Projects BACK TO MY ROOTS-261 CHEVROLET 6 Powered Model A Stock Car

I found this drywall lift scrapping and thought it would make a great throttle padel! Six hours of cutting, working at the drill press, the lathe, and T.I.G. welding I think it came out pretty good!

 

Neat Robert. Pullback loop already there. And obviously low cost to boot...

 

I know it's been awhile since I have given an update.
I had trigger finger surgery just before Christmas., and the garage became a catch all for Christmas.

Yesterday's (Saturday 01-27-24) took Dad and I down to Newburg NY to Jeff and John Hager's to look over their old Middletown (Orange County Fairground NY) Speedway 33 Chevy Sportsman.
They need the cage they bent up welded. I needed some stock wide 5 Ford centers machined to fit widened Buick rims, so we worked a trade.




Dad back to camera and Jeff Heger

 

The Hager's coupe is all Chevy too! Well, maybe not the front suspension, but frame, body, engine...

You should post this on your Stockcar thread. It's a pretty good representation of the way the guys built back in the day. Probably the only difference is tubing instead of pipe. Nice

 

The last time it raced it had a 300 Ford 6.

 

Yeah, however I can see a small block in it now! They should go back to the Ford tho, because that would blow some minds

 

@Robert J. Palmer I wish I had known you were down here.

 

I need to go back to weld the cage, I will keep you posted.

 

great looking coupe...

 

I haven't done much on the racecar since about November, the garage became a catch all between building supplies from my contractor (long ugly story) and Christmas.
However I have been getting things straightened up and putting in some work.
Today I checked the wheels lateral run out yesterday I ordered up three lengths of 1/4" black pipe (the price has almost doubled in a year!) to bead them.
Weld them up some primer, paint, tubes, and they are ready for the Hurst slicks. Then it time to test out my tire groover and put a dirt pattern on them!
I also picked up a 7,000 R.P.M. Sun Tach

 

I needed an idler pulley for the racecar. Being a purest and refusing to use modern parts I decided a Corvair unit would fit the bill and built a bracket to work on a 261 Chevy! I still need to finish the upper support.

I also figured out were to run the Oilzum decal! Thanks Wayde Seaburg

 

Anything happening out your way Robert? Time for an update...

 

Between work (overtime and I was asked by management to join an employee engagement committee to address issues, safety concerns, inefficiencies etc...and how to help solve them.) and Rodtoberfest I haven't spent much time in the shop.

 

Finished the wheels (machine work by Jeff Hager) Dad them and recaps to the tire shop yesterday they look great.
I will finally get a chance to use my tire groover to put a proper dirt grove on them!
I need to put a center in one more wheel and find one more recap for the right front.

 

Seeing those wheels with the round stock on the bead area brings back memories of Lebanon Valley and the coupe and coach era. Sparks flying when cars rubbed wheels or banged the retaining wall... Lebanon had steel plate ringing the track welded together and fastened to the outer wall. Only the really bucks up racers had those magnesium Safety Racing wheels. And talk about showers of sparks!

Looking good, Robert. Looking forward to seeing it finished

 

Still does or at least did as of November 2023 when I was there for the swapmeet.

 

I haven't been to the Valley in over 2 decades. It's too addictive. I'd end up putting another car together, and there goes the Whatever project and most of the other stuff. And you know how expensive even the most limited class is...

Besides, it wouldn't be as much fun as it was 50 years ago, building most of the car. These days it's the credit card that gets the workout. And that's just not for me

 

I spent some time working in the garage on the oil pan kick yesterday, I modified a Speedway Motors S.B.C. kit.
I took it to work today and started the T.I.G work.

 

I put in a little work in on the car today, built the support for the Corvair idler pulley, a piece of 1/4" black pipe tapped 3/8" with heim joint on each end.
I need paint it, make up some spacers, and get the correct length bolts.
I also bolted up the oil pan to check the clearance.....


......"We have clearance Clarence."
"Rodger, Rodger."
"What's our vector, Victor?"

 

That pan looks good, Robert.

 

Thank-you, I need to figure out where to put the trap door, do a little more fab and weld some bulkhead fitting in it (oil in and oil out) to convert it to full pressure full flow oil filter.

 

Just turn your father loose on it. I'm sure he's made a few...

 

Yes, but he made the kick for the engine in his Chevelle late model out of a 235 rocker cover, but that seems blasphemist to me!

 

Only if they are now dented beyond repair. Early on I'd take 2 sbc oil pans, cut the sump off of one and weld it to the front of the other. Cut a trap door in the in between pan front, make a trap door, and race it. And I never lost an engine due to the oiling system. One junkyard build, a 302 made from a 283 crank and 327 block with a used set of 30 over trw pistons, would turn 7800 rpm with Chevy's off road 754 cam. We only had $600 in everything. It raced for most of a season and just plain wore out.

Ahh, those were the days!

 

My dad’s first late model engine was a 301 using a junkyard 283, but he worked for Pinders Chevrolet here in town so there were lots of hi-po parts right out of the parts room he bought at cost. Z/28 heads, Z/28 off road cam, crank, rods and pistons etc….

His last engine which still exists was all built out of the parts room other than the block-

350 block with spacer bearings and a Z/28 crank Z/28 heads ported by Bill Stimson, Z/28crank and rods, he did spring for better TWR pistons.

 

Any updates Robert?

 

Every time I think I will be to focus and be able to make some real progress life seem to get in the way.

I have from 11:00 next Friday (11-22-24) until Monday 12-02-24 off and then from 9:00 A.M. 12-17-24 until Thursday (01-02-25) hopefully I can get something done over that time.

 

"Every time I think I will be to focus and be able to make some real progress life seem to get in the way."
Ain't that the truth! I've been fighting that my whole life.

 

Same here guys. I just keep collecting parts for the Whatever project or Sonny. And the garage is bursting at the seams...

 

I have been doing a little small work on the racecar, dad and I fabricated an aluminum conduit for the fuel line. Next up is fabing up a couple quick mounts to weld to the cage, we are working on the shut off mount.
The rule books always used to read "No fuel lines in driver compartment."
The N.H.R.A. required the fuel lines to be in steel pipe or tubing where it passed the bellhousing to protect it from being cut in case of a clutch explosion!
Apparently, fire is no longer a danger in racing, however I still think it is a major concern.