Author Topic: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build  (Read 40484 times)

FormTA

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #240 on: May 29, 2024, 05:22:53 AM »

Hey, it's on the road and mostly complete. That is saying something! It's looking great! Keep at it man!

79 Trans am low buck LS swapped
79 Formula 301 (Work in progress)
67 RS Camaro (waiting it's turn)
69 Dodge charger on late model charger chassis
49 Ford F1 on a 2003 Chevy ZR2 Chassis (current project)
Names, Luke. If I hear anyone telling me they're my father....

5th T/A

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #241 on: May 29, 2024, 06:40:17 AM »
 Good progress! This will be the perfect family cruiser.
1980 T/A with a Pontiac 461

Gone but not forgotten;
1973 T/A 455
1975 T/A 400
1978 T/A W72
1982 T/A cross fire injected

Two wheel toys;
2014 Harley Ultra Classic Limited
2013 Honda CB1100
2010 Yamaha Vmax
1982 Yamaha Seca 750

ryeguy2006a

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #242 on: May 29, 2024, 06:42:04 AM »
Thanks guys! I ordered some seatbelts and they should be delivered today. I'm hoping to get the carpet down and installing the rear seats soon.

1976 Trans Am LS1 and much more...SOLD
1968 Camaro LSA, T56 Magnum, and much more...SOLD

Current Project: 1955 Nomad LC9, 4L80e, C5 brakes and etc...

ryeguy2006a

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #243 on: June 03, 2024, 09:24:42 AM »
Thanks man, I'm getting very close now. I can't wait to get take them out for the first time. I placed an order for some seatbelts and other misc. parts, so I'm hoping sometime over the next few weeks I can get those installed and we can take a legitimate drive to a Cars and Coffee!

Thanks FedEx...



By some miracle everything was still in the box. Really have no idea how that happened since there were small pieces in there.



Next was getting the spare tire well installed for good. I thought that it was going to be a pretty quick job, but I was quite wrong as usual. Here's what I started with. The tub is in great shape, but the flange that gets spot welded to the body left a lot to be desired. Overall it was worth saving though. Here's what I started with.



The sides were in the worst condition and Golden Star sells the new sides, so I grabbed that kit to make my life easier.



Carefully stripped off the rusted pieces and cleaned up the flanges.



I cut off the front right flange as it was too far gone and just needed to cut out. I used the piece I cut off as a template for some new metal. I'm still working on my welding position and feel for the TIG welder, but I'm starting to get better. I dipped it a few times in part because of the shape of this piece I was welding out of position and because it was late at night, I couldn't sharpen anymore. My gaps were tight enough that in some spots I didn't need to add filler.





Next up was test fitting the panels. I took some mental notes on how the original pieces were installed so that I could replicate it with the new panels.



I had to make some minor adjustments, but the the first test fit went fantastic. One tip I'd give is to measure the opening on the car first, then make sure it was slightly narrower so it fit into the groove. That's the only adjustment I needed to make before I put it back in.



Fully welded now, with spot weld holes drilled.



I cleaned up all the surface rust and sprayed it with rustoleum paint. For anyone that hasn't used those Turbo Cans, you have to try them. They work so well and lay down very even coats. Must have for large flat areas.





Once I was happy with the fitment, I burned it in. I probably should have done this a long time ago, but some strategically placed welding blankets saved the wheel well covers and glass.





I wire brushed the spot welds and topped off with some flat black. I need to come back with some seam sealer and it will be a done deal.



The last piece of sheet metal work that needs to be done is the lower filler panel that goes under the rear tailgate. I'll have to pull the tailgate off, so I've been putting it off. That's why the red weldthrough primer is still there and not sprayed black. Once the tailgate and bumper are off, it shouldn't take much to get it cut out and installed again. But that is for another day since I want to drive this car!

The last piece that I installed on the car was the rear liftgate garnish moulding. I haven't installed it because it requires an odd size screw 12-24 machine screw. Luckily the local hardware store had a few in stock, so I was able to buy what they had and at the very least install it so it wasn't kicking around the garage to get damaged. Needs to be cleaned up and painted at some point too.



Back in November my wife and I commissioned a house to be built, and we are hoping to receive the Certificate of Occupancy this week. Assuming that happens my next few weekends will be moving boxes, unpacking, hanging pictures, and etc. So it's very likely that there will be little to no progress on the car. That said, between now and the end of the week, I'd really like to get the rear seats dyed, carpet laid down and seatbelts installed. Time will tell if I can get those things done!

Cheers,
Ryan

1976 Trans Am LS1 and much more...SOLD
1968 Camaro LSA, T56 Magnum, and much more...SOLD

Current Project: 1955 Nomad LC9, 4L80e, C5 brakes and etc...

roadking77

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #244 on: June 03, 2024, 01:59:29 PM »
Work looks great! Congrats on getting into your new home! We'll let you slide on car progress for a week or 2  :lol:
Finished!
77 T/A - I will Call this one DONE!
79 TATA 4sp-Next Project?
79 TATA - Lost to Fire!
86 Grand Prix - Sold
85 T/A - Sold
85 Fiero - Sold
82 Firebird - Sold
'38-CZ 250
'39-BSA Gold Star
'49-Triumph 350
'52-Ariel Red Hunter
'66-BSA Lightning
'01-HD RoadKing

Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #244 on: June 03, 2024, 01:59:29 PM »

FormTA

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #245 on: June 03, 2024, 02:48:31 PM »


Great job. The welding looks good and you're getting better.  Nice to have everything welded in and solid again!

79 Trans am low buck LS swapped
79 Formula 301 (Work in progress)
67 RS Camaro (waiting it's turn)
69 Dodge charger on late model charger chassis
49 Ford F1 on a 2003 Chevy ZR2 Chassis (current project)
Names, Luke. If I hear anyone telling me they're my father....

wheels78ta

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #246 on: June 03, 2024, 09:55:34 PM »
Agree 100% on what's stated before me.  Awesome work.  Can't wait to see it on the road.
Willie

1978 Gold Y88 4 spd W72 WS6 project
2006 Chevy Silverado Z71----Hers
2005 Chevy Suburban 2500---The Hauler

ryeguy2006a

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #247 on: July 05, 2024, 07:41:04 AM »
The last month has been pretty busy for my family, but things are starting to settle down now. Before we completely moved out of our old house I was able to get the back seats dyed and reinstalled. I'm really happy with how they turned out. These seats were the last of my mis-matched interior parts!

After one light coat



Second medium coat.



I sprayed on another two coats, then moved onto the seat bottom and support rod.





I let them dry for a few days before I handled them, although they were dry to the touch within about 30 minutes. Then it was time to get them installed in the car. With the move only days away, the best place for them to continue to dry was installed in the car. Huge transformation!!



Then I couldn't help myself and quickly installed one of the rear interior panels. I love how that interior turned out. Can't wait to get all of the chrome polished up and installed. Will completely change the look.



Before I knew it moving day arrived! Our new house is only about 10 minutes away from the old house, so I loaded up the Nomad with a bunch of parts and bins. Coolest moving truck ever!





The new garage is 2' wider and deeper than my old garage which is noticeably larger. Oh and since I had some input on the garage, I upgraded the outlets from 1 single in the old garage, to 7 20 amp 110v and a single 50 amp 220v :). One of the reasons that we moved was to have more space around our house and have a much bigger yard. We accomplished all of those with the new house and as a bonus, there is enough room to install a nice detached garage someday in the future.





Got the place more organized and was able to tuck the car into it's new parking spot!



That brings me up to this weekend. I'm finally over the hump for installing shelves, pictures, painting and etc. to get some time to work on the car. I ordered some alignment plates and caster/camber gauges online and will attempt to put a rough alignment on the car. I called around to several shops and they weren't interested in working on a car this old. Huh... I should be able to get it pretty close. My initial measurements were the car was toed out 1"! That would explain why it pulled so hard to the right. Should be quite a bit better now. Also while I was under the car I found my front shocks are blown out. Got some work to do before this weekends Cars and Coffee! Oh and Happy Independence Day!



Cheers,
Ryan
« Last Edit: July 05, 2024, 08:14:13 AM by ryeguy2006a »

1976 Trans Am LS1 and much more...SOLD
1968 Camaro LSA, T56 Magnum, and much more...SOLD

Current Project: 1955 Nomad LC9, 4L80e, C5 brakes and etc...

FormTA

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #248 on: July 05, 2024, 08:13:58 AM »

Post up what alignment plates and gauge you got. I am going to get some stuff too as I don't trust anyone to to do the job. Have you ever watched Criss Birdsong on YouTube? He has a good alignment video he does on his 69 Charger.

79 Trans am low buck LS swapped
79 Formula 301 (Work in progress)
67 RS Camaro (waiting it's turn)
69 Dodge charger on late model charger chassis
49 Ford F1 on a 2003 Chevy ZR2 Chassis (current project)
Names, Luke. If I hear anyone telling me they're my father....

roadking77

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #249 on: July 06, 2024, 09:51:49 AM »
Congrats on getting moved in to the new diggs!

Theres a guy on the aaca forum that does all of his own alignments. He has some kind of contraption that looks like it attaches the wheel magnetically? Not sure exactly what it is though. I will search back there and see if I can come up with something.
Finished!
77 T/A - I will Call this one DONE!
79 TATA 4sp-Next Project?
79 TATA - Lost to Fire!
86 Grand Prix - Sold
85 T/A - Sold
85 Fiero - Sold
82 Firebird - Sold
'38-CZ 250
'39-BSA Gold Star
'49-Triumph 350
'52-Ariel Red Hunter
'66-BSA Lightning
'01-HD RoadKing

5th T/A

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #250 on: July 06, 2024, 11:49:40 AM »
The last month has been pretty busy for my family, but things are starting to settle down now. Before we completely moved out of our old house I was able to get the back seats dyed and reinstalled. I'm really happy with how they turned out. These seats were the last of my mis-matched interior parts!

After one light coat



Second medium coat.



I sprayed on another two coats, then moved onto the seat bottom and support rod.





I let them dry for a few days before I handled them, although they were dry to the touch within about 30 minutes. Then it was time to get them installed in the car. With the move only days away, the best place for them to continue to dry was installed in the car. Huge transformation!!



Then I couldn't help myself and quickly installed one of the rear interior panels. I love how that interior turned out. Can't wait to get all of the chrome polished up and installed. Will completely change the look.



Before I knew it moving day arrived! Our new house is only about 10 minutes away from the old house, so I loaded up the Nomad with a bunch of parts and bins. Coolest moving truck ever!





The new garage is 2' wider and deeper than my old garage which is noticeably larger. Oh and since I had some input on the garage, I upgraded the outlets from 1 single in the old garage, to 7 20 amp 110v and a single 50 amp 220v :). One of the reasons that we moved was to have more space around our house and have a much bigger yard. We accomplished all of those with the new house and as a bonus, there is enough room to install a nice detached garage someday in the future.





Got the place more organized and was able to tuck the car into it's new parking spot!



That brings me up to this weekend. I'm finally over the hump for installing shelves, pictures, painting and etc. to get some time to work on the car. I ordered some alignment plates and caster/camber gauges online and will attempt to put a rough alignment on the car. I called around to several shops and they weren't interested in working on a car this old. Huh... I should be able to get it pretty close. My initial measurements were the car was toed out 1"! That would explain why it pulled so hard to the right. Should be quite a bit better now. Also while I was under the car I found my front shocks are blown out. Got some work to do before this weekends Cars and Coffee! Oh and Happy Independence Day!



Cheers,
Ryan

Ryan,

Congratulations on moving into your new home. Great progress on the Nomad. I don’t know how you manage to juggle these major projects simultaneously.
1980 T/A with a Pontiac 461

Gone but not forgotten;
1973 T/A 455
1975 T/A 400
1978 T/A W72
1982 T/A cross fire injected

Two wheel toys;
2014 Harley Ultra Classic Limited
2013 Honda CB1100
2010 Yamaha Vmax
1982 Yamaha Seca 750

roadking77

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #251 on: July 06, 2024, 02:58:45 PM »
YOUTH!!
Finished!
77 T/A - I will Call this one DONE!
79 TATA 4sp-Next Project?
79 TATA - Lost to Fire!
86 Grand Prix - Sold
85 T/A - Sold
85 Fiero - Sold
82 Firebird - Sold
'38-CZ 250
'39-BSA Gold Star
'49-Triumph 350
'52-Ariel Red Hunter
'66-BSA Lightning
'01-HD RoadKing

ryeguy2006a

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #252 on: July 08, 2024, 11:43:11 AM »
Yes, young and dumb hahaha

Picking up where I left off, the steering links had been replaced at some point, but it must have been a while because the adjusters were pretty stubborn. It took a lot of heat and penetrating oil, but they finally freed up and allowed me to get the toe set. My initial reading was 1" toe out! Yikes. That would explain why it was pulling so badly, but honestly I'm surprised that it drove as well as it did. I set the toe in to about 1/16" as a baseline to see how that would be. Took the car out on my lunchbreak and it was amazing how much lighter the steering was. It still pulled slightly to the right, but was 90% better.



My goal is to get all of the factory gauges to operate, so I'm going to try out the 3 wire temp sensor. I ran the wires inside the car and the next time I have my gauges out I'll wire it up.



It's a little thing, but I found a guy online who sells keychains in the profile of your car so I reached out. At the time he didn't have one for a '55 Nomad, but about a month later he sent a message that it was complete. I placed an order the same day. Turned out great!



I've put quite a few short trips on the car now, and wanted to take it on a longer trip about 30 mins away to the Cars and Coffee in Charlottesville. I've been driving it around with no rear shocks because I was too lazy to repair the broken stud on the passenger side, but finally bit the bullet. Really didn't take that long and installed the new shocks. I didn't get any pictures, but I also found out the front shocks were completely blown out so I swapped those out two for a pair of new shocks. It was a late night and working early in the morning to get it all done, but now has a complete suspension and decent alignment.



New shock stud.



I worked right up until the time that I left for the C&C cruise in, and was immediately impressed with how much better it handled even without a sway bar. Very happy camper! It's hard to see in the picture, but I got a premium spot right next to a very cool original paint '57 hardtop Bel-Air. I parked the car and there was an almost immediate crowd around the car, but I had to get some breakfast but turned to snap this picture. Pretty cool it got that much attention.



That was one of the largest Cars and Coffee's that I'd seen at that location. Lots of cool JDM cars showed up too. One was a legit '99 GTR fresh from Japan! I've always loved those cars and this was the first time I'd gotten to see one in person. Really cool. And I LOVE the color of the NSX in the pictures.









Really great show and got to talk with a bunch of cool people. It's funny how the LS swaps really aren't impressive anymore, but again the #1 question I received was what brake booster I was running. People had a hard time comprehending a Tesla brake booster on a Bel-air haha.

My boys have been really excited to get a chance to ride in the car, so Sunday morning I decided it was time to break out the carpet and see if I could make it happen. I laid out the carpet in the sunshine for a few hours, as I got the front seat pulled out to prepare for installation. Took a little while to get it exactly where I wanted it, but the ACC carpet was a really nice fit overall. I've only ever used a one piece carpet, but the multiple pieces actually helped with fitment to give you more wiggle room. Huge added bonus was the carpet came with a thick jute backing which I didn't think was part of this kit. It was about 95* installing the carpet, so I really didn't grab many pictures.



Once I was happy with the placement of the carpet, I started marking the holes for drilling. I drilled the first hole and it pulled some of the thread with it, and was immediately upset. Then I remembered one of the car shows I watched mentioned using a soldering iron to melt a hole rather than drilling and it worked AMAZINGLY well. I did the rest of the holes that way and won't ever drill again.



Next up was test fitting the rear seatbelts. I ended up going with a 60" for the rear and 74" for the front. Gave me the perfect amount of slack both front and rear. It took me a few minutes to figure out where I wanted to drill the holes, but once I got on a roll it went pretty quickly. I used some of the Allstar plates on the bottom side for extra protection.



I used the booster seats for mock up and the fit great. I installed 3 pairs of seat belts so I can always take a 5th passenger. I got rolling and forgot to install the middle seatbelt in the front, but I do have one that I can install fairly quickly since I'll use the same holes for the inner lap belts.





I would have liked to install them under the seat more, but there's a crossmember under the pan and that's as far forward as I could go.



I bought this blanket when I was 16 in Mexico, and found a perfect use for it! I'll run like this until I buy a new seat cover down the road. Or maybe I won't I do like the way it looks haha.



I was able to finish just in time for dinner and then we all went to get some ice cream for dessert. Took the long way home for about a 35 mile drive. It cruises so nicely down the highway, and took it up to about 75 at one point to pass a car. Passed the test and performed flawlessly, with one exception which was the transmission temperature was slowly creeping up as we drove along. A few months ago I bypassed the cooler as a temporary measure to get it running/driving and not leaking. I only need two fittings to plumb in the cooler, so I'll be placing an order at some point this week. I'm really pleased with the car overall and has come such a long way since I bought it not quite 2 years ago.

Cheers,
Ryan

1976 Trans Am LS1 and much more...SOLD
1968 Camaro LSA, T56 Magnum, and much more...SOLD

Current Project: 1955 Nomad LC9, 4L80e, C5 brakes and etc...

rkellerjr

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #253 on: July 10, 2024, 06:32:49 AM »
Awesome, looks great with other classics and antiques! She shows well. Give me a text next time you go to a C&C up there.

roadking77

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #254 on: July 11, 2024, 03:32:17 PM »
Everything looks great Ryan. Cars n Coffee is a fun run. We have one we started to hit up fairly regular. As far as the GT-r goes, I had no idea what they are. My son, being in that demographic clued me in. He loves that JDM crap. Sorry! There is a guy a few miles down the road that has at least 25-30 of them sitting on his lot. Closed in with a kind of privacy fence so its hard to get a good count. I doubt anyone traveling by even knows what they are.
Finished!
77 T/A - I will Call this one DONE!
79 TATA 4sp-Next Project?
79 TATA - Lost to Fire!
86 Grand Prix - Sold
85 T/A - Sold
85 Fiero - Sold
82 Firebird - Sold
'38-CZ 250
'39-BSA Gold Star
'49-Triumph 350
'52-Ariel Red Hunter
'66-BSA Lightning
'01-HD RoadKing

Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #254 on: July 11, 2024, 03:32:17 PM »

ryeguy2006a

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #255 on: July 17, 2024, 12:50:11 PM »
I enjoy the C&C because they are no pressure. Arrive and leave when you want and really not many people with negative comments or attitudes from what I've seen.

I really debated back and forth on what to do about my gauges on the car. My first thought was mounting one of the Holley 6.86" Pro Dashes in the stock opening. They are super functional and customizable, but quickly came to the conclusion that it doesn't fit well with the vibe I'm going for. Next was possibly one of the RTX gauges from Dakota Digital, but didn't really want to fork over that much cash right now. By then I narrowed it down to using the stock gauge cluster with fuel, engine temp and speedometer. Fuel was easy since I used a stock tank and sender. Engine temps should work fine using the 98 Camaro 3 wire temp sensor, but the tricky part was getting my factory cable driven speedo to work with the 4L80e. My choices were either the Dakota Digital cable box that drives the cable using the VSS signal from the transmission or a mechanical tail shaft conversion. After talking with quite a few people and reading on the forums, I decided against the DD box in favor of the tail shaft conversion. There were several manufacturer's out there, but the one that I went with had the best price and his service has been outstanding. I went with http://t56cablespeedometer.com/, and have been very pleased.





The process was very straightforward. Remove the current tailshaft housing, install the drive gear adapter on the output shaft, then reinstall the modified housing. The hardest part was waiting for the Loctite to dry haha.







Dan recommends putting Loctite on the set screws and letting it dry 24 hours. At 24 hours and 1 minute I was installing the modified tailshaft housing. I was able to get it swapped out in time to go to the C&C in my town, so it was a pretty quick drive. Got up to 65 mph and it worked great and just as accurate as my Holley speed output. Love having the original Speedometer working. Just need to hook up the wires for my temp sensor and I'll be in business. Once I dial in the tune for the car I'll put the 3.5" screen in the glove box.



In total cruising around this past weekend I have about 45 miles on the car since my odometer now works. I'm excited to see how many miles I can put on the car this year. Might be time to change the plugs and dial in the tune!

Cheers,
Ryan

1976 Trans Am LS1 and much more...SOLD
1968 Camaro LSA, T56 Magnum, and much more...SOLD

Current Project: 1955 Nomad LC9, 4L80e, C5 brakes and etc...

roadking77

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #256 on: July 17, 2024, 03:18:03 PM »
Congrats on getting the speedo hooked up.
Finished!
77 T/A - I will Call this one DONE!
79 TATA 4sp-Next Project?
79 TATA - Lost to Fire!
86 Grand Prix - Sold
85 T/A - Sold
85 Fiero - Sold
82 Firebird - Sold
'38-CZ 250
'39-BSA Gold Star
'49-Triumph 350
'52-Ariel Red Hunter
'66-BSA Lightning
'01-HD RoadKing

rkellerjr

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #257 on: July 18, 2024, 05:46:36 AM »
How exciting!!

ryeguy2006a

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #258 on: August 13, 2024, 10:18:50 AM »
Just thought I'd update the thread since it's been a few weeks. Really not much to report other than I'm racking up lots of miles with the new functional speedometer. So far I'm just over 200 miles since installing the speedo, and I'd guess another 50 prior to getting it functional.





License Plate ahead of me said "BSMILEY" and certainly made me smile that day! Love driving this car.







Parked it outside for a while and found this little guy on the quarter panel. Pretty neat little bug.




We made a trip north to visit family, and finally got a chance to drive my father-in-law's beautiful 1956 Belair. We got the cars at roughly the same time and it's cool to ride/drive his to compare. We took it out for a joy ride and came across a cruise-in/festival. Stopped there for some ice cream and then went on our way.



My older son had a little fun with the fake dynamite from the trunk of his car haha.



It was a great trip, but after driving his car I know that mine needs some upgrades to get a better ride quality. My car rides decent, but I'm making a list for all the things that I'd like to upgrade. The rear suspension is high up on my list, but while I'm there I want to upgrade the rear differential since the stock 55-57 axles break around 300-350 hp. So while I was in NY, I was cruising the classifieds as I usually do and found a 9" from a 64 Thunderbird. It is 60" wide with a small 5x4.50" bolt pattern, but also has small bearings, 28 spline axles, open diff and 3.00 gears. It was a bit of an impulse buy and after searching around a bit more, I may just sell this and get a new housing since I'll need to replace most of it anyway go get what I want.



I had considered doing away with the leaf springs and building a 4 link setup, but not sure I want to invest that much time into it. I'm now leaning towards just getting the spring pocket kit to inboard the springs along with some new bushings for the stock springs. I think with new bushings and shackles it will make a big difference in the rear end.

I haven't done any work to the car at all, but was able to determine that my cooling fan doesn't work for a few different reasons, but as long as I'm driving it will maintain 187-189 temps. Just can't idle too long or the temps will creep up. I wired up the fan just the way I got it, but soon realized it was spinning the opposite direction as well as the shroud has large openings on the side where the air bypasses the cooling fins. I thought about fixing all of the problems, but by the time I modify it all it's still not an ideal setup. I picked up a C7 cooling fan and shroud, so I'll be installing that this week and also while I'm in there I'll add the much needed transmission cooler. I'll attach the C7 fan very similarly to how I did on my Camaro and that should help out significantly. Nice thing about Holley is that I just update my cooling fan output from -negative, to PWM and tell it what to do. I'll post more on that though when I get to that stage.

Cheers,
Ryan

1976 Trans Am LS1 and much more...SOLD
1968 Camaro LSA, T56 Magnum, and much more...SOLD

Current Project: 1955 Nomad LC9, 4L80e, C5 brakes and etc...

5th T/A

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #259 on: August 16, 2024, 01:58:06 PM »
Looks great Ryan, you have built yourself the perfect family cruiser that stands out.

I bet you get lots of smiles and attention in this world of SUV's, pickup trucks and modern jellybean shaped cars!
1980 T/A with a Pontiac 461

Gone but not forgotten;
1973 T/A 455
1975 T/A 400
1978 T/A W72
1982 T/A cross fire injected

Two wheel toys;
2014 Harley Ultra Classic Limited
2013 Honda CB1100
2010 Yamaha Vmax
1982 Yamaha Seca 750

ryeguy2006a

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #260 on: August 19, 2024, 06:57:36 AM »
That car gets so many looks. Usually from older men, but I've come to accept that haha.

I had a very productive weekend and buttoned up some bigger lingering issues that were stopping me from driving the car longer distances. I was planning to use the 2017 Camaro SS fan (19" Spal w/ 850 watt brushless motor, 4k+ cfm) that I bought a while ago, but it's too big to run with the stock radiator, so I had to figure something else out. I was looking back at some old picture of the C7 fan that I put on my old Camaro and the dimensions were perfect. After a few days of searching, I found a guy who sold me his stock take off 500 watt Spal fan assembly for cheap. I was hoping to find the 600 watt, but this will still be a significant upgrade over what I have now. 



Old Perma-cool vs. the new C7



The old fan was very close to the water pump, so I had to be at least this far from the cooling fins to avoid touching the water pump. 



I knew going into this that the C7 fan has a deep shroud at over 5" including the tab on the top of motor.

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I had to modify the shroud in exactly the same way when I installed it on my Camaro, so this wasn't news to me. Thankfully the engineers at GM have some ribs on the inside that are almost like depth cuts around the entire inner perimeter of the fan. So I cut using the rib that was 1.5" and it was a perfect fit depth wise. 



Then I trimmed off the extra cylinders on the sides of the fan shroud to give me a good flat place to build brackets off. I had some 1/8" aluminum sheet and whipped up a few brackets. Used some 1/4" pop rivets and we're in business. 





I was never a big fan of the raw aluminum radiator, so while I had it off, it was a great time to make it look more stock. Topped it off with a few coats of flat black, and turned out great! 





While I was in there, I decided to spray the stainless trim panels that were on the car when I bought it. You could see them through the grill and not a good look in my opinion. 



I forgot to get a new depth from the cooling fins, but I ended up gaining some room overall so I'd say it had to be closer to 3". Love the new look! 





I knew long term that I'd be running one of these Spal fans, so while I was cruising eBay about 1.5 years ago, I saw someone selling the pigtail for one of these fans from a '17 Camaro. The new Terminal kits that you buy are bright blue, so this will be much less conspicuous. Also, found the leftover 8 ga wire from my Camaro so that was a win! I bought a 70 amp Bussmann breaker, but it didn't show up in time. I just temporarily wired it up and will have to go back to install that soon. 



Once I got the wiring done, I turned to my tune. I had to swap out the -ground output to a -PWM signal to run the new brushless fan. What I love about the brushless fans is that they have a soft start built into them, so no huge amp draw at startup and that they run on a duty cycle. In other words, it's set up more like a throttle where I can command 20% when it only needs 20% which pulls significantly less amps. Here's a screenshot of my table if anyone is curious.



I also added three conditions for the fan to kick on. The first one is obvious, the second is so that the fan doesn't run key on engine off, and the third is because with a fan on over about 40 mph it actually becomes a restriction.



Also, while I was messing with cooling I added a transmission cooler. I just had it looped initially just to get the car up and going, but this cooler is very necessary on the 90*+ days. 



It was sort of a mad scramble at the end, but I was able to button everything up and get it running in the driveway to see how the temps would react. As soon as the temps hit 202*, the fan kicked on around 25% duty cycle. I had to actually watch because I couldn't hear the fan over the engine, and I watched the temps get up to about 204*, then drop back to 198* in about 30 seconds. Very happy with this! I also performed the rag test. That was at around 25-30% duty cycle and it was pulling the rag almost flat. Still has about 50% more! 


1976 Trans Am LS1 and much more...SOLD
1968 Camaro LSA, T56 Magnum, and much more...SOLD

Current Project: 1955 Nomad LC9, 4L80e, C5 brakes and etc...

ryeguy2006a

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #261 on: August 19, 2024, 10:38:51 AM »
Part 2

Now that I have a proper fan that works fantastic in the driveway, it was time to give it a stress test and put some road miles on the car with 90* temps. The family and I were excited to take the car around for some longer trips. We drove south on Route 29 for about 20 minutes with a mix of highway speed, and traffic lights. The temps used to creep up at a stop light then drop back down to normal operating temp. Now, it keeps the temps between 198-205* even at 90* outside. I was hoping that the cooler I had would have kept the trans at a slightly lower temperature, but it hovered right around 170-175 the duration of the trip. Before towards the end of a 25 minute trip it would creep a little above 200* which is no good. So for that it's a win because the temps took much longer to creep up and normalized at a much lower temp. I was hoping to see it more in the 150* range, so I'll see if there's something I can do to make that better. Otherwise, she's ready to drive anywhere. 

Snapped this photo at parking lot across from a coffee shop we stopped at. 



Then on the way home I noticed there was a car show at a local High School, so we swung in to check it out. The registration folks were being difficult because I didn't pre-register, so we just parked in with the boring cars haha. 



It was a great show, with a lot of Tri-5's, cool patina cars/trucks and one cool LS swapped wagon! I think I need a surf board now. It's funny though, outside of Instagram and sites like this you hardly ever see LS swapped older cars/trucks. 







Great shot of my older son's mullet! He loves that haircut haha





Great show and although we all got pretty hot with the temps creeping up to 95* with no AC in the old Nomad we still had fun. While I was in update mode a few nights ago, I hooked up the 98 Camaro temp sensor wire to the factory 1956 temp gauge my father in law gave me. I thought that it either didn't work, or the ohm range wasn't right for the gauge. Well on the way home I looked down and the gauge was working now. Must have been stuck or something, but now works just like it should. Center dot is about 190* and the far right dot is about 200*, so that gives me a good idea of where the temp is. 



Not sure what the next project will be on the car, but for not she's pretty much ready to roll whenever I decide to drive it. Pretty stoked about that. We put another 100 miles on it this weekend, so that's pretty cool. 

Cheers,
​​​​​​​Ryan

1976 Trans Am LS1 and much more...SOLD
1968 Camaro LSA, T56 Magnum, and much more...SOLD

Current Project: 1955 Nomad LC9, 4L80e, C5 brakes and etc...

FormTA

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #262 on: August 19, 2024, 11:56:16 PM »

Glad to see you are out enjoying it! Nice update Ryan!

79 Trans am low buck LS swapped
79 Formula 301 (Work in progress)
67 RS Camaro (waiting it's turn)
69 Dodge charger on late model charger chassis
49 Ford F1 on a 2003 Chevy ZR2 Chassis (current project)
Names, Luke. If I hear anyone telling me they're my father....

76455sd

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #263 on: August 20, 2024, 05:18:20 AM »
Car looks great. Glad to see you having fun with it. I’m surprised they didn’t let you join the show field. Around here they let pretty much anyone that shows up join the day of the show.
Steve D
'76 LE 455/4speed/solid roof - SOLD
'02 WS6 T/A convertible

ryeguy2006a

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #264 on: August 20, 2024, 06:00:50 AM »
Car looks great. Glad to see you having fun with it. I’m surprised they didn’t let you join the show field. Around here they let pretty much anyone that shows up join the day of the show.

Thanks Luke and 76455sd. Yes, I was surprised too. Usually I just show up and they tell me to park and come back to register, but they were very strange about it. No biggie, just a strange interaction is all.

1976 Trans Am LS1 and much more...SOLD
1968 Camaro LSA, T56 Magnum, and much more...SOLD

Current Project: 1955 Nomad LC9, 4L80e, C5 brakes and etc...

Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #264 on: August 20, 2024, 06:00:50 AM »

N PRGRES

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #265 on: August 20, 2024, 08:08:07 AM »
Looks awesome, nice job as usual!
Dave

81 Trans Am w/73 400.

ryeguy2006a

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #266 on: September 03, 2024, 07:46:12 AM »
Thanks N Prgres

Making this post to catch up from the last few weeks. Just when I thought I had all the bugs worked out, the gas gauge threw me a curve ball. Apparently the ground signal comes from the tank straps, and was getting an inconsistent ground which led me to run out of fuel. While walking 2.5 miles back to my house I had time to think and realized that I never added a dedicated ground strap. 



Walked back to the house and got more gas, then topped off at the gas station. This guy followed me in and loved the car. Talked for a few minutes and come to find out he's practically my neighbor! Beautiful 70 Nova. 



Just some random pictures from driving around. Got coffee in the morning and parked in front of this beautiful 67 RS Camaro! Looked remarkably similar to my old 68. 





I need better cup holders!



My stock rear started leaking out of the driver side axle, so I may need to swap these out sooner than later. I really don't want to put anymore money into the weak stock rear. So I got motivated and worked to pull apart the 9" that I got a while back to see what I had. Turns out it's a Posi with Big outer axle bearings. Although I'm pretty sure the posi is worn out since it seems pretty weak. 





One of the first times that I filled the car up, it smelled pretty badly of fuel in my garage. So I was just keeping it below a certain level because I thought it was from a bad filler neck seal. Turns out it was leaking from the sender, so I pulled that and resealed it. I filled it back up, and didn't seem to get any fuel smells like I did, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed what I did worked. 





I also buttoned up some things that were bothering me. Terrible I know, but the PCV on the passenger side was open to the elements since I got the car running. Truth be told, I forgot all about it. Since I didn't want to drill into the CAI, I decided to add a 1/8" NPT brass pipe into the plastic filter adapter, so I could get clean filtered air to the valve cover. Worked out great. 



Next up was the car didn't have an overflow jug. It was spraying a little coolant all over my newly painted radiator. I dug around and found the old overflow jug that I pulled off of my Camaro. I made a bracket and mounted it to the core support. Hard to see, but it tucked into the engine compartment out of the way. 



I finished up the install of the PCV hose and overflow jug late morning yesterday and then we took the family on a nice cruise through the countryside. No real destination, but we stopped at a playground for the kids. Had a great time and then we got lunch. Car ran and performed excellent.

I had one pesky tuning quirk that had been sort of intermittent, but after talking with @Project GatTagO I got it all straightened out. First time dealing with DBW and I had my initial pedal vs throttle table set up to start at 5%, but needed to be bumped up to 7%. I had it backwards in my head (think idle screw on a carb or TB) and was lowering it to raise lower the IAC counts, but the throttle blade needed to be opened more, so the IAC counts would lower. Once that was corrected, the car drove so much better. It was stalling at stop lights every so often, and would run a much lower rpms on deceleration. 

I also made a bit of an impulse purchase after seeing some of these universal fans on eBay. They are 18" Spal fans with 850 watt brushless motors in a universal shroud. I bought one and the guy sent a personal message that he'd sell me another one for very cheap. Ended up with two. Unfortunately, they won't fit my current radiator, but the hope is to upgrade my radiator setup in the future when I go turbo and add A/C. I'll be sure that the radiator will work with one of those fans. But for now the C7 fan works flawlessly to keep my engine right where I set it to. 





That brings me up to yesterday. Really enjoying this car and glad to be out and about with it. Hope everyone had a good Labor Day.

Cheers,
​​​​​​​Ryan

1976 Trans Am LS1 and much more...SOLD
1968 Camaro LSA, T56 Magnum, and much more...SOLD

Current Project: 1955 Nomad LC9, 4L80e, C5 brakes and etc...

rkellerjr

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #267 on: September 03, 2024, 02:12:40 PM »
That car is coming along nicely Ryan! We should do the Richmond Cars and Coffee. I'm free on the 14th of this month but have plans on the 28th. If you can't then we could do the cruise in at Rosies, this is their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/277456353510653
The Richmond C&C is a pre-registrered event, $5 bucks I think: http://www.carsandcoffeerichmond.com/

5th T/A

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #268 on: September 04, 2024, 06:01:28 AM »
Thanks N Prgres

Making this post to catch up from the last few weeks. Just when I thought I had all the bugs worked out, the gas gauge threw me a curve ball. Apparently the ground signal comes from the tank straps, and was getting an inconsistent ground which led me to run out of fuel. While walking 2.5 miles back to my house I had time to think and realized that I never added a dedicated ground strap.



Cheers,
​​​​​​​Ryan

Ryan, good progress and glad you are putting some miles on.

Funny how cars in the 50’s and maybe early 60’s relied on chassis ground for lighting and so many other things.

Also, cups were so much smaller and people never would have thought about trying to drive down the road with an open drink sitting on the glove box door!
1980 T/A with a Pontiac 461

Gone but not forgotten;
1973 T/A 455
1975 T/A 400
1978 T/A W72
1982 T/A cross fire injected

Two wheel toys;
2014 Harley Ultra Classic Limited
2013 Honda CB1100
2010 Yamaha Vmax
1982 Yamaha Seca 750

ryeguy2006a

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #269 on: September 16, 2024, 08:11:47 AM »
I've been talking now for several months with a friend who lives about 3 hours from me to plan a trip to meet in the middle at the Richmond, VA Cars and Coffee cruise-in. I've gotten enough road miles on my car that I was confident in taking the 150 mile round trip that a good portion is on the interstate. In preparation for the trip, I gave the car a once over to make sure everything was in good working order as well as addressing some items I've been putting off. First up was making sure that I had proper functional headlights and some courtesy lights since I was going to be leaving for the cruise-in before the sun rose. I was also tired of all of the interior panels laying around my garage, and decided it was time to install those. I had to have the courtesy lights installed first, before I could install the panels though.

First step was getting the garnish mouldings cleaned up and installed. I used the same process for the door mouldings, sanded it all down, etching primer, high build primer, sand, high build, then topped with SEM Trim Black. Fair amount of sanding, but it turned out great. The trick with the high build is to let it bake in the sun for several hours to fully cure. With the door mouldings, I didn't do that and it would gum up my sandpaper. Didn't do it this time.





Next up was getting the courtesy lights working. Grabbed some #1004 bulbs and fooled around a bit then finally got them working. The original door switches were not rusty, but the passenger side was sticking. I have a tube of dialectical grease and squirted some into the drain holes and was able to free it back up. Now they both work great.



After a bunch of polishing and planning, I was able to get all of the trim pieces back together on the interior panels. Then the easy part was drilling some holes and screwing in the panels. Very satisfying to get these installed after having them moved around my garage for months. These original panels cleaned up surprisingly well. Love using original parts when I can.



Then, before I could install the passenger's side I had to run a new wire for the rear courtesy light switch in the back and swap out the side window. Once the side window was pulled out, I found the felt sliders to be in decent condition, but there was a screw that wasn't fully seated on the bottom which the glass was rubbing on. I got super lucky and was able to break it free with a pair of vice grips and put a new screw in below the felt line so it was a smooth operation now. The upper felt was also in good shape, but was too loose and rattled around while driving. I pulled it out, squeezed it back together and no more rattles and very smooth sliding.





Now that was taken care of I was able to get the passenger side installed. I also sprayed some flat black on the rear garnish mouldings and installed those quickly. I need to pull them back off and sand down and spray with the same Trim Black paint so it all matches, but looks way more complete.



Lastly, I installed the headlights. They straightforward since I already ran the wiring up to them. I bought a set of H4 conversion bulbs a while ago that I had wanted to try out. They were off of some sort of Toyota/Lexus car and have a replaceable H4 bulb in a glass housing. They are very bright and look great. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the flat front, but I don't even notice it now.



Then Friday night, I was giving the car a final once over and realized that in 1955 the headlight switch worked a bit differently. The parking lights in the front shut off when the headlights are on, but the tail lights will stay on when you pull the lights into the first park position. Well I had apparently switched those two wires, so I had front lights, but no tail lights! Not good when you are driving at night. So I had to pull the dash cluster to access the headlight switch. Pretty easy swap, but after I switched them, I didn't have any turn signals! WTF, I didn't even touch that part! Well after chasing my tail, I realized that the ignition switch has to be on before you get signals... With that all fixed, I turned the tail lights on to check signals and nothing. Again, they were working WTF! Well after taking a step back, I realized that I had my wiring switched in when I wired up the tail light sockets. Easy fix, just swapped the wires and we were all good. At about 1am, I finally put the bow on it and it was ready for the trip!

Started out a little after 6am and headed eastbound. Call me crazy, but I had a little conversation with the car right before we pulled onto the interstate haha. Everything was perfect the whole way. We got up to cruise at about 75 and we just hummed along. Couldn't have asked for anything more!

Got to the show and met up with Rich. I've communicated with him for years online, but was great to meet up in person. He's got a beautiful 1975 Trans Am that he's had for years. I remember his car from when I was building my first car; 1976 Trans Am.





It was a great turnout with lots of exotics, Corvette's, and a very really rare cars. This Pantera was gorgeous!



There was also a 1968 Camaro that Caught my eye. Had a BBC with an intake I'd never seen before. I'm told it may have been a Marine intake, but this guy used just about every square inch of his engine bay. Sounded really good too.



Then we headed home and the same deal, car performed perfectly. Got tons of thumbs up and waves on the highway. I rolled the speedometer over to 47k on the way home, but by my estimates I hit just over 1k miles since I got it back together. Really cool milestone.



Then on Sunday I wanted to get the car in the driveway and give it a proper wash, polished the wheels and cleaned all the dust off of the windows. It's true what they say, you really can polish a turd!





I finally installed the last tailgate bar that I bought back in April at Carlisle.



So happy with the way the interior turned out. Not bad for some elbow grease, SEM Vinyl Dye and original parts!





My wife really wanted to get out for a Sunday drive, so we loaded up the family and topped it off with gas. Drives just like any other car I have, and gets about 20mpg when I calculated on the trip. I didn't get a picture, but I also relocated my MAT/IAT sensor from laying on the top of the intake manifold, to installed in the CAI tube. Now it reads actual temps instead of engine heat! Probably should have done that a long time ago.



About a week and a half ago, I also picked up another piece to my turbo puzzle. I spec'd out a new 3200 stall converter from FTI that will work really well with boost, and should wake up the car while I drive it N/A for now. I also picked up their transmission pan that I'm hoping will help drop the temps a few degrees. Thanks Norb for the Summit Coupon! The converter was on sale for labor day, and they knocked an additional 10% off with that coupon. Sweet double savings there!



Hoping to get the converter swapped out soon. Hoping to just remove and replace one night when I get the motivation to tear into a fully functional car haha.

Cheers,
Ryan

1976 Trans Am LS1 and much more...SOLD
1968 Camaro LSA, T56 Magnum, and much more...SOLD

Current Project: 1955 Nomad LC9, 4L80e, C5 brakes and etc...

roadking77

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #270 on: September 16, 2024, 06:30:09 PM »
Very nice Ryan. Glad you were able to meet up with Rich. Always nice meeting a fellow TAC'r in person. Im glad the car is running great and you and your family can enjoy it the way its supposed to be enjoyed. Out driving it!
Finished!
77 T/A - I will Call this one DONE!
79 TATA 4sp-Next Project?
79 TATA - Lost to Fire!
86 Grand Prix - Sold
85 T/A - Sold
85 Fiero - Sold
82 Firebird - Sold
'38-CZ 250
'39-BSA Gold Star
'49-Triumph 350
'52-Ariel Red Hunter
'66-BSA Lightning
'01-HD RoadKing

rkellerjr

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #271 on: September 17, 2024, 06:14:24 AM »
Thanks for posting pics Ryan, was great meeting you and seeing that cool nomad. I had a great time hanging out and it was good to meet another TAC'r. We will definitely have to do another trip. That nomad garnered lots of attention!

N PRGRES

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #272 on: September 17, 2024, 06:19:06 AM »
Whats awesome about this is that not only are you driving this car, but taking it on trips as well.  I tire of people who fix up cars, or buy a car, then won't take it anywhere
Dave

81 Trans Am w/73 400.

ryeguy2006a

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #273 on: September 17, 2024, 08:54:03 AM »
Rich, there was a lot of attention on your T/A as well my friend!

N Prgres, I'm fortunate enough to be able to take the car on trips, and love that my family also enjoys taking the car out. I know what you mean, cars are meant to be driven and it's a shame when they are garaged all the time.

1976 Trans Am LS1 and much more...SOLD
1968 Camaro LSA, T56 Magnum, and much more...SOLD

Current Project: 1955 Nomad LC9, 4L80e, C5 brakes and etc...

FormTA

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #274 on: September 18, 2024, 12:20:51 PM »
Thatwas a cool post Ryan! Cars look great guys!
79 Trans am low buck LS swapped
79 Formula 301 (Work in progress)
67 RS Camaro (waiting it's turn)
69 Dodge charger on late model charger chassis
49 Ford F1 on a 2003 Chevy ZR2 Chassis (current project)
Names, Luke. If I hear anyone telling me they're my father....

N PRGRES

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #275 on: September 19, 2024, 06:37:54 AM »
I actually drive mine to work every day.  I am lucky that we have a fenced in secure area, and I can tuck it into the warehouse is needed.  I live about 12 miles from work but it's nice to get it out and moving.  With the unusually dry summer, it's gotten driven about every day.
Dave

81 Trans Am w/73 400.

ryeguy2006a

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #276 on: October 01, 2024, 01:33:20 PM »
I didn't get anything done on the car last weekend as I spent all day Saturday and part of Sunday morning aerating and spreading 950 lbs. worth of grass seed, fertilizer and fast acting lime.





After recovering for a few days, I started to get the car ready to pull the transmission to get the converter swapped out and fix the pan leak. Nothing like tearing apart a fully functional car in the name of Hot Rodding!!



This was the easy part!



Upon further inspection, I found some serious wear on the pilot hub on the torque converter and matching wear on the adapter! That's no good. I'm not sure if it was in that condition when I installed it and didn't notice, or if it was when I first got the engine running and ran it disconnected from the converter. Either way, I'm glad I pulled the converter now! Very well could have been that shuddering feeling it had.





Now that the transmission was out, I transferred it to my engine stand to get it drained of all the old oil.



I also started researching what other guys were doing in conjunction with their converters, and almost everyone said a shift kit of some sort. I found a lot of guys talking about different kits, but the one that stood out to me was the TransGo HD2 kit. I didn't want to tear into the transmission too far, but this seemed manageable, so I pulled the trigger on that too. One of these scenarios, "While I'm in there I might as well ______."



I've never torn into an automatic transmission before, so this is all new for me. I watched a few YT videos on people installing the HD2 kits, and they weren't too bad. So grabbed a latte and off we go.



Looked pretty clean to me.



The directions were very clear, and you just follow them to a T. Directions had me removing and swapping out different springs, valves or other items. I had to modify the one internal filter after I added a different plug, and then had to drill a few holes. Again, instructions were very clear and pictures were detailed. Pretty straightforward, but was intimidating until I actually got in there.





It's always good to take pictures before you tear into something, especially if you have never done it before. I looked back at the pictures I took of the transmission before I buttoned it all back up and noticed this little guy wasn't in the right spot. I had already torqued it all down, but so glad it wasn't in the car full of fluid when I realized it wouldn't shift into any gear! That little pin should be inside that plunger.



All back together and ready to put the cover on. Notice the little TransGo plate. Not sure what that does, but it looks important.



All down hill from here, or so I thought. Grabbed the new deep oil pan from FTI and LubeLocker gasket. Set it all on carefully and noticed immediately that something wasn't right. The adapter that sets the filter deeper into the pan was too long. Now, I'm not sure if that is my fault for running a thin gasket, or if there is a flaw in manufacturing. It was about 1/4" too deep and wouldn't allow the oil pan to sit flush.



Took my measurements and then chucked it on my lathe. Love having this tool when I need it.





Few minutes on the lathe and it fit just like it should. Should help bring the temps down with the larger capacity and cooling fins.



More to come soon!

Cheers,
Ryan

1976 Trans Am LS1 and much more...SOLD
1968 Camaro LSA, T56 Magnum, and much more...SOLD

Current Project: 1955 Nomad LC9, 4L80e, C5 brakes and etc...

roadking77

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #277 on: October 01, 2024, 02:24:52 PM »
Very nice. I am impressed with you willingness to tear into a transmission. Just looking at what you have done makes me nervous :shock:
Finished!
77 T/A - I will Call this one DONE!
79 TATA 4sp-Next Project?
79 TATA - Lost to Fire!
86 Grand Prix - Sold
85 T/A - Sold
85 Fiero - Sold
82 Firebird - Sold
'38-CZ 250
'39-BSA Gold Star
'49-Triumph 350
'52-Ariel Red Hunter
'66-BSA Lightning
'01-HD RoadKing

ryeguy2006a

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #278 on: October 01, 2024, 02:43:02 PM »
It wasn't bad at all once I tore into it. Just following the directions is all and they were very clear.

I had to split this up into two posts since there were a lot of pictures. Finally got to open the box! The converter that I went with is from FTI and it's their Street Racer Lock-up Series single disk billet unit. After talking with them and what I'm looking for out of the car, they recommended a 3200 stall unit. I'm hoping that this really wakes up the car.





The new converter is significantly smaller than the stock truck unit. When I eyeballed the stock unit it came up around 14" diameter and the new unit is a 9.5". Should rev much easier with less rotating mass.





Next up was to test fit the new converter on the flexplate per recommendation from FTI. They said as long as I have a minimum of 0.100" of engagement in the pilot/hub that it will be ideal. They recommended to test fit without the transmission installed. If I don't have enough engagement, there is a pilot adapter that came with it. Earlier last week I ordered a new GM spacer since the old one looked pretty worn out. Turns out that was a fantastic decision because the adapter somehow mushroomed out so much that I had to hammer a socket onto the bolts since it was 1/4" wider than it should have been! I had to clamp it back to round in my vice just to get it off of the flexplate.



When you compare to the new unit you can really see how bad the old one was.



After struggling quite a bit with how to get the adapter on the flexplate I realized why there were threaded holes. It helps to pull the adapter onto the adapter!



With that back on I could move on to make sure I had enough engagement in the pilot. With the flexplate off I could very easily check the fitment. I was able to measure at least .400" with my caliper so I've got plenty of engagement.





I didn't get anymore pictures since it was just me bolting up parts. I used my flywheel holding tool and torqued down the ARP bolts to 85lbs, then got the converter installed into the transmission. Filled it with 1 qt of the recommended Dex VI fluid which I'll be using in the transmission. I had a difficult time getting the 3 solid clunks, it went onto the first two quickly but the third was a challenge. I thought I heard a soft third and thought I had it and actually attempted to install the transmission, but as soon as I got a few bolts loosely into the transmission it was very clear it hadn't fully seated. Pulled it back out and then wobbled it and finally heard a third big clunk! Back up on the scissor jack and it went together quite smoothly. The transmission is bolted back to the motor and tightened. Right now it's just resting on the transmission mount because I ran out of steam at 1am. The rest should go pretty smoothly since I'm really just re-installing parts that I've already fit up; Exhaust, wiring, shift linkage, driveshaft and etc.

One other thing I want to do while the car is up in the air is build an exhaust hanger. Slightly embarrassed to say that it has been hanging up with some mechanics wire since I got the car back together. I've got all the parts, just need to break out the welder. I'm actually excited because this will be the first time using my welder at the new house with a 220v outlet! I timed this project too since it was forecasted to be so rainy and the storms are just about past us now, so I'm hoping I may be finished up by tomorrow evening and take the car out to see how I like the new setup.

Cheers,
Ryan

1976 Trans Am LS1 and much more...SOLD
1968 Camaro LSA, T56 Magnum, and much more...SOLD

Current Project: 1955 Nomad LC9, 4L80e, C5 brakes and etc...

5th T/A

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Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #279 on: October 01, 2024, 04:21:11 PM »
Hey Ryan, 850lbs of seed, you are an ambitious man. I am surprised you still had energy left to work on your car.

Back int the early to mid 70’s I used to work in a transmission shop. I saw a fair number of ruined transmissions from guys who forced the transmission up to the engine. If I recall correctly the third clunk is when the torque converter hub is seating into the front pump drive gear. If not seated the torque converter pushes on that gear and literally grinds the gear into the back of the pump  spreading metal fragments through the transmission. Glad you were on top of it!

I installed a transgo shift kit in my turbo 350, gave me firm shifts, but not gut wrenching. Years ago I used to install B&M shift kits, they gave extremely harsh shifts. Example, I installed one in a friends Chevy Vega that was painfully under powered, with the B&M kit it would get 2nd gear rubber, I can’t imagine how abusive it was to the transmission.

PS, Car looks great sitting in your new garage up on crates
1980 T/A with a Pontiac 461

Gone but not forgotten;
1973 T/A 455
1975 T/A 400
1978 T/A W72
1982 T/A cross fire injected

Two wheel toys;
2014 Harley Ultra Classic Limited
2013 Honda CB1100
2010 Yamaha Vmax
1982 Yamaha Seca 750

Re: Madaguy 1955 Nomad Build
« Reply #279 on: October 01, 2024, 04:21:11 PM »
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