Projects Late 60's Vintage Modified

Shaun, sorry I didn't get back to you I lost track of this thread. Here's some pics of my 62 Falcon. I run with the Blast From The Past Vintage club out of Reading , Pa. We run at Grandview Speedway Bechtelsville, PA. My car won back in July and finished 10th. for the season. This was my first time at driving as I wrenched on this car back in 73 when it won the Grandview Championship. The car still handles and holds it on with a 450 h.p. 350 sbc. Most of the cars i run against have 500 to 575 h.p. You will really enjoy driving , i do and at 72 it gets hard to drive when it's 95- i00 degrees at the track. Shaun , your doing one heck of a job on your car can't wait to see it finished. I'm been to Claremont, Monadock and Rutland tracks, but not as a driver. What part of N.H. are you from, i still get up there once in a while. Keep up keepin up, Hank

 

Some interesting race track history...

http://www.catamountstadium.com/claremont.htm

 

I've dealt with Bubbas before, and actually got a Chevy distributor from him for this flathead. I've seen his Chevy mag conversion, but hadn't asked him about doing an airplane one. Will probably hold off on doing that for a while... It's a pretty cool feature for a racer like this, but the guy said they never could get it to run right and would burn a hole in the piston because of how hot it ran. He ended up switching to a Mallory Mag-Spark unit later (the Mag-Spark coil was still mounted on the firewall when I got the car). He said he remembered some guys trying Chevy distributors on flatheads, so I guess it isn't too out of place on there.

I've seen those "cheater" heads your talking about, but I'm not real sure if that was this guy was talking about... He got them near the Canadian border at a speed shop, and he thought they were made in Canada but wasn't real sure. But when I asked him if they had fins on them, he was pretty sure that they did. Sort of rules out the old "cheater" heads if it has fins, but he might not be remembering quite right either.

I DO however think I've found a picture of the flathead that was in my car... Unfortunately isn't a picture OF my car, but possibly a former owner (must have pulled it for his next car). The guy I bought the car from told me a Bob Penney owned it, and I was able to track down Penney's ex-brother-in-law who raced with him and remembered his car, so it's a pretty good chance this is the same motor:



It's an 8BA with three carbs on it, so probably too many coincidences for it to be a different engine... Can't say for sure, but it looks to me like it doesn't have finned heads, so maybe is was the "cheater" Canadian heads.

Wow, thats a pretty cool old Falcon! Don't think I've seen a modified around here that ran with a Falcon body on it. I'm guessing people will definately be asking some questions/making some comments when they see it driving, especially since I'm 19! I live in the central part of NH, near Lake Sunapee if that sounds firmiliar, and thanks for the encouragement!

Thanks for the link, I've ventured around the Catamount site quite a bit, and the owner was kind enough to post some pictures of my car hoping that someone would recognize it and offer some****istance, but unfortunately no one has e-mailed me from that site with any picture or such, but never know it could still happen!

 

NOW it's starting to look like something.....












This was my first time driving it with the body on it, that was definately a good feeling!

Been needing some encouragement lately, and I think this will help. I've got alot of the body work done, but it just seemed to be dragging on and on so I needed a change for a little while.

Didn't have time to take pictures of it today, but I put a set of 6.50 x 16 tires I got for $40 on a pair of stock wide 5's on the back (only had $20 in those). At first it just didn't have the "cool" factor that those wide racing tires did, but I think it's growing on me now.

 

This is an awesome build, I hope to find an old racer and bring it back to life someday. The stories behind the car's history are just as interesting as the cars themselves!

 

Thanks! They're definately getting harder and harder to find... Just by chance I found this one. And you're definately right about the history part, this car didn't run a whole lot compared to some of the more "famous" cars but it's still got a pretty interesting history.

 

Well.....bout the best hour and a half I have spent in a very long time....how did I miss this? Great project and restoration!!!! I love anything old that turned left, and this is just perfect. I commend you on something that many folks wouldve just hauled off for scrap. Your patchwork on the frame is near sainthood material. If I was a right coaster you would not have to worry about the sign work on it, I wouldve gladly donated to the project. I cannot wait to see it all painted up. Amazing work, my helmet is off to ya!!!


PS If you end up with a problem with the rear diff wraping up (rotating) a really quick and easy fix is pic five of the top holes where the diff splits, fab you a plate that mounts straight up and add a third link going to that bottom 3" cross tube behind your seat. Build the link exactly as you did your cross steer link, just shorter...paint it up black and there ya have it.

 

Thanks for all the kind words! Means alot to hear such comments. I've had alot of people tell me to save the body, junk the rest, or completely change the roll cage, make doors open, etc. Other then making it street legal, I fully intend to leave it in original race shape- welded doors, welded trunk, single seat in the middle, Volkwagen gas tank (still have to weld those brackets back on..), etc.

Aside from the lights/windshield that'll be added, I think the only main changes are going to be making the grill removeable (easier to pull the engine), and not running a hood. I may end up running a hood, but it can always be added down the road. The original builder had a stock '33 hood, and I can't really justify the $600-$1200 guys are charging for them now... And the hood that was on it was just a little too "crude" for me.. As for painting/lettering I think I might give that a try for myself... Definately going to do alot of practice before putting a brush to the car, but I've done almost everything else, might as well give that a shot too! But hey, then again they did it out in the barnyard with a bucket of paint they had lying around..

As for the rear suspension, I have been thinking about adding something to protect again it torquing. Other ones have had long bars going all the way up almost as long as the driveshaft, but I think this would work just as good. So you mean attaching a bracket right here correct?



That shouldn't be too hard to fab up at all... Still have a bunch of that radius rod and some ends left. Would you recommend a panhard bar as well?

 

Classes were canceled today due to the "blizzard" so I had some time to spend on the car...

Been wanting to get back to the grill and finish that up.

Here's the old "grill" that was on the car... Made out of 1x2 thin wall box, some mesh, and window screening. While it was functional, I had to change it.



When I put the motor in for the first time I did it from the side so it wasn't much of an issue... But when I used a regular engine crane, this welded grill sort of got in the way. So I cut it off, started making a new one, but never got around to it until today.

I've made brackets to bolt to the angle iron that supports the radiator and shock mounts, and was originally going to bolt the mesh to it. Better after playing around with a bunch of ideas on how to make that look good, I abandoned the idea of bolting the mesh to the brackets. So instead I added two side pieces and welded the wesh all the way around.





Still got some work to do (grinding, weld the holes I drilled, etc) but I think it'll look pretty good once it's done. It'll make pulling the motor easier, but I still kept the original mesh and look of the first one. I think the mesh is made out of good stainless steel... It doesn't rust, it's not magnetic, but I can weld to it with regular welding wire. Incredibly strong too...

Also a quick picture of it's new shoes on the back, just some Sears 6.50x16. Not sure what size to go with on the front yet, but I really need to find another pair of wide 5's and some tires... Would like a small tire, maybe 5.00x16? All I know if having a huge RF and a tiny 13" on the LF really makes things look goofy...

 

Yup thats exactly the spot. I think it would work perfect. Try to make it as parallel to the ground as possible, so it will not lift or squat the chassis during acceleration or braking. Also a panhard bar is a must. Which ever side is convenient (tho some may disagree) the one on my roadster goes from the right side of the rear end housing to the left frame rail. Make it long and parallel to the ground roughly as high as the center line of the rear axle. Nice work on the radiator screen, very clean. Ya gonna make those ol' tymers look bad. I hate to see those big shoes go away, but I am partial to those 36-39 wheels. (My father has a 36 Slant back) I would say go ahead and make all four tires the same size or both fronts just a size smaller....you will thank yourself the first time you want to go down the street STRAIGHT. I didnt realize you had that style of rear brake drums. I was thinking you had a set of the old cast iron full floating wide five brake drums. I am fortunate enough to own a homemade QC that had a set of them...they are just too cool and do away with the adapter plates. You could keep your eyes out for a set of old aluminum replacements, they show up every so often on Ebay.

There is both styles (aluminum racing style on the front and OEM cast iron on the rear) on my lil backyard art project.

Have fun!!!!

 

I think adding a bracket there should be pretty easy. The only thing it may interfere with is the gas tank, but I think it should be pretty well clear of that.

As for the panhard bar, do you think I could built a bracket off of the center section where it bolts together, like the torque arm? I think if I tried to make it real long and went off of the plate for the shock, it would look crude because it would have to stick out quite a ways to clear that middle section.

I too miss those big ol racing wheels, and had thought about buying some street legal dirt tires to go on it, but they certainly don't give those things away. And of course the first (and every) cop that pulls me over would have to inspect them for DOT approval. Plus the original guy never ran racing tires/wheels- just plain 8 lug 3/4 ton rims. I think this'll be a good compromise.

Those old brake drums you were talking about are definately cool, but are pretty much like hens teeth around here (the original cast iron ones at least). But I'll keep my eyes peeled, and can always switch them over later (wonder if the backing plates/brakes still work though?).

And thats a nice looking project you've got going, should turn out pretty nice!


One other thing I've been trying to measue is if this car is actually "square". It's pretty difficult to actually measure ANYTHING on this car because its wasn't every really measured in the first place. Trying to go from center of each hub and comparing the two sides I get about a 1/2" difference, but again it's hard to be exact measuring it that way. If the car IS a little out of square how bad will this thing be out of whack driving? It'll probably see only a couple hundred miles a year, on back roads, and never going over 50mph..

 

nice!

 

Shaun, sorry if I missed it, but are you still running the old sliders inside the rear coil springs?
If so, keep in mind they will try to force the rear axle to move straight up and down. One of the reasons I recommended the long torque arm is it will not give you much pinion angle change. The short top link may give you a lot of pinion change and bind up those sliding rods.

If you go that route, just TACK everything together, then pull the rear coils out and cycle the suspension with a floor jack to make sure everything moves freely before you weld it all up.

 

I am still running the old sliders in it. Surprisingly it does "articulate" fairly well- at least just testing it by jumping on each side, no real binding, but that is a concern. Always good adive to tack it and try it first, I have to pull the rearned sometime as I've found a set of 4.86 gears, so that'll probably be wheen I mess around with the rear suspension.

 

way cool build!

 

Can you confirm what I think the 2 bolts are on the front crossmember, Torsion adjusters ? You got me going on the old track cars I collected pics of over 100, I found info of 3 tracks in my city , and a video of cars racing that I worked on in 1960 and there is a museum covering racing in Auburn ,Indiana which covers atleast 6 tracks and racing dating back to about 1945, Bill aka Tnomoldw

 

Thanks!

Actually just one bolt on my car, passenger side, but yeah thats the idea of it. I think that car you posted has a "flemke" front end- had two sets of leaf springs in the front... Better adjustment I guess. My Dad has a few cars that have that setup. And it can be fascinating to go through old records! There's still alot of history out there, just have to go out and find it.

 

Slowly but surely....





One rather large dilemna I noticed tonight is with my "battery box" that was built into the firewall. I made a new one ot mimick the old one, and after finding a small enough battery that odyssey offered (http://www.odysseybatteries.com/battery/pc680series.htm) and had planned to lay it down flat inside the box, with my master cylinder above.

BUT I didn't take into account where my throttle linkages need to be....



Getting sort of crowded in there now.. Possibly I could fit the battery in there if I shorten the end on the linkage? But then of course I've still got brake lines to route through there... Sort of a cluttered area..

Would it be possible to mount the battery on the frame rail here:



Not sure if the motor/exhaust heat would effect the battery of not. Would look pretty goofy there though.... Maybe I could build a box to go underneath the car... Just don't want to move it to the trunk, because then I'd have to make the trunk lid open again and that's something I'm avoiding.

Also have a dilemna with the open space around the transmission, floor, and the body...





I've got one piece that isn't in the picture that goes by the steering shaft, but still, there's alot of empty space there... I'm no sheet metal man, so it will be a little bit of a challenge for me.. But perhaps I can cut up this old trans cover I saved off an old pickup I scrapped:





Also managed to get another pair of Ford wide 5's for the front of my car... Still need to find a pair of tires, but this old weather cracked one works good for mock-up, looks ALOT better then that big old ugly recap truck tire on the homemade rim made out of a dually, thats for sure...

 

Shaun,
Great thread, I love those old Hardtops (that is what we call them out west), I have posted a few shots from Oregon, in the early 50's. If you or anyone viewing this thread is interested, I have posted lots of pics on "Great Oregon Racers", here on the HAMB, plenty of 33-34 coupes to look at. If you need any parts to complete your project, I have a fair amount of parts related to your build.

 

Man, those are some great looking shots... Those cars must have been rockets compared to some of the jalopy's that ran out here back in the day. If I think of some parts I'll let you know... But I think just about the only thing I don't have to make is the 3x2 intake, but thats pretty low on the priority list..

Well, unless you happen to have an old airplane seatbelt

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plmlKJFDwqQ Here is the video , note car 16+ and 26 were brothers. Good friends of mine .This is the FORT WAYNE SPEEDWAY , 1960-61 5/8 highbank The World's Fastest 5/8 mile track . It was a killer track,very dangerous. there was not a smooth spot on it, Cars got airborn very easily. Bill aka Tnomoldw

 

Shaun,you wouldn't mean one like these, would you? We will work something out!

 

That's EXACTLY what I mean! Aside from the color, it's identical to what came out of my car.... Any idea what ya gotta have for em?

 

Shaun, how would you like to have a wide 5 floater hub in the right front?

 

Awwwww Marty, that there is pure sweetness!!!!! Is that OEM cast iron? It doesn't look like mine.
Just awesome.

 

It is cast iron, and it is an odd one. Yours probably look like the ones in the pic, and the same on one of my track roadsters (my old friend Len Sutton) at the wheel. Shaun, maybe we can make contact this weekend.
Marty

 

Sounds good, but I'm alot easier to get a hold of using private messages... Phones were never my bag haha

 

So I started working on the rear suspension... Going to do the "torque arm" first. Traced and cut out the plate, will use a Grade 8 bolt at the top along with 5/8" heim joints... I think it'll be rugged enough.





Also ordered my wiring harness earlier this week, and it showed up today:





Went with a Rebel 4 Circuit harness. Heard good things about them, made in the USA, bought it from a HAMBer, and it only cost $120 shipped, pretty hard to beat that...

I know guys say to buy more circuits then you think you'll ever need, but I still think I'll have enough. Somehow I don't seem power windows, power locks, and a giant stereo being added anytime soon

 

Boy does Photobucket***** now...

 

grill guard made very simple with the lights kinda shrouded or hidden .The main idea is to avoid it looking like a hotrod. You will need turn signal lights too.Same idea in the back,tailights are easy to hide.lol a Prowler look wouldn' t be bad. I think Prowlers are in a class of their own. =not a hotrod,not a sportster or speedster. not really any class.oopps Another thing ,you should referb that steering wheel, I have seen some steering wheels on HAMB builds that were like Jewlery. Im not clear on what they use JBWELD or resin/epoxy. Bill aka Tnomoldw