Cool McCool's Garage

…the mice work all day in the garage without guilt (not that I usually feel guilty about that!)  While Kim is off camping without me, I spent today working on the Diamond T for the first time in almost 8 months!

I drove the ’36 into Auto-Zone and picked  a pair of tie-rod ends, shocks, and a steering idler.  It’s getting hard to remember what the various components came from, I’m going to have to make up a little owners manual.  The counter-girl was a little confused when we kept jumping from a ’93 G20 Chevy van to a C2500 pickup to get the pieces, but I remembered correctly and everything was correct. 

For those of you keeping track, the front crossmember and control arms are ’93 G20 3/4 ton van, the ball joints, spindles and brakes are from the same vintage 3/4 ton Chevy pickup.  You’d think that they’d share the same parts, but NOOOO.  The van has 5 lug rotors (which look the same as 1/2 ton pickup and full-size car), smaller ball joints, but much heavier tie rod ends.  Out back, the rear is a Dana 70, probably from a mid 70’s Dodge, it’s narrower than a standard dually rear, so perhaps it’s a commercial chassis unit, who knows.  I’ll have to find out when I rebuild the brakes I suppose.

Anyway, the new parts went on without a hitch.  I put the flex hoses on the front, and spent a little time noodling out how to plumb the lower radiator hose, which has to take a rather convoluted route from the right side outlet, out the fender liner, down and behind the center-link and then to the left side lower outlet on the radiator.  It’d be nice to find a pre-formed hose with the proper 90 degree bends at both ends, so I’ll have to spend a little time in the auto-parts store looking at some. 

Next up, brake lines, measure up for the driveshaft, and get that pesky lower hose for the radiator.  I have the mid-ships driveshaft I took out of the GMC when I shortened it, and if I’m lucky, it’ll be a donor for the yokes, and if I’m REALLY lucky, it might even fit, or be able to be shortened to fit.  We’ll see.  I have the glass all cut, but need to order the windshield rubber and paint the inner frames before they go in.  Once all those little tasks are completed, I can drive it in to Muffler-Man for some pipes, and we’ll be ready to roll.  That is, after the paint is cut and buffed out, the interior completed and carpeted, and some other loose ends wrapped up.  I’m publicly stating right here I will not start another project untill this is done, so I have witness’!   

Here are a few pictures of todays garage scene, notice the thick layer of dirt from setting since last summer after it was painted, which makes me feel kind of bad.  I shouldn’t feel too bad, because in that time, I built the GMC dually, and the Tini-Home.   

Stay tuned to “Cool McCool’s Garage” for more progress, and to make sure I don’t forget I said I wouldn’t start anything else until this is done.  Keep a brother honest!