The Catbox files...

[CatBox]

there is a little tow hook under the car and its to low.  Sooo i will put the jack under it and lift the car by the hook (simple loop of round rod) and adjust its position in realation to the ground by force.

[CatBox]

well ihave been out in the garage now for the last three nap times or about six hours and have finishsed the port matching of my new kadron manifolds to my existing heads gaskets.

ahhh crrrap i started this post way to late and now have to enjoy some of Cheveys finest chicken queadillas.   off to dinner with my brother and sister in law.  and then off to see a rock cocert with just my brother, it is his guitar teacher and his band Wester Ariel at Berbati's pan.

[CatBox]

well i just got back from the show, great as usual.  cheveys was also good and does not disapoint.


back to subject at hand, so have finished cleaning up all the casting process issues i could see with the manifolds top and bottom.  or on the head side and carb side.  i ground out the ridges where the flat flange area connects to the intake pipe on all four ports and under the carb pad where it goesdown and suddenly widens out.  the air fuel mixture doesnt like to turn corners like that so every thing has nice smooth transitions now.  

i also didnt like the cast in EMPI on the side of the manifolds and erased that little pock mark while i was at it.  quick work with a 4" grinder and a file to smooth it out.

to finish it off i have painted them both in GM satin black and they look great.  

i also scrubbed off the pound of scounge from the air cleaners and they are shiny again.  the base plates were painted some funky green with bright yellow underneath that.  VHT make some of the slickest paint remover i have used called Strip Fast.  by the time i had covered the first one in it, it had already started to bubble and lift the old paint.  i took the newly stripped parts into the garage and proceeded to shine their dull finishes into a lovely shiny surface.  i had already done the lids and then went onto the filter screens.  when i am done the only things in the engine compartment that will be shiny  will be the air cleaners.  i am going to spray the body of my distibutor in the same satin black as well as everything else on the top side except the breather box i got from Kev that i just rembered i have.  the under side will also have some aluminum valve covers that match the box.  

i cant wait to get it back togther and ready to go.

[corradojeff]

to finish it off i have painted them both in GM satin black and they look great.  

i would have went with the chevy engine orange personally but its still way better than FORD BLUE

[BusDriver]

Official Volkswagen engine colors are semi-flat black, and semi-flat grey, for the record.

[CatBox]

Official Volkswagen engine colors are semi-flat black, and semi-flat grey, for the record.

but my heart has eight cylinders.  i love VW's but nothing compres to a well prepared V-8 at full song.  

my friends Dart has forever scarred me to these ways as it is a true street driver and can be driven to the track puke out a string of 12.50's and be driven home.  all from a 340 and four speed that he still has the stock four barrel intake on,albiet it has been "tuned up a bit".  his other car is a Demon that has the same recipe 340 motor but runs a three speed auto.  it is not as VIOLENT at take off but still runs just as hard.  he took me for rides in them back to back on the farm roads he lives by, and i have seen both sides of the speedo in both cars.

besides VHT dosent come in VW colors.

[BusDriver]

besides VHT dosent come in VW colors.

Dupli-color High heat ceramic engine enamel comes in semi flat Grey and Black it is available for sure at Faulk Ace Hardware and IF! They should be out, ask me I have 2 cans of each.

I use about a case a month of each color at work : -)

P.S.

The Valve and Timing Chain cover of my Bunny are Ford Blue ; -)

[corradojeff]

I love my Jeep and sometimes my corrado...but i still bleed CHEVY ORANGE!

might bring the beast out to a meeting or gtg this spring... (smile face)
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[CatBox]

SCHWING!!!!  i have a customer that has a 67,427, 4 speed, converable in his garage.  and next to that are a couple of earlier vettes.  he has lots of them these are just the ones he has at his house.  oh to be wealthy....


i once painted the valve covers and air cleaner of my S-15 ford blue and the block was ford red.   my auto teacher was a ford guy and it made him laugh.

i picked the "GM satin black" as that weas the choice over gloss black.  we all know that if it makes power paint it black, if it doest chrome it.

[CatBox]

today i have painted the cab bodys black and have put them togther with the manifolds and air cleaners and they look like the cats ass.



sexy!!

in the bottom middle of the pic you can see the difference in the size of the stock collector and the one the size of myown design that Ryan was kind enough to weld up for me as well as the whole exhaust.  Thanks Ryan it looks awesome!

here is the rest of the exhaust

 

i still have some clean up to do on it and then to have it ceramic coated for a long durable life.  im going to have the hanger tab welded to the pipe so that it is a cleaner look and not so bulky.

[Smug]

Nice work, the carbs look great never thought to paint them myself.

[CatBox]

i almost forgot that i did a rebiuild in a can too



it looks great as well. i need to get either a new set of tar boards or remove them completely and clean up the tacky wiring they hide and paint the firewall.  perhaps a metal cover? who knows that will all happen when the motor comes out.

here is a pick of the exhaust when looking down on it.  dont forget that i have also pushed the bumpers in about 2 1/4" front and back.  to do that i had to cut 1 3/4inches off both ends of each bumper and then recontour them to the body.



i am also handy with a pinstriping brush

[CatBox]

thanks the man i like to be different.

[BusDriver]

Waaaaaaayy to much black for my taste, but I admire the fact that you are getting out there and TCB.

[CatBox]

but black is soooooo timeless and it goes with absolutly everything.   plus it hides all the grime my car is coated with.  

it was all kinds of colors befroe i painted it at least now it has a uniformity to it.  

did ya see the dipstick?  its been scotch brite pad rubbed and is a beautiful silver color,  so is the oil cap and the heat tubes will also be silver.  the air cleaners cleaned up very nicely and are bright and shiny to look at.  not like when you gave them to me.

and did you notice i taught myself how to resize my own pictures?