Cooling and Braking

Yesterday I rebuilt the emergency brake cables and the crimping operation went reasonably well. The hardest part was removing the stainless-steel stops without damaging the wire cable while saving enough length to re-crimp. I used a Dremel with a narrow cutting wheel, but I’m getting to the point where I don’t trust my hands for precise work anymore. Lucky I guess...everything survived.

This crimper did the job, but it's not top quality by any means. The manufacturer included several seals and gaskets with the kit, so they must expect problems  and are covering their butts.

The cable rebuilds required removing the longer, heavier return spring from the long cable, and installing it in place of the lighter spring on the short cable used on the left side. The long donor cable will now being used as the front cable attached to the e-brake foot pedal. Once I secure the front and rear cables into their mounting brackets, I can determine what size intermediate cable I’ll have to buy.

The lower shock bolt I ordered from Mancini arrived today and I got the hole in the shock plate re-sized for the new bolt. If I can avoid distractions tomorrow, I might be able to finish the shock installation as well as install the brake cable mounting bracket, attach the gas tank wire and hoses and touch up the bottom side paint scrapes. It would be nice to complete all the mechanical and electrical tasks on the rear-half of the car so I can get back to the front and try out my wheel alignment tool.

Now that all the belts and pulleys are in place, I ordered two high performance Spal 9” curved blade fans for cooling.  I had hoped to use a single large diameter fan, either electric or stock 7-blade with a clutch.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough clearance between the 4-core radiator and the water pump pulley for either option, despite the numerous low-profile fans on the market. The combined CFM rating of the two nines is about the same as a single 14”.

Designing and fabricating a fan shroud might prove to be interesting!

1956 Plymouth Fury-Great YouTube Video

What a beautiful restoration! I can't begin to imagine the patience, the labor, and the cost of his car. It makes my project look so crude and imperfect, but it also looks like a car I'd be terrified to drive on the highway for fear of it being damaged in any way.

My shock absorber project has both good and bad news to report. The extensions fit fine and the left side shock is installed. The right is attached at the top, but the stud on the shock plate is too short! If I recall correctly, the pair came from the same car, but the right stud measures 1/4" shorter than the left and will not work with the shock. Fortunately, the stud is not welded in place, so I can bolt on a new one. Mancini has new replacements in stock for a little over eighteen dollars plus shipping, and that sure beats buying used parts that now cost over a hundred dollars a pair!

Thanks to my lack of forethought when I placed the gas tank, installing the upper bolt on the right side was a real pain. Had I installed the tank an inch more to the left it would have been simple, but the nut was close enough to touch the tank strap and in the cramped area it was nearly impossible to get started. Once the nut engaged, everything went well.

It was also difficult to find a good position to take a clear picture of the installed extensions.

When it Rains it Pours

Lots of things underway, but nothing of importance finished. The daily rains continue unabated, and my gauge has registered over Five inches in the past week! The yard has standing water everywhere and the grass is growing like jungle bamboo. The ten-day forecast predicts that intermittent storms will continue through the middle of May, so if it ever does dry out, it will take days to catch up with delayed yard work.

Here’s all that’s happening with the car.

The metal for the homemade shock extensions arrived and I’ve been trying to determine the best bracket design to use. I would have preferred switching to a longer shock that would bolt in, but I had to give up the search. The closest length I could find were those for a Toyota 4-wheel drive truck, but they were too heavy duty for my use, and still two inches short at full extension. I don’t like the five-inch brackets but will use them for now. After the car hits the road I may decide to create a different mounting method.

This is the best extension design I've tried so far and will paint and install them this weekend. Both sides will be identical, so they are easy to make. Angles will be installed and welded after parts are fitted to the frame.

I've also changed my mind about modifying the e-brake cables. I was leery of having the mechanic experiment attaching a barrel stop on my parts, so I invested in a tool that will crimp the aluminum barrel-stops I found in Lowe’s fencing department. Not sure if it will do the job but will give it a try after I finish mounting the rear shocks. At least I’ll be the one to blame if it goes wrong.

The hydraulic crimper is Chinese made, so I might regret doing the job myself, but we’ll see.

The e-brake cable bracket is done and will be bolted to the left spring shackle support.

I did finish reconfiguring the belt drives and everything fits much better now. Belt adjustment has improved and the entire mounting method is significantly sturdier. I’ll need to buy different belts, but overall the design should be much better than my first idea.