Up against the wall.

I put gear oil back in the  trans and I adjusted the e brake a bit better so that it wasn't sitting right against the drive shaft. It still needs to be fine tuned.

I took the truck down off the stands and I put the trans in reverse and backed it down the ramps and then moved it back against the wall.

It was a job in itself to get it back against the wall. I managed to get it in neutral and pushed it back and forth while working the steering wheel to  get as close to the wall as I could before giving up LOL Close enough!

While it was up, I got a few shots of the underside.

Just some random shots

These are some pictures I took today just for fun.

Changing gears

May 21, 2011

This morning I cleaned up the old gasket material and re installed the  cover. I was able to shift the trans into reverse after. I pretty much stopped there for the day. I need to get it back down on the floor and park it back in is space. I am going to try and do a bit tomorrow before I take it down and put it away. I wont be able to work on it for a bit. Around the first of July I am going to get that engine out and start thinking about a replacement drive train!

In the meantime I am trying to come up with a solid plan for the future of the truck. I will post my thoughts and my plan in my downtime.

I really wanted to try and keep this thing true to its original build in it's racing days but I would rather get more bang for my buck going a different route.

Here are some pics from today.

Note the hour glass lever ... the same one is used in the home made shift mechanism.

The shaft at the top moves freely back and forth. When pushing as far as it will go to the left and letting go it will push itself back to the right a short distance. See more below:

The bottom shaft seems stationary ?? I'm not sure if it is suppose to move or not. When installing the cover  that holds the levers back on, I lined the hourglass tab up and int o the middle of the two.

Right now it's back together, I have it in reverse and I'm pretty sure I can put it back into neutral. Until the shift lever is fixed I'm pretty much unable to do much else with the trans.

Here are some pics of the shafts in different positions .... I hope the pics come out well enough to see.

This is with the top pushed all the way right, note the two machined areas on the left side of the shaft.

When sliding it to the left it looks like it lines the machined area to the ball baring in the casing. Again, the bottom shaft has some play but pretty much does not move. Maybe the shifter has the leverage to move it but I couldn't by hand .... may be why the shifter broke LOL

I think the problem with first gear lies in the adjustment to the shifter. It doesn't seem to be pushing the bottom lever far enough forward to do its job.

After cleaning the old gasket off  and resealing it's back together.

Back at it....

Ok so I pulled the truck back up on ramps today and put the rear on jack stands to try and adjust the linkage to the trans ..... I took the side cover off the transmission that holds the levers, the bottom lever did not feel right.  Everything looked ok so I put it back together and I still can not get first to engage. After several tries, guess what ... yes the lever broke again. I got another crappy weld job!

I will look at it again tomorrow and see if I can figure out whats going on.

Review ......

Awesome old drag truck. Truck was built in the 50s and raced. Has a sporty shortened bed and wide rear fenders. The truck is pretty much as it was in the 50's. The floor has been replaced (very nice floor and seat sides) and interior as well some time back. Frame is solid but not done they way I would have done it. Remember it was built in the 50s for racing not show. The bed floor needs attention ...wood needs replacing as well as a big rust problem in the metal cover towards the front .... previous owner just dropped in a piece of plywood.

The truck is almost striped to bare metal and the frame was started (general clean up and paint). The engine (1955 Plymouth Polysphere) sounds strong but should be rebuilt or at the least re ringed.New paint and flushed the engine and radiator. Carter 4BBL Carb.Dana rear (posi) with juice brakes all around) Good radial tires. Chrome steelies (reversed chrome?) in the back and steel with DeSoto Hubcaps in front.

Clutch throw out and pressure plate all new, I still need to tweak the linkage since replacing the parts as it will not go into first now. (It did before) All new exhaust (Crappy welds needs touch up), new engine gasket set installed including rear main seal and valve seals.New freeze plugs. New/rebuilt water pump, hoses, plugs, distributor cap. New battery.

I am currently working on the truck so it may be in various stages of completion. Right now the bed and rear fenders are unbolted for easy access. And, the head light trim rings are off. I have the side glass but the pieces that hold the glass need replacing. The rest of the window mechanics are good. Very little rust! The rockers could stand to be replaced as well as patches under the inside of the doors ... the outside skins are good as well as the cab corners. There are a few dents that still need attention. Passenger side front fender pretty dinged up but has been banged out and a light coat of filler will take care of this. Not much needed to make this a really cool Traditional Hot Rod!