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where it all started for me
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earleebob
Posted 2011-12-30 7:51 PM (#301594)
Subject: where it all started for me



Elite Veteran

Posts: 1120
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Location: Brisbane, Australia		I have always loved the Marks Brothers especially the quick wit of Groucho and after seeing this ad I had to have one of these sharp looking cars. I hunted Australia without success until I saw a 57 2D Fireflite advertised in anAustralian car advert in a car sales mag called Unique Cars. I rang up to make a time to see the car in Melbourne (I live in Brisbane a 1000 miles away), however before I got to see the car it was sold only to be readvertized a year later by the same company AutoArt P/L. The guy who had bought the car had found a 2DR 57 Adventurer and wanted to unload the Flite. I inspected the car and brought it back to Brisbane and with it came a black hole for all my spare cash!
http://www.archive.org/details/DeSoto8





(ebay06_03_2005_s26_l_front.jpg)



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LookForward
Posted 2011-12-31 3:55 PM (#301676 - in reply to #301594)
Subject: RE: where it all started for me



Regular

Posts: 78
252525
Location: Mistake on the Lake		Nice De'soter. Tell us more!
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oldefar
Posted 2011-12-31 4:42 PM (#301680 - in reply to #301594)
Subject: RE: where it all started for me


Elite Veteran

Posts: 708
500100100
Location: Fredrikstad, Norway. (Europe)		'57 DeSoto is among the very nicest FL cars. Congratulations ! And i sure love that "......and with it came a black hole for all my spare cash!". Certainly got some experience with just that. Just before Christmas I bought (saved) another 2 mopar projects. A regular (no rust) '75 Dart and a '64 New Yorker 9 pass. 4 door hard-top wagon with most options and very little rust (California car).

Good luck with your DeSoto, and may the black hole never close

old fart
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61forfun
Posted 2011-12-31 5:48 PM (#301684 - in reply to #301680)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



Extreme Veteran

Posts: 466
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Location: Vancouver, Washington		Very nice..I absolutely love the 57' Desoto's. Looks like you got a real nice project. i hear you on the blackhole...all my projects come with that too, whether I want it or not!
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earleebob
Posted 2011-12-31 6:36 PM (#301689 - in reply to #301676)
Subject: RE: where it all started for me



Elite Veteran

Posts: 1120
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Location: Brisbane, Australia		The Desoto sat in my warehouse for a year before I convinced myself I hadn't bitten off mre than I could chew. I already had three other projects on the go mainly 70s Fords. However I was smitten by this 6 metre two door beauty. It had surprisingly little rust (for a 57) and as the salesman said it had most of the "jewellery". It came with factory air, power steering and 6 way power seats (none of which still worked). the engine was complete but not running and someone had already replaced the original with an S25 Firedome HEMI. I was getting itchy feet and a pink '58 Firesweep came up for sale again in Melbourne. It looked in very good condition in fact too good at the price being asked. so I flew down christmas eve 3 years ago having told my wife I was only going for a look and nothing more. Well it was better than I thought ... it was cherry!!! with only 40,000 miles on the clock. I spent 3 hours with the seller haggling ofer the price but finally it was mine. Yes, you guessed it, this was going to take some explaining. Well when it arrived and I took her 'for a spin' she loved it.



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earleebob
Posted 2011-12-31 7:05 PM (#301693 - in reply to #301676)
Subject: RE: where it all started for me



Elite Veteran

Posts: 1120
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Location: Brisbane, Australia		THE '58 Firesweep is a sweet ride but it wasnt long before the 'black hole' needed a top up. A very experienced car restorer I knew had run out of work and was looking for a lazy project to cover the costs of his leased shed. it sounded like a win win for both of us as I busy running my business and had very litle time to work on the '57.



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muddy
Posted 2012-01-01 8:50 PM (#301792 - in reply to #301594)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me


Veteran

Posts: 114
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Location: South Australia		That Fireflite is one cool car Bob,especialy loaded with all the goodies....sadly it can't be a real Chrysler product though,there's no-where NEAR enough rust in it!...Unlike my 'ol Plymouth witch not only has enough rust for it,but probably most other cars on here too!
Best of luck mate...way cool.
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d500neil
Posted 2012-01-01 9:26 PM (#301795 - in reply to #301792)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!

Posts: 19146
5000500050002000200010025
Location: bishop, ca		Your pic #341, above, shows a good view of the big dog 12" x 2 1/2" brakes.

These (size) brakes can be retrofiited onto any FWDLK model.




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earleebob
Posted 2012-01-01 11:06 PM (#301809 - in reply to #301792)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



Elite Veteran

Posts: 1120
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Location: Brisbane, Australia		That Fireflite is one cool car Bob,especialy loaded with all the goodies....sadly it can't be a real Chrysler product though,there's no-where NEAR enough rust in it!...Unlike my 'ol Plymouth witch not only has enough rust for it,but probably most other cars on here too!
Best of luck mate...way cool.

Thanks Grant, I can't believe how lucky I was considering some of the Chryslers I've seen on this site, especially Raffaele's Italian 57 Adventurer Convertible! The boot floor had the most but when it came out of the sandblaster it had acquired some "lace" in the floor of the cabin. What really surprised me was the total lack of any paint on some of the internal panels. Being a Texas car was probably what preserved it but it had LOTS of hidden dents!! thanks for the post.
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earleebob
Posted 2012-01-01 11:11 PM (#301810 - in reply to #301795)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



Elite Veteran

Posts: 1120
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Location: Brisbane, Australia		Your pic #341, above, shows a good view of the big dog 12" x 2 1/2" brakes.

These (size) brakes can be retrofiited onto any FWDLK model.

G'day Neil, I take it from your post that there is something special about the "big dog" brakes, were they not standard? I must have a look to see what's on my '58 Sweep.
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earleebob
Posted 2012-01-01 11:29 PM (#301811 - in reply to #301795)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



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Posts: 1120
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Location: Brisbane, Australia		Once the bare metal and external panel damage to the shell were exposed and the trunk floor repaired, it was off to the sandblaster. Soda blasting wasn't going to remove the abundant rusty surfaces but I was concerned about sandblasting as I had another dude stretch the metal on the turret and rear guards of my super straight 1969 Ford Fairmont. However 'Red' did a fantastic job and for a good price. From there it was a quick trip on the tow truck back to the shed to seal the raw metal surfaces against moisture.

Edited by earleebob1 2012-01-02 1:05 AM




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earleebob
Posted 2012-01-02 3:00 AM (#301826 - in reply to #301811)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



Elite Veteran

Posts: 1120
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Location: Brisbane, Australia		Work on the '57 progressed steadily until Paul Kelly, the guy I had working on the project became too ill to continue. Another very experienced panelbeater came available and has worked on the car full time this past year.



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Doctor DeSoto
Posted 2012-01-02 3:34 AM (#301828 - in reply to #301826)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



5000500050005000200050025
Location: Parts Unknown		The 2.5 x 12 brakes were standard fare on all big body Chryslers and DeSotos. If memory
serves,The Dodge and Firesweep (total Dodge chassis) got 2.5? x 11's on the front and 2 x 11's
out back. Plymouth got 2 x 11's all the way around.
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earleebob
Posted 2012-01-02 5:14 AM (#301831 - in reply to #301828)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



Elite Veteran

Posts: 1120
1000100
Location: Brisbane, Australia		Thanks Doc it's good to know. I have them put away in the DeSoto section of the shed. I intend to run a set of PBR discs on the front with 290 mm rotors.



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BarnFind57
Posted 2012-01-02 10:20 AM (#301844 - in reply to #301594)
Subject: RE: where it all started for me



Elite Veteran

Posts: 957
5001001001001002525
Location: Signal Mountain, TN		Nice Work!


This thing is REALLY coming a long way. Keep the pics coming.


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earleebob
Posted 2012-01-02 2:20 PM (#301864 - in reply to #301844)
Subject: RE: where it all started for me



Elite Veteran

Posts: 1120
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Location: Brisbane, Australia		Nice Work!


This thing is REALLY coming a long way. Keep the pics coming.


Thanks for the encouragement Rick, it's getting to the exciting stage now with the shell and the chassis close to coming back together (for a fitting at least)!!!
Bob
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earleebob
Posted 2012-01-02 5:27 PM (#301877 - in reply to #301844)
Subject: RE: where it all started for me



Elite Veteran

Posts: 1120
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Location: Brisbane, Australia		Nice Work!

This thing is REALLY coming a long way. Keep the pics coming.
-----
-Rick

As requested here are a couple more shots. The chassis was in good condition but had scratches and dents here and there from its working life. The chassis was powder coated in black (twice but thats another story) There are a some subtle mods so see if you can pick them.
cheers
Bob

Edited by earleebob1 2012-01-02 5:42 PM




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floyd066
Posted 2012-01-02 5:51 PM (#301879 - in reply to #301594)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



Extreme Veteran

Posts: 347
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Location: Ocean Park, Washington		These shots really let me see the job I will have repairing my body. They give me hope. Thanks for all your effort and your sharing.
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earleebob
Posted 2012-01-02 6:20 PM (#301882 - in reply to #301879)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



Elite Veteran

Posts: 1120
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Location: Brisbane, Australia		These shots really let me see the job I will have repairing my body. They give me hope. Thanks for all your effort and your sharing.



It's a pleasure and I'm sure you can all identify with the effort involved in bringing one of these sleeping beautys back to life - it takes a bit more than a princes' kiss!!!!! The above photos believe it or not are the distillation of more than 2 years work so far!
Bob
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Fins/413
Posted 2012-01-03 7:06 AM (#301941 - in reply to #301594)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me


Extreme Veteran

Posts: 530
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Location: Wake Forest, NC		Beautiful work. I've got a general question, why do folks put a coat of primer on before they do the body work? I've seen this in photos of several restorations. Thanks.
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earleebob
Posted 2012-01-03 4:06 PM (#301976 - in reply to #301941)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



Elite Veteran

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Location: Brisbane, Australia		Beautiful work. I've got a general question, why do folks put a coat of primer on before they do the body work? I've seen this in photos of several restorations. Thanks.
-----
Fins/413


Hi Eric, as you can see from the photos a lot of body filler had to be scraped off leaving the bare metal. If it was repaired straight away there would be no need to prime first, but with such large areas this is not practical and the panels could become rusty on the raw porous surface. The Deoxydene etch primer also shows up the imperfections better. Once the shell was sandblasted, the very thin corroded panels had become more obvious but had to be sealed before each 'lacy' section could be addressed. My spray painter is paranoid about surface rust preventing good paint adhesion even if the rust is sanded off before primer is applied. I wasn't even allowed to touch the blasted raw metal with my bare hands before it was sealed. Here in Brisbane it is quite humid and we have been known to get a lot of rain ( remember last summers floods). Thanks for your interest, Bob.
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ronbo97
Posted 2012-01-03 4:49 PM (#301979 - in reply to #301941)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me


Expert

Posts: 4036
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Location: Connecticut

Fins/413 - 2012-01-03 7:06 AM Beautiful work. I've got a general question, why do folks put a coat of primer on before they do the body work? I've seen this in photos of several restorations. Thanks.

After sandblasting, you are left with bare metal. Unless you live where there is 0% humidity, that bare metal will start rusting shortly after being exposed to the air. The epoxy primer is a barrier coat to keep that from happening. Modern epoxy primers are designed to accept body filler, unlike primers of years ago. There is also an etching component in the primer to neutralize any microscopic rust that is left after blasting.

Ron



Edited by ronbo97 2012-01-03 4:53 PM
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d500neil
Posted 2012-01-03 9:11 PM (#302010 - in reply to #301979)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!

Posts: 19146
5000500050002000200010025
Location: bishop, ca		In Re: pic #341, the 12" x 2 1/2" brakes were the largest size that were offered in the FWDLK era.




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earleebob
Posted 2012-01-03 10:28 PM (#302033 - in reply to #302010)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



Elite Veteran

Posts: 1120
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Location: Brisbane, Australia		In Re: pic #341, the 12" x 2 1/2" brakes were the largest size that were offered in the FWDLK era.




Thanks Neil I'm going to have a look at putting them on my '58 Firesweep then I can do up the old ones as a spare.
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FIN ME
Posted 2012-01-04 11:10 AM (#302097 - in reply to #301594)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



Expert

Posts: 2788
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Location: USA - KY
Great work, Bob!

It's always wonderful to see DeSotos going to a good home! You're going to have a couple of great cars, thanks to all of your hard work.

Thanks for posting the photos...and please keep them coming!

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earleebob
Posted 2012-01-04 3:58 PM (#302128 - in reply to #302097)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



Elite Veteran

Posts: 1120
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Location: Brisbane, Australia		Rosy, at last someone with a 57 DeSoto two door! Is that your black and white? Thanks for your post it is encouraging to see the interest in the 57s!!!!!
Bob



(front guard stripping.jpg)



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earleebob
Posted 2012-01-05 4:42 PM (#302166 - in reply to #301594)
Subject: RE: where it all started for me



Elite Veteran

Posts: 1120
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Location: Brisbane, Australia		I found a few more progress shots of the '57 Flite. These were taken late last year in one of the fitouts. John Dawson, who is now doing the panel work refuses to do anything but the best quality work (he is actually fussier than me, the Virgo!). His brother, Ian is doing all the paint work and is just as anal when it comes to quality. Hopefully, you will soon see the fruits of their labour.



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Handygun
Posted 2012-01-06 1:12 AM (#302255 - in reply to #301594)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me


Elite Veteran

Posts: 1118
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Location: STL, MO		What happened to the DeS motor? Great work BTW.
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earleebob
Posted 2012-01-06 4:32 AM (#302270 - in reply to #302255)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



Elite Veteran

Posts: 1120
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Location: Brisbane, Australia		What happened to the DeS motor? Great work BTW

The old 341 motor is on a pallet stored in the desoto part of the workshop. It was NOT the original engine but an S25 out of a firedome. It had grenaded itself long before I bought the vehicle. As you can see in the pictures it has plenty of crank case ventilation via the sump.



(S25 engine from flite.jpg)



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FIN ME
Posted 2012-01-07 10:31 AM (#302447 - in reply to #302128)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



Expert

Posts: 2788
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Location: USA - KY
earleebob1 - 2012-01-04 3:58 PM

Rosy, at last someone with a 57 DeSoto two door! Is that your black and white? Thanks for your post it is encouraging to see the interest in the 57s!!!!!
Bob


Yes, Bob, that is my much beloved '57 Firesweep. I'll attach a photo or two for inspiration. If you haven't already, you must also google "Ed Petrus 1957, the ultimate 1957 DeSoto site" for tons of great info and even more inspiration!

"DeSoto and Barbaro, the race horse"

Edited by FIN ME 2012-01-07 10:37 AM




(WT2 OCT 02 2011.jpg)



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FIN ME
Posted 2012-01-07 10:35 AM (#302448 - in reply to #301594)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



Expert

Posts: 2788
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Location: USA - KY
Oops...that photo was a tad large!

Have you made a final decision as to what colours your DeSotos will be when they are all done?

I am really looking forward to the photos of your completed cars!

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floyd066
Posted 2012-01-07 2:01 PM (#302459 - in reply to #301594)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



Extreme Veteran

Posts: 347
10010010025
Location: Ocean Park, Washington		Not too many cars look good with skirts, but yours does. Great LARGE picture!!!
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earleebob
Posted 2012-01-07 3:17 PM (#302464 - in reply to #302448)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



Elite Veteran

Posts: 1120
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Location: Brisbane, Australia		G'day Rosy, thank you for the great photo. What a striking car. I also think the skirts finish it off. The shot is a little bit large for me to view without scrolling but I will be downloading and printing it for the wall of my workshop. I have visited Ed Petrus' site often and infact Ed has been most helpful with my project. He, like many on this site, know soo much about these beautiful big-finned autos.

There are those that say "Cars, like gloves, should be black or white" and your 'Sweep is a great example ot this!!

From the start, my Fireflite was going to be classic Red and White, just like all the advertising posters of the day. Having seen all the colour combinations available from the cars on this and Ed's site, it has been hard to make a final decision. With a car this size, the colour combination has to be BRIGHT and BOLD especially with all that CHROME. Ian (my spray painter), has been kind enough to spray some test colours on one of the front guards. Ed Petrus has also gone to some trouble to track down the PPG paint numbers of some original 'Flite colours and found me the code for the original "cloud white".

I have attached a photo of what I hope my car will look like (paintwise anyway).

The guys start back at work on the car next Monday, so hopefully I will have some progress pix to post soon.
cheers
Bob

Edited by earleebob1 2012-01-07 3:33 PM




(my goal.jpg)



(test colour 'HipHop red'.jpg)



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FIN ME
Posted 2012-01-07 5:56 PM (#302480 - in reply to #301594)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



Expert

Posts: 2788
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Location: USA - KY
Thank you, John and Bob.

That red and white and CHROME combination is going to be beautiful!

I've been to Australia, Bob, and I'm way jealous 'cause not only do you live in one wonderful country, you have TWO grrrreat cars!

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earleebob
Posted 2012-01-10 6:09 PM (#303086 - in reply to #301594)
Subject: RE: where it all started for me



Elite Veteran

Posts: 1120
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Location: Brisbane, Australia		WARNING: THESE PHOTOS MAY DISTRESS SOME VIEWERS!

As the '57 will have over 500HP, I decided to go RHD (not that you have to here anymore) as I would feel more in control on a familiar side of the car in case it 'stepped out' under power! The Hemi is a 1957 Chrysler 392 cu in which I had built in Daytona USA and shipped here.

Converting the dash and steering to RHD has been by far the MOST expensive part of the restoration so far, but it will leave people scratching their heads – I hope!

Edited by earleebob1 2012-01-10 6:44 PM




(jigsaw dash motor .JPG)



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Attachments jigsaw dash 1.jpg (106KB - 336 downloads)
Attachments jigsaw dash 2.jpg (130KB - 343 downloads)
Attachments jigsaw dash 3.jpg (137KB - 343 downloads)
Attachments jigsaw dash 4.jpg (122KB - 332 downloads)
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Attachments jigsaw dash 10a .jpg (105KB - 357 downloads)
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Attachments jigsaw dash 18.jpg (82KB - 326 downloads)
Attachments jigsaw dash 19.jpg (105KB - 331 downloads)
Attachments jigsaw dash 20.jpg (69KB - 341 downloads)
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Great Lakes Belv
Posted 2012-01-10 6:42 PM (#303094 - in reply to #301594)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



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Posts: 225
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Location: Michigan		W O W !!! This thread just gets better and better, I tip my hat to you sir. Amazing
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ThomasD500
Posted 2012-01-10 7:02 PM (#303098 - in reply to #303086)
Subject: RE: where it all started for me


Extreme Veteran

Posts: 508
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Location: Orlando		Where in Daytona did you have your motor built, if you don't mind me asking?
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earleebob
Posted 2012-01-10 7:23 PM (#303102 - in reply to #303098)
Subject: RE: where it all started for me



Elite Veteran

Posts: 1120
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Location: Brisbane, Australia
G'day Tom the Hemi was built by DAD Daytona Auto Designing run by Joe Bergeron. He and his son built the motor. I visited him when it was almost completed to meet him and check on the work. He is a Hemi man through and through and a nice bloke to boot! Here is a link to one of the test and tune videos. The engine is started about 1.20 min into the clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u133upcVgBY
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oldefar
Posted 2012-01-10 8:21 PM (#303115 - in reply to #301594)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me


Elite Veteran

Posts: 708
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Location: Fredrikstad, Norway. (Europe)		Thank you very much for all the pictures. This is really what i like. Couldn't find anything better on any site. Don't see much of this in this country anymore. Garagelife was very good a while back. At times, even better than cruising. Haven't been able to work in the garage for a while because my "black hole" now is my houses and properties. Really want to go back to the garage now, instead of moving out of the country. But, unfortunately, I am not going to be 200 years or more, of which I would have to be to restore all my projects. Aint gettin' any younger ither.

Just looking at that empty bodyshell makes my heart jump. The '56 to '61 Desotos are sooo beautyful, especially the '57 models. Sight.

old fart
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ThomasD500
Posted 2012-01-10 10:28 PM (#303146 - in reply to #303102)
Subject: RE: where it all started for me


Extreme Veteran

Posts: 508
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Location: Orlando

earleebob1 - 2012-01-10 7:23 PM G'day Tom the Hemi was built by DAD Daytona Auto Designing run by Joe Bergeron. He and his son built the motor. I visited him when it was almost completed to meet him and check on the work. He is a Hemi man through and through and a nice bloke to boot! Here is a link to one of the test and tune videos. The engine is started about 1.20 min into the clip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u133upcVgBY

 I had him rebuild my 325 Dodge hemi.  I just got it back last weekend.  I visited him on a regular basis watching the progress on my motor.  I agree, he is a good 'bloke' ;)  Here are a couple pics of my motor:

 

 





(PIC_0394.jpg)



(PIC_0395-1.jpg)



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Attachments PIC_0394.jpg (164KB - 331 downloads)
Attachments PIC_0395-1.jpg (193KB - 334 downloads)
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earleebob
Posted 2012-01-10 11:08 PM (#303150 - in reply to #303146)
Subject: RE: where it all started for me



Elite Veteran

Posts: 1120
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Location: Brisbane, Australia		At the rate I'm going your engine will be started up before mine! I see your Hemi has the same trademark silver grey colour as mine!!
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FIN ME
Posted 2012-01-11 10:08 AM (#303189 - in reply to #301594)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



Expert

Posts: 2788
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Location: USA - KY
AMAZING work! You are fearless, my friend.

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big m
Posted 2012-01-11 12:04 PM (#303198 - in reply to #301594)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



Expert 5K+

Posts: 7806
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Location: Williams California		Excellent work!!!!

---John
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BarnFind57
Posted 2012-01-11 12:50 PM (#303211 - in reply to #301594)
Subject: RE: where it all started for me



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Posts: 957
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Location: Signal Mountain, TN		VERY NICE WORK!!!!

Really enjoying this thread myself.


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earleebob
Posted 2012-01-11 3:28 PM (#303237 - in reply to #303211)
Subject: RE: where it all started for me



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Location: Brisbane, Australia		Thank you everyone for the favourable comments, I wasn't sure how the butchering of the dash would be received! The dash work ws carried our by a brilliant Australian fabricator by the name of Paul Kelly who has built several custom rods, 'lead sleds' and show cars. The 18 or so photos dont really do justice to the amount of work and design involved. Unlike the easily swappable Dodge (or even Mustang) dashes, almost everything had to be re-made in mirror image because it sloped the wrong way.

The windscreen wiper actuators had to be totally redesigned so that they didnt foul on the steering column and Vintage Air A/C. I was determined to have a push button tranny and, that it had to look like it was meant to be there.

The second phase of the dash reconstruction was undertaken by John Dawson, who has restored and Bob Hamiltonized a couple of my other cars including a very quick '56 Holden (baby chevy) sleeper equiped with a 450HP six cyl M3 BMW engine and g'box ( but that's another story). After Kelly became ill, John stepped in to finish the dash and indeed the rest of the project.
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b5rt
Posted 2012-01-11 9:45 PM (#303299 - in reply to #301594)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



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Posts: 2519
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Location: central Illinois		Man that's a whole lot of extra work just to drive on the wrong side. Just kidding. That Hemi sounds pretty good. I'm wondering about hood clearance/air cleaner issues. Looking mighty fine!!!
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earleebob
Posted 2012-01-11 11:20 PM (#303314 - in reply to #303299)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



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Location: Brisbane, Australia		LOL Greg, I was waiting for that comment! I resisted the urge to remind all of the 'left hook' people of the error of their ways as I'm sure it has been said before. I do have the advantage of having two DeSotos (book-ends) one LHD and one the way God intended RHD! I have provided some photos for all those who have difficulty coming to grips with this driving concept. I had this same problem with Beta vs VHS, cassettes vs 8 Track and IBM vs Apple. In all cases the better option was ignored and the inferior system adopted!!!

As far as the bonnet (oops hood) clearance on the motor, Joe (DAD) stuck the air ram on while he was testing for appearance but he did forget about how little clearance we have with the high-rise manifold and velocity enhancing spacers. Even without the ram or the 1" spacers, we have only 670 mm (2 3/4") from the top of the carbs to the bonnet (er.. hood). It is going to be tight but I have decided to use two modified 4BBL desoto adventurer low profile units. If worst comes to worst we will mill some meat off the inlet manifold.

Edited by earleebob1 2012-01-12 10:17 AM




(11102011746 flip.JPG)



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Doctor DeSoto
Posted 2012-01-12 2:54 AM (#303341 - in reply to #303314)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



5000500050005000200050025
Location: Parts Unknown		Your project runs counter to my sensibilities, but it is impressive work, nonetheless.

Enjoying this thread a lot.
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earleebob
Posted 2012-01-12 3:20 AM (#303344 - in reply to #303341)
Subject: Re: where it all started for me



Elite Veteran

Posts: 1120
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Location: Brisbane, Australia		What are you trying to say, Doc!

Glad you are enjoying the thread
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earleebob
Posted 2012-01-13 1:16 PM (#303523 - in reply to #301594)
Subject: RE: where it all started for me



Elite Veteran

Posts: 1120
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Location: Brisbane, Australia		The final part of the RHD conversion was the fitting of the power steering unit which was transplanted from a Toyota Crown. To facilitate this we had to reposition the engine and at the same time lower it in the engine bay to permit the carbs to clear the hood. The engine originally was offset 1 1/2" to the right to clear the original p'steering unit so we moved it 3" to the left. Some further adjustments were necessary to the drive train for all this to line up.

Edited by earleebob1 2012-01-13 10:27 PM




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Attachments 11102011744b.jpg (68KB - 327 downloads)
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Attachments 21102011792b.jpg (74KB - 357 downloads)
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