Missed this first time around. Neat to see how far it's come. Congrats on a great save. And your two little hot rodders.
Good to see your 5w back, I'm into the 5th. week of tackling my 5w that has occupied a corner of my barn for a couple of decades, completed the chassis the past 2 seasons, now comes the body which happens to be the #45 roundy round & formally my v8 avatar that Rocky posted earlier on this same thread. Trying to retain as much original metal as possible but must admit overwhelming on a vehicle that has been bottom side up on two occasions & beat out time & again during its racing heritage. Ron
So after some research I found out that the T-Bird y-Block 312's have a 1 inch spacer behind the water pump and an extra 1 inch in the balancer/ double pulley. So if I swap the balancer for one with no space, take the water pump and fan spacers out and go down to a single pulley, I'll be able to move the whole motor forward almost 1.5". Get the grinder out! haha
Firewall looks great! I remember when a flat 1/8" or 3/16 plate was used for a firewall, then it would be chromed. Looked really good, but now days I like the original firewall with the original stampings, just like you did. Good job!
Playing around with tires. I have a set of 18" wheels for the rear and the 7.00-18 firestones are tall!! I'll need to find a way to bring the rear down 2 or 3 inches.
Tire is sitting in the right spot now. Man these have a lot of side wall, hopefully a soft ride. haha
Thanks Ron! I know what you mean about saving as much as you can. I tried the same. Was more work to save more, but makes me feel better for some reason good luck with the rescue!
Exhaust is tucked in tight and almost done. Passenger side shows the finished routing. Drivers side still needs to come out just as far.
There was a bit to coordinate on the drivers side in order to fit it all within the hood sides. I'm happy with the final engine mount location and header routing. Still need to clean up the welds and remove the header tag on the "borrowed" tubes.
Intake is back on and all the pulley work is done. This means the rad can stay in the factory location.
Your '32 is looking great, Chris! So glad the 312 found a great home, and it looks just right in there...and it saved me the "task" of buying another car to put it in...haha I did get the 349 stroker in the T-Bird up & running, so the whole deal really got my act in gear! Keep on going!
Always thought it would be tight for the pedals. They are mocked up with some offsets, but still need to do something with the gas pedal. Steering drop, shaft and wheel are all in and happy with the look.
With a spoon pedal you need a spot to rest the side of your foot. At least I do. I think the side of the trans hump will work good.
Cant believe I didnt see this threas before! Great find, awesome save, bitchin build! I have a '32 Fiver that has alot of history as a chopped n channeled hot rod in the 50s here in BC. The cowl ended up getting cut off about 3 inches in front of the doors, so need a complete cowl to fix this thing then I can get at it! @AV8R I will send you a PM.
Tail lights are ready to go. They had the light for the license plate, so I made little covers to block them off.
Switched the fuel lines to hard lines and the air cleaners are on. Also used a truck y-block inlet for the intake.
Wow! Had to go back to the first post. What a transformation! It’s been a long haul, but well worth it. Keep the updates coming. BTW, it looks like you have a petroliana addiction as well. Great!
The Jalopy Journal
