Coming Together

As anticipated, today was focused on assembling the engine.  Mr. Mechanic came over at 9AM, and directed the events.  I helped a little, but mostly talked and took pictures.  My boys, back from college, participated when they could.  Seeing the motor come together was healthy, hopeful, and in a way, healing...

We started by washing the engine block and crankshaft with soap and water, making sure no grit was inadvertently left on any of the interior surfaces. We also made a point of clearing the oil galleries again using the rifle cleaning rod and patches.  My younger son cleaned out several passages himself.

After carefully washing the block, Mr. Mechanic blew off the water, then put WD40 on the cylinder walls.

On a Y-block, the first step in engine assembly is to install the tappets.  The tappets install from the bottom, above the camshaft.  That's why they need to go in before the cam.  Younger son was able to help put some of them in.  Note the assembly lube... this is a messy job!

Note that the block is upside down. Fist of the 16 tappets is installed here. 

The lubed tappets go in smoothly.  Note the shiny cam bearing just above the well-lubed tappet.

The next step is to install the camshaft.  More assembly lube, more greasy hands.  The cam bearings were installed 38 years ago, along with the pistons, crank and rod bearings.... but the engine never ran.  They are good as new.  Cam bearings, like main bearings, are made of soft metal, and easily get scratched or distorted before they are installed.

Lubing the cam

Carefully guiding the cam through the cam bearings in the block

 The cam seemed a little tight in the bearings... it was kind of tough getting it through the first bearing.  Maybe the cam bearings got slightly bent somehow.  I'm glad Mr. Mechanic was there with his career's worth of experience!

Guiding the cam into the end bearing

Cam installed.  Note the distributor gear on the right side of this picture.

Once the cam was in, it turned freely.  I think that the bearings reformed to the cam as we installed it.

The next step is to dry fit the crankshaft, and check the journal bearing clearances.  While I trust the machine shop to have done a good job, it only makes sense to check this again, when it is relatively easy to fix.

5 journal bearings installed, prior to dry fitting the crankshaft.

The journal caps are matched to the bearings, and need to be installed in the right position

Journal bearings, like cam bearings, are soft metal... but they are in two pieces.  These also need to be in the right position.

 The crankshaft is laid onto the journals in the block, and a small precision strand of deformable plastic (Plasti-gage) is laid on top of the crank journal.  The journal cap, with the other half of the bearing, is then installed.

Tightening #1 journal cap, with plasti-gage installed.

 The journal cap is then loosened and removed.  The amount that the plastic strand deforms indicates the amount of bearing clearance.

Reading the plastigage.  This journal is between 2 and 3 thousandths.  Perfect.

Here's plastigage on the crank side of the main bearing.

Plastigage on the end main bearing.  This is where the rear oil seal goes.

 All of the bearing clearances checked OK.  We put assembly lube on the journals and main bearings, then replaced the bearing caps and torqued them to 100 ft-lb (per the '55 Ford shop manual).

Main bearing caps installed.

Next, we installed the rear oil seal.  This is one of those things that, if installed incorrectly, will leak... but is very difficult to replace once the engine is in the car.  Here's where some experience pays off. Once again, I'm glad Mr. Mechanic was here!

Rear oil seal installed.

 Next we installed the timing chain.  This requires carefully following the shop manual instructions, since the y-block timing marks are different than just about any other engine.  The cam gear, crank gear, and timing chain need to be installed together.  Getting the gears to align with the woodruff keys on both crank and cam took some persistent coercion, but again seasoned mechanical experience paid off.

Cam and crankshaft before timing chain installed.

Finally, everything lines up.

Per the manual, 12 chain pins between the timing marks on each gear (on the right side)

 After the timing chain was on, we checked each of the rings for proper size.  We will install the rings on the pistons on Wednesday, then install the pistons, rod bearings, oil pump, pan, and maybe the heads.  That would be good.

 It may not seem like we accomplished a lot today, but I still feel good.  It's OK to take our time and enjoy the process, to delight in something good coming together.  I particularly like having the help of a trustworthy mechanic, someone to trust going through this process.  I feel free of that teenage self-doubt I experienced the last time I had this car.

Freedom from doubt.  Enjoying the journey.  Seeing things come together.  This is what I have needed.  Thank you, Lord!

What is True Color, Anyway?

Blue, Peacock, Turquoise, Teal, Green.  Ok, so I don't really have much color sense.  It seems that I have a lot to learn about color.

In a previous post, I was obsessing about color. I still am. It costs a lot to paint a car well, and since a specialty car is going to be pampered, that paint decision is going to linger for a very long time. I previously said that I don't like the original color of this car: Thunderbird Blue (called Sky Haze Green on any other '55 Ford model, and that's a good description). It's turquoise, and a rather light shade at that. I also said that I really preferred 1956 Peacock Blue.  I first saw this color in a coffee table book on Thunderbirds. I liked the color so much that I bought the book (don't be too impressed - it was on the discount rack at Half Price Books).  Here is the picture that caught my eye, a truely gorgeous color.  The scan doesn't do justice to the depth of the blue color in print, which is a little darker with maybe just a hint of green.  As mentioned before, regular computer monitors may not be able to reproduce this color.

Even though I love that color, I have not seen anything close to it anywhere else represented as authentic peacock blue, either in person or on the internet. I suspect that the owner of the t-bird in this picture painted it this delightful color and simply called it peacock blue.

The aftermarket color chips I've seen render Ford Peacock Blue as a kind of blue-grey, much less intense than this photo. Many internet photos of '56 t-birds render it as a lighter blue, with a little green. Some photos render it as a purer, darker blue, closer to the grabber blue I discussed previously. Google "Thunderbird Peacock Blue" images and you will see what I mean.

So, what's the authentic color? Is there one? The variances I see in "Ford Peacock Blue" are much more than digitization or display color errors.  As I've said before, I'm not a stickler for authenticity... but now I'm curious, and I want to get to the bottom of this!

Once again, I decided to paint a model. I purchased another die cast '55 t-bird model off eBay (won it for $.99, but paid $12 shipping).   I ordered 4 ounces of 1956 Ford Peacock Blue from AutomotiveTouchup.com, as they claim to closely match any color. This is probably what my local paint shop would mix for me. I took the model apart and painted it. Here's how it turned out:

In sunlight

In shade

 

Note how lighting conditions make a profound difference in how this color is represented in photographs.  No, I didn't take the time to reset the white balance for each shot,  but this does tend to explain why it's difficult to characterize this color.

Wiktionary defines of Peacock Blue as "A brilliant, dark blue-green colour". The free dictionary defines it as "A moderate to dark or strong greenish blue." Not turquoise, which is lighter and greener (the seat, floor, and trim of the model is turquoise). Not Teal, which is darker and much greener. Peacock is bluer and a little darker than turquoise, but it's not pure blue. Not even close.  Clearly not the Ford Grabber Blue of my previous model.  And by the way, that color is very close to the 2010 Ford color.  Here's a pic of the grabber model on the trunk lid of a new Mustang.  It is a very intense blue in person, no green in it whatsoever.

 Here are both models under different lighting conditions.

 Indoor incandescent lighting

 Direct Sunlight

Once again, you can see how the color changes.  I'm starting to like this rendition of Ford Peacock Blue.  It has been a hunt, but I've learned something.  I'm still learning.  The body guy still hasn't gotten back to me with an estimate, but I have been reassured that he's not closing the shop.  We'll see.  In any event, I would pick this Peacock Blue color if I had to choose tomorrow.  I'll ask Dad what he thinks over Thanksgiving.

Here are some detail pics of the new model, just for fun.  I did the dash, upholstery and trim in '55 colors, just like the other model.  I spent way too much time on this!

I wish my full size t-bird had a supercharger like this one!

I primed the block today, and I expect to paint it this week.  I'm taking vacation over Thanksgiving week.  The boys are flying home from college.  A week from Monday Mr. Mechanic will come over and we will start putting the engine together.  There is a good chance that Dad will be here too, an all-guy bonding experience... prior to the memorial for my mother-in-law a week from Tuesday.

I'm hopeful that this will be a time of restoring hearts, as well as an old car.  Of experiencing some of the more subtle, and bluer hues of life.  And that's OK.  There is something profound about grieving together.

Engine Block Angioplasty

The little 'bird's heart needed some minor surgery.  Y-blocks are unjustly infamous for starving the the rocker arms of oil.  The original "side oiler" design was actually very good, and used in later Ford racing engines.  The heavy non-detergent engine oils available in the '50's, however, tended to coke up in the narrow passages, especially going from the camshaft center journal up through the block and heads to the rocker arms.  This isn't a problem when using modern oils.  Just the same, every website or article I've seen on y-block rebuilding mentions that it is essential to remove all 8 oil gallery plugs from the block, and then carefully clean out every oil passage to remove the gunk that has inevitably collected there.

Well, the machine shop had some trouble removing the plugs, stripping out the hex socket in about half of them and leaving them.  Kind of unprofessional, in my way of thinking.  I resorted to using a pipe-nipple-extractor, kind of an ez-out on steriods, in conjunction with an air impact wrench.

To reach the last two on the rear of the block, I had to take the engine off the stand.

After more work with a drill, nipple-remover and impact wrench, I got these out as well

And then used my boy's rifle cleaning kit to carefully clean out every oil gallery and passage

There is still some gunk in the passage from the center cam journal up to the rockers, but it is very hard to get out since the cam bearings are already installed.  I'll work with Mr Mechanic to figure a way to flush it out.  I've blown it out with air, but there is more crud left than I like.

It's been raining this weekend.  Once the weather clears, I will prime and paint the block to match the other engine parts I've already painted. 

That's authentic "Ford Red" engine enamel, which is a shade different than the Chevy or Chrysler red.  Not that I'm a stickler for authenticity, but I had to paint the engine anyway, so why not get the color right?  I'm using a small detail spray gun as opposed to a rattle can.  It's not really clear to me that this is a significant improvement, but I'm still working on my spray gun technique.

The wife and I spent the weekend at a church retreat.  The respite was important for us.  The days tend to drag on, even though I'm busy at work and the t-bird provides a fun diversion.

I'm hoping to have all the engine parts ready for assembly over Thanksgiving break, when both my boys will be home from college.  For me, at least, making something come together should be good therapy.  I've seen too much falling apart recently.

She's gone. She's really gone.

 

 My mother in law died two weeks ago... 11 October, at 7:25 PM.  This was expected.  Hospice had established a "last watch".  We all knew that she was going to leave us.  She hadn't been awake for days, and her body had withered away to practically nothing.  My wife and I were there, at her bedside, along with a few very close friends.  We sang and prayed over her. and we experienced her departure from this planet.

I continue to wrestle with my own feelings about this.  How much do I really miss her?  Am I really sad?  Should I be sad?  Since she lived with us for 12 years, I see remnants of her presence all around me.  Her furniture, her toiletries, her linens.  Is she really gone?  Will I see her again when I die? 

Last Friday, I had the t-bird moved to the body shop.  It's not in my garage any more.  I see remnants of it's presence... engine parts, trim parts, engine block on a stand.  I anticipate seeing it again, but I don't know exactly when.  I also don't know what condition it will be in when I do see it again, or how much poorer I'll be.  Body guy hasn't given me an estimate yet, and it's not clear that he will be able to paint the car before he closes shop at the end of the year.  

More uncertainty... I really don't need this right now.   I need something I can depend on.

Visualizing though a Model

Professionally, I do a lot of computer modeling.  It is natural for me to try to visualize a future state through a model.  For this project, I have learned that computer displays and photographs often cannot render colors accurately, or at least not exactly as they appear naturally to the human eye.  The reasons have to do with limitations in the color palette available on digital displays, and ink pigments for photographic prints.  Also, lighting conditions can make a very big difference in how colors are captured in both sliver-based and digital photographs.  The blue color that Dad and I are going for on the t-bird seems to be one of these problematic colors.   Every online photo I found, supposedly of this same color, was a different shade or hue.  How could I trust that the color was accurate?

Well, last month my son gave me a die-cast model of a '55 T-bird.  I decided to paint it, using an available color (ModelMaster Grabber Blue) that sort of resembles the color we are going for.  Ford's '55 Peacock Blue, '70 Grabber Blue, and '10 Grabber Blue are similar colors to this.  You have probably seen a new Mustang painted this color.  For the interior, I started by matching the original colors that came on this car (turquoise, white, and a darker turquoise-green on the dash & upper trim).  Here's how it turned out (recognizing the limitations of digital photography):

The color in these pics is pretty close to the real color, which is a very vibrant blue.  Surprisingly, the interior colors don't clash.  Dad also suggested painting the removable hardtop white, but adding a racing stripe... like this:

This has provided a good color-baseline.  I will need to compare this with color chips for the Ford colors before I invest in paint, but I have more confidence about the color combinations now, and I can confidently say that this color appeals to me much more than the original "Thunderbird Blue"/turquoise.  I also think that it is consistent with the original fun character of the car, without blatantly going over the line into lack of taste (evidenced by the "bright lime"/Pinto green color I picked in 1973).

Prepping for Paint

This is a tech-only entry. Body guy says I should prep the engine compartment before I send the car for paint. In order to do this, I wanted to unbolt everything that penetrates into the engine compartment, so there won't be bolt heads or screw threads that would get painted over, and also to make sanding easier.

So, I needed to remove the ventilation ducts from inside the fenders. Here they are on the floor between some assorted engine parts and my freshly rebuilt transmission (wrapped in plastic, since it will be a while before I can use it).

I also had to remove the firewall insulation from under the dashboard. The fasteners stuck through into the engine compartment. It was extremely brittle, and didn't come out in one piece.

Here is a drivers eye view of the progress, with a clear view of the steering box in the engine compartment.

I also pulled the wiring harness into the cabin, and started working on sanding the horrid green paint in the engine compartment. Here's what it looked like when I started:

Using lacquer thinner, scrubbing pads, and a multi tool with a small sanding head, here's how far I got in about 3 hours. I made a whole lot of dust!

Another weekend of work, and the car should be ready for the body shop!

One thing that I did to the car when I owned it 40 years ago was play some games with the chrome insignia on the front fender. Here's the stock fender insignia on a '55 t-bird. Check out the hashmarks... Ford designers wanted something to emphasize (or maybe rationalize) the start of the break line on the fender, leading back to the rear tail fin. Aft of the hashmarks, Ford used the traditional y-block V-8 emblem.

I don't like fake stuff on my cars. Two tailpipes should only appear on cars with dual exhaust, and any hood scoop should be required to pass a useful amount of air. The hashmarks... gills, fake louvers, whatever... annoy me. They are blatantly non-functional, and I'm thinking that they clutter the simple, clean lines. They have no real meaning or significance. What would the car look like without them? The y-block V-8 emblem was widely seen on 50's Ford cars and trucks, but it only appeared on t-birds in 1955. It is an emblem that has meaning, as opposed to the hashmarks, and I definitely want to keep it! So, last time I had this car, I filled the original holes, and drilled new ones to move the V-8 forward.

In most respects, I'd prefer to keep the car looking stock. In this case, I think I like my modification. It may look good with my choice of non-stock blue paint!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad. I typed this using a bluetooth keyboard in Dvorak mode.

Changing Priorities

Last week I called the body shop that "Uncle Packard" recommended.  I learned that the body guy, who is 65 years old, was taught to do body work in the "old school" way (using lead, not bondo) by his father, now 90 years old and still working at the shop!  I believe him when he says he does the best body work in the area, especially since Uncle Packard has also given his highest recommendation.  I really want Body guy to work on my t-bird.  It just feels right.
Over the phone, Body guy told me that he and his dad are planning on retiring and closing the shop at the end of the year!  This news changes my priorities on the car.  Rather than focus all my energy on painting and assembling the engine, I now feel that I need to get the car ready to go to the body shop!  Gone are my plans to paint the engine compartment myself, install the engine, and drive the car to the body shop.  I don't have time for that.  I want Body guy to work on my car before he closes shop!  And if he does the body work, he might as well paint the car while he has it... including the engine compartment.
I've talked to my Dad about this plan, and he agrees.  Since he has graciously volunteered to pay for the paint and body work, this shouldn't be financial burden for me...  but there are some things I need to do to the car before I have it towed to the shop.  I need to prep the engine compartment as best I can.  I need to remove some trim pieces, ventilation ducts, and carefully pull back some of the wiring.  And I need to do this by the end of the month, so the shop can have the car in early November!  I was not anticipating this.  It is actually shocking to think that I might have a painted car in January... this is moving much faster than I had ever anticipated!

Sometimes, things happen slowly... and sometimes, things happen quickly.  Maybe too quickly.  I feel a little unsettled.  I have so many other things happening in my life right now... why did I ever take on this t-bird project?  Yet, God continues to bless me with it.  Yes, it continues to cost more than I would like, but I'm still solvent.  I'm uncomfortable devoting so many resources to this one thing, and I tend to consider myself very selfish for doing this.  Yet, I get the feeling that God is moving here, opening opportunities for me.  Maybe I'm wrong, and justifying my own selfishness.  Maybe I'm overly driven to redeem my failure as a teenager.  But maybe.... maybe what I do through this car is more important than that. Maybe it is that last, lingering bridge to my father's soul...

Dad mentioned to me a while back that he would like to ride in the t-bird when it is done.  I felt awkward when he said this, because I didn't think it likely that an 83 year old man with stage 3 esophageal cancer would live long enough to see the car completed.  But now I'm starting to think that he just might.... he just might!