Projects Channelled Model A roadster with mercruiser

I’ve been a HAMBER for some years now, but never been a prolific poster as I’ve been busy with building a Model A roadster. Well it’s finished now and I’ve got the time to post the build.
It’ll be over several months as l need to condense 6 frantic years of garage time into what I hope will be of interest to some.

Firstly let me introduce myself. I’ve always been into hot rodding in one way or another all my life. In the early 70’s I built an early A coupe with a supercharged 331 Chev until a serious accident wrecked it. Then I built another early A roadster pickup with a 331 Chev with 4 x 48 IDA Webers and Halibrands. After some years I became involved with a couple of front engine top fuel dragsters, doing fabrication and pit crew duties. Whilst looking for engine parts for the rail I came across an immaculate’57 Corvette in Calif and brought it home. It had leg room, headroom and suspension travel - everything a low A r’ster doesn’t. BUT it wasn’t a hot rod. So after a couple of years of enjoyment I sold it and started the current ‘28 roadster project.
Before starting I knew that I wanted a mild channeled body with ‘32 wires, buggy springs and a quicky. It had to have a stock wheel base, stock shell with original hood and full length belly pan. The main things I didn’t want was a 350 and auto and 9” diff. Time would fill in the missing details as it progress.
(Photo courtesy of Australian Hot Rodder Magazine)

 

Please don't stop there you big tease.

 

WOW! Incredibly nice work.

 

Oh Man! What a sweetie! Do tell!

 

That looks fun!

 

Man, I like the looks of that! Carry on.

 

Great roadster.

 

Always thought a 4 banger Mercruiser with a T-5 would be ***s. Your ride ticks all the boxes. Look forward to more posts.

 

Please, post more of your build, starting with the ch***is. With your rod having rhd, made the exhaust easier to route. Just my observation, from the one picture of the ch***is.

 

What a nice ride! I blew the ch***is picture up just to check out all your bracketry and workmanship.The belly pan is beautiful and it's a shame that it will hide your talents. My only comment is that the front header tube is real close to your alternator and heat might be an issue. Did you put a bubble in the hood side to clear the alternator? Keep your pictures coming! Again, very nice!

 

I was able to source a Brookville body from Gary Wright at Early Hot Rod Parts in Victoria ( Aust). Luckily the body and rails fit in the tray of my Toyota ute, and after a stop off at the famous Ettamogah Pub for a half way beer and 1100 miles, it was home ready to start.
The car was always going to be VERY louvred, so the trunk lid and panel were punched. ( probably a bit too early to worry about, but good for the inspiration).
I originally planned to use a ‘34 style crossmember but it wasn’t going to work with the exhaust etc between the belly pan and floor, so I bent up some 1 1/4” seamless tube instead, giving me more room for everything.
I decided on a 181 cu in Mercruiser engine as they were popular in speedway midget racing in Australia. They fit well, are torquey and can look the part, if done right. All my cars have been manuals so I chose a Toyota Supra 5 speed and T56 hydraulic bearing clutch release as there is no room for an external clutch slave.
Rather than buying a second hand sal****er engine with all the corrosion problems that goes with that, I bought it new from Michigan Motorz ( Detroit). Watching the tracking, it travelled down the East coast and I guess thru the Panama C**** then up to Vancouver BC and down to New Zealand and Australia. It has seen more of the world than most rodders!
I’ve never been big on late model 4 cylinder engines in A’s so this one had to have some at***ude. I bought a 4cyl Vertex and an old EVM inj manifold from a speedway guy who used them on a Nissan eng. The Mercruiser distributer and cam are not suitable for street as they have very flat curves. The cam was reground and I turned up a magy body to house the Hall effect pickup and drilled the housing to run the coil lead thru the body and down to the ch***is rail to hide it. The original head is MPI , meaning the injectors are in the head not the manifold. The EVM flange was cut off and a new flange milled up to suit the spacing of the head then welded on.

 

I’d drive it

 

Very cool Hot Rod, love your drivetrain choice.

 

Very very cool!

 

That thing is the cats meow! What a beauty! I have a Pinto powered Roadster. Love a 4 cyl Car.

 

Cool
I’m signed up
Dan

 

Tell us more about what it takes to get a Supra trans connected to that engine...I am ***uming the engine rear bolt pattern is Chevy, correct?

 

https://www.rodshop.com.au/bellhousing-kit-gearbox-toyota-supra-alloy-case-en~340883

 

The Mercruiser is based on the old Chevy 2 motor so the pattern is Chev. In Aust there are a couple of manufacturers who do a bellhousing for the W58 supra box - The Rod Shop and Dellow Conversions. Not sure what’s available in the US. I had an adaption bell housing for Supra but not to Chev, so I had to weld up and drill the Chev pattern myself. If there’s two ways to do something I’ll end up doing it the hard way…. it’s a curse.

 

I’ve got a Chevy 2 4cyl.
And a matched pair of side drafts.
Been thinking about using em together. Hmmmmmm

 

I pie cut the rear of the rails to kick them up as much as I needed and fish plated them before welding in the A rear x member. One thing that has always bugged me about early A’s is the rivet at the bottom of the front pillar. To get rid of it, I figured to channel the body over the ch***is by the thickness of the body blocks and set it directly on the rails. This meant slightly widening the subframe in places so the ‘32 ch***is would fit inside the subframe and also 10 or 12 pie cuts in the rails so they follow the sills and end up under the cowl and under the grille shell. Just as Henry should have done! That way the door sills remain stocked looking, as does most of the floor except in the trunk. The bottom of the cowl is cut so as it’s on top of the rail, then the area around that ****** rivet is cut out and blended. Now the beauty mold on the bottom of the body follows the swage of the ch***is. The rails retained the stock kick up at the front, adding to the lowness of the car.

 

Wow a great looking roadster, good to see another Aussie posting

 

Nice looking build

 

Being a fellow Sydney sider, I saw this roadster at a recent car show in it's finished state. It was probably the car at the show that I looked at most closely - lots of clever details and fine workmanship. I think I recall looking at the ch***is a few years prior at the same show.

 

Thanks mate

 

Ripper little roadster! hope to see it down south sometime

 

What a beauty!

 

First thanks for posting this after tryouts posted in the Chevy 4 engine thread .
Awesome build. Really like the transmission choice . I need to look into that a bit.

What makes the Mercruiser marine cam so unsuitable for street use and what specs did you have your cam ground to?
I have a few of these engines and I am in the process of building up a 3.0 .

Are there any performance parts like intakes avaliable in Australia?

Did you build the header or is it a new avaliable part ?