More done lastnite. Dash and freeze plugs.

Started out working on the dash. Got some bondo on over the duraglass and did some sanding with 180 grit. 

 After that I moved on to installing the freeze plugs in the 394 Olds...

The first thing i do is clean up the surface with some sand paper to get any rust or other crap off. In this case I just used some scrap 180 grit that I was using on the dash.

Next I scuff up the sides of the freeze plugs. I do this because I use a sealer on them before I install them. This acts like a lube to help them go in and will help  make water tight seal. It is a good idea to scuff up the gasket side of any engine part like chrome valve covers, chrome thermostat housing, chrome timing cover or chrome oil pan. 
 The idea is that the sand marks will help give the sealer or gasket maker a rough surface to grab onto otherwise it will just be more prone to leaking.

You can see in the pic the difference between the sanded (inner 2 plugs) and the non sanded surfaces (outer 2 plugs). I had to use 2 brass plugs because the parts store only had 4 steel and 2 brass plugs left and a 394 Olds requires 6 plugs in the block.

Needed tools for installing new freeze plugs..

- One B.F.H. (big fucking hammer) aka....a Ford tool.

- One socket or other round driver that will fit inside the freeze plug and that is small enough that it wont get stuck. You just want it big enough to cover at least 80-90% of the plug to help drive it in the hole. Too small of a driver/socket and it will just put all the force from the hammer into the center of the plug ad that can cause the plug to turn into a cone shape distorting the plug and causing it to not seal properly.

After scuffing both surfaces, making sure there is no dirt or other crap on them, use your finger and smear some sealer (in this case just black high temp RTV sealer that every good gearhead should have on hand)onto both mating surfaces and set the plug in place.

Remember freeze plugs go dish side in.

Take your socket/driver and place it in the center of the plug and hen tap it with the hammer a few time to get the feel of what you are doing. You need to hit it straight on, if you hit it at an angle the plug could bend and then you will have to drive back to the parts store and get a new one (don't try to straighten it yourself, it isn't worth it). 

 Once you get the feel for it give it a few good whacks and start driving the plug into the block. If your socket/driver is smaller that the inside diameter of the plug then you may have to move  around while you hit it to get the plug to go in straight. 

Don't hit the plug too hard or you could knock it into the block. There will be a raised ridge around the hole, that is the level you want the plug at. Tap it in with the socket until the edge of the plug is about 1/16 of an inch (about the thickness of a dime) from the edge of the ridge.

At this point you can loose the socket/driver and just use the hammer to LIGHTLY tap the plug the rest of the way until it is even with the block. DO NOT hit it super fucking hard! Your block is made of cast iron (unless you are working on an aluminum block) and it won't take much to crack it or knock a chunk out with a hammer if you wail on it hard enough.

Done and ready for the outside of the block to be cleaned...

All clean and ready for primer/paint. 

Daryls 48....

So lastnite the plan was to pull the dash and start welding up all the unused holes in his firewall. We pulled the dash and saw just how bad it was under all the fiberglass the last owner used. It really comes down to how much your time is worth, the cost of materials and the fact that his back is all jacked up so he can't really do alot of moving and bending right now so he is ordering a new firewall for it this week and we will just drill out the spot welds and pop in a new, clean and smooth firewall and be done with it!

Itchy as fuck.

Got it roughed in.

Fun with duraglass....

Getting there.

69 D-100 dash metal work, DONE!

Added some 3/16" round stock to frame the cluster. Now it's on to duraglass/mud work....

HA, I found the lost post so here it is....again....

If you are tired of seeing all these douche bags on TV that run around with sculpted facial hair, bandanas, bad cross tattoos, and pretend that they know what they are doing while reading a script "Ya know, let me tell ya....." and not really doing shit because there is a crew of 30 guys off camera that do all the work then check out Friction In The Static and Hack With Ambition podcasts on Itunes or download it here or on facebook.... 

Friction In The Static   Tinys Kustoms

Hack With Ambition  Milo's Kustom Kulture Artwerks

Both are part of  Set to stun productions.

It is no big surprise that I am not a fan of people spelling custom with a K (yes I know the history behind it and I still think it is retarded), that I can't stand what this whole "kulture" and all these rock-a-silly asshats have done to the car shows and that I can't fucking stand all these stupid fucking pin up chicks walking around leaving snail trails all over cars just so they can pretend that they aren't 300 lb clowns with a corset under their bathing suit and trying to walk around in 5" heels.

But.... Tiny has put together something pretty cool (even if he spells things with a K) and does some pretty awesome interviews with builders like Jerome Zimmerman. A real gearhead that actually gets dirty and builds shit with his hands! Not some promoter like Barris or Coddington that just walks around talking the talk and kissing the asses of someone that has latched onto the newest fad and wouldn't know how to bolt on a carb let alone lay down a decent bead with a mig and still get good penetration at the same time!

 Milo (who also spells shit with a K) and his girl Cinder do the Hack with Ambition show that is all about them building their car out of a basic 2 car garage (when he isn't catching shit on fire) just like the rest of us broke slobs that can't afford to build a shop yet. It is pretty cool too for the rest of us that are lucky enough to have a woman that is interested in garage shenanigans and will actually turn a wrench and get dirty working on her car! 

If you like what you hear and have a few extra bucks ($5 will get you some rad stickers for the toolbox, $30 will get you stickers and a shirt with the Friction logo drawn by Zombie and there are more prizes the more you donate including some rad original artwork!) you can check out the indigogo campaign HERE.

Honestly, I listen to a lot of NPR and have never donated even though their boring voices were the only thing that kept me from falling asleep at the wheel and driving off a cliff at 2 am when I used to drive truck for a living and when they would do their "give us money" drives I would never donate but as a gearhead this show is fucking worth it! There is a serious lack of good media entertainment for us gearheads but Tiny is on his way to fix that problem with Driven (video link).

D-100 dash fun!

Mounting the 59 Olds cluster in the 69 dodge dash.