changing plans and a wife wanting to murderize me .................

carnut122 wrote:Does he need a few parts(fenders steering column and wheel, and rear end)? I'll let them go very reasonably. Oops, didn't mean to hijack the thread!

carnut122 wrote:"Now fenders are a different thing all together. I am waiting to see Carnut's pictures. If we strike a deal I may have my son run up to his plsce and pick them up unless he is willing and able to hold on to them until I get down there."

Oops! Sorry Dave, I didn't drag them out to take pictures. Remind me and I'll get pictures this week-end. I pretty much stay out of the garage during the week.

55f350 wrote:the guys on fte are as big a bunch of tight a--es as i am dave so nope , won't fly there . for a freind i'd come off it , but in all honesty im going to try and mate an original column , shortened up of course and it's cover with the power rack and pinion set up on the donor bird . i'm going to run a wild one by all of you . i need to make a support if you will on top of my frame for the top a arm and the strut to mount too . well larry , the fella who inspired me with his bird equipped bonus built , built it out of tubing , etc. as we all would normally do .... but i see things a little different at times . i was looking and measuring the strut tower on the bird . it's the exact heigth i need from it's frame rail to the top = same for mine . now obviously it has the added benefit / support of being spot welded into the front clip of the car for extra support , but heres my idea . i am trying to make this look as neat and tidy as i can , and im thinking i can use it the oe tower and add some plate to it and some supports welded to it and the frame and it should do the job . opinions please ....... i'm no rocket scientist just a dreamer with oddball thought's and eyesight ....

55f350 wrote:that thought has occurred to me to maybe attaching it to the cab and frame and using it and the 53 pieces to fab up a functional wheel well and keeping the oe radiator and mounting arrangement . trying to make peep's scratch their heads and try to figure out what's not right ............. . i plan on cutting the whole thing off the donor as soon as i get it in the garage and torn down and examine that possibility . we shall see . i think i might be in danger here as some of the purists over on fte might be having a cow atr me " cutting up " a mostly stock survivor LOL !!!!!!!!! i'm not changing anything that can't be returned to oe easily enough oither than maybe boxing the frame rails . i wish i wasn't putting in the damn hours again as i'm getting " antsy " to get going on this . i like to tinker and try and reinvent the wheel as it were . sometimes i succeed other times i fubar something up ...... such is life !!!!!!!!!!!!!

55f350 wrote:oh no not going to weld or hard fasten it to either if i go that route . it'll " float " as it were . rubber gaskets and bolts . the danger thing is a joke as i got a couple of " grimaces " shall we say from a couple of guys . it"s like you said and how i'm thinking and feeling at present it's mine and i'll do it the way i want to make me happy . i'm not as old as you but i've beat myself up and after riding around in the beater bird the ride is nice as i can enjoy the drive . now combine that and the cool factor of that ol' furd and the flatty .......... well you got a winning combo for a beater / daily driver .

55f350 wrote:ok dave now that i am somewhat cognizant i.e. not walking around brain dead , here we go . 1. i am going to use the frame i got from you . 2. it is going to be boxed . 3. we are going to use the oe towers as a pattern and make some out of steel and weld them to the frame rails . there will be all the oe x members from the 53 frame and the ones for the engine / suspension cradle , and the rear irs in the frame , and after the flatty is back in i am going to make a " monte carlo bar as havi mentioned , for a little more support . the whole thing should be good and solid , safe , and good to go . it's not goimg to be half a--ed and i enlisted the old rocket scientist / car builder for years / old fart / freind of the family, bud jenkins , to come over and give me a hand . he want's the 5.0 and aod so i said lets take it out in trade . i would rather not box it a and have all those dain x members to modify as i am thinking she's gonna be ultra stiff , but it just makes sense to do it once only ..... all my cash is gonna be tied up in this , and getting it dependably driveable if you will so it's gonna look like a beat up old work truck for another year . no new bed , etc.. this time around . scott if you are still looking for a real old ih send me a pm i got one for ya .................