Yesterday I helped my neighbor bring home a new car he bought. A beautiful red 1940 Chevy coupe with a big block 396/TH400. It was built about 25 yrs, ago, and has 1st gen Camaro interior front and back. Nice rubber all around with skinny front runners and big Mickey Thompsons tubbed under the rear. Mustang II front suspension wiyh rack and pinion. Needs some cleaning and polishing from sitting a lot the last 4 yrs., but it's a nasty sounding big block. He stole it for $8k.
After I got home I began fitting together my new exhaust system. Cut the old stuff off and realised once it was out that it was only 2". The new 2.5" should really work better, but it's turning into a bit of work to fit it under the tiny car and keep it tucked up. After 8 hrs. I got one side done, and a bit of the easier side done.
Hopefully today I'll finish the driver's side and then I need to get new header and collector gaskets since I had to pull everything off the engine also to get the system welded in place.

 

Tackled the tough side first? I try to do that so the home stretch seems easier.

 

Yep, got the tough side first, but easy side bit back!

Well I got the system tacked together and then pulled it all off. Cleand up all the gasket surfaces and replaced the gaskets. Got everything welded solid on the bencch so I wouldn't have leaks from wleding upside down.
There's not more than 1/4" clearance at about 4-5 different places. The mufflers just fit between the driveline and the brackets for the ladder bars, and between the rear axle and front crossmember. They're in there, and no rattles, but had to indent to clear the shift linkage on the driver's side.



But it's all done and not only a bit quieter, but also the idle speed came up a couple hundred rpm's, so it's breathing freely. One minor mishap during disassembly today. Thought I'd tear the old collector cap gaskets off and put new copper gaskets so I can open and close the dumps without replacing gaskets. One of them stuck and I reached up to tear it off and found out they had a metal sandwiched inbetween the gaskets. Sliced my middle finger to the bone like a serrated carving knife!
Wife's not happy, as she always gets to do first aid, and she doesn't like the blood part too well.

 

Wow have really enjoyed reading your project thread. What great work you have done on the old gasser. Nothing like putting a little blood sweat and tears into it.....That cut sounds kindof painful.

 

Thanks orocker! Hurt like the devil when I did it, but it feels better now.

 

It wouldn't be a project if it didn't give you a scare, now would it? Lowering the engine in my old Camaro with the headers on, I put my hand in the collector to pull or something. The same time my buddy decided the engine needed to go down more. The collector smashed my hand into the cement and gave me a smiley face scare for a few years on my palm.

 

Yeah scars are the reminders not to do something again!

 

LOL usually.

 

Decided today that I'd put the B&M shifter in the Austin. I picked it up very cheap this summer at a swap meet, and was going to put it in the Burb, but I like the column shift on the truck.
Started out by unbolting and removing the Jaguar shifter. Then I fabbed up an aluminum base since the B&M base was missing. I drilled new holes in the base of the B&M shifter to match the old base bolts of the Jag shifter and drilled one extra hole at the rear to bolt the back of the base where it hung over.
Once I got it bolted down I ran the wiring for my line loc underneath and up the back, then mounted the switch on the rear of the base so I can operate it easily.

Still need to finish up a ring that will hold the rubber boot to the aluminum base, but it's hooked up and working for tomorrow's cruise!

 

More parts came in for the Austin winter project, and I couldn't wait until winter to put these on! KMJ Performance had these Assault welded aluminum valve covers on sale for under $60 and free shipping! I needed a pair to cover the roller rockers and stud girdle that's going on the Austin this winter. Couldn't wait until winter to see if they fit, as I didn't want a hassle returning something I'd had a couple months, so on they went.
Had a little issue on the driver's side with clearance between throttle linkage and the power brake booster, but once the linkage was removed they went right in. They have plenty of linkage clearance after they're in place to reconnect the linkage.
They're not old school like the old Vette valve covers, but they make the little 327 look much larger, and they add a lot of bling to the engine! I really like them, and the price is fantastic!