Cliff's 33 Hot Rod Build in Virginia

[j33ptj]

Wow,... close call!!

[ej95Cobra]

Great watching your build, it's often these little things that surprise us. You should come out to Cars & Coffee at Regency Square Mall. I get out there 4 - 5 times a year, great to see the mix of cars. I've seen 2 other F5 Hot Rods there.

[sethmark]

Good job with the heads up ball. Glad you notice before something bad. Break in miles are so important.

[colsen23153]

Great watching your build, it's often these little things that surprise us. You should come out to Cars & Coffee at Regency Square Mall. I get out there 4 - 5 times a year, great to see the mix of cars. I've seen 2 other F5 Hot Rods there.

I'll have to check them out. Do you have a schedule? When is the next one?

[ej95Cobra]

Here's a link to the Cars and Coffee Richmond site. Happens every other Saturday morning 8 - 10 am. Next one is Sept 5.

http://carsandcoffeerichmond.com/

Great spot to see several hundred cars of all types and talk to other car minded people.

[colsen23153]

Well it looks like it's almost been 2 years since my last post. Do I still have the '33? Am I working on it? Yes and yes. A lot of things happened along the way until now. My health for one. I had back problems and I decided I needed to get that fixed if I wanted to complete the build on the car. I can't believe what I had to do to get that fixed. I received about 6 to 8 shots in my back that did absolutely nothing for my pain. Had a operation by a neurosurgeon that complicated the situation. Then fell backwards on my right hip and fixed the problem. Would you believe a bone chip pressing on the nerve that broke off in the fall. I should have fallen sooner :).

Like some of you I wasn't satisfied with the way the car was driving. I was having problems with the shifter and getting about 8 mpg on the road. The motor that came from BluePrint was more for the drags then to cruse the road. Very touchy on the throttle. So I started replacing some parts to get it the way I wanted. First I replaced the shifter for a B&M ratchet shifter. That was a big difference. Next I got a MSD HyperSpark distributer and turned on the timing from the Sniper. I wasn't happy at first because of the built in timing graph. I had to change that and built my own from scratch. That took a long time because I was afraid of messing up the timing and rune the engine. So I took it slow and added a little timing at a time. I'm still not done with that but it now drives much better. Last check I'm getting about 13mpg.

Well, a lot of other thing have happened with the build that you can't see from the outside. I will describe those changes when I have a chance. Until then ... Cliff

[Tampa33Build]

I had the same issue with the Blueprint 400, was getting only 7-8 miles to a gallon. Changed the distributor to a Holley HyperSpark distributor to allow the Sniper controlled timing. Last check was 12.8 MPG, big improvement. Do not understand why an engine ordered with EFI comes with a distributor that cannot be set to have timing controlled by the EFI.
My current issue is at the lower RPM there is some hesitation, acts like the timing is not being set correct. Most likely same issue needs timing graph changed.
Only wish I had went with a Boyd tank, filling the FFR supplied tank takes way to long.

[colsen23153]

I brought my car into a repair shop to be inspected and the mechanic said I had a brake fluid leak which appears to be coming from the bottom edge of the reservoir. I had noticed this about a year ago and asked FFR to send me another one. Now I have the same problem so there must be more to this. I was thinking that the reservoir had a weld on the bottom of it that was leaking. I took out the "old" one and looked it over closely. What I discovered was that the reservoir is actually made up of two cylinder cups. Look into the reservoir and you can see the top of the smaller cup at the bottom of the outside larger cup. They must be pressed together to form the reservoir. So how was the brake fluid getting past the top of the inner cup between the two cups. Only thing that could cause that is pressure.

Well the cap of the reservoir has a hole in it so any pressure in the cup should escape through the hole in the cap. That's the way it should have worked. As the fluid heated up in the lines and brake cylinder it would expand causing the the pressure buildup. Also if the fluid level was too much it wouldn't give it enough space to expand. Well I took a vacuum pump and connected it to the bottom of the old reservoir and pumped it up. I expected it to not hold any vacuum. It reached 10 inches and held it there for over a few minutes. That should have not happened according to my thinking. I tried to blow through the hole in the cap and nothing. I drilled a very small hole into it and still couldn't get any air through it. It wasn't until I got the black gasket out of the cap that it worked. I couldn't find any hole in the gasket so I put one in it. So that should take care of the leaking reservoir. Just don't overfill it and don't over tighten the cap.

I have been chasing my tail trying to solve a random problem with my steering where it will slightly pull to one side or the other. The "crowned road" effect. I had the alignment double checked and it was still good. Now, with what I just explained above, I was wondering if that might be causing the problem. With enough pressure I had in the reservoir to cause the fluid to pass between the two cups, was it possible that it was causing excessive pressure in the brake system causing the calipers to not release completely, causing the pulling on the rotor on a wheel?

I will test drive it after I return from the 4th of July week end.

[colsen23153]

Months ago I was under my car installing a shifter and I was having a problem with the linkage passing on the left side of the transmission. There was a plug there with a vacuum switch in the way. I ordered from BluePrint the engine and transmission combo so I didn't know all that I had. A call to TCI and I found out it was for the converter lockup. Wow, something extra that I didn't know that I had. I asked how to hook it up and it was as simple as adding a switch and a vacuum line. I did all that and it worked nicely. It reduced the rpm in 4th gear by about 500 to 700 rpm. Better fuel economy, GREAT! There was one drawback. I had to turn the switch on and off to use it and prevent the lugging when I reduced the speed.

I found out there are controllers available that would control the turning on and off of the lockup. Problem was that most of them used the speedometer cable that comes out the side of the transmission. As you know there isn't room for that in our cars. So I thought about using the GPS that goes to the speedometer. The AutoMeter speedometer controller uses pulses from the GPS unit to tell how fast you were going. And with the way you had to "calibrate" it was not a way I wanted to go. I fly Quad copters that use GPS to know where it's going. I had a few GPS units hanging around. So I decided to use them and a computer module and a relay to determine the speed and to turn on and off the converter lockup with the relay in series with the switch. I have a background in electronics, computer repair and 20 years of computer programming before I retried. I programmed my control unit to turn on the lockup at 45 mph and turn it off when the speed dropped below 40 mph. Works like a charm. Now I don't have to worry about when to turn the lockup on and off. It feels like another gear in the transmission. I liked the way it worked out and giving me a little bit better fuel millage.

I was thinking that other people would be in the same boat as I was in and had a need for one of these controllers. I might build a few and sell them on Ebay. Well I checked in Summitracing.com and JEGS.com and they sell something that is similar, using a pressure gauge to determine it's in 4th gear and all that. I don't know if I would sell them. I might make a couple and see if anyone here would like to try it out and give me feed back on what they thought about it. Sort of a test group. I'll see.

[FF33rod]

I brought my car into a repair shop to be inspected and the mechanic said I had a brake fluid leak which appears to be coming from the bottom edge of the reservoir. I had noticed this about a year ago and asked FFR to send me another one. Now I have the same problem so there must be more to this. I was thinking that the reservoir had a weld on the bottom of it that was leaking. I took out the "old" one and looked it over closely. What I discovered was that the reservoir is actually made up of two cylinder cups. Look into the reservoir and you can see the top of the smaller cup at the bottom of the outside larger cup. They must be pressed together to form the reservoir. So how was the brake fluid getting past the top of the inner cup between the two cups. Only thing that could cause that is pressure.

Well the cap of the reservoir has a hole in it so any pressure in the cup should escape through the hole in the cap. That's the way it should have worked. As the fluid heated up in the lines and brake cylinder it would expand causing the the pressure buildup. Also if the fluid level was too much it wouldn't give it enough space to expand. Well I took a vacuum pump and connected it to the bottom of the old reservoir and pumped it up. I expected it to not hold any vacuum. It reached 10 inches and held it there for over a few minutes. That should have not happened according to my thinking. I tried to blow through the hole in the cap and nothing. I drilled a very small hole into it and still couldn't get any air through it. It wasn't until I got the black gasket out of the cap that it worked. I couldn't find any hole in the gasket so I put one in it. So that should take care of the leaking reservoir. Just don't overfill it and don't over tighten the cap.

I have been chasing my tail trying to solve a random problem with my steering where it will slightly pull to one side or the other. The "crowned road" effect. I had the alignment double checked and it was still good. Now, with what I just explained above, I was wondering if that might be causing the problem. With enough pressure I had in the reservoir to cause the fluid to pass between the two cups, was it possible that it was causing excessive pressure in the brake system causing the calipers to not release completely, causing the pulling on the rotor on a wheel?

I will test drive it after I return from the 4th of July week end.

Hmmm. I came to a different conclusion about the reservoir but am by no means claiming to be right. My reservoir was not leaking but as you noted, I noted that the cap of the reservoir had a hole while the black "gasket" underneath did not. I also noted that the gasket has some folds in it making it quite flexible. I believe this is all as intended and have noted the following. First, most brake fluid is hygroscopic meaning it absorbs moisture from the air. If it does the properties are altered which is a problem. So, I assume this is why the black gasket has no hole. However, the folds in the gasket make it flexible allowing the space in the reservoir to change according to needs. In fact, I had a leak in one of the rear lines and when checking the reservoir noted that the gasket was sucked in a little so I had to pry it off (with a pop) and top up the fluid. The hole in the very top, of course, is what allows the gasket to do its "thing".

Steve

[colsen23153]

Hmmm. I came to a different conclusion about the reservoir but am by no means claiming to be right. My reservoir was not leaking but as you noted, I noted that the cap of the reservoir had a hole while the black "gasket" underneath did not. I also noted that the gasket has some folds in it making it quite flexible. I believe this is all as intended and have noted the following. First, most brake fluid is hygroscopic meaning it absorbs moisture from the air. If it does the properties are altered which is a problem. So, I assume this is why the black gasket has no hole. However, the folds in the gasket make it flexible allowing the space in the reservoir to change according to needs. In fact, I had a leak in one of the rear lines and when checking the reservoir noted that the gasket was sucked in a little so I had to pry it off (with a pop) and top up the fluid. The hole in the very top, of course, is what allows the gasket to do its "thing".

Steve

Thank you Steve for that information. I was looking for a fast fix to the problem and overlooked the fact about the brake fluid being hygroscopic. With that I agree the black gasket should not have a hole in it letting air in or out. I switched my gasket with the radiator overflow container.

So it must be caused from me overfilling the reservoir. It is now down to 1/2 full so that should not be the problem. I am still going to check the front brake pads and rotors for excessive wear. Time will tell.

[colsen23153]

In the new instructions for the electric windows they have added a new piece. See below. This piece is to guide the right side of the window so it exits the slot in the door for it. I am having trouble mounting that new piece. I had to cut away on the inside of the door and I'm thinking, before I do any further cutting, I should see how other people are dealing with this new piece. Post pictures if you can. Thanks ...Cliff

169152169153

[FF33rod]

Copying my answer on the Facebook group....

This piece is not new and your problem is not new, had the same issue on the driver's side. There are so many things that come into play - position of the hard top front to back, door trimming, symmetry of the body side to side, even the internal door structure.... Passenger side was no problem but the driver's side took forever.

To make a long story short - check the position of the roof, if you can move it back a little. You can grind away some of the thickness of the door on the inside where that piece is hitting. I also ground the corner of the piece itself off at the top ( the window needs support left/right not back/forward really. AND, lastly, I actually had to push the door forward by trimming more off the front and glassing back some material at the rear... good luck, not one of the more fun things to sort. Reference post 180 of my build thread on the forum (SN 1104)

Steve

[colsen23153]

I have been putting some miles on the '33 and I have come up with a situation that I don't like. When I'm out on the interstate or driving on the back roads when a truck passes in the other direction, the front of my hood comes up a bit and some times just flutters. I have stopped a few times to make sure I didn't loose some hardware. I think the problem is the hinge is not adjusted correctly.
173558
How do I adjust these so I don't have this situation any more? I have an idea but would appreciate some input as to the propper way to adjust it.

Thanks,
Cliff

[colsen23153]

How has my transmission converter lock up been going.
As I said it works great. I had it on a bread board for a while then put all the components on a PC board and even printed a 3D case for it. Everything was working great until it wasn't working any more. I found out the CPU had burned up causing the power regulator to burn up also. I built another on a bread board again. This time I changed a few things. It's been working ever since. I redesigned the circuit to just be the bare minimum required to work. Now I'm putting that circuit on a PC board and see how long this one lasts. I'll let you know how that worked out.

Cliff