Should I Be Nervous?

Even though I haven't been updating as frequently, I am still making progress on the build.  I actually think I have a lot to update so here goes in no particular order.

Last time I mentioned the punch list.  Here it is again with a status update:
- Mount fuel pump (done)
- Run fuel lines (half done)
- Install master cylinder (done)
- Run brake lines (not done)
- Mount radiator (not done)
- Install parking brake (done)
- Design and build hydraulic clutch (half done)

I'll say that's not bad.  Here's a few pictures:

Parts I made for the hydraulic clutch

 Clutch master cylinder assembled

 Installed in the car with pedals attached

 Brackets I made and welded to support the fuel pump.  Fortunately I didn't mess up the powdercoating

 Small brackets I made to support the parking brake cables

I should have added pictures of the parking brake assembly and the fuel pump assembly but I don't feel like going back outside now.

And I did do a few other things while waiting for my engine block like getting my tires delivered and having them mounted.  They look great!

I also worked on designing some of the aluminum panels but I don't have pictures of that either.  Just trust me that I'm really doing these things.

And I had a few visitors over the last week.  First, Larry and Dave came up to see my progress.  They arrived in a cool Porsche 911.  Larry is going to be building a cobra starting in a few weeks.  Then Uncle Carmen and his friend Danny came over.  Danny has restored a few cars and they arrived in a very sharp '37 Ford 4-door convertible.  I should have taken a picture of that too.

I've also been busy with the boat building class I'm teaching.  As I should have expected, it's taking a lot more of my time than I imagined, but it has been a lot of fun.  Here is a picture of one of the boats (we're making three of these simultaneously).

Now onto the engine.  I received all the necessary parts about 1 1/2 weeks ago and immediately brought them to the machine shop so they could complete their work.  Again, after putting so much time into selecting every component, I really wanted them to be impressed by the parts I was unloading from my trunk.  But what did I get -- "put them over there and we'll have your block done in a week".  My shoulders must have been noticeably lower, at least I felt that way.  They didn't seem to notice.  And then I expected them to ask if I wanted to see how the block was coming along, but that didn't happen either.  I felt like I was in a dirty, greasy hospital with the patient just down the hall but with a no-nonsense desk nurse saying "sorry, you're not allowed in there".  I left hoping my block was in good hands.

One week later, around 11am on a Friday, the phone rang.  "Ralph, it's Dave.  Your block is ready.  Come before 3pm if you want it today."  At 11:35am, I was backing my car into their loading dock.  I went inside and could tell right away that the shiny, 200 pound chunk of metal in the translucent plastic bag was my block.  I wanted to rip the bag open and run my fingers along the newly machined surfaces, but I played it cool, real cool.  "How'd everything look?", I asked.  "Fine", Dave replied.  And then I looked around again to see literally 50 other blocks going through the same process.  I guess it stops being exciting after the first few hundred.  I paid, collected my parts, loaded the block and I was back on my way home.

Unlike the Rube Goldberg method of loading the block into the car when I first brought it to the machine shop, I waited a couple hours after I got home and had Ben help me lift the block out of the car and back on the stand.  Then I ripped the bag off and ran my fingers along the newly machined surfaces.  It actually looked brand new.  Here are a couple pictures.

The first thing I did was to paint the exterior Ford blue.  Then I got to work on the actual engine assembly process.  I had to do some small modifications to the block to accept certain parts I plan to install later.  It involved grinding-down a few areas so a special bracket can be installed inside the engine.

It is a little hard to see, but this is the area I ground.  Most importantly, I had to get all the filings out of the engine before moving forward.

 The bent plate with the 8 arms is the bracket.  It is going to support rolling lifters which weren't available when the block was originally manufactured.

I'm learning that building an engine from a bunch of disparate parts is an iterative process.  Assemble some parts, take measurements, take them apart, take more measurements, put them together again.  Add more parts and repeat.  The first part to go on was the crankshaft.  After almost a year of having an empty engine block in my garage it was about to become something more than that.  At least I hoped so.  I had gone over the steps in my head many times, but now it was the real thing.  I prepped the block to accept the 60 pound crank, picked it up and brought it over to the block.  Here goes.  I gently lower it into position and it slowly drops into place.  It fits!  I'm only somewhat amazed that something I ordered over the internet based on a picture and some technical specifications fit so well.  I took the necessary measurements to make sure the fit was within tolerances and it was!  (Later, I went back to see what I would have done if it was out of tolerance.  I'll let you know if I ever come up with an answer.)

Here it is (notice the blue paint)

The first measurement I had to take was how much space there is between the crankshaft and the bearing that support it.  The spec is 0.002 inches.  To put that in perspective, a human hair is 0.004 inches!

I'm going to probably spend most of my time on the engine for now so I can get it sealed-up before it starts to rust.  My nervousness is  starting to diminish and I'm getting very excited to add part by part.  I still don't know how I'm going to get up the courage to actually try to start it.