XXO/BVGC '38 Chevy Coupe Build

[DND]

Hi Jackson

Glad you were thinking along the same lines as it just did not look right.

I can't believe that it was almost 50' yrs ago i ran the 37' for the first time, where in the hell did it go.

Fun car to drive back in the day when you really did shift a car using a clutch petal and shift lever hooked to a T10 4 speed

Pretty neat car with a glass front end - tube axle - alum interior with glass bucket's - coils in the rear plus the American's - 2300 lbs with no weight, had to weigh 3000 lbs at first then 2300

Don

[Ron Gibson]

Just a thought. Is there room above the coil overs to mount them higher in the body and higher on the lower attachment? That seems like a lot of area hanging down in the air stream.
On my roadster, (bought from Tony Piner, built by Pete Eastwood & Tony) the rear-end is solid mounted to the frame. It also has four bar with panard and provision for coil overs. The coil overs ( solid link now ) would mount to the top of the axle housing and to brackets on the cage which is in the trunk. The redundancy is redundant.

Ron

[38flattie]

Don has been busy! Awesome work, Don!

From Don:

The finish heat treating and grinding is complete on them and I fit each one to the lifter blocks today. Now they will be sent off to the wire EDM to cut the slot for the rollers

[BoredAndStroked]

Been working on the design/setup of a new ignition system for the FlatCad.  We want to run in the modified classes as well as vintage, so we need to have some engine management to go to modified.  The new MSD Power Grid system gives us computer controlled timing, computer configurable boost retard, data acquisition (for advance), etc..

I've not used the newer MSD stuff - really like what I'm seeing so far.  Their software is fairly simple to use (for system setup and data analysis) - has a few quirks, but so does everybody in the automotive business.  (It is not their strength!).

Here are some pictures of the many boxes of stuff on my bench, all the components and the 'test board' that I made to mount/test everything.  

I setup everything on a test board and then use my distributor machine to run the ignitions, see how the software works, ensure that timing is coming in correctly, etc..  I've only just started to use it - still need to test the boost retard, rev limiters, etc..

At the end of this post are four links to YouTube -- have videos to show the setup and actual running.

I'm really looking forward to running the MSD - I'm very excited about how it has performed on the bench.  When you see the size of the spark and how I can adjust the spark gap to see the energy, it is pretty awesome stuff.  The width of the spark is very different from even the very hopped up Vertex mag.   Also, the new Power Grid controller can be used with the ProMag stuff (which has me thinking about next year!).

Links to videos:

1) MSD Power Grid Setup:  http://youtu.be/EmVZZldLpiw

2) MSD Power Grid Running:  http://youtu.be/am3og4CkB9c

3) Vertex Mag Setup:  http://youtu.be/6XHHQctVTIc

4) Vertex Mag Running:  http://youtu.be/iYXQVS1_2VA

Gotta love Ole' Sparky - who doesn't like playing Dr. Frankenstein in their shop!    

Is always fun to fire it up!

B&S

[38flattie]

Haha! Now we can call it 'FrankinCaddy'!

That spark on the MSD Power Grid looks freakin' hot, and we're going to need it!

Great job, Dale!

[SPARKY]

interesting, velly velly, interesting

[38flattie]

Levi Lish of Turbo Performance Products, has just finished the blankets on our headers, and sent me pics!

This should make things easier to work on after a run!

[manta22]

Nice, but they look like a good place to soak up salt when things are wet at Bonneville. Do you plan to unwrap them after every event?

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[38flattie]

Neil, it gets wet at B'ville? LOL!

Honestly, I hadn't thought about it-gonna have to now! Thanks!

[desotoman]

I'm really looking forward to running the MSD - I'm very excited about how it has performed on the bench.  When you see the size of the spark and how I can adjust the spark gap to see the energy, it is pretty awesome stuff.  The width of the spark is very different from even the very hopped up Vertex mag.   Also, the new Power Grid controller can be used with the ProMag stuff (which has me thinking about next year!).

Is always fun to fire it up!

B&S

FWIW just remember that Magneto's don't like large air gap settings in spark plugs, especially on fuel. Something to think about.

Tom G.

[38flattie]

Tom, we ran a .020 gap last year.I need to figure out what plugs and gap we'll run for the fuel.


This just in from Don:

I just finished the slot for the roller in the lifter .. we set it up in the wire EDM. if you look close you can see the small roller oil feed hole directed directly in to the needle bearings on the roller

I will be doing the final clearances on the edges by hand and ship them off to The BIG OL Mad Scientist Dale


Don, as usual, I'm in awe of your work!

VERY nice job!

[Jack Gifford]

How will the lifter wheel axles be retained? I'm curious, because I'm working right now on retention schemes for the axles in my OHC roller followers.

[38flattie]

Jack, we are using Harley lifter wheels and axles. You place the setup in the tool in the pic, then apply 6000 lbs of pressure in a press, to swage the axle ends.

We wanted to use Isky or Jesel rollers, but neither would work with us, and sell use just the wheels and axles.

Hope this helps!

[Jack Gifford]

Ron Iskenderian sold me EZ-Roll wheels and axles- I'm surprised you couldn't buy them.
Apparently the Harley axles are not hardened on the ends, to allow swaging them over? The Isky axles are that way- I'm just trying to figure a way to emulate the factory's coining dies that do the swaging. I'm thinking of a jig that will resemble the tool you pictured.

[Koncretekid]

I'm trying to figure out how that tool works.  What are the two recesses at either end for?  I assume the ball in the center of the jig does the swaging.  So what is the drill bit for - - drilling out the swage for doing it over again?