Well at least she did that as YOU were going over the 'inspection' procedure. And hopefully you are not like me and not able to find the bulbs that you KNOW you have...


It seems like its in the cards that anytime you do changes it affects a dozen other things...


Nagh, she is happy for NOW. Am not for sure what jealous quirks she will exhibit after you start working on Ms America 3.14

Hope you do keep us apprised of the goings on with her as you begin to use her again. She will undoubtedly show signs of stubbornness but they wont be all that bad.

Hope YOU are having a GREAT day.

_________________
MRO....

Cheap, Fast, Reliable.... Pick 2...

Hey All,
Tuesday Mid Morning Update:

Lorrie passed her Inspection and is sporting a NEW Inspection Sticker.

Being street legal, we just returned from running the weekly errands.

Am a little overheated. Need to go take another cold shower and put me on the bed for a while.

JC

_________________
Lorrie Van Haul - 1967 Dodge - P200 Post Office Vehicle - 225 Slant Six - Torqueflite A727 Automatic Transmission - Right Hand Drive Steering - Big Three HEI System - Frantz Oil Cleaner System - Bendix Stromberg Model W Carburetor

Hey Dusty,
And NOT like last time where she blew a headlight AT the Inspection Station.



I have large plastic containers in which each classification of stuff is kept. And those containers are all kept in the same general area. So just have to look through the plastic to see that for which one is looking.



Actually, this was a MINIMAL modification Cutting two 1" X 2" Tabs off of the edge of the Removable Floor. It's totally unnoticeable. Won't hurt a thing,



They've always gotten along together really well.



As a matter of fact, she seems quite eager to do what is asked of her. Wait till she see how much attention she gets in the Wal*Mart and Lowe's Parking Lots!

One time back in the mid nineties, she happened to be parked in front of "The New York Deli" in the Post Oak area of Houston, a VERY nice restaurant in an upscale part of the city.

Came out of the restaurant to find about eight or ten suited business men standing around Lorrie, really scoping her out. And on one side of her was a Bentley, and on the other side was a Gull Wing Mercedes, both getting totally ignored. But then again, those guys had SEEN Bentleys and Mercedes before, but never had seen anything like Lorrie.

Anyway, am going to take about three or four days off to just get myself back to feeling not so fatigued.

Hope this finds YOU doing well.

JC

_________________
Lorrie Van Haul - 1967 Dodge - P200 Post Office Vehicle - 225 Slant Six - Torqueflite A727 Automatic Transmission - Right Hand Drive Steering - Big Three HEI System - Frantz Oil Cleaner System - Bendix Stromberg Model W Carburetor

Hooray! Rest up.

I agree Reed, he has earned a day or four for rest. I am very pleased with the attention JC had paid, and to the details that he has exhibited during the construction of HIS conversion mount. Very clean and almost looks like something that maybe the USPS might have done had they had to do a mod as this. I wish I had thought my conversion thru as well but I was in the need of a driver as it was my daily. Oh well, live and learn i suppose.

_________________
MRO....



Cheap, Fast, Reliable.... Pick 2...

Hey Reed,
YES!



Would you believe that nap time went from 3:40 p.m. to 8:45 p.m., and then retired at 9:45 p.m. slept till 4:30 a.m. That's almost twelve hours of really deep sleep.

Am going to see if Ms. American can be made to Start&Run so that she can be moved.

Anyway, hang in there.

JC

_________________
Lorrie Van Haul - 1967 Dodge - P200 Post Office Vehicle - 225 Slant Six - Torqueflite A727 Automatic Transmission - Right Hand Drive Steering - Big Three HEI System - Frantz Oil Cleaner System - Bendix Stromberg Model W Carburetor

I like your sleep schedule. When it gets hot I also sleep like that. We are having a bit of a heat wave here in Washington (high 70s and mid 80s most of the week, into the 90s tomorrow and the next day) and I have been walking around like a zombie.

Hey Reed,
That is NOT a normal sleep schedule. It's just that the "push" around here HAD to be done, and the going to sleep when it was finished was the result of the "letdown" at the end of a period of very intense activity.



Well, this year, am doing an experiment. Have yet to turn on the Central Air Conditioning.

Normal electric bill is $60.00 a month. With the A/C running, that goes up to $160.00 a month. So this year instead of running the A/C have been running just fans, and they have been keeping the temperature in the house at about 80 degrees.

Normally, the A/C would be going for four or five months out of the year. So will be saving between $400.00 to $500.00 this year. That would almost pay the property taxes.



Was one time on the way to Greybull, Wyoming from Ontario, California, and had just gotten out of Utah, and into the SouthWest corner of Wyoming at a place called: "South Pass".

Stopped for Gas, and was talking to one of the local Old Timers, and I said: "How cold does it get here?" And the Old Timer said: "Not too cold, maybe thirty to forty below zero! But it isn't the cold that gets ME." he said, "It's these HOT Summers."

It was about 75 degrees at the time.



Know what you mean. The heat puts one into a "funk".

Have been taking multiple cold showers every day, just sitting in the shower with cold water running. Then getting out and sitting in the breeze of a fan.

Am also keeping slightly damp bath towels handy. All one has to do is wave them around a bit, and they become a nice way to cool off .

Am thinking that the next time Lorrie&I are Out&About, will take her to the Ken's Tire Store and see what NEW tires for Lorrie's Font End will cost.

Anyway, take care.

JC

_________________
Lorrie Van Haul - 1967 Dodge - P200 Post Office Vehicle - 225 Slant Six - Torqueflite A727 Automatic Transmission - Right Hand Drive Steering - Big Three HEI System - Frantz Oil Cleaner System - Bendix Stromberg Model W Carburetor

Hey Dusty,
Am almost back to normal. Will take another day, and then we'll be ready to start paying some serious attention to Ms. American.



It DID come out looking kind of like a "StarTrek" Shuttle.



One of the things that was conducive to thinking the Conversion through was that there was LOTS of waiting-for-the-parts-to-arrive time.

Plus there was a bit of serendipity involved. Permit me to explain:

Remember when the Heat Sink was ordered? And remember that when it got here, it wasn't a Heat Sink, but was some kind of Bracket that was mis-packaged in a Heat Sink Box.

Well, as it turned out, THAT Bracket was EXACTLY what was needed to attach the Ignition Coil/Control Module/Heat Sink/Heat Shield Assembly to the Angle Iron (which was gotten free from the Lawn Mower Shop) that is bolted to Lorrie's Floor.



So you had to do it the Fastest&Quickest way?



You just might have not had to wait for the parts, so you didn't get to spend any time dreaming of how they would be assembled.

Am assuming that it all works as advertised.

BTW, remember the idea of the Cooling Hose to the Heat Sink/Control Module? Am afraid that there are too many obstacles in the way to be able to get it installed.

Will be taking the Engine Cabinetry and Removable Floor out to FIX it PROPERLY and permanently, and at that time will see about maybe figuring out how to get the Hose installed.

Anyway, today is going to be another day of leisure. It's supposed to rain here today.

Hope you are doing well.

JC

_________________
Lorrie Van Haul - 1967 Dodge - P200 Post Office Vehicle - 225 Slant Six - Torqueflite A727 Automatic Transmission - Right Hand Drive Steering - Big Three HEI System - Frantz Oil Cleaner System - Bendix Stromberg Model W Carburetor

Hey All,
Thursday Afternoon Update:

With the Lids on the Engine Cabinet, and Lorrie's mighty 225 Slant Six Engine running, the hot air from the Radiator and the Engine can get into the Dash Panel through the Opening shown here:



In order to keep that from happening, the Opening to the interior of the Dash Panel had to be blocked, and it was decided that the way to do it was to cut a piece of Plywood to fit the Opening to serve as a Baffle.

The Opening is an odd five sided shape so the Baffle would have to be a corresponding five sided shape.

A Template to match the five sided shape of the Opening had to be made.

Here is how that Template was made:

One inch wide strips of Illustration Board were cut to fit the various sides of the Opening, and they were then taped together with Masking Tape.

This first JPG shows the first two pieces of Illustration Board Strips taped together:



Then a third piece was taped to the first two pieces:



Then a fourth piece was added:



And finally a fifth piece completed the five sided shape of the opening:



Here is the finished Template shape being transferred to a piece of Plywood



The Plywood shape was then cut out and fitted into the Opening:



The Plywood piece was sanded and then painted White on both sides, and on the edges:



And here is the finished Plywood Baffle fitted into the opening at the Port end of the Dash Panel:



There STILL has to be a piece of Aluminum that will be fastened to the Plywood shape that laps down onto the Engine Cabinet Iinterior to be fastened there with a couple of screws to keep the Plywood shape in place, but haven't yet found a suitable piece of Aluminum here anywhere.

Nonetheless, the fit of the Plywood Baffle is such that it is tight enough to be held in place till a suitable piece of Aluminum is found, and besides, when the Cabinet Lid is in place, it will keep the Plywood Baffle from falling out of position.

It all came out pretty good. Am hoping that this Baffle will cut down on the amount of hot air that escapes from the Engine Cabinet through the Dash Panel.

Will have a JPG of the installation when the Aluminum is found, fabricated, and installed.

This pretty much finishes all the necessary stuff done to Lorrie. Anything more will be icing on the cake.

Among the icing on the cake will be some sheet metal repairs, and maybe some graphics to spiff up Lorrie's appearance.

Hope this finds YOU all doing well.

Time marches on.

JC

_________________
Lorrie Van Haul - 1967 Dodge - P200 Post Office Vehicle - 225 Slant Six - Torqueflite A727 Automatic Transmission - Right Hand Drive Steering - Big Three HEI System - Frantz Oil Cleaner System - Bendix Stromberg Model W Carburetor

Looks good! Have you considered a bulkhead connector or rubber collar or grommet to totally seal the engine compartment from the passenger compartment?

Hey Reed,
It DID come out quite nicely. Contemplated it for quite a while and this morning finally had the confidence that what was visualized would work. It went quickly, and turned out as planned.



Am not sure what you mean by "bulkhead connector or rubber collar or grommet". Would you care to elucidate?

The way that the Cabinetry is made, it pretty much seals the unit. It just never occurred to me that the Dash Panel Interior would get as hot as it had gotten the few times that Lorrie has been driven.

Have a bit of figuring out where and how to mount the Spare tire inside Lorrie.

BTW, don't think it was mentioned here, but last Monday, Lorrie got two NEW Front Tires identical to her two NEW Rear Tires.

The OLD Front Tires would go "womp, womp, womp" as Lorrie would be moving. The NEW Tires go "Hummmmmm".

Anyway Reed, thanks for the response.

JC

_________________
Lorrie Van Haul - 1967 Dodge - P200 Post Office Vehicle - 225 Slant Six - Torqueflite A727 Automatic Transmission - Right Hand Drive Steering - Big Three HEI System - Frantz Oil Cleaner System - Bendix Stromberg Model W Carburetor

A bulkhead connector is an electrical terminal designed to allow wires to pass through a flat panel (like a bulkhead) but also to be able to be disconnected from each side of the panel. It is a bit hard to describe, but it is basically a pair of terminals that plug together through a hole in the sheet metal (or plywood). There is some manner of clamping in the connector that allows the wires to plug together tightly and also forms a water barrier. Follow the wiring in Ms. American 3.14 to the firewall and look where the wire loom passes into the interior.

A rubber grommet is just a rubber plug that fits in a hole and the grommet has a hole in itself to allow a wire or wires to pass through it but still make a watertight seal. Think a wire with a big rubber collar around it.

Hopefully those descriptions help out a bit.

Hey Reed,
Alright. I'm with you now. I was visualizing some kind of Gasket that would seal the Plywood Panels to the Body. That is obviously NOT that to which you were referring!

Actually, that to which you are referring WOULD be kind of nice, wouldn't it?

Will give that some serious consideration. Will have to see what is available.

Lorrie's Wiring is NOT the most organized situation, but it works. Maybe some day when everything else is done, THAT will get some serious attention.

Anyway, thanks for the explanation.

Hope YOU are well.

JC

_________________
Lorrie Van Haul - 1967 Dodge - P200 Post Office Vehicle - 225 Slant Six - Torqueflite A727 Automatic Transmission - Right Hand Drive Steering - Big Three HEI System - Frantz Oil Cleaner System - Bendix Stromberg Model W Carburetor

Absolutely. Hardware stores sell self-sticking foam weatherstrip, but I don't know if that would hold up to the heat of an engine compartment. Perhaps a roll of generic rubber weatherstrip in the proper profile from someplace like JC Whitney or Metro Moulded Rubber?

http://metrommp.com/