Introducing my Fuel Coupe-styled Tudor

Hello,

What a cool looking build. It reminds me of one of the first sedans that we saw at Lions Dragstrip back in 1958-59. The names have changed over the years to 1960-61, but the Reath Automotive white sedan was a favorite with most of the spectators and racers back then.

Your sedan looks very similar.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/friday-art-show-6-28-19.1155292/#post-13141892

In looking at your photos and all of the styling looks of the sedan, your new exhaust seems like it will make the smooth “rake” design of your modified sedan lines a little odd. The headers are not flowing with the lines of the sedan or frame, but sticking up like it is being borrowed from a 55 Chevy sedan front fender well and stuck on your sedan.

Sorry, if I am stepping on some toes, but smooth headers that flow back parallel to the frame/chassis and then plumbed under for the quiet running with passengers seems more like your modified sedan. Even if you do not want to plumb them into some mufflers, then something like the late, Fred Castro’s smooth header pipes or the Scotty’s Muffler pipes both with baffles would satisfy the ‘Law.” (And smooth design)



These smooth pipes parallel to your frame and body lines would keep the race car look, yet be good for the road trips.

IMHO
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...-flathead-sbc-etc.484322/page-5#post-13056782

Jnaki

Symmetry is the key design element for your cool sedan.

 

@jnaki, thanks for your constructive comments- they didn't fall on deaf ears.

Still, I'm continuing with fender exits. In this case, fabrication simplicity trumped aesthetics.

Prototype #2: 1/4" rods with 2.5" radius bends.


Summit's 1 5/8" OD primary tubing is back-ordered.

Some small tasks while waiting.

Homemade polished aluminum discs hide the wheel center caps' offensively modern logos.


Swap meet chrome pulleys:
Top is a Chevy pulley on the SBC short pump. Bottom is a Chevy pulley cut to fit the Hemi balancer.


To align them, I plagiarized @D-Russ' lower pulley aluminum spacer idea.
Fan is a '55 Chevy heavy duty steel model.


Remember the Toyota minivan roof pieces?

Now they're drilled, "weld-nuted" & bolted to the stock Ford roof insert flange.

 

Gary, I bought all my exhaust tubing (stainless) from this place:
http://www.mandrelbends.com/

.

 

Great job on that roof

 

How tall are the Goodyear Blue Streeks ?

 

Rears are huge 315-70-17(definitely not traditional, but 70 series sidewalls & highway treads make 'em look ok) on 17x9" ET-3 Classic 5s with max available backspacing (to make 'em look deep, like a front-engine dragster.

How tall are the rear tires ?

 

Thanks, Dave. But Summit claims they'll ship out on Monday & arrive Wed. That gives me time to clean up the garage.

Just under 34". I can measure them tonight for a precise answer.

 

I believe they're about 31-32 inches tall.

 

Sorry for the delay. Life got in the way.

Headers have 5/16" thick flanges, 3.5"x10" collectors and 16 ga, 1 5/8" primary tubes with 2.5" radius mandrel bends.
#8 primary arcs around the oil filter while clearing the flange bolts. It took 3 tries to get it right.


The rest were easier:



Thanks to @Dino 64 who loaned his band saw & belt sander. They made far more precise joints than my chop-saw.

Collectors are capped, but hidden outlets...


...lead to full-length 2.5" duals with O2 sensor bungs & 24" Thrush glass-packs.
(growing up in NE Ohio, all the cool cars had Thrush stickers in the windows ).

If it's too loud, there's room to add an H-pipe later.


Three parts-store hangers (temporarily tacked) on each side:


Under-the-axle tips were inspired by the Chop Shop Coupe & Jersey Suede, but sneakier:




Then I went back and finished the more visible primary tubes.


Thanks to @oj for talking me through stretching the primaries to match the ports with a ballpeen hammer and a 1 1/2" pipe inserted at an angle. Two split but were easily welded shut.



Welding, grinding, dremmeling, and hand filing cleaned the flanges nicely.


Finally, the collectors:




Pipes are ~2.5" from the cowl and 1.5" from the frame.

They're sanded & coated with Gibbs for now; but will get white ("just like the '60's, bro") ceramic coating (jet-hot, swain tech or?) later.



I'm pretty happy now; but fabbing headers was the hardest thing I've done on this car. It was.......



...exhausting.

 

I'm digging this! Great work! Lippy

 

Really nice work Gary. The whole system looks great, you should be very proud.

 

Go Gary go !

 

Nice work, love the headers!

 

Wow Gary, those headers turned out great! Very nice job!

 

Great Job! That was a huge effort, I salute!

 

Great job I like that style going back into the exhaust system. That USED to be mandatory on NHRA Drag Cars back in the early 60's

 

Car is looking good! I love that style and will be building my '34 in a similar fashion. I sold my A sedan a few years ago and your car sure makes me regret it. Looking forward to seeing yours on the road.

 

The car and fab work are killer! Keep it up. I'm following along.

 

They’re huge for sure, Gary, you trying to tell us something ?

 

Thanks, fellas.

 

Really nice job on those headers man

 

You are in the home stretch now.

 

Stock front seats are lowered in back using thinner Model A "feet cups":


Then moved outboard and raised just a bit in front.



This reclined position mimics my daily driver's ergonomics, clears the huge trans tunnel, and leaves room for a driveshaft loop and short tunnel.


I'm 6'2" and even with the top chop, have just enough headroom.


Rear seats pivot around a 1" square tube frame, which is bolted to tabs welded to the subrails.


Their rear inboard corners rest on the rearend hump.
I ran out of MIG gas shortly after tacking everything.


"Simplify, then add lightness." ~ Colin Chapman; Founder, Lotus racing team & car company

 

Just finished the entire thread!! Super build I like it a lot, But.......(you knew that was coming!) I would like to see the tailpipes out the rear much larger in diameter. Really make a statement! Maybe even flared trumpet-style. Although 2 1/2" is large for most street rods yours is more Altered looking soooo it needs to be more radical almost to the ridiculous.
Jus say'in not nit-pick'in.
6sally6

 

Very cool Gary. Now you can sit in there and make loud engine noises.

 

The Wayne Ewing-fabricated Greer/Black/Prudhomme dragster scoop "makes me feel kinda funny, like when we used to climb the rope in gym class."


I copied it but with an air filter inside; starting with a 9"x5" tall cardboard buck.


Next was a male scoop buck around that, using school locker sheetmetal and cardboard...


...reinforced by plywood.

The top rib is a scrap of 1/4" all-thread.


Cut, bend, tack, critique, repeat... Until the shape is right.


I covered the buck with three layers of fiberglass cloth & resin...



...then Evercoat Rage Gold filler:


A wood block with a 1/2" slot made a perfect sanding block to keep both the top rib and the perimeter rim straight.


Several cycles of filler/guide-coat/block sanding fine-tuned the shape.



Next, some dark gloss rattlecan paint confirmed it was straight.

 

I covered the buck with release agent, then made the top and bottom female molds.


Finally, the top and bottom halves of the scoop itself. Each was two layers of glass cloth with embedded metal stiffening rods.


I shredded their edges really badly when removing them from from the molds (Insufficient release agent? ) and had to fix them before continuing.


The inlet screen came from the same office ventilation duct screen as my grille insert.

It's held in place with glassed-in studs and lock nuts.


Three 18 ga. triangles are plug-welded to the K&N filter base. 1/4"x20 machine screws & glassed-in nuts connect them to the fiberglass scoop.


Then, a couple layers of cloth & resin join the top & bottom halves.


Finally, a light primer coat and mounted:


This was my first fiberglass project and it needs some clean-up work, but I'm pretty happy with the results.

BTW, these pics were taken four years ago but I didn't have a carb to mount it on until this past Christmas, compliments of my beloved but long-suffering bride.

 

Ya gotta be proud of that Milestone Gary...it looks awesome...

 

Wow Gary, very impressed – that looks awesome!

 

Dang man!