Projects 60's Era Street/Strip Model A Coupe

And wholly crap that Abomination guy from Illinois can weld!! Master of the TIG torch.

 

Joey Ukrop just posted this pic in his build thread. Seems to reflect the era and style you are going for...

 

Heck yeah. There it is again^^ That steel/mag mismatch. I'm gonna do that on something, someday.

 

Don't forget the tube ballast bumper!

 

Seen this on the net yesterday

 

SBC Header for Model A Ford with F1 Steering Box

What seems like yesterday we were discussing headers on the car.

I had this really great set of Hedmans that didn't have downpipes but were so damn cool. But, like every other guy with an F1 box in a stock frame, I ran into clearance issues. We chatted about it here and that was that. However, I kept the idea of an offset header. I had actually bought a set of Corvette manifolds at one point because they'd solve the problem easily but that would be pushing the issue to a later date. Those manifolds might be fine for a little stocker small block but eventually this car will need to breath.

A while back, I sent the driver's side Hedman and a new flange my pal Brian cut for me out to @TexasSpeed. He had built an offset header for his SBC powered roadster that also had a clearance issue. Since he had already done one, I reached out to see if he'd take on one for me.

Here's that result:



The space we had to work with.



The parts.



Matt putting ideas to paper.

And then... almost done:



And the final mock-up:



It's a great sister to the original. The only part retained was the generator bracket. I fully expected to chop up the header but Matt saw that as sacrilege and he fabbed all the critical parts to make them match.

And finally, it's home:


It fits perfectly. I'm able to access the plugs and everything clears. It's unique and I think it suits the car very well.

 

That image is perfect!

I love that mismatch. It's authentic, functional... achievable. Not everything was perfect and symmetrical.

Hell yeah!

 

A work of art....bitchin'.

 

Man that’s gorgeous. Those tight radius bends are great.

 

A great solution! I'm having similar issues on my T pick up build. So little room.

 

Nice work @TexasSpeed & great choice @-Brent-
What a beautiful way to solve a problem without compromising asthetics!

 

Hats off to you Brent & Brian @TexasSpeed - never saw any hotrodder pull off these SBC header mods before - GREAT JOB!!

 

Thanks fellas.

This is some of the last of the major fabrication. There are still plenty of items on the list but really this header was a major piece. I'm thrilled with the way it turned out but I'll miss the guys commenting on the old header that was mounted one hole off, hahaha.



The exhaust will be "simple" - stainless 2.5" that exits on each side like this.

 

Man I can’t wait to hear that thing finaly bark!

 

Looks fantastic so far.

 

X2! Waiting for the startup as well!

 

Cause this thread needs a bump!

 

Thanks @dumprat! A little determination is what is needed out in my shop...

Life has been busy! Once again, the coupe is at a standstill. I took on a new position managing a property with about 100 townhomes and apartments. It's a great little place that needed integrity restored and had quite a few issues to tackle. Since October it's been mostly 10-12+ hour days. For those of you who know me, you know I take being a father, husband, and gym guy seriously. With the hours I work, it means I really have to be at my best for the time I'm with the fam. I have slacked on my fitness and it shows. At the end of the day, there's just nothing left in me for the coupe. However, I'm getting closer to the point where I can get back to making progress.

There's a short list of parts left to buy and only a few things let to fabricate so the only limiting factor is me... hahaha.

I am looking for some 30/31 door latch rods. Foolishly, I let mine go as with the old door inner panels and now I cannot buy them anywhere (as well as a few other parts). Once I get a spare, we'll fab new ones.

Thanks for thinking about the A!

 

What's not to like about that!

@-Brent- good on you for making your priorities right, looking forward to seeing this move forward

 

Awesome inspiration for my own '60s model A coupe project.

 

Flipping thru the May '69 PHR and found this, made me think of your car. Under an Anglia. Same 59-60 Poncho housing. Friggin cool. Keep at it man, headers look great!

 

Thanks!

That's pretty awesome. You have a good memory!

The builders took the time to remove that center link bracket, too.

 

Cool, set up very similar to mine.

 

I remember the guys who build em right. Point of conjecture, what ev. That flat spot was made for a MOON sticker lol.

 

Maybe Moon will send me one with my tank?

 

They better for what you paid for it! Lol

 

Ran across this video and immediately thought of this thread. Yeah, it’s not a coupe but there’s a bunch of other similarities:

 

Any updates Brent?

 

Nothing major to mention!

I've been acquiring parts since work has kept me busier than I'd like. It seems like every time I look at prices for stuff like clutch, flywheel, etc., it's 10% more than the last time. I don't have a ton left to buy but it's pricy stuff. I want to have the majority of it before I start to do chrome... and I feel rushed because my chrome options are dwindling.

A parts post could be fun because I have aquired a few neat items. The hunt for parts is a big portion of the fun for me.

There are a few tasks I've snuck in some time to work on but there isn't anything I can check off the list just yet.

 

I'm in the very same boat, Brent... I lost the Weiand supercharger kit back in 2008 from the engine builder's shop, owing him $1,700 of his 7K in total labor expenses on my hemi. I lost over $5300 in total, including both carbs and the Hilborn style air cleaner. He never gave me back any of the monies left after a possible sale of my blower. Fast forward to the present times - the Weiand supercharger kit that I paid $3,300 for from Speedway Motors in 2007 is now in upwards of $5,500! Typical carb prices went from $300 or so is now in upwards of $1000 each the last time I searched!