Closer we get . . .
it's been a few days since my last posting. lousy winter cold has kept me, (and now my wife) down for a while. But, feeling better, it's time to get Betty Lou back in gear. The dizzy that came with the engine was crap, so, using my junk box of many distributors, I was able to piece a really nice one together. The rough cleaning of the block is done, so it's time to reassemble the add-ons and see if she runs as well as the initial tests indicate it should. I have 40lbs of oil pressure cranking the engine! No perceptible slack in timing chain, and no end movement of the crank. Certainly, if all goes well, we will tear it all down gain, reclean and paint everything as it should be. I got the wood for the 2 carts and with luck, this coming weekend will be woodwork time. I got the manifolds back from the Cera-coat guy, and as you can see, some of the accessory items are back on. Tomorrow should be the test day! Hooray. I do know that the clutch is toast, coated with oil. Apparently, the rear main leaks badly. The underside of the truck is coated with gunky, muddy goo. I decided to use brass freeze plugs, they seem to seal better than the steel ones, will never rust out, and only cost about a quarter more each.