1939 Chevy coupe

[1946Austin]

Yet another flaw with the 12 point socket saga. Couldn't get the socket to go down over the 7/16" stud! Seems they made the hole inside sized for the usual 5/16" bolt you'd see a 1/2" nut on. So had to put it on the drill press and open the center hole to 7/16" so I could torque the head bolts. Got them all done, and installed my roller rockers off the old heads, and set lash.
Need to pick up new spark plus as these heads use the old style with sealing washers. So I'll get valve cover gaskets, spark plugs, and black RTV and button the engine up next week.

[1946Austin]

Got out this morning to take advantage of a nice warm day and get started with the head swap. Got everything torn down to the short block, and cleaned up. Started installing the new Dart heads, and the ARP stud kits, but ran into a snag. The ARP studs use a 12 point nut, and my deep sockets are 12 point, except the smallest two that are 6 point. They wouldn't hold well as I tried to tighten the nuts, and slipped. So had to stop and go buy a 12 point deep socket from the local used tool peddler. A whopping $2 for a good old Craftsman socket, so pretty cheap.
Decided to stop for a late lunch at this point, and I'll go back tomorrow to finish it up. Unfortunately the crappy cold, wet weather will return Monday, so have to wait until the next round of false spring to give it a test run!

[SuperBuickGuy]

Yes, if you're into high performance or racing parts there's some great bargains to be had there. Before I even saw my Falcon, or knew what I was going to build, I bought a pair of Edelbrock aluminum heads at this show for a huge bargain price back then. So that's two sets of nice heads at a bargain. And I got the tunnel ram for a BBC at the same show for $100. So it's always a good swap meet for me.
And I like that I can get through it in a couple hours and have the rest of the day for myself!

at Clark County is where the 'are we there yets' start when I'm headed to my parent's house....

[1946Austin]

NWDRA - always a cool swap meet

Yes, if you're into high performance or racing parts there's some great bargains to be had there. Before I even saw my Falcon, or knew what I was going to build, I bought a pair of Edelbrock aluminum heads at this show for a huge bargain price back then. So that's two sets of nice heads at a bargain. And I got the tunnel ram for a BBC at the same show for $100. So it's always a good swap meet for me.
And I like that I can get through it in a couple hours and have the rest of the day for myself!

[SuperBuickGuy]

It was at the Clark County Fairgrounds between Vancouver and Ridgefield. Lots of race stuff, but about 20-25% was typical swap meet stuff.

NWDRA - always a cool swap meet

[1946Austin]

WOW !!! Beautiful Car ...

Always loved the 39 ...

Thanks!!
I hankered for a '39 since 1968 when I bought a '40 coupe and wished it was a '39. Not sure why it took me so long to build one?

[1946Austin]

my first, scheduled one, is the 4x4 one March 13.... wish I knew about the race one, it's one of my favorites. Was it in Vancouver?

It was at the Clark County Fairgrounds between Vancouver and Ridgefield. Lots of race stuff, but about 20-25% was typical swap meet stuff.

[Hugh Jardon]

WOW !!! Beautiful Car ...

Always loved the 39 ...

[SuperBuickGuy]

The place was full of sellers, except for Ron Corley the old ford guy who always wore a blue shop coat. He recently passed away, so his 3 or 4 stalls were empty. The rest was full. A huge crowd also, and when I arrived about 20 minutes before the gates opened the line was probably about 2 blocks long waiting to go in.

my first, scheduled one, is the 4x4 one March 13.... wish I knew about the race one, it's one of my favorites. Was it in Vancouver?

[1946Austin]

fantastic heads, and a great deal.

how was the swap meet were there enough sellers?

The place was full of sellers, except for Jack Corley the old ford guy who always wore a blue shop coat. He recently passed away, so his 3 or 4 stalls were empty. The rest was full. A huge crowd also, and when I arrived about 20 minutes before the gates opened the line was probably about 2 blocks long waiting to go in.

[SuperBuickGuy]

fantastic heads, and a great deal.

how was the swap meet were there enough sellers?

[1946Austin]

Thanks guys! She is a very talented artist. I still haven't found the right size picture frame, so it's tucked away in a protective sleeve until I fork over bucks for a custom size frame, or larger frame with a border to make up the difference.

We had the NW Drag Racing Assn. swap meet today! Nice to finally get restrictions loosened enough for it to come back this year. I thought I didn't need anything, but went just because I usually find some doo dad I didn't realize I needed until I see it.
Well today wasn't an exception, as I was strolling the aisles and came up to a table with a pair of SBC aluminum heads sitting on the end. I looked them over without touching, as they had no price tag on them. The code cast into them indicated a "DR" prefix for Dart heads, and they looked like they'd seen almost no use!
I asked the table holder about them, and he said he had a spec sheet his buddy gave him, and handed it to me. They were the Dart SHP 180 heads, with the big 1.5" springs, and .030" relieved seats to accommodate .600" lift cams. Also have all SS valves, and Dart guide plates, with screw in studs. Asked the guy what his friend wanted, and he told me $850. Not bad considering what Dart SHP go for lately. The SHP are complete heads, so come with everything except rocker arms. I offered him $700 and he looked a little hesitant to take that. But when I asked him to call his friend he suddenly agreed to my offer, and I got the heads.



I have the 487x heads on my 350 roller motor now, and they're OK, but not exactly great. I went with the 487x heads with 74cc chambers for the lower compression ratio, so I could run pump gas easily. But calculations show it's around 8.6:1 cr, which runs well even on 89 octane gas. But doesn't seem to have quite the zip I'd like. The Dart SHP heads have a 64cc chamber, and should bump my 350 up to around 9.6:1 cr, which I think will be perfect.
Comparison tests showed a stock GM crate engine rated 350 hp got bumped up to a whopping 420 hp by just adding these Dart heads! And compression ratios were identical to what my 350 is. Torque also went from 379 to 417 ft lbs. at 4200 rpms. So looks like these heads will hopefully really wake up my modest 350 too! At least it's a cheap increase, and wont take much more than a day's work to accomplish.

[Captain]

Excellent !!!

[fatguyzinc]

holy cow, thats fantastic! she's really talented.

i myself aint that bad at drawing, but it has to be
cartoony looking (think george trosley ), i just cant
seem to do realistic stuff.

[DanStokes]

One of my Christmas presents from my youngest daughter and granddaughter was a big surprise! Our granddaughter is a very talented artist, and at a car show this summer she was sketching cars, and quickly turning out rough drawings in pencil that were very well done. I asked her when she started drawing cars, and she told me she'd never drawn any cars before that day!
So I asked her to draw my '39 and told her I'd pay her for a drawing. She was happy to do it, but it never happened....I thought. For Christmas she gave me this very detailed sketch she did of my '39 Chev. Will have to get a frame next week, and find a place to hang it in the house.

That's VERY special and I know you'll treasure it.

Dan