Got up this morning motivated to DO something..... Ah, stimulate the U.S. economy, yes! No, I did not get my 'bama check but throwing caution to the winds, I took the '34 down and ordered a new front carpet to replace the one I cut up when I installed the saginaw 4-speed.
That accomplished, I decided to go look at a Craigslist piece on the way home. Of course the unit is old and used, but so am I!
The seller was very courteous and I procured the unit at a very fair price. I still need pulleys and a service kit but its better to be blown than naturally aspirated (I remember someone telling me that!).
The search for an appropriate body for the '32 is not progressing well at all. I guess that I must be the only one who thinks rusted out field trash is not the jewel of the month. Maybe fiberglass???? not sure yet.
A few years back (50???), when we were kids, there was a large chrome plater in East L.A. When we learned of it, we promptly removed everything imaginable from the "A" and took it down to them in a box. We were sent to the back door where they chuckled at us, took the box, and told us to come back in a week. How cool was that??
The chrome fan blade was my pride and joy and I had to have one again. I sent my NOS '54 blade to Tom in L.A. and he had it plated at Superior Plating in Pomona. These people do very fine show quality work. I would not be concerned over their workmanship...ever. The bottom line is that I am now cooler than ever!
The little cheapie Ebay air cleaner that I had was probably adequate but after several cruel comments from friends??? I stepped right up to the plate and upgraded the intake system with a cast aluminum unit that is no doubt worth at least a 0.50 improvement in E.T. One can justify anything.... it simply requires a little thought and too much free time.
Not being experienced with the cooling characteristics of the 34' Chevy, I can now discuss the summer drive. Summer here is 105 to 115F with asphalt temperatures of 150F+. Considering that the fan is running slower than normal (1.1 times crank speed) I feel that the new radiator core is doing the job. Heavy traffic or long signals result in the engine coming up to 200F but 1/2 mile at 25/35 mph brings it back down to the thermostat (180).
I believe that the addition of the grill retarded the cool down time and sped up the heating at a signal.
I must emphasize that we are able to cool down 700 lbs of cast iron 20F in 1/2 mile. That seems appropriate to me.
