Looks like you ran over a hand rail and it got all twisted up under your car. Holy cow. I meant that in the best way possible, that’s gonna be the part of the car people don’t notice right away and then have to grab twenty people to show them. very cool man I bet they sound nuts!
Startup and breakin is a ways off. Gotta resolve a pricey fuel system so initially I've concentrated on the things I can do that don't cost alot up front.
I think this is Mr. Bill's first HAMB build but it damn sure ain't his first, as you can see. He always does an awesome job.....and he does it in his garage, as best I can tell.
Today (maybe tomorrow) is the moment of truth whether I'll pull this thing off,...or not! The first two pics above don't look much diff. after several days of fussin and figgerin and cursin. At this point I'm only able to remove this side by dropping it down between the block and frame and pulling the header from underneath. A total PITA even with no front suspension or hairpins. Also, access to the nuts securing the flange is almost impossible. Below,...the second pic shows the primaries that still need to merge two into one within a space that is now very limited. I like lookin at this "box of snakes", 'tho the jury is out on whether this idea will live or die.
Sometimes, the juice ain't worth the squeeze, Bill. Cool idea but remember you have to be able to work on this.
Man that’s radical! if reaching the fittings to put them on an issue of being able to put the bolt in , or bejng able to turn the bolt? Maybe an allen keyed bolt would give you some wiggle room?
One of my favorites as well! Remember, back in the day, flipping your box end wrench to get 1/8 of a turn on a nut or bolt. Nice evolution of the tool. Only problem, in this particular situation, is my fingers are barely long enough to get the nut started
I've been accused of being too stubborn for my own good thinking "dammit I'm so close"! Comparing this pic to the forth pic above, you can see how I've finally managed to merge primaries #5 and #8 into one (and behind that, #3 into #2) Fitting those last pieces of the puzzle was a challenge that almost caused a "bail out! I think I've got it now,....I think! Sure hope the other side is easier. Clearance at several points has also been challenge. Just to be able to install this buncha tubes, it was necessary to trim the header studs and shave a bump on the block. Now the challenge is to do all the final welding without warping the whole mess to a point where the clearances that have been such a challenge, are not compromised.
Those will be a work of art when they are done. I hope you are planning to have them coated both inside and out to preserve them for a millennium. It would be a shame to see them rusty.
In the meantime,....took some time off for a road trip to Canada and the PNW with a bunch of buds. A highlight of the trip was a good friend from the Washington donated a grill shell to the project. Although it will be some time before this Piece of Perfect Patina will be fitted to the A, I couldn't resist the temptation to mock it up just to see how it looked.
Nice addition/donation to your project!! And, since you mentioned it, here's a group pic taken during the road trip. This represents a little more than 1/2 the cars that were touring about (doubled up driver and co-driver on this leg to minimize impact on the ferry to and from Bowen Island). Special thanks to @themoose for clean up with photoshop.
Well boys,....I finally decided to get off my ass to try to make something happen,... sittin and starein don't get nuthin done. And if nothing else, I can make more little pieces outta big pieces, which is something I'm quite good at. I've struggled with visualizing the merging of the primaries together, and stuffing that between the frame, starter and oil filter lines and still be able to remove the headers w/o jacking the engine up. Went to my extensive inventory of "little pieces" to mock up a path to visualize a potential solution. I think I got it!!!! Slip tubes to make the transition to the head pipe. Now that I've discover a path, I'll refine the resolution to something more service friendly such as getting the 3 bolt flange closer to the muffler. Sure is getting tight now out back. A challenge down the road is figger'n how to get the tail pipe up, over and around ladder bars, panhard bar and coil overs and,...exit adjacent to the frame horns w/o routing under the gas tank. And if anyone is inclined to suggest exhaust exits ahead of the rear wheel,..... I maintain that exhaust pipes shud exit out the rear of a car, especially a Hot Rod . -
Mate, your headers give me a head ache! But really nice. Nice merge too. Going back over the ladderbars and coming out parallel with the rear horns and NOT going under the tank? Yes I have done that dance with a transverse spring (which is worse than with coilovers.) It's one of those many ways to skin a cat things, but patience and plenty of bends to play with will get you there. You obviously have some! (patience) (I'll try to dig out pictures, but first I have to figure out where from) p.s. I had the mufflers inside the ladder bars, closer to the diff. You've got that big panhard bracket which may cause a clearance issue?
The Jalopy Journal
