Got the rear end back from my friend JR that set up the new 3.54 gears And put the mockup engine back in so I could work on exhaust and a few other details before it comes apart for paint
Don't know who your chrome plating guy is, but, here in SoCal, it's almost impossible to get it done. I remember taking stuff to get chromed in Bell Gardens, and picking it up the next day, back when I was restoring VW's. 40yrs ago.
For the new plating, yes, Mike at New Age, but a good majority of the plating on this car is old, swap meet chrome. The front axle, perches, front and rear springs, U-bolts, wishbone, front and rear backing plates, shocks, steering box, pitman arm, starter, generator, idler, fan, timing cover, carbs, air cleaners, oil filter, fuel pump and stand, voltage regulator, transmission case and shift top are all old 50's chrome. I have been collecting old chrome for a lot longer than I have owned this car. I am now just filling in with new plating when I can't find old to keep the project moving along. Major pieces of new plating are the rear banjo, axle bells and radius rods, oil pan and at the chrome shop now are the chopped windshield frame and garnish moldings. Maybe I should name it "The Olde Chrome Coupe"...
One of my favorite 32 5w's, Don Van Hoff's. The caption below the engine pic made me laugh. "Don has $90 worth of chrome in front of the firewall and it all shows." Neal has $90 worth of chrome in a few nuts and bolts and none of it shows...haha
That’s a great tip! THANKS! What did you do with the step/jog in the fender flange where it meets the frame at the running board? Hammer it in further up the flange? Cut it out and weld it in further up the flange? Pic from the net for reference.
I put the mockup engine back in the car to sort out the exhaust. I am headed towards some variation of these, 4 flared pipes out under the axle. I started working on some hangers And added a few shiny bits to the real engine. I just need to decide on the color and get the block painted.
Will those short tailpipes that you are considering, reverberate through the passenger compartment when cruising at constant highway speed?
A little update for the 5 guys following this build. I had some 1-3/4" tube bent up to extend the Red's Headers back past the K-member. This is the third set I have done like this, as I like having the flange further back. This worked especially well on this car, as I am running straight Scavenger Pipes. I slid the chrome rear end under. The torque tube will get plated, but I need to weld some tabs for an E-brake cable before that happens. The pipes split using this long radius U-bend after the header flange And here is the look I was after I am sure it's not for everyone, but I have had this idea in my mind for a long time, so happy to see it coming to life.
It will get plated in time. I need to get brake lines and E-brake cables routed, as I think I'll need to weld a tab or two to the torque tube. Then I'll pull it apart again and send the torque tube, headers and a few other things for plating.
Pipes look great! Did you make a Y for each side or did you keep one straight run and one branched off with the bend more like a h ? loving the updates
Neal, happy to see you use the proper early '60s nomenclature we used in the day for those pipes; scavengers. It may have been known differently elsewhere, but in the day, in Southern California, that's how we knew them.
We haven't addressed that part yet. It is still in mock up stage. Not sure what the final plan of attack will be.
First, I'm one of the four that are following your build...second, while I may have not weighed in much, you're continuing to rock it! Last, I love this photo...it has the feeling of one of the early a colorized photos from an early magazine.
The Jalopy Journal
