Reading, reading, reading

No real updates on the project. Due to weather turning into actual November in WI weather and a lack of free time to work on things, most of my time has been spent on reading. I've been reading up on 350 small block engines, electrical systems and restoration/rodding in general.

I'm still trying to establish a baseline of what work needs to be done to get the thing running even. That's the first priority, getting the engine running so I can see what else needs to be tweaked etc. Cosmetics can come later. I'm hoping my stepfather (an auto mechanic for about 20 years) will be able to swing out to take a look before the snow hits.

The inventory continues...

More looking around and trying to figure out what exactly I have here.

A brief look underneath resulted in:

Front Disc Brakes
Modern Suspension
Some rust areas I'm a bit concerned about
newer gas tank

Some more digging around the interior found:

A fire extinguisher (always a plus)
The alternator
leads for the battery hook up in the trunk
Original tail light housings
Some of the glass has been replaced with rough cut plexi pieces
All the door hardware


So, a lot to identify yet, but I think we may be getting closer to figuring out what needs to be done. Next big step is to identify what model of 350 small block is in there and what the transmission is.

Interior Photos

The mystery of what work has been done so far continues. Here's some photos of the the interior, what little of it there is, with obvious aftermarket add ons.

Late 70's Early 80's steering column?



The wiring behind it:


And the shifter on the floor:



So there was some work done. The shifter does connect to the current transmission, I just haven't figured out if its the original or an updated one yet. Brakes work, which was good when we were loading it on the trailer. The seats are aftermarket and not in good shape. Dirty, and will have to be either redone or replaced eventually.

The inventory continues this week as I try to find markings on the engine and get more photos of the bits and bobs.

Engine Pictures

I got a bunch of pictures of the engine area and the components so far. I haven't taken a full inventory yet of what needs to be worked on but this is the start. Have to try and figure out what specifically everything is yet.

The engine itself:


Belt Assembly, new and the power steering pump (Thanks Jim):





Weiand manifold and Edelbrock Carb:

Well, I'll be

I went out to take some more photos this evening of the car. To get an idea of what is in it, what needs to be worked on first, etc. I found a bit of a surprise for me. Its not a Chevy, its a Pontiac. 1938 Pontiac Master Deluxe to be specific. I have a copy of an old title that was with the car that says its a 1938 Chevy so I just assumed. In comparing rebuilt cars and original artwork, this is definitely a '38 Pontiac. And if that wasn't enough, this was under the hood:



I've got about 25 more photos to sort through of the current engine and other stuff that I'll be posting up later as well.

Getting it home

Last week and opportunity opened up for me to go and actually get the car. My dad's friend is looking to sell his house and therefore the garage the car was stored in. When we got to the house the car was in pretty sorry shape. The engine isn't hooked up to anything yet and both front tires were flat. It was going to be a pain to try and get the car out of the garage and onto the trailer. Luckily in digging around the garage we found a compressor and were able to get the tires inflated enough for the duration of the transport.

Wonderful friends of mine are letting me store the car at their farm in Stoughton WI, so the trip from the north side of Milwaukee to Stoughton was underway!

Huge thanks to Carole and Jim, Bob and Kristi and everyone else who offered help and assistance to get the car up and out.

Here's some pictures of it at its destination:

How it Begins

As long as I can remember my father was in love with his youth. He loved the 50's and 60's, music, television, everything. We used to listen to "good music" when he'd pick me up on weekends and drive all over seeing his friends, going to the arcade or watching classic sci-fi movies.

One thing my dad always talked about was having an awesome car. He wanted a car with classic lines and a monster under the hood. He had the dream to take an older chassis and trick it out to be his dream hot rod.

Several years ago he started the project. He wouldn't tell me much about it, just that he was working on things with some friends. He wanted it to be a complete suprise, and when it was done take me and my grandmother for a ride. My father was always a dreamer. One of his best qualities in my opinion. I chalked up most of his talk to dreams and desires as opposed to actual tangible results.

My dad died on August 6th this year. Three days before he died, I went to his friend's house where he had been staying while being very ill. His friend took me to the garage to see something I had only heard about. The start of a modified 1938 Chevrolet Master Sedan. He and his friend had been working on it off and on for years. I knew as soon as I saw it what had to be done. My family and I made arrangements to buy the car off of my father's friend and start the process of finishing one of my dad's dreams.