276 stroker from 35 years of parts

[Mart]

Don't want to be "that guy" but does anyone think running a freshly built engine at slow speed in a parade is a good idea? Getting as many miles as possible on it beforehand might be helpful.

[GB SISSON]

That's okay Mart, I value all opinions here. But a couple things to consider are the parade lasts about 15 minutes . It's about 200 yards and all downhill, so much so, that the entire parade route could be driven with no engine at all. I typically idle the whole way and just let my foot off the brake to advance forward. So I'm thinking it seems ok to idle for 15 minutes then that's pretty much it. I asked because last night (morning?) I put napa 180 degree thermostats in and watched anxiously as the engine got to almost 195 on my heat sensor gun reading at the heads before the water started moving through the radiator. Soon after that the engine maintained 180 +/_ 5 degrees across all cylinders. In today's run it ran in the 180 range the entire run. I'm thinking it has normalized now and perhaps air had to be displaced last night.
Tonight my wife is doing another overnight care shift (this time it's two dogs , so I think I'll put in the shroud and hopefully remove the windshield as it is quite difficult to see the bicyclists on our narrow winding roads, through all that dense fog in the glass. I will prep and paint the surround for glass install tomorrow. I have never done this before but will search youtube. Hints appreciated.

[Mart]

I'll give you a hint. When reinstalling the central divider it is sometimes hard to get the screws to start in the outer piece as it is hard to hold it. If you wrap a ratchet strap around the pillars across the windshield and central divider, it will hold it in place while you start the screws. Make sure the holes in the rubber are aligned with the holes in the outer divider.
Rubber in glass and use a string or plastic covered wire to lip the rubber over the aperture lip.
Plenty of lube. But not so much you slip and drop the glass. Personal experience there.

[38 coupe]

Is the parade sloped enough that you can have the engine off and simply coast down the street?

My experience is a shroud works great for slow speed operation, like a parade, and hurts at high speed operation, like freeway driving.

Mark, thank you for the ratchet strap idea on the windshield, I will have to try to remember that one.

[GB SISSON]

Originally Posted by 38 coupe

Is the parade sloped enough that you can have the engine off and simply coast down the street?

My experience is a shroud works great for slow speed operation, like a parade, and hurts at high speed operation, like freeway driving.

Mark, thank you for the ratchet strap idea on the windshield, I will have to try to remember that one.

Yes, a constant downhill slope. About 40 years ago a 30 year old guy driving a farmall A with his kids and ten others on a hay wagon would have all he could do to bring the whole mess to a stop while the school band stopped to play the star spangled banner. Nobody was hurt, but I had new rules after that....
My king-seeley temp gauge is quite dependable as even without numbers I know from the heat gun just where 180 is and 195 is for reference. I can coast if required. One of my other kids came by last night so I didn't get the shroud or windshield in. Plenty of time left

[38 coupe]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Any pictures with the front clip on, particularly from the parade?

[Als48]

Saturday is parade day, I think.

Al Hook

[38 coupe]

Ah, somehow I missed that. We had our neighborhood parade on the 4th and I just assumed everyone else did too. Looking forward to pictures when they are available.

[GB SISSON]

The gal that took these finally figured out how to send them. Sheesh, these 72 year old kids these days..... It was a Grand Ol' Time in Eastsound Wa today. Perfect weather, no overheating. Big turnout. We have been in this parade as a family for about 40 years, rarely missing. So many old tractors and trucks pulling various smoking, belching contraptions, from 2 cycle drag saws with a 6' crosscut blade sawing through a 3' dia log, to my 2000 lb+ one lung stationary engine. Sometimes furnishings built in my shop were held from customers until parade day so they could be run through on my flatbed trailer. One year my oldest son enlisted a bunch of his friends to be playing poker on a 10' dining table that a restaurant had commissioned. Another time I had my 3 employees sitting in a group of rocking chairs on the flatbed of a 1 1/2 ton Ford AA. After the parade I found out they had been passing around a fith of Jack Daniels amongst themselves and singing partiotic songs.... Ok, things are so civilized now. Here are some pics of this extremely fine running, hill slaying, well engineered, and exceedingly FUN to drive homespun woodie wagon. I owe a debt of gratitude to all of you that helped me acheive this along with all the folks giving me the needed encouragement to see this through in time for our parade.
PS, crested Flaherety's Hill on our way home in overdrive, accelerating all the way.

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by GB SISSON

The gal that took these finally figured out how to send them. Sheesh, these 72 year old kids these days..... It was a Grand Ol' Time in Eastsound Wa today. Perfect weather, no overheating. Big turnout. We have been in this parade as a family for about 40 years, rarely missing. So many old tractors and trucks pulling various smoking, belching contraptions, from 2 cycle drag saws with a 6' crosscut blade sawing through a 3' dia log, to my 2000 lb+ one lung stationary engine. Sometimes furnishings built in my shop were held from customers until parade day so they could be run through on my flatbed trailer. One year my oldest son enlisted a bunch of his friends to be playing poker on a 10' dining table that a restaurant had commissioned. Another time I had my 3 employees sitting in a group of rocking chairs on the flatbed of a 1 1/2 ton Ford AA. After the parade I found out they had been passing around a fith of Jack Daniels amongst themselves and singing partiotic songs.... Ok, things are so civilized now. Here are some pics of this extremely fine running, hill slaying, well engineered, and exceedingly FUN to drive homespun woodie wagon. I owe a debt of gratitude to all of you that helped me acheive this along with all the folks giving me the needed encouragement to see this through in time for our parade.
PS, crested Flaherety's Hill on our way home in overdrive, accelerating all the way.

[cas3]

Welp, hard to admit GB, but you are sorta a hotrodder now! Nice pics, good conclusion to the fun thread...carry on

[Mart]

Well done, Gary. It was great to follow this excellent thread and chip in in some modest way. You did a great job and proved that collaborative discussion can work. You did all the grunt work and the pics above are a testament to your toil.

Mart.

[glennpm]

Great conclusion and celebration of a lot of hard work!


Glenn

[flatford8]

Nice job ‘Ol Boy!!…….looks like a lot of fun !!!!………Mark

[cadillac512]

Well done, Gary. That young man looks plenty pleased to be waving at the crowd from the window.

You did a fine job on the woody...and in a pretty short time span.


"PS, crested Flaherety's Hill on our way home in overdrive, accelerating all the way."


And the quote above is testimonial to a set of parts properly matched to the intended application. So nice. Congratulations.

[Bored&Stroked]

I feel like we were all there with yah! Was a lot of fun being a miniscule "helper" along the way - you did a fine job and to make the parade was the cherry on top.

Now that you know what a "hotrod engine" can run like - we may have converted you over to the "dark side" of flatheads! LOL

[38 coupe]

Congratulations on the end result. I love the pictures with everyone smiling, thanks for posting them.

[GB SISSON]

Thanks guys! Yes, it was really fun for me too. I learned a lot and had a great time in the process. I've been on a lengthy mission, starting last fall with cleaning out a storage area and insulating it, installing a woodstove and buijlding my dream shop for engine and mechanical work. Then came the lathe and more equipment and before I could catch my breath I was buying the T5 and picking up the 8ba block from Les at the machine shop.
Now it's time to catch up on the 'deferred maintainance' around the house and property, reunite with friends and family and with a 90 degree day in store, get that boat out there and see if we can pull a few crab pots while we have grandkids on the island! Of course the 'foyota' comes into play as the favored tow vehicle for launching the boat. I'm not gonna argue with that!

[oldbugger]

Well done, Ton of fun, Enjoy

[GB SISSON]

Of course all the roof patching and deck pressure washing can wait, because I got on a roll with the woodie. I got the driver side windshield in on Friday before the parade, but not really finalized til today. With all the rush over, I spent most of the day re-wiring the lighting to the front clip, making up a grab handle above the passenger door for my wife ( the woodie is quite a step up and I get to use the steering wheel, but she has asked for a handle), and adjusting the parking brake and then remembered I had a brand new cardboard glovebox from Carpenters, so got that in. Now with the crystal clear windshield in, the dash looks like a POS... And so it begins.