As Legend Says, the Phoenix Shall Arise from the Ashes

[The_Bishop]

Where are you located? I have a welder, maybe I could help you out with a little mod on the crossmember?

[grazi]

Originally Posted by Jersey Mike

There is not enough available space on the crossmember (Need at least 1 more inch of room) to drill a new hole. I will look into the aftermarket, or fabricating one if need be.


I need a lift. This driveway stuff is beat. Countdown to Graziville Invasion has begun.

Don't hold your breath on that. but if you want, bring the crossmember over. I'm sure I can fab up something nice with my neighbors mig

[Jersey Mike]

Car's in Oakland. I split my time between there and Randolph.

Bill, I *THINK* The xmember on the car now is off of a LT1 car (Ltb1ow's car). I lost track after 3-4 xmembers sat in a pile for a year.

Rich, in that case, I'll make a template midweek & come by on the weekend. I need to inspect this new structure anyway

[LTb1ow]

Originally Posted by Jersey Mike

Car's in Oakland. I split my time between there and Randolph.

Bill, I *THINK* The xmember on the car now is off of a LT1 car (Ltb1ow's car). I lost track after 3-4 xmembers sat in a pile for a year.

Rich, in that case, I'll make a template midweek & come by on the weekend. I need to inspect this new structure anyway

*Insert meme* HAR HAR HAR HAR!!!!!

[Jersey Mike]

Did I just get real-life trolled? God, he's getting dangerously good at this!



After a brief search of a few F-Body vendor sites, it seems aftermarket pieces are running in the $150-$200 range. For something that you can fabricate at home, I think I'd be wise to go custom here. I'll be away from the car until Monday, but I'll take another look then and put my thinking cap on.

[LTb1ow]

Just buy one.

Driveline vibration chases are not worth the save couple hundred IMO.

[Jersey Mike]

Are you just saying that because I almost had my mind fully made-up?

[sweetbmxrider]

Why not borrow one off of a friend's car that would have the correct one you need and see if it lines up? Maybe you goofed up elsewhere causing your issue.

[LS1ow]

mike i have a t56 cross member upstairs in the shop, swing down n get it if you want.




just kidding, your ugly.

[Jersey Mike]

Dear Abby,

I realized that this thing may be a mild pain in the pooper to replicate, due to the varying geometry all around.

I need to move the hole about 1.25" further towards the rear of the car. So rather than cutting and welding an extension on, should I just bend the lip straight? I believe that if I can bend the area between the blue Painter's Tape out 90*, I can just drill a new hole and be done. Would I be jeopardizing the integrity and strength of the crossmember by doing this though?

Cut 2 slits, bend out, have someone weld a flare on each end of the bend to reconnect everything?

[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img89/9529/0506131907.jpg[/ IMG]

[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img849/7585/0506131957.jpg[/ IMG]

[IMG]http://imageshack.us/a/img163/1408/0506131954.jpg[/ IMG]



Also, to answer a previous question: The part number stamped on this is 10198323 10198347-C LT1- MD8/M30 . So it is the LT1 xmember off of LTb1ow's car.

[LTb1ow]

damn it feels good to be a gangster...#trolled

[sweetbmxrider]

I would not do that

[WildBillyT]

Originally Posted by sweetbmxrider

I would not do that

I would not bend it either. Get an extension welded on.

[Jersey Mike]

...And this is why I ask things. ^


Thanks for the tip, Adam & Bill. As for Bill's suggestion of welding an extension on to this xmember, wouldn't some of that vertical wall need to be cut, or at least bent, to allow for access to the center bolt/hole that the trans mount bushing connects to?

Excuse the rookie questions. My first rodeo may be showing.

[deadtrend1]

Do you need a t56 crossmember or something? Im not going back and reading to far to find out.

[sweetbmxrider]

I heard this thing is making it to Duke Island????

[Jersey Mike]

YUP! See you there, bro!





[/sarcasm]

[WSex]

Originally Posted by sweetbmxrider

I heard this thing is making it to Duke Island????

2015...

[Jersey Mike]

Hopefully I'll have some more later this week, but for now I'm just typing to share my excitement in clearing a hurdle (And because it's been dead in here lately...)

-----


Does anyone else have a Wall of Shame? I've begun decorating mine as of late. Here's your story for the day:



So, back in October, there was a little mishap with a certain stubborn dipstick and a certain stubborn dipshet. Long story short, I was left with a dipstick sans a few inches.





Petrified that there may now be a chunk of steel dipstick in my oil pan, I decided to explore...
I searched all around the car, the ground and in random crevices of the undercarriage to see if I got lucky and it was somewhere outside of my motor. How foolish. My optimistic childish naivety makes me chuckle.
I tried going in through the dipstick hole with a tiny, tiny magnet. No dice.
Drained the oil, hoping the magnetic drain bolt would have attracted the piece and saved me. Negative.
Perhaps it came out with the oil? Nope, nothing in the drain pan but clean, fresh, unused motor oil... also known as "Money down the drain" in the UK.
Went in through the drain bolt hole with the aforementioned Midget Magnet, and tried with grabber tool as well. Couldn't feel anything.
Acquired big ol' magnet and scanned it across the bottom of the pan, in hopes that if there was anything in there, I could drag it to the exit point & retrieve it. Mildly clever, but still no dipstick end.

Hmm... "Maybe I got lucky? Maybe it ISN'T in there!"

...That delirium was short-lived; I know my luck. Fast forward to May:


The weather has greatly improved but my peace of mind has not. I couldn't comfortably go forward with running this car again without knowing for sure there is nothing in there.
I disconnected the pan and let it hang. I was hoping that, if there's a dipstick end stuck in the hole/pan/block somewhere, that perhaps creating separation between the pan & block would either dislodge the sucker or allow me a visual of the piece/room for pliers. Still nothing.

This left me with no choice: I had to pull the pan off.


After attending a local car show as motivation, MyFirstZ and I took on the task Sunday afternoon. Looking back, it wasn't that awful to do: Removed the compressor & alternator, the horizontal motor mount bolts, hoisted the motor up via the front of the heads, and dropped the K-member.

We got the pan off without much fuss, and inspected it. Nada! Okay, this is good!


Removed and checked under the cover/[splash guard?] and still found nothing! "Well, I guess I was just paranoid! At least I now KNOW there's nothing in there. It was worth it, I suppose..."


15 minutes later, as we go to re-install the pan, an accidental flashlight beam and the corner of MyFirstZ's eye caught an object peaking out through the Windage Tray. I damn near shat myself. I couldn't have been more happy than I was at that moment. It was barely poking through, right here where I've set the pick:



I found the piece, threw it in a spare junk-frame I had, and added it to my Wall of Shame collection.

[Blackbirdws6]

Nice job and the presentation was well done as well. So what's next besides putting the pan back on?

[Jersey Mike]

Pan is already back on. ...What can I say? It was a productive day

Bleed brakes and mock up the exhaust next, most likely. Off days/car days are a novelty lately

[zuuhlsT/A]

Get r done. Really can't say that though. my 79 T/A is in pieces. Took Memorial day week off so maybe I can get my car on the road before yours!

[grazi]

Originally Posted by Jersey Mike

Pan is already back on. ...What can I say? It was a productive day

Bleed brakes and mock up the exhaust next, most likely. Off days/car days are a novelty lately

I have some gorilla glue if you want to try to salvage that dipstick

[The Fixer]

Amazing that you guys found it! That piece was definitely large enough to be a recipe for disaster. ~Maybe~ it would have fallen down into the pan when you fired it up, or it could have been pulled up into the crank's path and been a nasty mess.

[WSex]

Incase anyone is wondering. I am the dipshet in this lovely story. Thank you and goodbye