have new grease.
It’s in the process of being stripped and repainted White with Red/White/Blue stripes on from three sides, and the Texas Flag on the rear door. I’ll outfit it more to my needs as I have time. Already painted the A-Frame replaced the electric jack – twice. Need to mount a jack pouch, radio, a couple roof vents, and a few other conveniences, but after the inside is painted.
I suspect it will be finished this next week, before I take a week to stay at lake to get some work done there.
Odds and Ends
Spring Cleaning
I have a man in his early 70s who is my “Shop Rat”M-F 8-4. He keeps the place clean, does the yard work other than mowing (which I do), accepts deliveries on the days I’m not there, washes cars, etc.
I also have a racing bud working there about two days a week on the race cars and the cars I’m getting ready to sell. It is my plan to sell off about 2/3 of my stuff (cars and parts), and then build a smaller shop close to my lake house (100 miles) away. I want to move to the lake full time instead of commuting. That’s why there’s the thrash to get shit down.
Anyway, with three of us running around jumping from project to project, stuff doesn’t get put away well, and is often lost or put away dirty. Last week I spent three days solid, taking stuff out one of the four containers of parts, cleaning and wrapping; throwing out any junk and making sure everything gets put into the proper bin.
I’m about 7/8 finished with the one that was the biggest mess. I’m going to wait until it is cooler before tackling the others, as I about keeled over a half-dozen times working in the container on 100 degree days. I’m not taking the heat as well as I use to.
Trucks
I put bed saddle bags in my Ram, like I’d done for my daughters F150 – back when it was mine. I bought a ladder that mounts on the tailgate, to make it easier to get my fat ass in the bed. It wouldn’t work with my rollup bed cover, so I mounted it on my daughter’s truck – so her 7 months pregnant ass can get in the bed. I found a side mount ladder that works for my truck and installed it.
Sold my 58 Dodge Truck
The Magnum GT, Viper GTS, 67 Marlin, 78 Diplomat, 86 Grand National, 67 Barracuda, Sixpack Superbird and Genesis are all ready for new homes.
Daldavco & Bloomin’ Blinds of The Woodlands
Been spending a lot of time on the business end of things with that. Yesterday I went on an Installation with Dallas.
I’ve had a ton of other time consuming stuff happening. And convinced this retirement is going to kill me. I’ve worked hard all of my life, but never this hard!