Howdy y’all, My name is Bruce, I’m 31, and I’m a machinist out of Atlanta, GA. I’ve been submerged in traditional hot rod and vintage roundy-round cars my entire life. This however, is my first go at one of my own. My vision is a dry lakes inspired car, low slung, chopped and channeled. I am wanting to adhere to as many traditional methods and vintage parts as budget and good reason allows. Here’s the day I brought it home, 1 year ago.
I befriended an 87 year old local hot rodder and vintage dirt oval man, it lead to my first parts haul. A set of ‘40 ford wheels and rear end. I’m wondering if this rear end had some racing or moonshine running provenance- it had 2 extra torch cut leafs. Then some Dodge truck tube shock mounts.
Front end out. Rear end out. Removal of the banger, ft. Daughter, Niece & Nephew. Once the forward motor mount was free I discovered that the previous owners plug welds used to keep the front crossmember in place, broke. This worked to my advantage because my tired cherry-picker cylinder doesn’t go much higher and I was able to roll the engine out from between the frame rails.
A few picks- a collection of eBay, local, HAMB, and FB Marketplace finds. 15x6 The proposed mill. A 283ci with power pack heads. I traded a Wilton Bullet vise for it. Topped with Offy 3x2 w/ Rochester 2 jets, and Cal Custom valve covers. “two is one, and one is none” F1 steering gear I pulled this previously hot rodded A frame out of my friends dads backyard. “Free -Just get it out of here…”
A silly mock up, 106” wheel base. The plan is for a “suicide” front end, bobbed frame horns and front axle forward -yet tucked close to the grill shell.
Thanks fellas, it means a lot! I’ll try my best to keep it moving! I’m headed to Athens, GA to Anson Axle this morning. Picking up some goodies… I’ll have another few updates soon!
I found a V8-60 axle locally. I paid full price, but that’s ok. When I was 8, Dad and I modeled a pinewood derby car after the Pierson ‘34 Coupe, and it was one of the details about the car I always loved. Anyhoo, The kingpin bores ended up being oversized, .830 in a few spots. Instead of attempting to resize the ends myself I opted to make the relatively short drive to Athens, GA and have Greg with Anson Axle do it. We also brought a ‘36 axle for dads build to have dropped and got two birds stoned at once… I also scored two sets of repopped V8-60 lock bolts from 2 different HAMBers
A few highlights from Charlotte Spring Autofair. This man loves his Munsters. “We’re on a mission from God” Thankful to not go home empty handed, Charlotte was mostly late model chevy junk.
Now that the V8-60 axle is home I can do another mock up. I find these silly mock ups important for morale. It’s also the first time I mated the V8-60 axle to the 46-48 bones and I love it.
Looks like a good start , I am working on a 29 coupe also,.........I also work for the major atlanta airline
I am also in Atlanta but do not work for the major airline. You seem to be doing OK getting parts, and certainly have the knowledge/skills to make and modify parts, but if there is anything specific you need I know a few folks in the area with A's and V8's.
I get by with most of my hunting, I will keep you in mind however! Come to think of it, ‘40 Ford style 16x5 or wider wheels are high on my list. I’m generally interested in any ‘40 Ford wheels 16x3.5 - 16x6. Also looking for a Model A truck cab for my dad.
Decided to go with ‘32 frame rails. I’ll be road tripping to ASC soon. Also, keep an eye out Monday for the reveal of the newly proposed mill! The 283 SBC has a much cooler replacement in the works, and I’ll be picking it up then.
Thank you! Thank you! I show up early prioritizing a list of needs and wants, but you know how it is... you find the killer deals that you don't necessarily need, and they follow you home. Absolutly! Thank you for the support.