Finish Line in sight for 'Willa Dean'

Hey Professor, are you sure you didn't get the accelerator bracket on upside down??? hehehe:oops:
 
Don - you could probably switch to a 45° brass fitting on the fuel pump or a short spacer and then a 45° fitting to give the fuel hose a little more slack.

Good call, @Flinthillsben .

Was -

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And now -

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{Yes, I drifted "off-task" on waxing the '56 wagon for a minute (or 30).}

Also figured out the throttle linkage issue. It was on there correctly, @airportops - but I had to install a longer rod on the carb side. (The correct carb and linkage was missing when I got it, you see).

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Personally, I think the fuel hose should be just a tad bit longer . ( you know , with all that torque from that four banger)

Maybe.... I can see where you would think so, looking at the photo.

That hose is fairly stiff, it certainly "wants to be" in essentially a straight line.... I'm gonna leave it like this, at least for now - it's got a little slack in it, you can wiggle it around. If that Torque-Monster rips it off of there, then I'll have to figure out the next move.

I have noticed that this must be a common failure point. This setup I have is pretty much the stock configuration (well, except for using that 45° I guess). But I see a lot of them somewhat cobbled together in that area. For instance -

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..and this was on an otherwise very nicely done truck.

(Worked until 10 PM last evening, making this garage-mate shine like new money. Arms are tired this morning! Wax on, wax off..... Haha

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First of all, it was a really GREAT DAY - the kind that only come around once in a while - far too rare. Sticking a rebuilt engine into an old vehicle - life just doesn't get much better. And it was made FAR better by having the company and the help from two great guys! Me and @Tilatobawillys had set it up yesterday that he was gonna come. He got here, and we were plannig our first steps.

And then we heard a sound we couldn't identify - we thought maybe it was a helicopter going over, low. But we looked outside, and it was @Big Dog Frank pulling in!

Didn't know he was coming! But it was sure great to have him here, too - a great surprise.

And you know - this was all possible as a result of OldWillysForum - that's what brought us together today.

So around 11, we actually got to work on installing the engine.

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Here's a video as we started "going in." @Stakebed gets mentioned, too!


Getting it started in there of course was just the beginning. Then, inch by inch - lowering, pushing further in, shifting this way or that - study what's happening.... Figuring out that we need to pull off the wiper motor, shift the chains around, things like that.


As such jobs go, it went well enough. Eventually, it's in pretty close to where it needs to be -


And then, as Frank said there, it's time to get under and get the transmission crossmember in place. So lots of "getting under" followed. Me in the middle (at first) -

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Tilatoba working on the side -

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The crossmember fought us a little - getting the bolts to drop in, getting the new rubber mounts lined up right, typical stuff. Eventually we prevailed, of course.

I think about then was when The Bride showed up with lunch. A welcome break.

And eventually we reached that point where it was sitting down resting on the front motor mount pads -

Looks like Frank ended up under there for a while here, too.

Then we could unhook and pull away the hoist. Followed by a bunch of pushing and pulling - getting dozens of bolts started, then torqued down.

We struggled a little while with the dreaded "clutch control bellcrank shaft," getting that in there.

Frank left after we were in good shape with all that. Tilatoba stuck around a while longer, and we got the Transfer Case shift levers installed through the cab floor. I was really glad that went well - I was afraid I might have had to pull out that hard-earned rubber floor mat! haha. But it was straightforward.

Once Tilatoba took off, I got the oil filter back in place - and finished making the fuel line, with a cut and one last double flare. I'm not thrilled with the result - seems like there's too much stress on the short rubber piece. I'll work on that more later.

Also got my "lifting eyebolts" pulled off the engine and the normal bolts back in. Installed that weird little cable, that runs from the crossmember to the bellhousing. Parking brake back together, clutch and brake springs back on, etc, etc.

Then broke down the hoist, put a bunch of tools away - and suddenly it was time for dinner.

So Willa Dean's engine is IN. It finally happened!

(@indian301 you shoulda got a hold of me - I'd have taken you to dinner, showed you around! Sorry we missed the chance to get together. Next time!)

Looks like tomorrow will be grass mowing day. Again.
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I ain't coming up to help mow you're grass. I have six acres of my own to do.

It was great working with you guys yesterday. It was actually very relaxing for me. Tell Mrs. VIntage Don thanks for the great lunch. I am glad I could help out a little.

One more thing guys. As good as the pictures are of Don's truck are you should see it in person. It's really a cool looking truck and the work that Don has done to it is top self. Never before have I helped put an engine in a truck and not gotten my hands or clothes dirty. This truck is clean like show room new.

One other dirty little secret Don is keeping, he has air conditioning in his shop. I almost didn't stop because all the garage doors were closed. Very nice to work in there.

It was good to meet the legendary BDF and give old Don a hand; both are good guys. We definitely had more than a few laughs and head scratching moments among 2 more seasoned humans/myself but after all was said and done, that little Go Devil slid right in. Gotta give credit to Don though in that he had the bolts/nuts all together-usually half the battle in any drivetrain installation (at least that I've helped on) is locating the hardware. It's guna be a runner for sure, I feel it. Or maybe that's the sleep deprivation?
 
Ya know fellas, a day without a Don update is like a day without sunshine. Just depressing.

Well, we can't have that! Hahaha

OK, here's a micro-update - this morning, getting ready to actually roll, I was checking that everything was 100% ready. (For like the 4th time....)

Glanced over the paper stuff... Insurance Card for the old Chevy wagon, check.

Which triggered the thought - I had never insured Willa Dean for actually DRIVING - you know, liability, collision, that stuff - I only had her insured for sitting in the Shop (I think that's 'Comprehensive').

So I called Hagerty while I was carrying a suitcase down, and updated that situation. They immediately emailed me a Proof of Insurance card, which I printed out - and which I have already put in Willa Dean's glovebox.

She's legal!

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Yep, turquoise and ivory outfit...had to do it. And that's 1956 Samsonite luggage - which they called turquoise - although obviously far from a match. Best I could do. It still works pretty good, though.

And we're into the Time Machine, and off on our adventure via the Twilight Zone on Highway 1956.....
 
Gaston was the name of one of the Chevrolet brothers, cool.

That one there you mentioned is a 1915 Baby Grand touring, I've helped out that fellow with it some, and it's one of the cars my Team will be judging tomorrow. I once owned it's twin, an unrestored 1914.

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Uh, that last picture upthread of the Rabbit Barn......Is that where all the rabbit holes come from or go to? Don, will they let you in there with your shotgun and "no rabbits" sandwhich board?
 
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