Blown motor😭

Well it's been a couple months with no up dates. As you can tell from the head line I blew the motor. After jumping through some major hoops to get this car inspected and insured I finally had her on the road. I had it in a couple show and shines and the Friday night car meets at Tim Horton every week. And that's where the story of this motor ends. It was a super hot Friday night at the local Tim Hortons where 30-50 cars meet every Friday night. It was my daughters first ride in the car. So on the way home I did a big burn out and spun the rear main bearing. I have since parked the car and am gathering parts to complete a 1963 corvette 327 block. Unfortunately it's on hold again do to selling my house and trying to move. I'll post some updated pics when I dig my computer back out.

Finally have had a few chances to get the 1950 dodge coronet to the local Friday night Tim Hortins car meet up spot. There's usually about 50 cars that show every week. Other then needing a fan shroud or switching to a electric fan the cars been great. I did develop a strange vibration on the motor last week. After farther inspection I found the harmonic balancer was the cause. I pulled the balancer to find the main bolt the hold the balancer into the crank was at some point stripped. I had a hard time decided wither to Healy coil it or over size the bolt. After talking to a bolt expert and finding out how hard it would be to get the bolt I would need, so I went with option A. It seems to be  holding great with out farther incidence. Ill throw in a pic of the Coronet rescuing a 1967 Firebird at the local beer store and one from the car meet.

New Rad

Well as it turns out the original radiator didn't have any life left. After 65 years things are bound to wear completely out. I was fortunate to bet on the Patriots last super bowl with a good friend of mine. The winner received a $200 gift card from Summit Racing. That came in handy when the rad decided to blow. I bought a "Rat Rod Special", there label not mine. There was some fab work that had to be done to make the new rad fit, but a little cutting and grinding and were go

   I still need to plumb in the tranny cooler lines as I has a external cooler on the old rad. Once that done im down to paint and interior to complete the Coronet build. I also would like to send out a hello to a new friend. I had a ad up for my extra Coronet parts I didn't want going to waist and received a response from a gentlemen in California. After many email and a lot of trust on both parties, money and parts exchanged hands. So a big thanks to Tom and good luck with your build.

Just out for a rip are ya bud!

I finally had a chance to take her out and stretch! Here is a shot video of me driving down the street my son recorded for me. I did a big burn out up the street but he missed recording that part for me.

Its late into January and quite a few moons have passed since I've had a opportunity to catch up on my blog. I friend and I solved a dilemma I've been dealing with since the summer that was causing me a lot of starting issues. Its amazing what one wire installed wrong can do! Not to self, always wire your own car dumb ass! Anyhow with the wiring issues behinds me its time to move forward. Spring is just around the corner and the itch to drive the Coronet get closer and closer to scratch. Im one step away form having it inspected for insurance. Now that BC Air Care is no longer a issue all that left for it to pass is a defrost system. I've ordered a Heat/Defrost system from Summit Racing. Its in route from there Ohio warehouse and I should see it next week..

 I also have had a great offer from a local Ford dealership on a job opportunity. Its a scary time in my life to be changing jobs. Lucky for my I have a great wife and kids right behind me with lots of support. I'm not going to lie, there's been more than once or twice I was ready to give up on the old car. It seemed like this car did not want to come back to life. My wife does a great job at keeping me on track and making sure I don't give up on any of the challenges life throws my way. So that being said here's a couple more resent pics of the 1950 Dodge Coronet. There was a heavy fog one evening and tried to capture a few cool pics but iPhone's don't have much for fog settings.

350 and 305 timing markers

 Well, since my last post I've had the car running. Well for about 30 seconds, but it was still running. After that I didn't start it till the following day. Right after work I rushed home excited to fire it up again. when I began to turn it over it surprised me and all my neighbor's by back firing through the exhaust. Normally the only thing I would worry about is blowing out the baffles in the Flowmasters, but I live in a peaceful town house complex. Needless to say its scared my neighbor's as much as it did me. I guess it wasn't fun enough the first time, "BANG!" there it goes for a second time. With all the neighborhood looking in my garage and relived it wasn't a shot gun going off I decided to call it a night. I've spent the last week watching YouTube videos trying to find out what went wrong. Set backs like this can be so discouraging and make it hard to go back to working on it.

 I have tried 3 times resetting the distributor and was unsuccessful in Lining up the timing mark with the scale. Every time the motor was at TDC the timing mark was at 12' o'clock. Tonight I found some clarity. After searching a few forums I found a heading "Cant line up the timing mark with the scale. This wright up made me feel a lot better for two reasons. 1- I wasn't the only one to not do enough home work on small block Chevys. 2- there wasn't something wrong with  my motor. As it turn out normal timing mark for a 80's SCB is 12 o'clock. and have there timing scale at the top of the cover. the chrome cover I purchased for the motor is for a 350 so the timing marks are to the right of the cover ( when facing the motor). The 305 should in theory be ready to fire now. I'm still a little nervous to try it do to NOT pissing my neighbors off. Tomorrow ill put in the ear plugs and give it another try.

1950 Dodge Coronet Parts For Sale

Ok, as I get closer to the finishing of the Coronet I'm getting more and more parts I wont be using. So here's a few things I'm looking to sell. I have a full set if gauges, a fantastic radio that works. I also have a full 6 volt fuse and bulb package for a 1950 Coronet. All the dash chrome and a few odds and ends. I'm open to offers on these parts and don't want them to go to waist. Send me a email or a message if there's something I have your after.

Almost there!

         Well it all seem to be falling into place. I've finally crossed off most of my to do list to get the car running. Tonight I hooked up the Battery and for the first time in 6 years she opened her eyes. This was a great moment for me. I know starting the car would be the highlight but this was a great moment also. This week I will be doing the last of the wiring from the harness to the dash and it should be running by the weekend. The last month I've thrown a lot of money at her and want to thank the wife for her support. Not only does this put a drain on our account but it also leaves the wife alone for the many hours while I'm lost in the car. When the Coronet is cruising down the road all the lonely days and nights will pay off.
 
          I've been taking a lot of pics and videos as the build progresses. You can find 2 of my videos on you tube @ http://youtu.be/lYYSqS8vEV4 and http://youtu.be/JccKp5tlNiM. I'm going to make a video of the car this weekend with some more progress and hopefully the first start up.

Update on the dash

Well I finally finished the dash. I'm still in need of a 2 gauges and the coronet symbol beside the glove box. The fab work is complete and now time for paint and to start on the rest of the interior. It will be getting racing buckets and roll cage with the stock bench in the rear.

Here's a quick upload of the Coronet. I finally had the drive shaft shortened to fit and in the car. The shifter is now hooked up and no more wheel chalk needed!

Favorite Movie Cars.

So I've wanted  to put together a "favourite movie cars" list for a while now. I have had some time to put together a small list of great cars and trucks from the big screen. Please keep in mind this is a list of MY favourite cars and trucks. The list might not be in exact order but its as close as I can get it. There were a few ties but its a list so I had to number them all.

#1- This 1958 Plymouth is by far my top movie car. Yes I'm referring to CHRISTINE! This car has etched a car scar a mile wide in my brain since I was still riding my Kuwahara bmx. What car guy wouldn't love a car that could fix it self and choke off the old lady at the same time! (lol, kidding)

 

 

#2- The 1967 Lincoln from the movie Hit And Run. Dax Shepard who wrote, directed and stars in the movie is also the owner of this awesome Lincoln . This great, car chase action film that was released in 2012. Dax feels that "most of the best cars were made in 1967." He makes a great case but there's too many years of chrome and rubber to dwindle it down to just one year. This car hides a ford 514 big block crate motor. It's nice to see a 4=door kicking some ass for once. Who said a 4-door can't be cool?

 

 

#3- This next car was so influential that I named my son after the lead character. If you ever seen the price on this car you would know why they refer to it as a mythical creature. This unicorn is most likely at the top of most peoples favorite over all list. Nicholas cage plays the role of a retired car thief that goes by the name of Memphis Rains. I knew if I ever had a son I was going to name him Memphis. Well, a few years later I had my opportunity when my son was born. The 1967 Ford Mustang  shelby GT 350 is one sexy, sexy car.

#4- When I was a kid growing up in Calgary my Uncle had the coolest car on the block. When he would come over for a visit, the neighbors would take pics of themselves standing beside it. He had this tribute car while the show was still running on tv. This 1976 Torino was reintroduced to movie goers in 2004. They ran the 351 Windsor in the movie cars which seems to throw this red and white beauty around quite fine. Other than the Ferrari in Bad Boys II or the 69 Chevelle in The Other Guys this is a pretty awesome cop car.

 

#5- In 2005 a remake of a 1979 robin hood car was also reborn. This car tore up the south for 8 years. The model of car was almost brought to extinction in filming this long running series. From its turbine wheels to its bright orange paint this car was cool through and through.  The General Lee's racy flag painted on the roof and bull bar nose broke every driving law know to man and was still  loved by all. Back in the day whippet antennas were seen on a few movie cars. My list includes 2 cars with these stuck on the trunk and curved in the wind.

 

 

#6- Sylvester Stallone stars along side this car in 1986. This 1950 Mercury is equipped with a small block chevy and backed up by a blower and nitrous. I think they need to start giving cops in my area cool cars like these. Judging by another pic on my list I would say Sylvester has great taste in movie cars or maybe just luck of the draw.

 

 

#7- Two Sylvester street rods make the list back to back! West Coast Customs knocked this one right out of the park. These body lines stayed the same from 1948 through to 1956. My favorite truck of all time is the 51 F-100. This truck has nice modern touches and still shows that rich nostalgic iron under a beautiful black paint. 347 cubic inches and 429 hp whips this little truck down road no problem! Nice to see it when the horse power is higher than the cubic inches.

 

 

#8- This black beauty has it all. Guns and more guns, a bar and record player. a 1965 Chrysler Imperial Crown powered by a 413. Here is another robin hood car but this one mostly runs at night. I love they choose not to use a modern day for the remake of this movie. Hollywood went way out of the box on this car. If modern touches are added to old cars in just the right way they blend really well. I've seen this look attempted at the Langley Cruzin car show this year on a couple cars and it didn't turn out so good.

 

#9- Ok, everyone with a list like this has this car some where on it. Even if you make fun of people you see driving these its a very cool ride. I think this movie had me in mind when it was made. Who wouldn't race across a few states for a truck full of beer! There's some movies that cant and shouldn't be remade due to nostalgia. If you get it right the first time there's no reason to do it again. From the bird on the hood to the whippet antenna and T tops this car screams redneck!. Now I am not dissing redneck here, as a matter of fact my kids refer to me as one. 1977 Firebird with the 6.6 L and Sally Fields in the front seat, Good times!

 

 

#10- When you ask most kids what they wanted to be when they grow up they say Police or fire fighter. Not me, I wanted to be a truck driver. My father was a trucker as was my grandfather. In 1978 the movie Convoy or in 1979's Bj and the Bear were a huge influence for me. As did the Kenworth from Smokie and the Bandit. Years later the movie Maxim Over drive came out. In 1986 a comet passed close to the earth and turned machines against man. Well the star of the show was the Green Goblin. There's a catch. The goblin was strapped to a Western Star 4800. Year later I lived my childhood dream when I drove tractor trailer cement truck for Lafarge in Calgary.

 

 

I know there's a lot of great movie machines that are not on this list like the mad max car or the Torino Client Eastwood had in Grand Torino. The ones on this list were the most influential to me in one way or another. Lets hope the movies industry keeps producing movies vehicles the inspire us and keep the classics from being recycled. 




 



Fuel Lines

Well its late October, leaves have turned different colors of reds yellows and browns. Another summer has come and gone and winter is knocking on the front door. The crisp cool air seems to provide me with more attention and motivation. I had a opportunity to spend a Friday at a local scrap yard looking for odds and ends for the Coronet. The gentleman that runs and owns Classic Auto Recyclers In Langley is a great guy to have a conversation with. I've dealt with him in small doses in the past but he seemed occupied and the conversations were always very short. On this day however I was the only one around and business was slow. After I mentioned what parts I was looking for and what they were for he remembered my previous visits.

      The yard was full of older cars and trucks ranging from 1960 to 2000 and a couple of 50's era cars that were stripped down to a nub. Places like this are getting harder and harder to find. Most of the scrapping business run 2000 to current date. This is a small block goldmine! After a tour of the yard and getting to know a little about each other he asked me if I brought any tools. Lucky for me I always keep a few tools on hand. There was a small amount of trust on his part after our conversation and I was allowed free reign of his little goldmine. After a very reasonable fee for my hand full of treasures we spent another half an hour chatting about the ones that got away I was headed back to the garage.

      The 1950 Dodge Coronet now has complete fuel lines and a electric fuel pump. Its nice to see a lot of the small things being crossed off the do list. Motor mount bolts, power steering bracket and fuel lines. As I get closer to paying off my truck I get more and more excited knowing ill have that much more cash to put into the Coronet. Going to ask Santa for Gauges or maybe a shifter for Christmas. Well I'm going to post a couple resents for your viewing pleasers.

The Langley Cruzin car show has come and gone another year. This is another year my car is unable to make an appearance. Its a constant struggle to find time to devote to the car. I'm  hoping after my truck payments are complete I will have better funding for the goodies the Coronet needs. Now as for time,,,,,,, well that remains to be a on going problem. I have since my last post jack the car up on jack stand and started the fuel lines. Talk about a big hassle, trying to find ends and connectors was nothing but a headache. After countless failed attempts of ordering parts through Lordco,   I realized I was putting way to much thought into it. For now I'm going to keep it simple till after I get it running.

   I've decided to run hard lines from the carb to the electric pump. From the pump into the trunk were going to run 3/8 hose to the fuel cell through the trunk pan. I picked up a 3/8 grommet to ensure the fuel line is not to rupture. There a trip to one of the many marine shops in town to pick up a fuel cell vent this week. There is a couple parts that came as extras in this model of Coronet I would like to trade. The car has a almost new radio with a great chrome cover and a clock. These really nice option's have no use to me and want to trade for the plane face plates that cover where the radio and clock would go. So if a reader out there is in need of these, please let me know.

Well here we are aging. There's a little more progress on the Coronet and a little more to write about. Judging by the small amount of followers I have this is more if a personal car journal. Another year goes by quickly and another car show my #1950Coronet will not be in. Every year Langley BC puts on a great car show. Hundreds of cars from Canada and the US come to show there fabulous colors and great attention to detail. I've had a chance to move the front bumper in 2.5" in. The rear bumper was moved in when I first started the project. So in total I shorten the over all length of the car 5". The way the front bumper was mounted from factory you could of put a continental kit on the front of the car. I've just lifted it up on jack stands this week and am running fuel lines and the electric fuel pump. My son and I finally did a full bleed of the new break lines.

Seem like I'm moving in leaps and bounds lately but the end seems so far away. A quote in having the seats re finished came back really high. Doing some Craig's list snooping I considered some leather buckets. The cost for a Audi interior is a 3rd of what the redo is. Keeping to the look and theme I want it look like I'm forking out some serious dough. Ill be blogging after the car show this year and will post a few pics.

 I was just doing some forum snooping and came across this little beauty! Its a 1953 Dodge Cambridge. Ive never been a fan of red cars (except Ferrari and fire trucks) but this one is very well done. I don't have a lot of info on this little gem but its still worth a look. This is one of those looks fast standing still cars. This is very rear for 50's Dodges as everyone knows. So here's a few pics to enjoy..........your welcome!

I've found some inspiration!

     Its been a while since my last post only because I have spent my time working on the Coronet.

When I can find time between life and sleeping, I've been digging back into the car. I almost hired out a few of the things I needed to complete as I thought I wouldn't have time. Instead I forced myself back into the project. After a few minutes of hesitation I dove in. Probably the best few hours in mmy garage in a long time.

The rear break lines were a breeze. I knew the front lines would not be as much fun. Just as I was tying up the rear line to the proportioning valve, my neighbor Craig came over to see what I was up to. Craig is the type of guy that loves getting his hands dirty when it comes to cars and trucks. He happily volunteered to do the front lines for me and knowing what I was up against I gladly agreed. After thirty minutes or so he was done. Anyone tackling a big project like this knows what a great feeling it is to cross off some of the work needed.

     When I first started sourcing parts for the Coronet I came across a teloscopic steering column. The column was from a early 80's caddy. Thinking this is what the car needed it turned out to be a bad decision. The steering column was warn out and too many moving parts for the Coronet. I did use the column to move the car around for the last two years but it was time to make it better. On one of my daily scrumage hunts on CraigsList I came upon a nice set of GM seats.  I wasn't looking for seats but sitting off to the right side of the seats was a "cherry" tilt steering column form a Jimmy. A quick phone call and a 30 minute drive was worth the all the crap you have to look though on CraigsList to get bits and parts. The purchase was a steal when my offer of $40 was accepted knowing most of them were going for $200.

       As it turnes out this column was a little longer from the fire wall to the steering wheel. This was a way better fit for where the seats are going to be.  The next thing to cross off the list is the fuel line. I have the lines already just have to find a couple hours on the weekend. All three of these tasks were on my "hire-out" list. I figure I've saved myself about 8 hours in labour charges. Which by my calcuations is a F#*kin lot!

I've just recently starting watching Californication. It's giving me inspiration to write. I'm hoping that my writing will improve but I need to start writing without the TV on. Stay tuned for more stories with summer right around the corner. That's right - it's car show season and I am looking forward to seeing the cars that have been finished over the long winter months. Here is a few pics of the 1950 Dodge Coronet and I in the shop.

Finally getting started!

Well, I was hoping to be well on my way by now but  a few of my neighbors changed my plans for me. I ended up doing 2 break jobs and a garage door opener install. So late Saturday afternoon I got some time to give a little love to the Coronet. I also had a chance to work on it today. The ball joints were due as well as new callipers and break pads. Later this week I'm hoping to get to the intake and carb.

Sunday after I was tired of working on the car for the day I took a trip down to the fab shop to discuss the future of the 1950 Dodge Coronet. My buddy Dustin is going to run the fuel lines and the break lines for me. With a LOT of luck we might be able to have it running by the time it leaves there. While at the fab shop I had a chance to see the 1939 Pontiac, they built in the fall, fire up when they were bring it in the shop. The Pontiac turned out pretty cool! It sounded fantastic with such a short wheel base and big exhaust.

Focus!

Its time to get back into this on going project.

I seem to hit the 1950 Dodge Coronet project hard a couple times a year. I have taken 1 year completely off (last year) but had full intentions of doing something to it. Life, kids and other activities always come first obviously, and the car get shoved further and further into a dark corner. This year the wife and I have made a serious plan to get the Coronet on the road. We seem to be so close but after its put in a list form were a long way from the finish line.

With the list in hand I'm hoping to start crossing things off piece by piece. Theres a lot of freaking pieces! I've already started purchasing a good portion of the parts needed to get it running. That still leaves me very, very short in other areas of the car. The first step forward and 3 steps back rule of hot rods can be very intimidating and discouraging.


    The rule I was just referring to is why I took the year off from working on the Dodge. The reason I loved working on the car some how turned out to be the reason I really didn't want to work on it anymore. Maybe too much of a good thing IS bad?

With those feeling hopefully behind me there is nothing I want more than to be rumbling down the road in it this summer with my family. I've just leaped over a couple huge obstacles at the beginnig of this year and with that behind me I feel I'm more focused on what's important to me. I do owe a great deal to my wife and kids for helping me through my tough time but this blogs about the car! (sorry Kris and kids, lol). Were planning to get the show started (ie, working on the car) at the beginning of February. I will be posting progress reports and pics of the car as always (when ever there is something done to it) and hope to be posting again soon.

Motor mockup

I've finally had a chance to put a couple hours into the Coronet.

We meet great friends of ours every Summer in Osooyse for holidays. They drive in from Calgary to join us for a weeks worth of fun in the sun. Tim ,who is kind enough to supply the boat for our vacation every year, also brought up some "goodies" for the Dodge.

Tim races enduro cars and had some hidden treasures left over hiding in the corners of his garage. He supplied me with a nice intake and carb. He also threw in a 63' 327 corvette block.I've done a mock up on the motor i have in the car already and am going to save the 327 for a rainy day.

I would like to do a write up on Tim and his racing in the future and a few pics of his cars. The motor I received is no stranger to me. I saw it race down the track in one of his cars. That was a summer I helped on his pit crew at Race City Speedway in Calgary AB. That was also the year he took 1st place.

 So here's a few pics of the 1950 Dodge Coronet with the new parts.

39 Pontiac Update

I stopped by Dons fab shop a few weeks back. When i arrived he was helping a local rodder
"Ian" properly align his doos handles. This is another car Don built. I beleive its a 51 Chevy. This car was being built at the same time my car was getting clipped.This visit gave me a chance to check on how the 39' was coming. Looks like hes getting close to driving. I didn't get much of a chance to ask about the motor and tranny, but i did get a change to snap a few photos.  The first pic is of the Chevy.