Technical ´34 Ford HotRod, update... pg.11 interior and roof insert

Thanks, thinking of this trick could have saved me an extra trip to the parts store, hahaha, dummy me. I´ll try to remember it next time, hahaha

 

Babystepping forward … I connected the ram horns to the old exhaust system. One day I‘ m going to make headers and replace the 4bbl with a dual quad Manifold that I have. I just dont have the time right now and also think it‘ll be easier for the new engine to break in without being flooded by 1000 cfm of miscalibrated edelbrocks I also made connector elbows for the lower rad hose.
Next on the list would be figuring out the clutch linkage, the wiring and fixing things I overlooked before

 

Lately I spent a few evenings to translate my wiring from Fordish to Chevyish, filled up oil and coolant, primed the oilpump until I had oil to the rockers. With the ignition set at 8° and the idle screw all the way in, this ex mouse house started right up and ran at 2800 rpm, so I turned it down to 2300 rpm, oil pressure was pegged at 80° and fell to 70° once the oil got warmer. Mechanical fan did it´s job and once the thermostat opened the needle was sitting at 190°. After 25 minutes of hoping and sweating I set the idle to 900 rpm, the igniton to 12° at idle and 36° all in....I have not driven it yet but what I can say is: that puppy likes to rev! I´ll add a small video, sorry my phone hasn´t the best audio quality. I´m a really happy camper now, all lifters are turning. I hope this was a success, hahaha

 

Jeff, thank you! Fantastic is probably a little exaggerated for a mouse infested 283 belly ****on rebuild. But I´m surely stoked and that engine swap got me from frustated back to excited.

 

*****in

 

I took the 34 for a spin on Sunday, man is this thing fun. It wants to break loose up to 3rd gear, of course this is a light car, but this little 283 is surprisingly squirrely…
2 cool guys showing off
I also used the good weather to rinse off 1 1/2 years of shop dust


making rear fenders for TÜV inspection

 

The material I‘m using for those temporary fenders is ABS plastic. It‘s cheap , comes in different thicknesses and is plyable with a little heat. I used 5 mm for the fenders . 2-3 mm would have been rigid enough as well I guess…They bolt to three factory fender bolts and are removed within a minute.

 

American here who has never had to TÜV inspection a car (heard horror stories though)

So fenders for inspection and then pull them off. What do the local police say if you get caught running no fenders between inspections? Safe to ***ume they are more forgiving if you're taking the effort to make them removable?

I liked this car before but I really like the gold paint now. Looks great and now it sounds great too.

 

Thank you very much! They are required for inspection, and in case you are pulled over by a picky officer you may get a „ fix it“ ticket. I plan on carrying those little fenders in the car so I can put them on should someone take offense…

 

Hello,

That stock 283 that came in the 57 Chevy Bel Air Hardtop was ok for power. It had some get up and go. But, compared to the stock 348 in my 58 Impala, it was a little behind at the finish line. So, we decided to do something about it.
similar lowered stance and appearance... 1960

We got some ideas from the guys at Reath Automotive about the 283 and what it needed. The first to go was the stock cam. We got a factory Duntov Cam and kit. Then we got the local port/polish head company (Jocko’s) to do the heads. Before we added the Hedman Headers and Traction Master Bars, it was definitely faster than it was as a stock car. The power was there upon full acceleration from the start.

In 1957, that version ruled the stock car cl***es with a Duntov Cam and lifter kit. Add 4:11 Positraction those 57 Chevy Bel Airs and 2 door post models were faster than what we saw on the streets of Bixby Knolls. Tom McEwen not included in his line of 55-56-57 Chevy sedans. He was well beyond all of us in knowledge and money put into his Chevy sedans. Plus, when he told everyone that his cars came that way, of course, everyone nodded and had a good laugh.

Jnaki

Once the Hedman Headers were installed and the Traction Master Bars were added, it gave some other form of go power. Then a friend had a dual quad, carb + manifold that he said was not to his liking and wanted a 4 barrel stock carb. So, we switched the 4 barrel to the dual quads and instantly, it was a contender. Fast was not in the definition after the switch. It was “really fast” and the huge smile across the owner’s face was hard to wipe off after a run down the Cherry Avenue Drags location late at night.

The last thing we added was a 4 speed transmission and a 4:11 Positraction rear gear set up. There was one race that only he and I were involved. No one else was there to witness the race, late at night. I got away from him at the start with my C&O Stick Hydro/4:56 Positraction and despite the power in the 283 Chevy Bel Air, he came close, but the Impala was in front at the finish line. In try number two, the C&O Stick Hydro got off faster and now it was out in front all the way, again. YRMV

One weekend, we traded cars. He drove my 58 Impala from Friday to Monday morning. I loved shifting the 4 speed and for me, the fun was there and the 57 Chevy was fast. (I knew what we did to modify the 57 sedan…) When he came back and we talked, he was also happy he got to spend the weekend with my 58 Chevy Impala and said it was super fast. But, he liked the cruising around at***ude the 58 Impala gave off on the streets. A rumbling motor and could go fast if he stepped on the gas pedal. No worries about missing a shift…

So, for the start of your 283, a ported and polished heads will help, but it would be hard to feel unless you ran the stock head version first and noted the times and speeds. But, for us, it definitely gave us results we were expecting and more. An increase in H.P. is the goal and it will definitely help.

 

Ha Baumi, now I know your story, you're an old hand and what a car with such a fine history,
that is a mega conversion/construction, huge respect, maybe we'll run into each other sometime,
if there's a shy old man with shining eyes standing there then that could be me.
LoL
Greetings Harald

 

@jnaki , I always enjoy reading your posts , it always gives me an impression of feeling the vibes of a long gone era. Thank you for that ! I also have a 62 Impala with a 283 / 2bbl/ powerglide that runs really nice for waht it is ( all stock and 24k original miles), so this 283 was really surprisingly quick. For mostly factory parts and a cam. I´m very happy with it for now. Thank you for taking your time to post your stories! I will keep reading all of them

 

Harry, yes, that would be nice! I hope I can get out more over the next few years, I´ve been caught up in our business, family, little one, you name it for the last 3-4 years. I read you´ve been to Romö ( sp), I have heard of it and seen the photos, it sure looks like a great event, but I´ve never made it yet. I´m usually at the Hindenberg Dirt Track Races near Lübbenau every September. Maybe we will meet there on occasion. I hope to have the 34 on the road legally by spring. It needs to be driven, hahaha

 

I haven't been to Hindenberg yet, but I was at the M***en Dirt Track years ago,
it was a lovely event.
The Airfield Club Race in Finofurt was really nice this year. I'd love to see your 36.
I'll probably need another year for the coupe, but I'm really looking forward to it.
Greetings, Harald

 

Ok guys, with the Olds landyacht back on the road again it´s about time for to get the 34 ready for TÜV.We still need a hood, the fenders are only temporary, so I didn´t put a ton of effort into them. The hood is another story, my goal is to get it as nice as possible and once it´s good enough it will be painted to match the car.
First I made a paper template to give me an idea. Then I cut out the hood from an aluminum sheet and left it oversize so I can trim the contour once I get the shape right. At a point I needed to roll the outer edge in for rigidity, otherwise the hood would have been to flimsy to shape . With the rolled outer edge it´s now stout enough to trim an adjust. I´m ready to start over once I screw up,this side is just a test mule . My sheet metal brake is too small so I dropped by my friend Tobi, who is also a master body and paint guy. We went to town using his knowledge and his huge sheet metal brake, the result is promising.
If I do screw up, I certainly can´t blame him,
hahaha

 

I finally made a second hood side and got both sides fitting decently. Made a 90° fold in the center so it can be hinged. I still have to figure out how I can attach it to the car. I thought about locking it to the grill and strapping it down at the back. Next step will be the TÜV inspection and trying to p*** it.... we´ll see how that goes.
I am kind of surprised of how much I like the look of the car with the hood on, I may even ask my friend Udo to stamp some louvers in it, and once everything fits nicely and has proven that it is staying on at speed, we could finally put some paint on it...

 

If I´m lucky and TÜV and registration goes well, I´ll be driving the wheels off the rest of the year and see what needs to be improved over the winter.

 

I‘ve got the hood attached and also made a license plate bracket for up front. I still have to figure something out for the rear…. The test drive was fun and went flawlessly. Looks like we are on a good way to be ready for Aug. 18th, which is inspection day…

 

Hood looks good! Best of luck on your inspection. I am sure it will go well.

 

Thank you, Billy! I ´m aware I´m lightyears behind your build quality and everytime I check out your build threads I think, yeah, that´s how things should be done. It would be great to have a few days in a row to work on the car and get things done properly with at least some attention to the little details, but that´s just not happening at the moment. Our business is overbooked,( which is good of course)and our little one is 3 and wants to help whenever I´m in the garage ( which is also great and lots of fun, but very uneffective, hahaha), and so it happens that the days spent in the garage are few and far between. Everytime I go out I first need to remember where I let off the last time and what needs to get done next . When I was 30-35 I built one car every year, this one has taken me 10 years and we still don´t have a roof nor interior. At least it drives pretty good, that´s already something, hahaha
I´m getting 50 next year, then I´ll start smokin´cigars and make a retirement plan... nope, probably not, hahaha

 

Yesterday was THE day. THE darned Inspection day, that day when 10 years of blood sweat and tears are getting a thumbs up or down. I was just just a little nervous, maybe like a soon to be dad, honestly probably even worse ... for getting this car certified as street legal it is necessary to provide all sorts of things. All measurements and weights, heights, lenghts, alterations, displacements, gears, you name it. So I started my day early to get the car on the scales at the local Farm Supply. As luck would have it, we had exactly 540kg/1190 lbs front and rear, which makes it 1080kgs /2380 lbs total ( with a full tank). No wonder that little beast handles so well . After that I took it to my neighbor´s garage to put it on the brake test stand, 2,5Kn left front and 3Kn right front, that was a tad too much of a difference to p***, so I set the left front shoes tighter to the drum and we came out about equal.Next I went over to me friends shop to borrow his trailer and off I went on a 3 hr roadtrip to a very Hot Rod and Ford knowledgeable TÜV engineer who had already guided me to get this car road legal . Despite him being sick as one could be he came over to inspect my car, whoch means a lot to me. Things don´t look bad so far. What would really help to get this car registered as a vintage vehicle are old photos of this car or similar sedans from the 50s on 60s. In case you guys have something that could help stored in your files, please feel free to post , anything would be highly appriciated.
Ok, I know, pics or it didn´t happen
BTW check ou that cool 61 German Ford Camper Van I parked next to...

 

Well to me it sounds more like the full type approval which is, yes, stressful in our part of the world. Just got my bi-yearly inspection p***ed here in Austria a few weeks ago, big sigh of relief (even that can be a right PITA). Crossing my fingers for you.

 

Yeah, you´re right, I can relate, but the usual safety inspection every other year is like a walk in the woods compared to getting an old hot rod certified as road legal. Every single alteration needs to be do***ented, otherwise you will run into headaches on registration day. If this car would be certified as a 34 Ford the registration person will google what a factory 34 Ford looks like and all the warning lights and bells and sirenes would go off and the person would find that a stock 34 does look anything but this car. Therefore all the old alterations need to be identified an certified as historic ( and safe). Once it´s certified it just needs lights, blinkers, brakes and no rust holes to p*** at the bi-yearly inspection.

 

I´ve put about 60 miles on the new engine and I´ve got it to start, idle and run smoothly, it has a stumble on acceleration and starts popping at about 4000 rpm under load, it also feels lean overall. The Carb is the original Rochester 4bbl that came on the engine, but with the block bored, decked, heads milled and ported and a better cam I think I´m gonna need lager main jets and modify the part throttle circuit to get it richer overall. Searching online I haven´t found any suplier for jets and whatnots, can you guys maybe head me in the right direction? Carb is fully rebuilt and not worn out at all. So that´s a good start for now. I´d like to keep it and avoid going the Edelbroken direction...

 

Well that didn't age too well did it ? .... haha.
I hope it can do potatoes at least. As much as the Plüschmaus did. 312 Vessel sounds are gone for good.

 

Günter, I´m sorry you couldn´t make it to Lothar´s place this weekend, otherwise I would have taken you for a spin! It was the first road trip for the car and it behaved very well. It´s got plenty of torque up to 2500rpm for such a light car and from 2500 on it revs like a 2 stroke. As for the above mentioned quote: Yes, I was wrong and I apologize for *******izing this car. But I like it so much more now, you couldn´t wipe my grin off my face no matter what. I agree , the Y-Block sounds better at idle. But once the secondaries open this little 283 hangs in there.

 

I borrowed my friends dealer plates so I could take the 34 out last weekend. A friend had a little BBQ at his place and it was a 80 miles roundtrip. I found out that my carb issue was mostly the choke plate binding and causing all kinds of hickups. Car ran great and seems ready for roadtripping.

I also made door panels out of ABS recylate, it kind of looks like naugahyde for the moment and will be upholstered in the future. I made a recess for the drivers ellbow which can also be used as a little storage compartement.
I fabbed up some kick panels out of the same material. Looks better. I also started on the roof insert and made a windshield wiper. ( The TÜV inspector required me to do so; hahaha)

 

I forgot to mention, another friend had all sorts of jets and other 4GC Rochester parts, plenty to get it tuneup once we have put some miles on it.

 

Congratulations on almost getting through it; the worst is probably behind you.
It's getting harder and harder to get this old stuff legally on the road.
It's great that it drives so smoothly. Regards Harald