276 stroker from 35 years of parts

[cadillac512]

When I was a young'n working at the garage in the little town I grew up in, we did a lot of valve jobs on old (now) tractors and cars. Lots of metal faced head gaskets. We always brushed both sides with Aviation Permatex #3 to ensure no water leaks. It did well too...don't remember any problems. The copper coat should do the same thing, especially with a couple good coats. A fair number of gasket leaks reported by folks with flatheads who didn't take enough precautions with metal faced gaskets is why I mention this.



Terry

[GB SISSON]

I will do all the steps I have learned here and feel confident as I move on to the heads. With the .011 shims I still have no piston contact so the foil balls and foil strips appear to have told the truth. Got my crossmember all rubber mounted and dialed in. Then it was time to get back to the carb. My two sons came by for dinner and the oldest one has a girlfriend that likes to volunteer to help me with mechanical things, so I saved that little circlip that holds the check ball in the accelerator pump in place for her. She made light work of it. With the plunger in I can bolt the three sections together in the morning before I have to head over to that jobsite. After that it's distributor. Tracking shows the pressure plate is in Everett Wa, close by. Should have it and the driveshaft tomorrow. I couldn't find moulded 1 1/4" top radiator hoses long enough. All the ones I found were for shoebox cars. I put a wiper motor in my '99 suburban yesterday and noticed the long 1 1/4" top hose with a 90 in it and plenty long so I ordered 2 of em, dayco brand 19.95/free shipping. Thinking Friday/Saturday maybe fire this thing up. I always drive these things around and break them in a bit with the front clip off. I have a set of stay rods for the rad made from 1/2" conduit. This makes for such easy access for retorquing heads, tuning up etc etc. Stay tuned..... Here's a link to a 20 second video on my youtube channel showing the truck based woodie driving in the above manner some 8 years ago after 3 years of construction.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmeUgStsZF8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bsm-yqhSOdk
OK, fine, one more to put you to sleep....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9Hkt6NE0Xw

[flatford8]

Good videos!…….Mark

[cadillac512]

Gary, very impressive work. The wood wagon is so nice...just my kind of build except your mastery of wood working is far above mine. Love it! My '26 "T" drag car used the same window operator system.

The last video is professional quality for sure. Very very nice.

[GB SISSON]

Thanks guys. The last one was made for me by a Hollywood cinemtographer. He and his wife, a director have had a summer place not too far from me since the '80s. I built most of the furniture in their house and got to know them well over the years. I think he sometimes got itchy for something to do and offered to make a video of my panel truck build. I had no idea it was gonna be so Hollywood, with music and all.

[GB SISSON]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

The morning shift shift got my carb back together. I'm real happy with it. It was set up for a choke cable but I put the normal ball end lever on for the rod. Tackled the distributor. I have a new nippondenso condensor from ebay, already had a new echlin cap and rotor from the past. Cleaned and gapped points, found a nice vacuum advance can and installed it. Then a quick town run because USPS couldn't fit the pressure plate in my mailbox so it ended up back in town. Stopped at napa for vacuum hose and brass fittings for the carb/dis circuit. Pulled the bosch blue coil off the 221 and set the distributer up for sparking in the vice. Fat blue spark with a very audible snap. Pulled the mock up block and trans outa the woodie,Towed it outside and pressure washed firewall and frame, axle etc. Seperated the t5 from the mockup engine and poised to take the 276 off it's stand and onto wooden cradle for flywheel and clutch install in the morning. Gotta remember to remove those freeze plugs from cyl heads. My plan is install the heads when engine/trans unit is bolted into the frame. Everything takes longer than I think it should. And it's like somehow all this stuff got a lot heavier.

[cas3]

Progress is happening fast! USPS here will drop it on the deck outside the front door. Maybe because I've had the same driver for a while, or maybe a regional thing. Nice video's, I don't remember mention of that white panel, 58ish. in the back of one scene.

[flatford8]

“ I don't remember mention of that white panel, 58ish. in the back of one scene.”…….I noticed that sitting back there too…..I don’t remember it being mentioned……that video you had a while ago with the John Prine song and the two young men driving the red tonner was one of the best I’ve seen….any chance of you sharing that link?…..Mark

[GB SISSON]

Same cinematographer made this video. They needed a vehicle for the brothers to be 'driving home' in and who ya gonna call on the backside of Orcas Island for an old truck prop? It's a great video showing a lot of island scenery and a really great song covered by these brothers 16 and 18 at the time. The white panel I got for 100 bucks here on Orcas. I learned from the tonner panel that they are the kind of vehicle that's more fun to look at than to drive. After it sat for a year I gave it to the guy we all remenbered driving it as his DD in the '70s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfvh...5kIGJyb2dyYXNz

And some pics from yesterday. Oh, look at the time, almost 5am That flywheel ain't gonna install itself!

[Bored&Stroked]

I hear yah Gary on things seeming "heavier" than they used too! There was a time in my youth where I'd pickup a 59AB block and load it into the back of Mom's station wagon to head down to Reath Automotive. Nobody was home, didn't have my own lift . . . had to go see Joe, so in it went!

It is amazing that I didn't hurt myself the 1000 times I did stupid crap like that!

Most of the "bad things" happened when I was "in a hurry" . . .

I've learned to slow down just a bit and attempt to actually ponder --> "Hmmmm - what bad thing could happen to me here???"

[GB SISSON]

It's starting to get kinda fun.

[glennpm]

Love the "parting" message!

[Als48]

That is a cool reference tp tje FordBarn, huh!

[flatford8]

That’s a great video, talented guys!….I like the note to the next caretaker …Mark

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by GB SISSON

Same cinematographer made this video. They needed a vehicle for the brothers to be 'driving home' in and who ya gonna call on the backside of Orcas Island for an old truck prop? It's a great video showing a lot of island scenery and a really great song covered by these brothers 16 and 18 at the time. The white panel I got for 100 bucks here on Orcas. I learned from the tonner panel that they are the kind of vehicle that's more fun to look at than to drive. After it sat for a year I gave it to the guy we all remenbered driving it as his DD in the '70s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfvh...5kIGJyb2dyYXNz

And some pics from yesterday. Oh, look at the time, almost 5am That flywheel ain't gonna install itself!

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by GB SISSON

It's starting to get kinda fun.

[GB SISSON]

While I think this phrase has something to do with mothers nursing infants, I've just experienced the 'letdown reflex'..... My nicely surfaced flywheel with the new pilot just in, is drilled for a 9" clutch. I found 2 more 8ba flywheels but one is drilled for 9" and the other is for 11". All my stuff is for 10" s10 disc and flathead 10" PP. Bummer. If I was a little more third world or a lot more desperate I would consider making a sub top for my drill press with a stub to fit my piulot and drill away. There's no machine shop here so that's all day on the ferry and mainland. I spose I could ship it and wait... Or go 9" parts and get them coming. I have always used 11" clutches, first 10" was on this woodie, being a 1/2 ton. Is a 9" too wimpy"? It just goes against the ingrained 'truck' in me. Help!

[GB SISSON]

Just got off the phone with a 40 yr old friend who's a machinest. Having been born and raised here, he wanted to move back to the island, but hasn't gotten a shop established yet. He took a day job managing our airport, but it just turns out it's his day off. He immediately offered to come help. He's gonna bring some tools and he knows my shop. He feels we can do a neat job of re-drilling the flywheel. Looks like a fixture made on the lathe for starters. Yay!
I had thought of ordering all 9" stuff, but from researching, the S10 9" clutch has springs protruding on the back side so flathead flywheel center opening would then need to be machined out. OK, we'll see how this goes!

[Mart]

GB Some info that might help your friend. Be careful though because I have never had an 8BA.

9" clutch: 6 holes on 10-3/8" circle. 32degrees between each pair of bolts.
10" clutch: as above but on 11-3/8" circle.
11" clutch: as above but on 12-3/8" circle.

Holes are 5/16" UNC with a pilot. Normally blind on non 8BA not sure on 8BA.

[cadillac512]

I made a slug that fit in the centers with both flywheels together. Then drilled the early wheel's bolt holes all the way through. Set on top of the 8BA wheel, transfer punch marked the holes, drilled pilot holes then proper holes to tap 5/16-18. Tapped the holes in the drill press by hand. Works great in the Merc with 10" clutch. But hey...you're probably done with yours by now!