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You are here: Home My Truck Projects The '68 Choptop Page 14
Back to My '68 Choptop Project Index
Page 14
Some More Updates...

June 24, 2007  -  Well, I got some good progress done today, but then hit a major brick wall.

I finished up the installation of the rear rollpan by sanding down the filler at the joints. Fig. 01 is a shot of the finished rollpan with the tailgate installed, just to make a final check that there was no interference between the two.

Then I spent a good part of the afternoon getting the bed painted....same drill as before, two coats of POR-15 and then several very heavy coats of Krylon Flat black. Fig. 02 is a view of the finished product.

I then rolled it outside into the driveway so I could get the shop cleaned up a little bit, since I'm basically done with all welding and bodywork. Figs. 03 and 04 are shots taken while it was outside. Don't mind the splotchy paint...I believe I mentioned earlier in this build-up that the whole truck is going to be sprayed with John Deere Blitz Black very soon. But at least now you'll have a better idea of what it's actually going to look like.

Anyway, since the bodywork is 99% done (still have to paint the tailgate and hood) I decided to get to work on the engine. The 390 I was going to use is one I bought several years ago as a rebuilder core for my '67. I've been stockpiling some parts for it, including a rear-sump 4WD oil pan, which I decided to go ahead and install today. So, I dropped the oil pan and got a bad surprise. There were some presents for me down in the bottom of the pan, shown in Fig. 05.

There's a small oil gallery plug, as well as a couple piston wristpin keepers...which pretty much means that at least one piston is toasted. I hadn't heard this engine run when I bought it, but was told it did...and was really hoping it was in good shape. However, it's now appearing that the 390 is going to be going through a complete teardown to inspect the internal carnage.


Fig. 01 - Here's a view of the rear rollpan, sanded down and ready to paint.


Fig. 02 - And the bed is now painted!


Fig. 03


Fig. 04


Fig. 05 - I found this collection of small parts setting in the oil pan of the 390.

So much for the project picking up momentum! I was thinking I was seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, but it just took several LARGE steps back.


Fig. 06 - I spent an evening after work tearing into the 390 to see what kind of internal carnage there was, as a result of the lost wrist pin keepers pictured in Fig. 05. Here's a view of the back two bores on the left side.


Fig. 07 - OUCH!! When the wrist pin keepers fell out, the wrist pins slid over and seriously damaged the bore walls. Since the block was already bored .030-over, it couldn't be rebored to clean this up, even if the gouges weren't nearly this deep.

July 11, 2007  -  Well, I haven't had a chance to get to the shop lately, mainly due to getting some stuff whittled off my 'Honey-Do' list. (Figured that by doing so I might have a better chance at persuading her that an engine rebuild should get put onto the credit cards to get it done sooner.) Plus I felt a little guilty about leaving her with three curtain-climbers to deal with all day and her being 9-1/2 months pregnant.

I did spend an evening after work tearing down the 390 only to find that it's complete garbage, and not rebuildable (see Figs. 06 and 07).  This block is toast. I can save the crankshaft and cylinder heads and the engine's outer hardware, but the block is destined for the scrap metal dealer. I do have another rebuildable 390 in the shop though...however, since the 460 that came with this truck is the engine that was always destined for the choptop, I'm leaning towards just getting that one rebuilt first...pending a teardown of each to see what each would need in terms of parts and machine work. I spent some time online and on the phone pricing rebuild kits for both, and was surprised to find that Federal-Mogul rebuild kits for both are virtually identical in price. I just need to start selling some of my parts inventory and raise the money to get one of these engine rebuilt...both need it anyway, so...

The 460 is partially disassembled, so I checked it out and see if I had everything. It's was just a bare long-block, so I knew I'd have to round up a power steering pump and brackets, alternator brackets and exhaust manifolds (or headers). After posting my progress report in the forums, I was able to get the PS pump/brackets and an aluminum Edelbrock Performer intake manifold from 'dablack00', a FORDification forum member. (Thanks Austin!)

   The only good thing that's come about now, due to the current engine situation, is that my wife and I have agreed that it's not feasible for me to give up the shop just yet, before I have any running engines (we were discussing my giving it up to help out a little with the family finances). So I'll at least get to keep it through this next winter. That takes a little bit of the strain off me. So now we're just waiting the birth of our fourth child!

July 19, 2007  -  Well, we finally got there...even though we're two weeks overdue!

We have a new son!

Here's the scoop:

It was an interesting evening last night, and morning too. We had a sudden severe storm come through last night...one minute it was completely still, and just like someone flicked a switch, in a matter of just a few seconds we suddenly had 60MPH winds and rain. We had limbs and branches flying all over the place, and one apparently landed on the power lines to our home, as our entire side of the street went dark a little after 11PM....JUST as I was mentioning to Mary that I probably should go shut my computer down. I didn't even complete that sentence before everything went black.

Hmmmm...well, since we had a 6AM appointment at the hospital this morning so we could start inducing labor, and since all our alarm clocks are electric, we ended up setting our cell phone alarms to wake us in case the power wasn't restored by the time we got up. Of course, it wasn't, and it was still dark at 5AM, so I got the experience of taking a shower by flashlight!

Made it to the hospital by 6AM and got Mary hooked up to the machines. Since she's a nurse there, and is normally the one doing the paperwork for new admissions, they just gave her the clipboards and laptop computer, and she admitted herself!

Anyway, to make a long story short(er), she finally gave birth to a very healthy baby boy at 12:38PM this afternoon.

     Zachary Tyler Dickson weighed 8 lbs. 1 oz and was 20-1/2" long.

Here's a few pictures:

 

You are here: Home My Truck Projects The '68 Choptop Page 14


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