Most of the work we've done on the truck lately has been under the hood. While there's still some cleaning left to do (hey, this baby IS 53 years old), things are starting to come together. John installed this new HEI distributor (for those who follow Tracy's way of thinking, it's the red thing) and also added some new plugs ( the gray things) and plug wires (the blue things). The result: something most likely very complex, but in a nutshell, it makes the car sound and run a lot better.
Wow! No more broomstick holding up the hood! Rumor has it John sent it to (insert name of current "favorite" relative here) for their new ride. Instead, we have an actual rod fashioned for this very purpose. We also had to deal with the more emotional side of our truck this week (like all Smiths, it has multiple personalities) when we came out to the garage and discovered a whole pool of Studebaker tears, weeping (more like pouring) out of the radiator. At the point, we had no choice other than to have the radiator repaired (and cry a few tears of our own).
After fighting the losing battle of keeping the old battery charged, we finally bit the bullet and replaced that, as well. Besides, this one's prettier. In a manly way, that is....
What has Tracy been up to while the guys tinker on the engine? Why, she's also been under the hood! Painting, that is. Just about all that black in the background was originally either green, rust, or a combination of the two. It's still a work in progress, and the flash does not do it justice, but we're prepared to open the hood at the next car show!
5 comments:
So you went with the mechanical distributor, eh? I don't even know how to adjust those things. How do you tune them?
Jeff Although it has some of the old points/condesor dist look about it. This one is HEI (electronic) Not as sophisticated as the new trip trigger distirbutor system (which cost about as much as the purchase price of the truck).
Old dudes like me even like them although the old style was a piece of cake to fix or adjust. But sometimes ya just gotta move on and give up the blonds.
sman
Looking good stude nuts, Now all you have to do is get some of the new alluminized coatings for those heat rusted manifolds.
Some metalic water hose's and a stainless braided fuel line.
Nice job El Pancho is looking better and better. Carefull you may catch the fever.
I just want to know are you going to be the seat cover and maintain your 50"s role as Johns short. Or are you gonna put him in the ----- seat for the next cruise.
sman/GD/Daaaaa
I enjoy and understand technical terms like "the red thing." I assume it does something useful. I do know what a radiator is, though.
it's a given in techlanise. The red thing always come in handy and is always usefull. I am very happy though that no one has stepped outside the box and used the word cute.
Thingamajig and framitz are okay of course.
sman
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