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My 65, another build to follow


RockinRiviDad

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3 hours ago, pyntre said:

Securing my overflow hose better tomorrow!!!!! Sorry to hear about your misfortune!!! You’ll get er back on the road soon!!!!??

 

Haha..a simple zip tie woulda/coulda prevented all this...thanks for the support 

 

2 hours ago, Hazdaz said:

Think of it as an opportunity to get a better radiator and fan.

 

U mean a better radiator like this one?? haha...everything happens for a reason right?

 

Love that video...thx for sharing...the plan was to go with an electric fan if I couldn’t find a replacement clutched fan. I did find a replacement pretty quick tho. So I am glad this video found that the clutched fan is not the worst option...phew. But now u have me reconsidering my choice....GRRRRR....dammit!!! haha

 

For most average guys (like me) trying to build a car with a wife, kids, mortgage, etc makes us resort to the label “budget build” (that’s code for “cutting corners” just to get the car on the road haha). I really really wanted a 4-row radiator back when I crossed that bridge. When my kids needed new school clothes, instead of a $400 radiator I simply “cut a corner” & just had my 3-row cleaned out haha. Now dad finally gets his cool 4-row radiator from Ricks Radiator in Azusa, CA. Woo WHOO!!

 

This radiator is suppose to be a replica of our brass & copper Harrison radiator. Its pretty close. So I bought it with the intention of painting it black. Some said painting it will take away from it dissipating heat well. I say bologna. I think its a bigger, more efficient radiator & a little paint isn’t gonna matter. 

 

Besides, in Post #238 I mentioned a water pump leak. That leak magically sealed itself up...but before it did I had ordered a more efficient FlowKooler water pump. Its been sitting on my shelf ever since...that’ll be installed now too haha

 

PLUS...a heavy duty fan clutch...yea, so a little paint isn’t gonna hurt heat dissipation right??

(other than the price tag, what is the difference between a heavy duty or regular fan clutch anyway?? Haha)

 

 

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Just paint the tanks. They don't do any of the cooling.  Ask the guys in the radiator shop about paint.for radiators like the kind that Eastwood sells - low viscosity so it won't block heat transfer and it's a high temp  paint that won't flake off.

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1 hour ago, RockinRiviDad said:

 

I said the same thing when I saw the radiator :D . I think that is TIG right?

 

That radiator is gorgeous.  I think the welds are MIG.  The aesthetic effect can be achieved with both processes.  I think for radiators and mass production, MIG may be quicker.  Someone that knows more than me can correct if i am wrong.

 

GREAT build by the way.

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It would have been a crime to hide that under any paint !!!  Could you share a part number on that radiator for us for future reference ?  What would you say the weight difference is between the original and the aluminum ?  Lookin good !!!!!

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On 3/7/2018 at 9:39 PM, first64riv said:

 

That radiator is gorgeous.  I think the welds are MIG.  The aesthetic effect can be achieved with both processes.  I think for radiators and mass production, MIG may be quicker.  Someone that knows more than me can correct if i am wrong.

 

GREAT build by the way.

 

On 3/8/2018 at 6:02 AM, pyntre said:

It would have been a crime to hide that under any paint !!!  Could you share a part number on that radiator for us for future reference ?  What would you say the weight difference is between the original and the aluminum ?  Lookin good !!!!!

 

Thanks for the support guys. I appreciate the input. It really helps keep the momentum going. 

 

Here is the part number right off of the box…hope that helps

 

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Edited by RockinRiviDad (see edit history)
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A bit more ‘momentum’…

 

There’s been recent talk about aftermarket wheel fitment. This came 3-1/2” years too late haha.

 

Back in Post #147 I purchased aftermarket wheels & did NOT get the fitment right ?. In my case I wanted more of the staggered wheel ‘look’ & I felt my rear wheels needed more offset. 

 

So, yea, time & money wasted. But a good lesson on my part. Luckily for me, my wheel selection is NOT too expensive…here’s what I bought to replace my two rear wheels…

 

American Eagle, Eagle Alloy, Boss 338, 18x9.5 (-4mm offset, 5” BS). 

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

If I haven’t said already, I’ll say it again, I am OVER trying to get my bodywork done!! 

 

Money saved for bodywork is now going towards performance  GOODIES!! ?

 

Woo whoo!! Finally got a posi!! No more one wheel squeal haha

 

U can see the number stamping. Divide the 43 (number of teeth on the ring gear) by 12 (number of teeth on the pinion gear & wha-lah! 3:23 posi!! 

 

IMO, this is a great ‘in between’ ratio. I currently have the open 3:23 & I was clocking 2000-2300 RPM’s at 65-70 mph with my TH400. That’s not too bad. Works for me. & I still haven’t even got my Switch Pitch to work. That might help right? 

 

I don’t plan on driving this car cross country. But I bet this ratio would do fine if I did. Not too aggressive like the 3:42 & not too mild like the 3:07.

 

edit: RPM’s are clocking at 2600-2900 @ 65-75 mph NOT 2000-2300

 

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Edited by RockinRiviDad (see edit history)
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On 4/8/2018 at 2:19 PM, pyntre said:

Now that’s a chunk of good old American steel !!!!!! Tires be very very afraid !!!!!

 

I am excited haha. I put the 235’s i had on my 8” wheel on my new 9.5” rear wheels. The 235’s are not wide enough. I can see they are stretched & it looks funny. May have to sacrifice them for the sake of ‘testing’ out my new posi ?

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Not sure if Bernie still comes around. But he hit the nail on the head in post number 3-4 of this build thread. 

 

My kid helped me installed my posi. That 100 pound posi is no joke when trying to install it while lying on your back. Now that’s a reality show that needs to be made ?. 

 

Dammit!! I shoulda snapped a pic of my kid installing the axles. Oh well, him torquing the wheel bearing retainers will have to do haha

 

 

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Sooo glad to see the next generation picking up a tool and learning how to use it and their hands !!!! I have strived to get my boy out in the garage as much as possible over the years so he can see how things work and function as a whole !!! He was 7 when I had him helping me disassemble the Riviera ,, still have the baggies with his writing on them noting what and where the bolts or screws came from ... and he’s 17 now and was a bit nervous helping me stuff an iron headed big block Chevy into our Chevelle a few months back ,, but he helped and learned a BUNCH !!!  We need to get all our kids off the computers and devices and stick an oil filter wrench in their hand and teach them how to use it and why we use it!!! The Geritol crowd here won’t be here forever ,, I am one of them , relax , we need to get LOTS more young people involved !!! Kudos to you and your son for leading the way !!!!! Great pictures from post 3-4 , till now ,,,, they grow up fast !!!

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A few years back, my grandson was working on a merit badge for Boy Scouts.  He needed to 'take part in changing a tire and checking the oil level.  His participation was to video me doing it.  Hope he can find the video next time he has a flat. ?

 

My daughters know much more about taking care of their cars than my grandson can hope for right now.  

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  • 3 weeks later...

Lots has happened in a relatively short amount of time. I’ll start with my tire selection. 

 

My car is finally back on the road & I placed the call for my wider tires to accommodate my wider wheels. 

 

IMO, I nailed the fitment this time. The size was a bit intimidating. But I made them work with the help of a 1/4” spacer. 

 

These meats sure help my posi

 

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Apologies for the crappy lighting.

 

I only had 900 miles on my car before breaking it again & I noticed it was hard to keep things clean. Especially, the polished aluminum. I decided I hated the polished timing chain cover & water pump. 

 

I also noticed oil seeping out of the front main seal. Wha tha heck?!?! It’s a new engine. 

 

So I pulled the cover, scuffed & painted both the new pump & timing chain cover. Now u can see my nice hardware kit. 

 

As for the oil seepage. I found that the machine shop whom I paid lots of $$ to to rebuild my engine used the old rope style front main seal. Not a big deal right? Until they decided to leave my oil sligger out…???…never a dull moment in this journey…

 

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Post #283 I mentioned I bought the components I needed to get my car back on the road. In that list of parts I bought a heavy duty fan clutch…

 

When test driving my car a bit with all these new parts (wheels, tires, posi, water pump, fan, HD fan clutch, EFI) I thought I did something wrong. My engine sounded crazy loud as if my RPM were too high while driving. Did I screw up on the posi ratio? Was it the 1/2” taller tire? Was it my EFI?

 

It turns out it was my damn HD fan clutch!! ??‍♂ they do NOT belong on our Nailheads. I bet u guys knew that huh? U just wanted me to watch me squirm a little right? ?

 

Live & learn…HD fan clutches run at 80-90% of shaft speed. That’s almost 1:1 ?…that was the loud noise I was hearing. It was loud. Really loud. It caused me to think I was gonna break something.

 

Not sure why. But it wasnt easy trying to find a standard duty fan clutch. All the local jobbers said all their PC’s & books called for an HD one? Huh? Luckily one guy crossed referenced parts numbers & BINGO! Standard fan clutch has my Nailhead purring soooo nicely

 

HD on the left, standard on the right

 

Post #295 I stated my RPM range at 65-70 mph was 2000-2300. That was wrong. I will go back & edit that. I am actually at 2600-2900 RPM’s @ 65-70 mph.  

 

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Clutch fans were standard on nailheads that came from the factory with a/c - I don't know if they were "HD."  If yours is howling, it's bad.  It shouldn't howl until the temperature behind the radiator engages the thermal clutch.  The fan just kind of floats free until the radiator temp says you need to pull more air through the radiator.  That's how you know the clutch fan is working correctly, It howls when it's needed.  Hopefully you're using the five blade fan that came originally.  Those aftermarket six blade  fans that flatten out with speed are useless.  Everything was designed to work together.  Changing one variable will upset the dynamics of the entire system.

 

Ed

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On ‎4‎/‎28‎/‎2018 at 1:17 PM, RockinRiviDad said:

 Luckily one guy crossed referenced parts numbers & BINGO! Standard fan clutch has my Nailhead purring soooo nicely 

 

Care to share the Brand name & part #, David. Mines been churning way to often, lately.

 

Steve

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On 4/28/2018 at 2:17 PM, RockinRiviDad said:

Post #283 I mentioned I bought the components I needed to get my car back on the road. In that list of parts I bought a heavy duty fan clutch…

 

When test driving my car a bit with all these new parts (wheels, tires, posi, water pump, fan, HD fan clutch, EFI) I thought I did something wrong. My engine sounded crazy loud as if my RPM were too high while driving. Did I screw up on the posi ratio? Was it the 1/2” taller tire? Was it my EFI?

 

It turns out it was my damn HD fan clutch!! ??‍♂ they do NOT belong on our Nailheads. I bet u guys knew that huh? U just wanted me to watch me squirm a little right? ?

 

Live & learn…HD fan clutches run at 80-90% of shaft speed. That’s almost 1:1 ?…that was the loud noise I was hearing. It was loud. Really loud. It caused me to think I was gonna break something.

 

Not sure why. But it wasnt easy trying to find a standard duty fan clutch. All the local jobbers said all their PC’s & books called for an HD one? Huh? Luckily one guy crossed referenced parts numbers & BINGO! Standard fan clutch has my Nailhead purring soooo nicely

 

HD on the left, standard on the right

 

Post #295 I stated my RPM range at 65-70 mph was 2000-2300. That was wrong. I will go back & edit that. I am actually at 2600-2900 RPM’s @ 65-70 mph.  

 

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Good post! Slightly off subject but I have a `96 Suburban which I purchased new. At about 250K I decided to play it safe and replace the fan clutch while doing a water pump job. The new fan clutch would roar for about 5 minutes when starting cold in the morning, which as far as my memory served me, was never the case. I took back the fan clutch and asked for another from the same mfg. The 2nd fan clutch did the same thing. This was annoying! Especially in the dead of winter when I was trying to get heat up as soon as possible! I tried a 3rd fan clutch from another aftermarket supplier with the same results! The guys at my parts store, who knew me WELL and knew I was a tech, were beginning to think I was crazy. I told them this was not the way a proper fan clutch should behave! Finally I asked to see their book, and what I found was a footnote which stated the replacement fan clutches had been re-engineered for Chevy truck applications to be engaged for a short period of time at cold startup! We ordered an AC/Delco fan clutch...end of problem. This is a typical example of why, even if it is more expensive, I make it a point to choose OEM replacement parts, no matter what type of car/truck I am working on.

  Tom

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On 3/8/2018 at 6:02 AM, pyntre said:

What would you say the weight difference is between the original and the aluminum?

 

Sorry...missed this Q...

the weight difference was not a factor in my purchase. I did not even think about that. Wish I would have. That would be a nice detail to know. 

 

A detail I do have to share is that this radiator took a little more effort to get it to fit than I had expected. It is suppose to be a “direct replacement.” We all know how that goes right haha. The rubber pads that cradle the lower tank had been purchased new months ago. They worked great with my original radiator because the indentations on the lower tank lined up with the rubber pads making easy to slip my old radiator over the rubber pads. Not the case with the new radiator. The indentation on passenger side was right but not the one on driver side. 

Solution was to remove pads & take them to my grinder. I took a little bit of rubber off at a time (10-15 times haha) test fitting them each time until I got them thin enough.

 

Small problem number 2 was the brass fittings on the lower tank (see pic in post #283) which my original tank doesn’t have. They are about 1” which is a hinder when trying to fit my original tranny lines. Driver side tranny line only needed a little persuasion. Not the case for the passenger side tranny line. It is shorter, very rigid & difficult to adjust for that 1” adaptor. I had to disconnect both lines from the cross member mount & used my line bender to reshape the existing bends. 

 

Worked out great overall. Cooling seems good. Temps hover around 160-180

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On 4/28/2018 at 4:27 PM, RivNut said:

If yours is howling, it's bad.

My HD fan clutch was NOT “bad”. It was simply the wrong fan clutch for our Riv’s. U can read all about it in the link below.

 

It shouldn't howl until the temperature behind the radiator engages the thermal clutch.

My engine temps hover at the same temps that these fan clutches are set at. Then they run at ALMOST a 1:1 ratio. So yea, my howl was pretty much constant

 

Hopefully you're using the five blade fan that came originally.

Yes I am running a stock five blade fan. I borrowed it from my buddy’s 64 Riv until I replace it  

 

http://www.haydenauto.com/upload/HaydenAuto/Documents/Cat_Hayden/2007-hayden-fan-clutch.pdf

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18 hours ago, 1965rivgs said:

Good post!

The new fan clutch would roar for about 5 minutes when starting cold in the morning

I found was a footnote which stated the replacement fan clutches had been re-engineered for Chevy truck applications to be engaged for a short period of time at cold startup!

 

Thank u...That Hayden link I posted has some interesting details to go with the ‘footnote’ you shared. It talks about why/how u were experiencing the cold morning clutch engagement. Hope u like

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  • 1 month later...

Once again, a lot has happened in a relatively short amount of time.

 

I was excited to learn that some car shows have an “under construction” category. So...wha tha heck...I decided to enter my car. That lit a fire under my butt & I began to pull parts out of the shed. Ready or not a lot of parts found their way back onto my car haha. 

 

Starting with my rebuilt headlight motor which I purchased from an ROA member, Steve Lorenzen from Indiana (eBay store username: Fostermom1962). I posted a pic of the motor in Post #67 of this build thread. That was almost 5 years ago ?. I bench tested the motor back then & it worked fine. Benched tested it again before installation & guess what...yep...as my luck would have it, the motor didn’t work ?. Luckily, I was able to contact Steve, he remembered me & without hesitation he honored his work asking me to send it to him for him to go thru it. I was so happy, I offered to pay for shipping both ways. He wasn’t having it, he said he would take care of it. Shipped from Cali to Indiana plus the time he needed to go thru it was all less than 8 days...blew my mind haha. He sells Rivi parts on eBay. So lets help a brother out haha

 

Then the fun began...with headlight motor working I tried to install it & quickly learned that my linkage arms were distorted/bent. In all the years I have had this car I never had a motor to hook the arms to. The arms just always hung there. When I dismantled the car for the resto the arms were tossed into a large milk crate type bin. Not sure if the arms were bent by P.O. or by me being careless & letting the arms hang from my car. Once I sorted that out by reshaping (that is putting it kindly) both arms & welding a crack in one arm it turned out that the mounting bracket (not the side support bracket) was not at the 90 degree angle it needed to be. I couldn’t get my lower bumper back on. The headlight motor was leaning too far forward. So I had to remove the motor, remove the bracket & bend it in my vise. Now, I couldn’t be happier. 

 

I did find myself in a bit of despair during this process. I mean...it only took 4 days to do a task that shoulda only taken 4 hours...tops. So I turned to our brother Winston (Seafoam) for some direction. Look out fella’s...I’m on a roll, I’m making this car beautiful again & I have no clue on what I’m doing haha. So any one of u may be getting a phone call from me next haha

 

in all seriousness...THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP STEVE LORENZEN & WINSTON!!! U guys rock!!!

 

stay tuned for more haha

 

 

Edited by RockinRiviDad (see edit history)
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I’ve always liked how some guys run their spark plug wires super nicely. Makes the Nailhead & engine compartment look super clean. So I gave it a whirl, I bought custom cut to fit spark plug wires. Looking back, I coulda did a little better. But not to bad for my first time. I cut a couple too short & a couple too long...oh well...live & learn. I also started hiding my wiring by running wire looms under driver side fender. I also plan to relocate the horn relay/junction box in order to run my battery lead in the same manner. 

 

Before:

 

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After:

 

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My door panels have seen better days. They were in bad shape. Lots of water damage. My plan was to scrape off the varnish, sand, add a little stain to mask the water stains on the wood, then varnish again.  Lots of work. Well the wood was too far gone & it took the stain like caca. It got way too blotchy for me. So I decided to lay the stain on heavy & call it good for the car show. Its definitely better than before. But I think I will be happier with the wood panels. Father’s Day is coming & the walnut kit is in the crosshairs 

 

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My seat frames are rotted & cushions are deteriorating..shhhh...don’t tell anyone...its our little secret haha...that didn’t stop me from throwing the seats back in for the car show haha...my fiberglass package tray is also a lumpy mess...I will have to do some bodywork on it to get it straight. But a little black paint help blend it in a bit...NOT haha. I also have to cut slits in the front edge for the speaker grill. This ‘slapping things together’ thing is actually beneficial. I see that the package tray may need more than just a little bodywork. I tried to fit the contoured metal moldings that sit on the package tray at the base of the sail panel & there is a HUGE gap at the rear between the tray & molding. So left those out for now

 

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On June 9, 2018 at 8:36 AM, RockinRiviDad said:

I’ve always liked how some guys run their spark plug wires super nicely. Makes the Nailhead & engine compartment look super clean. So I gave it a whirl, I bought custom cut to fit spark plug wires. Looking back, I coulda did a little better. But not to bad for my first time. I cut a couple too short & a couple too long...oh well...live & learn. I also started hiding my wiring by running wire looms under driver side fender. I also plan to relocate the horn relay/junction box in order to run my battery lead in the same manner. 

 

Before:

 

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After:

 

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Beautiful! Good job david. Also like the temporary solution to the interior panels. Looks way better than before.

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