The Time Machine

[SoCalExile]

NICE!

[Sparx Macgyver]

Impressive!!

[thrush544]

sweet

[69timemachine]

Some quick news to report; I was able to pull the six over the weekend, and I'm in the process of swapping senders, etc. over from the six to the V8. I also need to swap the engine frame mounts and swap the manual steering box out for the p.s. box, which should be easy without the engine in. Shortening the column will be the next big process. It also looks like I'll have to get the driveshaft shortened for the longer 4-speed. I'm hoping to have the engine in the truck in the next few weekends, and build the exhaust and have it purring within a few weekends after that. Hopefully it will happen that way, but being at outside at work all day during these 102-degree days doesn't help motivation much when I get home. To be continued.....

[72stepside]

Love the air cleaner assembly. Think you might have just shown me the one I'm gonna use.

Looks good!

[69timemachine]

Thanks! You can't see them, but I have the holes for the ram air ducts already cut in the core support and the hose connectors installed. If you look closely at the picture of the six being pulled, you can see that I relocated the voltage regulator from the core to the RH fender liner. This was so I could cut the hole in the core support on the RH side in the same spot as the LH side. The holes are perfectly situated at the top corners of the grille opening for plenty of air. The only other thing I had to do was lengthen the horn wire by about a foot because its wire is located in the voltage regulator harness too. I hope that will help you out!

[flakos 69]

how much did you pay for your 15x10 wheel hoops

[69timemachine]

If I remember correctly, the hoops were about $48 or $50 each. Here's the link showing what's available and part numbers, but prices are no longer listed on the site. Just call them for pricing.

http://www.mrt-wheels.com/catpages/whee ... M%20SHELLS

Another place with cool steelies to check out is:

http://wheelvintiques.myshopify.com/

[69timemachine]

Some more progress to report.... I painted the frame and crossmembers under where the engine sits. I lengthened my backup light switch wiring to reach the transmission area, where the new switch will be located. I swapped the six engine perches over to the small block perches. (Thanks again ezernut9mm!) The manual steering box has made way for the reman power steering box. I shortened my manual 3-speed column by 2-7/8", which was the difference I measured between the manual and power boxes. I also removed the shifter tube from the column, as well as chop and fill the shifter nub off the shift handle collar. And the section I removed from the column tube was the spot where the shifter arms stick out. So I basically now have a P/S floor shift smoothy column that looks totally factory. I just need to reassemble, paint, and reinstall it.

With the new perches installed, I decided to test fit the FC2 Sanderson Headers to see if I could install them before dropping the engine in, just to make things easier. I found that the RH side was going to have interference with the frame and RH engine perch. After contacting Sanderson, they're sending me the FC3 RH header, which should fix the problem. (The LH headers are the same for the FC2 and FC3.) So if everything goes smoothly, I may be dropping the engine in as early as next weekend. To be continued......

[69timemachine]

The FC3 RH header made it in and I got it installed. It did indeed fix the clearance problem. Sanderson is a pretty good company to deal with in my experience. Anyway, I had a few delays in ordering a few other parts I needed, and then I was gone one weekend for vacation, but I'm back again with progress to report. I dropped the engine in this morning with no problems. The headers, bellhousing, starter, and accessories were all on, and it still cleared fine. I just took it slow and easy and had my brother running the hoist.

Next on the agenda is cutting the shifter hole, installing the trans, getting the driveshaft shortened, ordering the fan shroud, and building the exhaust. It's hard to say how long that will all take, but hopefully over the next few weekends I will be pretty close to firing this beast up! To be continued.....

[TheEskimo]

That looks great in there

[dablack00]

Looks good.

Why the swap to PS. Just cause you wanted it?

Austin

[69timemachine]

Why the swap to PS. Just cause you wanted it?

Thanks Austin & Jason! Yes, I wanted the ease of power steering and I didn't like the big steering wheel required for the manual steering. Also, the power should be a little faster in case the rear end starts stepping out in the twisties.

I ordered my fan shroud and cut my shifter hole today, so there's a couple more things scratched off the to-do list. I'll try to stab the tranny and measure the driveshaft for shortening one evening this week. To be continued.....

[cocovi]

So great job ! Congrats !

[69timemachine]

Thanks! Well, I've made a pretty big chunk of progress in the past several weekends. I got the fan, shroud, belts, hoses, carburetor, and '79 accelerator pedal installed, as well as all the electrical done. I did have a problem when I test fitted the air cleaner. I was going to use a Spectre 98628 air cleaner with 180 degree inlets, but my driver's side inlet was pointing directly at the brake master cylinder. Rather than buy 90 degree silicone elbows, I sold that one and purchased the Spectre 98638 with the inlets at 120 degrees. So now they're pointed in a better orientation. Anyone wanting to buy the same setup, be sure you get the 98638.

My driveshaft is at the shop getting shortened and balanced, and I'm hoping it will be ready in the next week. I've been working on the new exhaust for the last couple of weekends. I'm building it in three separate sections for easy maintenance: the front pipe sections, the x-pipe and muffler section, and the tailpipe sections. I ran out of 90 degree bends, so I had to order some more today. Maybe next weekend I'll have the exhaust totally finished. The only other things I need to do are install the driveshaft, install the traction bars, and install the new heater core. So, I'm in the home stretch! To be continued......