36 Ford truck on Ranger

[MercuryMac]

I've got some honest to goodness progress to tell you about, today, not just the mindless drivel I've been peddling lately. I got a pinion seal, because the rear-end seems to not like the small amount of work it had to do in the test drives, so it's dripping on the floor. My clutch linkage is hooked up and adjusted, with a different spring to keep the clutch free-play right. The pedal pivoting bracket has it's forward brace back on. One exhaust pipe is bolted back on to the header. I then took the Ford speedo cable out of there and installed the Chevy one. It looks to me like the whole lefthand side of the transmission is back together again. That feels good.

[MercuryMac]

Today, the right side of the transmission caught my attention. The emergency brake is installed and adjusted, the battery cables are in and bolted down, the starter cable is tightened up, and [Whoa, sufferin' sucatash, I just noticed in the pictures that there is a dangling ground strap hanging from the frame.] Anyhow, I did up the exhaust pipe to the header on this side and filled the transmission with oil. The engine never had a filter on it, before, so I installed a remote partial flow spin-on filter when I was building, so now I thought I should change oil before many hours are on it. I could really read the dipstick easily, [not usually a good sign], and you guessed right , the oil was gross black. I dumped it out and changed the filter. [Note to myself] Change oil soon again.

[MercuryMac]

I now have finished the oil change and done up the ground strap from the frame to the motor. The driveshaft is taken off again and I'm making a wrench to hold the U-joint flange while I undo the pinion nut [pic 1].
My day had quite a bit of horizontal happenings [remember that's not the same as my life going sideways]. I traded away a '66 truck cab to a friend and got some goodies for future projects [pic 2; sorry about the fog, the camera frosted over going outside and I didn't realize what went wrong soon enough]. He is redoing his Dad's big block '68 Dodge truck. While the friend was here and I still had the tractor running, with the ginpole still on it we decided to fish the old original Super Bee 383 out of the shed it's been hidden in for 33 years, [pic 3]. I will now take it to town and try to get our best engine builder to massage it. The Super Bee is a near future project for those of you who just tuned in.

[Snake Farm]

Sounds like you are about ready to hit the road again........might want to put a plow on that thing though

That Dodge cab brings back memories for me, my neighbor had one about that year in the early 70's......same color....and he swapped in the running gear from a Power Wagon and built a 4x4 out of it.

[MercuryMac]

Hi Snake Farm. It's coming along, but there are a few more little glitches to fix that I've been too embarrassed to tell you about, like one taillight with broken welding already, and a water leak behind the heater. Oh, I almost forgot, I need to make a gearshift that looks right for the truck.

[MercuryMac]

Another report: I didn't get very much done through the holidays like I thought I would; life kept happening to me, visiting and ----well more visiting. Most of you will understand. I got the seal changed in the rear-end and discovered that the oil was leaking out mostly around the splined shaft and not the seal surface. On the advice of my brother-in-law and a nephew I bought some 'The Right Stuff' and smeared it on the yoke and spline just behind the nut. After the nut was on again, thanks partly to the homemade wrench that I hinted at earlier, I reinstalled the driveshaft and went on to the next project. [pic 1].
The gearshift was next, so I took it all apart and imagineered most of a plan for it's reincarnation.

[Bamamav]

Keep plugging away, you'll get it done! I've been in the same shape lately, either raining and blowing into my work area, or too cold to do anything. One of these days I'll get me a enclose work area!

[MercuryMac]

I'm a lucky dude, Bam, as I just got given two more weeks of shop time to keep plugging away. Our January holiday down into the 'States was cancelled by our medical insurance company. Pill problems, which is not the same as 'drug problems'. I was going to take in the Pamona swap meet. It might have been tricky window shopping all day, because it's even trickier trying to get back on the plane for home with a Y-block three deuce intake manifold under your coat.
You don't know how lucky I feel, getting to stay home in northern Canada in January. Whoa!

[endicott_jb]

I would love to take a trip down to Pomona. There is literally nowhere like it. Miles and miles of cars and parts just waiting to be plucked for the perfect ride. My old boss used to go down about once every other month to swap and always came back with some off the wall stuff.

[MercuryMac]

Endicott, now we're both in the same boat, sitting back at home wishing we could go to Pomona. Anyhow, you got me to thinkin'; there's a March swap meet and by jumping through some paperwork hoops I can maybe go. Besides, in March, Yuma, Arizona has the Midnight at the Oasis car parade and show, which is pretty dang O.K. to take in. I better start softening up the wife right away, by being good for months, so I can go to the swapmeet.