When they extended it, they needed to add some driveshaft. It's just a solid shaft with a fine spline output, that a regular transmission slip yoke moves on. There is no grease seal, so I dunno how it was supposed to last.
Got a bunch of work done today. Suspended the whole body up high, and rolled the old chassis out of the way. Got some body mounts in place up at the front of the new chassis, and now the body sits on it. The back isn't done quite yet, did'nt want to rush it cuz I haven't fully decided what I'm going to do back there. Wasn't able to get all the pictures I wanted because at the moment it doesn't look very different than before. I did get a couple before of the body in the middle stages after we pulled the old chassis out. Should be able to get the back mounts figured out tomorrow, and get the front clip back on. Then I'll snag a few more pics once the body is all bolted down.
Anyways, here's the pics from the in-between. It's pretty light. There ain't much to the body.
Managed to get some more work done today, after taking a few days off. Main body is mounted, and the front clip is in place. It's not pinned down 100% yet, but at least it fits, and clears everything.
The only problem I'm dealing with at the moment is the steering shaft. I'll have to cut the shaft off just next to the box, and the 4x4 shaft almost reaches, and it's not on very much of an angle. Problem is, will the stub of the original shaft that sticks out be stable enough? I've heard of people stuffing a bearing in there to support it for rack and pinion systems, and in my case, it's a very similar modification. The shaft feels like it's pretty solid, I can't wiggle it in any direction, so do I really need the extra bearing?
Ok, I FINNALY got back on the project. Body is all mounted, everything is secure, everything clears everything, just barely. I'm very happy with the way things turned out, and I can now move on to the rest of the drivetrain. The bumper just BARELY clears the front springs. The front spring mount is roughly 1/8" away. We had to cut the frame off, along with the suburban rad support mount. She's real tight up in the front, but everything worked out great.
Got some new pictures, it was getting late, but I managed to snap a few before we rolled it into the barn. Keep in mind the front will sag down once the motor and trans are in. I think she looks tough. Don't you think all Canadian Ponchos should have been built this way?
Actualy the story behind that rule is pretty funny. Every two years there is a rule change meeting, and one time, my class, (Hot Stock) and the next class up, (Super Stock) held there meetings together. Apperently most of what was discussed was for Super Stock, and they passed a rule limiting engines to 526". The rule somehow ended up in the Hot Stock rules by mistake, but nobody said anything, cuz everyone wanted to build stroker motors. So the rule stuck.
Anything much bigger would be a bit of a waste really, we have to use OEM iron heads intakes and exhaust manifolds. Just wait and see what I have for that.
My brother and I had been talking about this before we ever started. I am not willing to seperate the box sides from the cab, it's just to rare a piece to change that radicly. I know, I've already done quite a bit of change, but I don't want to go that far.
However, what we were thinking of is using the rearmost part of the removable top, (which is pretty much the only part of it thats not rotten) and grafting it to the back, and following the drip rail all the way around the back. Everything below the drip would be cut off, and a flat piece of sheet will be shaped to the contour of the rear roof acting as the back of the cab. Then I'll have to find some glass that fits that contour.
Being that you are from lindsay. bills truck is in courtice one of the biggest suppliers of parts for 55-59 gm trucks. i do agree with the sides but the flat back of the cab doesn't go with the body line. i know its how they did it 55 years ago. but the truck is not original. i would look for a carcass of a truck and just use basically from the belt line to the roof. basically just round the cab and get rid of the flat back. an option might be jacksons in kendall. they are open on thursday till they crush and i know they have 6-7 cabs that are close to what might fit. If you need a truck to measure for comparison, mines in cobourg.
Have been working on the motor for the last little while. I decided to go a little different, (as is the theme of this build) and will be running a 455 Olds. I'll give all the specifics as I go, but I ran into a snag today that I thought I'd share.
I wanted to run a roller cam on this motor, but they're not exactly growing on trees for an Olds. Of the few that ARE available, none met the needs that I wanted, so I decided to design my own cam, and have it ground.
Before I buttoned everything up, I thought I would degree the cam, mostly to see where to position the timing set. I made a discovery during the process. Intake duration is good at 230* @ .050", but exhaust was 225* @ .050", and was supposed to be 240* @ .050". Lobe seperation was spot on at 108*, and lift was what was advertized, but the exhaust being 15* out, was a real downer on my day.
The point of all this? Degree wheels are worth every penny.
Doubtful. It's a factory 307 roller cam that I had reground to my specs. I don't think there's enough material to bring it back. Fortunately I have a second cam that could be reground, as long as they come clean for it.
Spoke with the cam grinder today, and he agreed that the cam isn't right. After looking up the job details, he agreed my claim is entirely possible. The problem is, the lobe that was selected, is intended for a much larger lift cam, and by carving it down to my reletively low lift, it affected the duration @ .050". He thinks they can fix the existing cam to what I want, so hopefully it works out, otherwise they'll have to start over with a new core. I'd rather them do that personally, the base circle is small enough as it is, and I'd rather keep as much strength as possible, and I fear the lifters oil band peeking out the bottom of the lifter bore. Either way, he's willing to make it right for me, so I can't complain to much. Hopefully I'll be back up and running in a week or so.
In accordance with the rules of my class, I'll be using an OEM iron intake. Factory Olds intakes aren't exactly the greatest for producing power, but I think I've found one that should give me a leg up on the competition. Will need some work, obviously I'll not be using a two barrel carb, but it certainly has potential. Bonus points to anyone who can identify this intake, and that car it would have come from.
I am sorry about the rules 
