Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
...I think it came out pretty decent.
Captainkirk's Duster project
- Thread starter Captainkirk
- Start date
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rapidtransitric
LX/LC platform a body swap pioneer
...I think it came out pretty decent.
looks nice
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
And now, the latest piece of the puzzle, thanks to FABO's own Fishy68 who made me a great deal on this gorgeous billet piece, complete with adjustments for 0,+2,+4,+6,+8,-2,-4,-6,-8 degrees, It's built like a brick...well, you know.
Norway-dart
Well-Known Member
Guess it will work... Depends on the camshaft also(cyl pressure)
But i think a closed chamber may handle more CR than open chamber due to better mixing of gas and a smaller area with trapped gas making it easier to have control over pre ignition. Also the squich area cools the gas some when pushing it into the chamber, making it more resistible against self igniting...
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Well, finally got all the pistons and rods disassembled. I was down to just two...stubborn mothers!....and they refused to cooperate like the others. The TRW's use floating pins and snap rings and the other piston pins came out with a little coaxing from my deadblow mallet and plastic drift. Yesterday I had hosed them down with copious amounts of AeroKroil, which will pretty much loosen concrete, and let 'em sit overnight with the intention of whacking 'em out today...
Guess again, Captain.
"We ain't goin' nowhere!", says they.
Oh...really? Well, how 'bout if I SuperSize the mallet?
"Stupid Captain. Don't you EVER listen?"
Harrumph. Wailing on this plastic rod with a shot-filled hammer and these little weasels aren't moving. Well, OK...they moved about an eighth of an inch, then stopped.
Just enough to slip a socket into.
Slipping a larger socket over the opposite end left me just enough room to squeeze the two sockets between the jaws of the shop vise. But, tightening down the jaws stopped me cold again.
So, I grabbed that big-*** mallet and gave the vise jaw a wallop...POP! It moved. Only a little, but it moved....
So, I tightened the jaws just a hair more and played Whack-A-Mole again, with the same results...over and over, until the socket was swallowed up by the piston pin bore....
By now, the cheeky little bastard was begging for mercy. Realizing resistance was futile, it surrendered with only a whimper when I pulled the piston from the vise and finished the job with the plastic rod and mallet. The piston pin dropped into my waiting hand....
I must've scared the bejeebers out of that other piston pin, because the socket trick worked just fine on that one. Even easier, as a matter of fact, now that I had the technique down...
"You were saying?"
Not a peep out of either piston pin in return.
Still, I had to wonder. There was an awful lot of varnish on those two pins....
However, nothing a shot of Scotch Brite followed up by a ride on the ol' polishing wheel couldn't handle. Smooth as glass as shiny as a baby's ***.....the now-shiny pins slid right into the con rod bushings like nobody's bid'ness.
A quick once-over with the wire wheel took care on the surface flash-rust on the con rods.
So, finally!...all the pistons and rods lay disassembled and actually are starting to not look like they came out of a junkyard motor home.
Pictures forthcoming in the somewhat distant future......
Captain: 1
Pins: Zero.
Guess again, Captain.
"We ain't goin' nowhere!", says they.
Oh...really? Well, how 'bout if I SuperSize the mallet?
"Stupid Captain. Don't you EVER listen?"
Harrumph. Wailing on this plastic rod with a shot-filled hammer and these little weasels aren't moving. Well, OK...they moved about an eighth of an inch, then stopped.
Just enough to slip a socket into.
Slipping a larger socket over the opposite end left me just enough room to squeeze the two sockets between the jaws of the shop vise. But, tightening down the jaws stopped me cold again.
So, I grabbed that big-*** mallet and gave the vise jaw a wallop...POP! It moved. Only a little, but it moved....
So, I tightened the jaws just a hair more and played Whack-A-Mole again, with the same results...over and over, until the socket was swallowed up by the piston pin bore....
By now, the cheeky little bastard was begging for mercy. Realizing resistance was futile, it surrendered with only a whimper when I pulled the piston from the vise and finished the job with the plastic rod and mallet. The piston pin dropped into my waiting hand....
I must've scared the bejeebers out of that other piston pin, because the socket trick worked just fine on that one. Even easier, as a matter of fact, now that I had the technique down...
"You were saying?"
Not a peep out of either piston pin in return.
Still, I had to wonder. There was an awful lot of varnish on those two pins....
However, nothing a shot of Scotch Brite followed up by a ride on the ol' polishing wheel couldn't handle. Smooth as glass as shiny as a baby's ***.....the now-shiny pins slid right into the con rod bushings like nobody's bid'ness.
A quick once-over with the wire wheel took care on the surface flash-rust on the con rods.
So, finally!...all the pistons and rods lay disassembled and actually are starting to not look like they came out of a junkyard motor home.
Pictures forthcoming in the somewhat distant future......
Captain: 1
Pins: Zero.
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
We ain't outta the woods yet, Georgie.
While my recent posts have solved several questions regarding these pistons, specifically the forging flaw on the dome (and whether it could be polished out; indeed it could and was) and the resulting weight difference (I've been assured it's okey-dokey to match them all to the lightest piston...have grinder, will travel!) there is still a burning question gnawing at my guts...I've got some pitting and corrosion in several of the ring grooves and on the lands and skirts that I've found since disassembling and cleaning.
Can it be polished out? I dunno....part of me is screaming "Chuck these things in the trash, dammit!"...yeah the same part that screamed the same thing when I found the forging flaw. And look how that turned out!
I guess there's nothing left to do besides give it the old college try and see what happens.
I guess ring grooves are a bit more critical than the domes.
Am I nuts to try to clean this up? (even though I'm gonna try?) Time will tell.
While my recent posts have solved several questions regarding these pistons, specifically the forging flaw on the dome (and whether it could be polished out; indeed it could and was) and the resulting weight difference (I've been assured it's okey-dokey to match them all to the lightest piston...have grinder, will travel!) there is still a burning question gnawing at my guts...I've got some pitting and corrosion in several of the ring grooves and on the lands and skirts that I've found since disassembling and cleaning.
Can it be polished out? I dunno....part of me is screaming "Chuck these things in the trash, dammit!"...yeah the same part that screamed the same thing when I found the forging flaw. And look how that turned out!
I guess there's nothing left to do besides give it the old college try and see what happens.
I guess ring grooves are a bit more critical than the domes.
Am I nuts to try to clean this up? (even though I'm gonna try?) Time will tell.
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
....it's the compression worries that are keeping me awake at night.
The pistons cleaned up enough, I think, to *probably* be re-usable. After all, these things are built like a brick shithouse. And it's the ring gap that is the most critical factor........
No, it's the fact that anyway you slice it, these slugs are probably putting out somewhere in the 11.5:1 neighborhood.....way too much for pump gas.
Now, earlier on we discussed my plan to 'blend' fuels....mixing 1 gallon of 100 octane Avgas with 15 gallons unleaded premium to create unleaded fuel with a "whole lotta lead" (apologies to Robert Plant).....which, in theory, should still work. But, how practical?
Not very.
And I highly doubt I can safely remove enough bowl material to open up the 'J' castings to drop us down where I wanna be....between 9 and 10:1 static.
Sure, sure, I could have the domes milled on the TRWs.....but at what cost? And with the pitting present on the skirts and domes, I feel like I might be settling for sub-standard.
Captain has never done anything half-assed, and this feels like half-assed to me.
I feel another sleepless night coming on....
The pistons cleaned up enough, I think, to *probably* be re-usable. After all, these things are built like a brick shithouse. And it's the ring gap that is the most critical factor........
No, it's the fact that anyway you slice it, these slugs are probably putting out somewhere in the 11.5:1 neighborhood.....way too much for pump gas.
Now, earlier on we discussed my plan to 'blend' fuels....mixing 1 gallon of 100 octane Avgas with 15 gallons unleaded premium to create unleaded fuel with a "whole lotta lead" (apologies to Robert Plant).....which, in theory, should still work. But, how practical?
Not very.
And I highly doubt I can safely remove enough bowl material to open up the 'J' castings to drop us down where I wanna be....between 9 and 10:1 static.
Sure, sure, I could have the domes milled on the TRWs.....but at what cost? And with the pitting present on the skirts and domes, I feel like I might be settling for sub-standard.
Captain has never done anything half-assed, and this feels like half-assed to me.
I feel another sleepless night coming on....
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
I believe that's how I got away with it last time.
Numbers on the old cam were:
That was with 97 octane leaded premium. Not so sure I'd be able to get away with it anymore using 91/93 octane....
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
The winds of change blow hard, they say, when they blow.
I tend to agree.
Paid a visit to Tony (my engine guy) today. I told him we had to put this thing to bed. Even though The Duke is a long way from being 'engine ready', we see what happens when the ravages of time get a hold on your parts. I want the shortblock, at least, assembled and bagged. Preferably the whole motor.
So, as you well know (those of you following this thread) what I would have PREFERRED to do was build the same motor that graced the ribcage of The Duke so many moons ago. That motor made me happy. It was a balls-out street-fighter; a young and reckless gunslinger. Hell; it was THE DUKE hisownself! The plan was to just re-build the House That Duke Built and carry on.
Not happenin', kids.
The piston problems we've been over already. Plagued by first possible crack issues (which turned out to be a false alarm) followed by pitting and corrosion issues on some of the ring grooves and skirts, these were storms I might have weathered. But the real nail in the proverbial coffin was the compression issue. As it stands, the little 340 sits somewhere around 11.5:1 and that's just too high for today's 91-93 octane gasoline. Too high. Where does that leave us? With several options:
a) Mill the domes down on the already questionable pistons
b) CC the chambers bigger than they already are
c) Throw in a set of forged or hypereutectic pistons
Easy, right?
Not.
Here's why:
Option a: We already established the pistons are questionable. Do we really want to build a house on a questionable foundation? Would you? Plus, machining ain't free, kids. Milling those domes down would probably cost half the price of a set of pistons....and still leave us with all the questions. Plus, Tony is not a fan of big, heavy pistons on a fast revving smallblock. Criminy...these things weigh 660 grams each! I can't really argue with that...much.
Option b) Though I can't remember the volume of the hogged-out chambers, we know stock on these buggers is 65cc already. I'm thinking somewhere between 69-71 to achieve the compression drop we did. That doesn't leave much meat. It also pretty much scraps the heads for any standard build in the future if we hog 'em out any more.
Option c) Throwing in a new set of hypers or forged pistons seems to be the answer...BUT...I don't really like the hypers all that much. I'd rather have forged, such as the Speed Pro L-2316F. But here's the rub.....they don't make them in standard bore.
"So", says Tony, "bore the block .020 over and mill the decks to zero".
Sounds like a plan, but....I don't like the idea of boring a standard block 20-over just to make a piston fit. You can't put metal back once it's gone. "Oh, then use the hypers", you say. "They come in standard".
That's right, they do. But I'm not a big fan of hypers. I told you that. Don't you listen?
"OK, then bore it", you say. Again, don't you listen? Why cut out perfectly good metal?
(I can feel you getting exasperated with me now......)
See, if I slap on those cc'd J heads, any 10:1 piston is gonna drop down into the nines with the oversized chambers....and Tony says I'll need 10:1 to hit my target goal of 400HP.
Well...I DO have those X-heads....and then suddenly a thought creeps, fog-like, into the crevices of my mind....
Out in the garage sits the old '69 block...the one I pirated the forged crank out of....bores worn at least .005 taper by my bore gauge. A block that's doing nothing. A block that the 2.02 X-heads came off of and will bolt right back on. A block that could be dropped off, bored, zero-decked, hot tanked and new cam bearings installed for little more that doing the same to my standard-bore block......
Well...why not?
What that would mean is, I could do a completely different build than I had envisioned, but never touch my standard bore block...save it for a rainy day so to speak.
Will I do it? I don't know.
But the fog is growing thicker.
I tend to agree.
Paid a visit to Tony (my engine guy) today. I told him we had to put this thing to bed. Even though The Duke is a long way from being 'engine ready', we see what happens when the ravages of time get a hold on your parts. I want the shortblock, at least, assembled and bagged. Preferably the whole motor.
So, as you well know (those of you following this thread) what I would have PREFERRED to do was build the same motor that graced the ribcage of The Duke so many moons ago. That motor made me happy. It was a balls-out street-fighter; a young and reckless gunslinger. Hell; it was THE DUKE hisownself! The plan was to just re-build the House That Duke Built and carry on.
Not happenin', kids.
The piston problems we've been over already. Plagued by first possible crack issues (which turned out to be a false alarm) followed by pitting and corrosion issues on some of the ring grooves and skirts, these were storms I might have weathered. But the real nail in the proverbial coffin was the compression issue. As it stands, the little 340 sits somewhere around 11.5:1 and that's just too high for today's 91-93 octane gasoline. Too high. Where does that leave us? With several options:
a) Mill the domes down on the already questionable pistons
b) CC the chambers bigger than they already are
c) Throw in a set of forged or hypereutectic pistons
Easy, right?
Not.
Here's why:
Option a: We already established the pistons are questionable. Do we really want to build a house on a questionable foundation? Would you? Plus, machining ain't free, kids. Milling those domes down would probably cost half the price of a set of pistons....and still leave us with all the questions. Plus, Tony is not a fan of big, heavy pistons on a fast revving smallblock. Criminy...these things weigh 660 grams each! I can't really argue with that...much.
Option b) Though I can't remember the volume of the hogged-out chambers, we know stock on these buggers is 65cc already. I'm thinking somewhere between 69-71 to achieve the compression drop we did. That doesn't leave much meat. It also pretty much scraps the heads for any standard build in the future if we hog 'em out any more.
Option c) Throwing in a new set of hypers or forged pistons seems to be the answer...BUT...I don't really like the hypers all that much. I'd rather have forged, such as the Speed Pro L-2316F. But here's the rub.....they don't make them in standard bore.
"So", says Tony, "bore the block .020 over and mill the decks to zero".
Sounds like a plan, but....I don't like the idea of boring a standard block 20-over just to make a piston fit. You can't put metal back once it's gone. "Oh, then use the hypers", you say. "They come in standard".
That's right, they do. But I'm not a big fan of hypers. I told you that. Don't you listen?
"OK, then bore it", you say. Again, don't you listen? Why cut out perfectly good metal?
(I can feel you getting exasperated with me now......)
See, if I slap on those cc'd J heads, any 10:1 piston is gonna drop down into the nines with the oversized chambers....and Tony says I'll need 10:1 to hit my target goal of 400HP.
Well...I DO have those X-heads....and then suddenly a thought creeps, fog-like, into the crevices of my mind....
Out in the garage sits the old '69 block...the one I pirated the forged crank out of....bores worn at least .005 taper by my bore gauge. A block that's doing nothing. A block that the 2.02 X-heads came off of and will bolt right back on. A block that could be dropped off, bored, zero-decked, hot tanked and new cam bearings installed for little more that doing the same to my standard-bore block......
Well...why not?
What that would mean is, I could do a completely different build than I had envisioned, but never touch my standard bore block...save it for a rainy day so to speak.
Will I do it? I don't know.
But the fog is growing thicker.
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
A little more fodder for the ol' thought-mill; heads.
I left one of my J heads with Tony to check....once again...the cc volume (this time, think I'll write it down...LOL!) But I also asked him to check to see if the valve seats are hardened (probably not) and if not, the possibility of of putting some 2.02s in. Remember; these are the heads with the mild porting and 5-angle valve job (and the knurled guides everyone seems to hate these days). Haters gotta hate, I s'pose......
So, starting over with the X-heads would preserve the J's as they are...set up for standard domed pistons at 11.5:1. A good strip motor with racing gas, methinks. Of course, we don't know the condition of the X heads or valves, springs, etc....and they are not ported. But they ARE 63cc small-chamber heads, which will boost the compression up where Tony wants it, but not too high.
Of course, the cost of prepping these heads would need to be compared closely to the price of a set of Edelbrocks. If the price is comparable, the ideal thing to do with this motor would be slap a set on brand-new Eddies on. Tony says the Eddy heads can run as high as 11:1 on pump gas.
I don't know where we're going, but I think we are moving in the right direction, anyway.
I left one of my J heads with Tony to check....once again...the cc volume (this time, think I'll write it down...LOL!) But I also asked him to check to see if the valve seats are hardened (probably not) and if not, the possibility of of putting some 2.02s in. Remember; these are the heads with the mild porting and 5-angle valve job (and the knurled guides everyone seems to hate these days). Haters gotta hate, I s'pose......
So, starting over with the X-heads would preserve the J's as they are...set up for standard domed pistons at 11.5:1. A good strip motor with racing gas, methinks. Of course, we don't know the condition of the X heads or valves, springs, etc....and they are not ported. But they ARE 63cc small-chamber heads, which will boost the compression up where Tony wants it, but not too high.
Of course, the cost of prepping these heads would need to be compared closely to the price of a set of Edelbrocks. If the price is comparable, the ideal thing to do with this motor would be slap a set on brand-new Eddies on. Tony says the Eddy heads can run as high as 11:1 on pump gas.
I don't know where we're going, but I think we are moving in the right direction, anyway.
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Ughhhh...reality check.
This could get pricey. Just sayin'........
Tony just called;
Writing it down here so as to never forget again......
This could get pricey. Just sayin'........
Tony just called;
Writing it down here so as to never forget again......
"My J HEADS ARE 67 cc's!"
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Stay tuned, sports fans....update at 11!
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.
Bob Dylan
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.
Bob Dylan
...."and now for something completely different"
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGK8IC-bGnU"]Monty Python - "And Now For Something Completely Different" - YouTube[/ame]
Just when I thought I had it figured out.
For those of you following, the fog that stole in last night on little cat feet (thank you, Carl Sandburg) stayed. In fact, the more I thought about it, the better it sounded.
I tend to be a 'ponderer'. Not important, life-things, like the meaning of life, or how many light-years away the next galaxy is, but the little things that affect me, like what color to paint a room, or how to go about constructing a shelf, or....how to build an engine.
I have to ponder these things, you see. To make sure they "sit right" (drives my wife nuts, lemme tell ya...) The decision has to 'feel right' to sit right in my mind. Maybe that's crazy-talk to some of you, but that's the way it is and you can't do nuttin' about it.
Sometimes, I use a little help.
The best helper in the world, I find, is a wee little nip of Jameson's. Not a lot, mind you....that leads to not really thinking about much at all. No, just maybe a finger's worth in the bottom of a tumbler, slowly sipped over an hour or so.....
It leads to some very profound thoughts, I tell you.
Last night was one of those nights.
By the end of the evening, it was all sorted out in my mind.
We are moving forward, kiddies.
I called Tony today and we cemented the deal; I will be dropping off the '69 340 block sometime soon. It will be getting dipped, new freeze plugs and cam bearings, then bored (how much depends on the worst cylinder) and possibly zero-decked, then fitted for Speed Pro L-2316F forged pistons with a CR of 10:1. Heads, we have not decided yet...first things first. I have no qualms whatsoever about boring a block that...well, needs to be bored.
Having put this thing to bed, I feel a HUGE sense of relief; like some decisions have been made that I really had to think about. I did, and I feel really good about the outcome.
I knew, deep down inside, that I shouldn't, I COULDN'T, use those pistons again on a street motor. That ship has sailed with the HMS Leadbottom back in around 1982 or so, when the last local Shell station dropped leaded premium from the lineup. I always hoped to rebuilt that legendary motor, pistons and all. But you can't go back home, they say. And unless Mr. Peabody shows up on my front porch with the Wayback Machine, I'm not going back to the Seventies.
No, we'll build a New Motor for a New Millennium. The target is 400 HP on pump gas. What sort of cam and other stuff might be involved to achieve this, we'll have to see. It's kind of like spending months getting ready to go on vacation to, say...the Bahamas, and as you board the airplane, they tell you no...you're going to the Great North Woods. You can till have a good time, if you can stop from bitching about it and wrap your head around it. That's where I am today....head-wrapping. And actually feeling a little excited.
I never, in a million years, thought I would be shoehorning that old '69 340 back into The Duke. That was never the plan. It was always, in my mind, based around the motor and the memories from the Li'l Red Minx. But the times, they are a-changin'.
I wonder what The Duke is gonna have to say about this when I tell him?
So, now...like another much-less famous and lesser-known Captain Kirk said, It's time for me to go boldly where no man has gone before.
"Kirk Out"
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
So, vacillating back and forth between blocks....even though I SAID I made my mind up, women aren't the only ones who can change their minds! I went down in the basement and pulled out that minx block and untied the bag for the first time in like eight years....it's pristine, gents. I remember now we did all that work removing the casting flash in the lifter galley, and it shows.
Measured the bores with my bore taper gauge...I'm getting about .001 overall with maybe one or two in the .0015 range way up top...so here's what we're gonna do. Packing up BOTH blocks and running them up to Tony so he can look, measure and we can make an informed decision instead of shootin' from the hip. No matter what; it's gotta be right. Now, 'right' can be 'adequate' so long as it's not me just tryin' to fool myownself....(as we all have a tendency to do now & again)...and I can't lie; the money factor is giving me cold sweats as I figure to go oversize with new pistons, rings and pins and possibly deck the block might run as high as $1200.00 (just estimating) whereas that money could be put to much better use if it's not really required. Right now, I can pick up a set of never-run L-2316's in STD bore for around 200 bucks, maybe slap on a set of rings and bolt 'em on. That's a pretty big difference. So, next stop...Tony's shop to get the scoop and an honest opinion.
Measured the bores with my bore taper gauge...I'm getting about .001 overall with maybe one or two in the .0015 range way up top...so here's what we're gonna do. Packing up BOTH blocks and running them up to Tony so he can look, measure and we can make an informed decision instead of shootin' from the hip. No matter what; it's gotta be right. Now, 'right' can be 'adequate' so long as it's not me just tryin' to fool myownself....(as we all have a tendency to do now & again)...and I can't lie; the money factor is giving me cold sweats as I figure to go oversize with new pistons, rings and pins and possibly deck the block might run as high as $1200.00 (just estimating) whereas that money could be put to much better use if it's not really required. Right now, I can pick up a set of never-run L-2316's in STD bore for around 200 bucks, maybe slap on a set of rings and bolt 'em on. That's a pretty big difference. So, next stop...Tony's shop to get the scoop and an honest opinion.
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
And you wonder why I lie awake at night.......
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
March 27th. 26 years ago today I lost my dad, quite unexpectedly. He was only 63 and succumbed to a fatal heart attack, alone, at home. It was a total blindside....there were no signs or symptoms that we were aware of. Mom was at work; we grown kids were living our grown-up lives with our new families, etc...but Dad was still Dad. He was always there, always right around the corner. Pick up the phone and he was on the doorstep within the hour, ready to help. Once the pilot light went out on my furnace at 12:30 AM in the dead of winter and try as I might, I couldn't get the son-of-a-***** lit. I called Dad for his advice, which he gave...and then without telling me he was going to, he made the half-hour drive and came over. I was still screwing around trying to shove a 2-inch paper match into a half-inch hole to reach the pilot light spigot six inches in...Dad pulled out a box of 12-inch fireplace matches and had that sucker lit in two shakes of a lamb's tail. That was Dad, all over. Every single day of his life, with all four of us kids. I'm sure my brother and sisters can regale you with hundreds of similar stories, as could I.
He spent time in every branch of the service except for the Army; Marines, Air Force and a civilian contractor for the Navy. He served in Korea and spent an awful lot of time overseas as I was growing up; he would be gone for months at a time, but when he was home he made up for it.
As a kid, I never doubted for even an instant that he was the smartest guy in the world. I never asked him a question he didn't know the answer to. Even as I grew older and, as most teenagers, think they are smarter than their parents. He never lost his temper or his cool...he had a calm way of rationalizing beyond the obvious and figuring out not only what needed to be done, but also how to do it.
He never got down on me about my long hair, rock & roll music, or my obsession with my Duster. To the contrary, he encouraged it (and once or twice I caught him out in the garage helping me out when he thought I wouldn't know). He allowed me to make his garage my own; to play, experiment and develop into a pretty damn good mechanic. He encouraged me to go to A&P school and become an aircraft mechanic, a career I still enjoy today. Oh, and he paid for the schooling as well.
If you've read any of my early text at all, you know what a huge role he played in my life, and how it led to the path I walk today. I wonder what he would say if he knew I was still working on The Duke today? (He'd probably call it a "Navajo Cadillac"...and he'd be right. Again.)
While an air of sadness still hangs in the air today, and each and every March 27th, the searing, burning pain of loss is gone, changed now by time into a mellow, longing ache to have one more conversation, one more beer, one more laugh. And tonight, I'm lifting a tumbler of Jameson's to you, Dad, in a toast. Thanks for everything you were, and are to me.
Dad and some scruffy-looking long-haired kid with his hand on what appears to be a Li'l Red Minx
He spent time in every branch of the service except for the Army; Marines, Air Force and a civilian contractor for the Navy. He served in Korea and spent an awful lot of time overseas as I was growing up; he would be gone for months at a time, but when he was home he made up for it.
As a kid, I never doubted for even an instant that he was the smartest guy in the world. I never asked him a question he didn't know the answer to. Even as I grew older and, as most teenagers, think they are smarter than their parents. He never lost his temper or his cool...he had a calm way of rationalizing beyond the obvious and figuring out not only what needed to be done, but also how to do it.
He never got down on me about my long hair, rock & roll music, or my obsession with my Duster. To the contrary, he encouraged it (and once or twice I caught him out in the garage helping me out when he thought I wouldn't know). He allowed me to make his garage my own; to play, experiment and develop into a pretty damn good mechanic. He encouraged me to go to A&P school and become an aircraft mechanic, a career I still enjoy today. Oh, and he paid for the schooling as well.
If you've read any of my early text at all, you know what a huge role he played in my life, and how it led to the path I walk today. I wonder what he would say if he knew I was still working on The Duke today? (He'd probably call it a "Navajo Cadillac"...and he'd be right. Again.)
While an air of sadness still hangs in the air today, and each and every March 27th, the searing, burning pain of loss is gone, changed now by time into a mellow, longing ache to have one more conversation, one more beer, one more laugh. And tonight, I'm lifting a tumbler of Jameson's to you, Dad, in a toast. Thanks for everything you were, and are to me.
Dad and some scruffy-looking long-haired kid with his hand on what appears to be a Li'l Red Minx
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Written by David Gates, shortly after his father's funeral......
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q1kB0R4Ijs"]Bread Everything I own.wmv - YouTube[/ame]
Not much I can add....other than the lyrics.
You sheltered me from harm
Kept me warm, kept me warm
You gave my life to me
Set me free, set me free
The finest years I ever knew
Were all the years I had with you
And I would give anything I own
Give up my life, my heart, my home
I would give everything I own
Just to have you back again
You taught me how to love
What it's of, what it's of
You never said too much
But still you showed the way
And I knew from watching you
Nobody else could ever know
The part of me that can't let go
And I would give anything I own
Give up my life, my heart, my home
I would give everything I own
Just to have you back again
Is there someone you know
You're loving them so
But taking them all for granted
You may lose them one day
Someone takes them away
And they don't hear the words you long to say
I would give anything I own
Give up my life, my heart, my home
I would give everything I own
Just to have you back again
Just to touch you once again
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q1kB0R4Ijs"]Bread Everything I own.wmv - YouTube[/ame]
Not much I can add....other than the lyrics.
You sheltered me from harm
Kept me warm, kept me warm
You gave my life to me
Set me free, set me free
The finest years I ever knew
Were all the years I had with you
And I would give anything I own
Give up my life, my heart, my home
I would give everything I own
Just to have you back again
You taught me how to love
What it's of, what it's of
You never said too much
But still you showed the way
And I knew from watching you
Nobody else could ever know
The part of me that can't let go
And I would give anything I own
Give up my life, my heart, my home
I would give everything I own
Just to have you back again
Is there someone you know
You're loving them so
But taking them all for granted
You may lose them one day
Someone takes them away
And they don't hear the words you long to say
I would give anything I own
Give up my life, my heart, my home
I would give everything I own
Just to have you back again
Just to touch you once again
And now, the latest piece of the puzzle, thanks to FABO's own Fishy68 who made me a great deal on this gorgeous billet piece, complete with adjustments for 0,+2,+4,+6,+8,-2,-4,-6,-8 degrees, It's built like a brick...well, you know.
Like Fishy68. Tracy's, great people.
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
I'll say. He's got MY vote!
March 27th. 26 years ago today I lost my dad, quite unexpectedly. He was only 63 and succumbed to a fatal heart attack, alone, at home. It was a total blindside....there were no signs or symptoms that we were aware of. Mom was at work; we grown kids were living our grown-up lives with our new families, etc...but Dad was still Dad. He was always there, always right around the corner. Pick up the phone and he was on the doorstep within the hour, ready to help. Once the pilot light went out on my furnace at 12:30 AM in the dead of winter and try as I might, I couldn't get the son-of-a-***** lit. I called Dad for his advice, which he gave...and then without telling me he was going to, he made the half-hour drive and came over. I was still screwing around trying to shove a 2-inch paper match into a half-inch hole to reach the pilot light spigot six inches in...Dad pulled out a box of 12-inch fireplace matches and had that sucker lit in two shakes of a lamb's tail. That was Dad, all over. Every single day of his life, with all four of us kids. I'm sure my brother and sisters can regale you with hundreds of similar stories, as could I.
He spent time in every branch of the service except for the Army; Marines, Air Force and a civilian contractor for the Navy. He served in Korea and spent an awful lot of time overseas as I was growing up; he would be gone for months at a time, but when he was home he made up for it.
As a kid, I never doubted for even an instant that he was the smartest guy in the world. I never asked him a question he didn't know the answer to. Even as I grew older and, as most teenagers, think they are smarter than their parents. He never lost his temper or his cool...he had a calm way of rationalizing beyond the obvious and figuring out not only what needed to be done, but also how to do it.
He never got down on me about my long hair, rock & roll music, or my obsession with my Duster. To the contrary, he encouraged it (and once or twice I caught him out in the garage helping me out when he thought I wouldn't know). He allowed me to make his garage my own; to play, experiment and develop into a pretty damn good mechanic. He encouraged me to go to A&P school and become an aircraft mechanic, a career I still enjoy today. Oh, and he paid for the schooling as well.
If you've read any of my early text at all, you know what a huge role he played in my life, and how it led to the path I walk today. I wonder what he would say if he knew I was still working on The Duke today? (He'd probably call it a "Navajo Cadillac"...and he'd be right. Again.)
While an air of sadness still hangs in the air today, and each and every March 27th, the searing, burning pain of loss is gone, changed now by time into a mellow, longing ache to have one more conversation, one more beer, one more laugh. And tonight, I'm lifting a tumbler of Jameson's to you, Dad, in a toast. Thanks for everything you were, and are to me.
Dad and some scruffy-looking long-haired kid with his hand on what appears to be a Li'l Red Minx
Just wow, my condolences... Keith and FishyPete's mom/wife passes, your dad & my Moms tonight. How weird.. Your dad, was like mine: He let me appreciate, my love of automobiles education wise. Your description of loss of life , is a wonderful description , Captain Kirk. I salute you.
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Yeah...and a very long time ago, it seems. Thanks for the comments, guys! Sometimes you need to vent a little.
Thanks for the picture! Looks like your work on car jeans. LOL
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Yeah, if memory serves, mom dragged me out of the garage to shoot the photo....besides, that was "the look" my crowd wore back then....working on cars, or eatin' in a restaurant.
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