B3R: Garage GoFast 302

We would love to have kept everyone following up-to-date over the past few weeks, but we here at B3R have been up to our ears in snow and ice for quite a while. However, before the snow completely piled us in we were able to get a little done in the horsepower garage. We spent a little money and purchased a universal Ford 302 rebuild gasket kit. We pulled a 1970 Ford 302 off the shelf, put it on the engine stand and began the teardown and rebuild. Like all Ford motors that have been put together thus far, Grandpa GoFast’s Ford 302 for his F100 was painted Ford Blue. 

Take a Look...

B3R Garage: Grandpa Go Fast Update

Well, the Mad Scientist and I would love nothing more than to tell or even show everyone how much progress has been made on Grandpa Go Fast's 1970 Ford F100. However, all projects seem to be littered with some kind of setback. Some setbacks can be as simple as forgetting where you just laid down a wrench, or as complex as waiting for parts to arrive. This latter is where B3R seems to be sitting at the moment. We have been able to pull the motor and transmission and remove the bed and cab. The frame has been painted blue from bumper to bumper. Most of the cab's floorboards have been repaired along with cab supports. The Mad Scientist even went so far as to order a few body parts from LMC Truck in order to speed up and simplify the process.

However, no matter how well you plan a project out there is always one factor that seems to be unpredictable and capable of throwing a wrench in your plans. That factor is mother nature, and the Mad Scientist and I have had to put down the wrenches and welder to pick up shovels this past two weeks. In our neck of the woods we have received over a foot of snow and have had to stay indoors due to daylight temperatures dropping down to -15 degrees. The adverse weather has also delayed the delivery of our parts a whole week as well. No worries though, soon enough the Mad Scientist and I will be back on track.

B3R Garage: Grandpa Go Fast's F100 Good and Bad Shakedown

Well, the Mad Scientist has had some time to tinker with Grandpa Go Fast's 1970 Ford F100 the over the past weeks. As it turns out the old truck will need quite a bit of work, but nothing the Mad Scientist and I where not prepared for. So, it just so happens that the Ford 360 Big Block has significant pitting and rust in the cylinder walls making the block currently unusable.

This leaves us-currently-with two options. 

B3R Garage: A Break in the Silence

Well B3R Garage’s plan for the next few months was to simply ride out the winter months by enjoying family while the cars stayed cooped up in the garage. However, the Mad Scientist came across some information that turned out to be too good to pass up. Over the year the Grandpa Go-Fast has not been getting around too quickly. Every truck he has ever owned has been sold and to top it all off he broke a hip a few years back. Well, my Grandpa has always had a thing for classic cars and the Mad Scientist’s find fit the bill well enough.

B3R Garage: Polish and Shine

The Mad Scientist's 1970 Maverick has always been quite photogenic. However, following the painting process the paint began to quickly fade. In many areas such as the trunk and in the middle of the doors, hazy grey spots began to emerge. Needless to say we where not to happy with what was going on with the paint job. Regardless, the Mad Scientist decided to take the Maverick to a few shows and visit those who helped provide parts for the car. On one of the Mad Scientist's visits he was informed that he should simply continue sanding the car until the haze went away. After painting the car the Mad Scientist and I decided not to do any sanding because we thought that it might actually scratch the paint job. However, we were assured that sanding the car after paining it was exactly what was needed to be done in order to get a "car lot" shine. As it turns out, lacquer is like a hard-candy shell that is meant to be sanded in order to get it to shine. After spending a few hours in the garage with a 1500 and 2000 grit sand paper the car revealed a shine the Mad Scientist and I did not know that it had in it. So if you have recently put garage paint job on your car don't be afraid to give it a good sanding a few weeks later to bring out the shine you really want. According to the Mad Scientist his best results came when he laid a garden hose on the roof of the can and sanded areas where the water would continue to flow down. His method allowed for the paint to be "polished" without rubbing the fall-off back into the paint.

B3R Garage: Spinning the Wheels

Over two weeks ago I found myself, my wife, and the Mad Scientist cruising down the interstate in my '84 Mercury Capri at a more than reasonable rate of speed. Unfortunately before the ride was over the oil pump drive shaft decided it no longer wanted to participate and SNAPPED!  It was fun while it lasted. I won't lie, it is a great feeling to have been able to tear down a car and build it back up in less than a year. In fact, the Mad Scientist and I not only rebuilt one car but two. Due to a rapid shortage of funds, my poor Mercury will have to sit in the garage for a while longer. On the plus side my replacement RPM cam and lifter kit from Edelbrock was received just last week. Soon enough the winter season will be upon us and I'm not too sure that I feel safe testing the limits of the Capri in snowy conditions. So, it is likely that my 1984 Mercury Capri will simply have to sit in the garage until summer. It is looking as thought the winter project this year will be pulling the motor yet again in order to install a new oil pump drive shaft and my replacement cam and lifters.

Although the Capri has had little street time, the Mad Scientist's Maverick is still out on the prowl. If you are ever in the fort and happen to see bright blue 1970 Maverick with a three barrel carburetor scoop sticking out of the hood, you can probably bet that it is the Mad Scientist. If you are driving by, make sure to give him a "Thumbs-UP", and if you have time to stop be sure to let him know what you think of his ride. Although there where many ups and downs in building it, it turned out to be a lot of fun. Make sure to look out for the Maverick at the local cars shows as well. Perhaps the Capri will make it next year.

B3R Garage: Labor Day Weekend with Auctions America

The Mad Scientist and I took off this weekend to attend an annual even known as the Auburn Car Auction. The even started in Wednesday and went well into Sunday evening. The even had helicopter ride, Monster truck rides, a motocross show and hundreds of cars. Conveniently we were able to walk through a very large automotive parts swap meet and view acres of cars and parts that where for sale. As expected, many of the cars where classic in nature. However, there where some one-off customs that made our eyes really open up. One of the more interesting automobiles was tagged "Twice Blown Deliveries".

Here are some of the cars and carts we ended up looking at while we were out of the garage for the week.