Need your front fenders on there to see where the cab is going to wind up.... Or have you already figured that one out?

 

Getting that core support mocked in there will tell you a lot. It nails down the mounting of the front of the fenders & defines the room between the core support/radiator & the firewall.

 

I have decided to run a Holley mid mount accessory drive system. Yes, the fenders and core support location will tell a lot, but I have found several builds using the same equipment and body that worked out just fine. What? Me worry?? LOL! I am just really relieved that the tunnel fabrication is not required at this point.

 

So back off it comes once more. Just a little rearranging of the shop. I am going to focus on getting the rear end finished, and installed in the chassis. Finish the rear suspension, and finish welding the chassis rails. Positioning everything in the shop is important so the gantry crane can be maneuvered anywhere it's needed. I have the cab placed on the wheel cradles at the moment. I may need to transfer it to jack stands so I can put the rolling chassis back up in the air.

 

Today I pulled the trigger on my accessory drive. I got the Holley Mid Mount kit, as I really liked the appearance from the first time I saw it. I also like how compact the entire set up is. No bracketry required, as all of the components mount directly to Holley's unique design water pump casting. It also utilizes a cartridge style water pump, which allows you to replace the water pump without removing the entire housing from the engine block. After mulling the price over the last six months or so, I came to the conclusion that all of the accessory drive kits on the market weren't getting any cheaper by stalling the purchase. While in the big city, I also picked up a 4 ft. square sheet of 18 ga. steel to rebuild the dash and forward floor panels. I should have enough to make the missing rear roll pan as well. I am looking forward to trying out my new bead roller for these replacement panels! After I got home, I found a couple packages waiting for me on the front porch. The Lokar sport shifter arrived, and I also got a Rivnut Tool as well. From what I have heard, some of the rear fender fasteners were actually clips on the sheet metal, with screws into the clips. I plan on replacing those with Rivnuts for a more secure attachment.

The current shopping list has several items on it. The instruments for the dash, the new steering column, a new steering wheel, just to name a few. The rims and tires will require a trip to a wheel shop to help make sure I have my offset and back spacing measurements correct before those get ordered. With the exception of the engine and trans, the wheels will be the most expensive purchase on this project. Four rims and four tires are looking like between $4 - $5k. Yowser!!! But it is always said the the wheels and tires can make or break a hot rod, along with the stance. I am confident I have the stance where I want it. I still need to get a brake pedal, master cylinder, and possibly a booster if I need power brakes. The radiator, fan(s), oil cooler, trans cooler, driveshaft... the list seems to go on forever. One step at a time!​​​​​​​

 

Here are the gages I decided to use. I wanted to have a vintage look on the interior. These are Autometer brand. I am getting their tachometer in the same style and size of the speedometer, so it will be a six gage array, not a five gage.

 

Love the gauges, excellent choice.

 

My drop indicator and mag base showed up today. Another tool replacement for a tool lost to the shop fire. I also needed it to measure the backlash of the ring and pinion in the rear axle. My research indicate .008" - .010" of backlash is where it is supposed to be. I suspected the junkyard rear end I got was a little more sloppy. I was right. It is measuring .015" of backlash. This means I should pull it apart, and put new bearings in and reshim it to the proper specs. Doing this will also allow me to fish that C clip I dropped into it while taking the axles out. All attempts with different magnets have failed.


I decided I wanted it back on the wheel cradles. It makes it easier to work on being up in the air. This lifted position will make it much easier to get the body mounts done, weld underneath the vehicle, and install the accessory drive on the engine.

 

Here is a good tip, when removing your axles from a Ford 8.8 rear end. You have to push the axles in, and pull the two C clips out so you can slide the axles out. DON'T DROP THESE INTO THE PUMPKIN!!! They immediately fall into the oil galleries for the pinion bearings. I have fought getting this little bugger out with three different magnets, with no success. The only way to get it out is to press the pinion shaft out of the housing. Note the rust on the pinion shaft bearing surface. It took my 20 ton shop press to get the pinion shaft out of the rusty bearing. Now that I got it out, new bearings and seal have to go in. But at least I retrieved that stupid C clip (or the C clip that I stupidly dropped into the whole works).

 

Thanks for the tip. I may have to get another set of hands to do the best I can to avoid doing the same thing (no guarantees though, as I've found myself to be perfectly capable of having this kind of thing happen to me).