DEUCE OF SPADES ROADSTER tri power fuel lines, generator & valve cover advice needed

It is now time for me to do a little prep work to my engine compartment before resuming to film the modern days section of the film.

I need some input from you guys, especially those who know "old school" styles.

Over the next few weeks I will be replacing the rubber fuel lines and home made stainless steel fuel log currently feeding my mid 50's pontiac Rochester tri-power. It is my desire to put hardline tubing, with copper fittings instead and I would like to add a gl*** bowl filter to that.

I am looking for photos of similar set up to get ideas from. Can you guys post some here?

ALSO:

I currently have some nice older Edelbrock finned valve covers, but they are not 55 period correct so I would like to replace them. Looking for good looking valve covers that would have been around in 55 and would fit a small block chevy engine. Can you guys suggest some and post photos here?

ALSO:

I bought, many many months ago, a "generator" look alike alternator. I want to get rid of my alternator and mount the generator instead. That ****er is BIG and currently the alternator is mounted on the side of the fuel log. The generator will not fit unless we make some serious room. I believe going to hard line fuel lines will achieve that. But not sure. No, I don't want to mount it to my exhaust manifold because it would then prevent me from using a hood. I want the generator to stay up above the engine. Can anyone post photos of similar set ups so I can get ideas?


ALSO:

I need to buy a really heavy duty on/off ignition switch. (just on and off, no accessories and no starter). Currently I am using a boat switch but it is malfunctioning I think it cannot take the amount of draw when I hit the starter ****on. Where can I find such switch? A few phone calls did not yield any results.

I appreciate the input and help. Althougth the deuce is not 100% period correct it is my desire to slowly revert it back to a fully period correct format, but as finances are non existant right now I can only do it a tiny little bit at a time. Currently a couple good samaritans have offered to help implement these changes to help me get the car ready for the film's modern day scene so that's how I can finally move forward. If anyone else in LA can / is willing to help, let me know please.

Thanks, I look forward to your input / ideas.

Here are some photos of my current engine set/up (one day I will get rid of the chevy engine and get something more interesting in but for now I have to do with it - and it's been good to me so far so don't ***** about my chevy engine, OK?).


The deuce without the hood, as it looks today (ignition coil mounted on teh firewall):




below you can see the fuel log and tri power as well as current alternator (yuk) I am removing the red wiring and replacing it with plain, unmarked black wiring.







Here are a few older shots, before I painted the car and put the bias plys on and mounted the ignition coil to the firewall. Yes, I got rid of the ugly hood panel support brakets. But the engine configuration has not changed much otehrwise so look at these photos to get your bearings:









Below you can see how the fuel log is mounted right behind the alternator and how a longer generator will never fit the way things are right now.




here is a good shot of the engine area and current valve covers:

 

I would take your car down to Circle City Hot Rods and leave it with Jimmy for a week. Have him fabricate a cool period generator mount.

Re-work that motor mount bracket.

Please don't have someone hook up those nasty threaded copper T-fittings, when you go with copper fuel lines. Have someone cut and solder up the copper lines like they used to.

Why is that oil fill tube so tall???? Chop that!!


Get rid of that red dist. cap and red spark plug wires. Get BLACK.

my. 02


Is that roadster fibergl*** ????

 

I'd guess that in 55, there were few, if any alum valve covers out yet. At the very least, they would have been rare & pricey. The stock stamped steel ones would've been what most rodders ran.

Look at K-Four Switches in CA, I met them @ SEMA. They have hi-quality US made switches & you can even get them sealed from the elements (a good thing on a roadster).
Ask for Rich or Barb 619.445.4103

 

Ditto on steel valve covers.

 

You're off to a great start. My description of what to do with the fuel log will sound stupid, but bear with me... imagine you pulling the fuel log off the side of the carbs just far out enough to clear the generator, then pushing it back a few inches with the fuel lines curved identical to one another. I know it's a wierd visual but hopefully I conveyed it well enough... I think the curved fuel lines going from the carbs to the log would look nice if done correctly and with the correct material. It would add curvature to the engine compartment, clear the generator, and wouldn't cost you anymore than just replacing the rubber lines.

Just my 2 cents!

 

Something else... your shiny new exhaust pipe. Header wrap would look really good if done neatly. Not sure how period correct that would be, or if that was popular back in the day. I'd think it would be available though... Might be a nice touch?

 

I'm not sure that the wrap was widely available, but I'm sure that the rodders probably would have ran those exhaust manifolds in a "custom" rust color!

 

You also may want to check this out:

Hose clamps period correct one's 40's what are you running.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=309979

Some of the pics there will get you lookin' right!

~Jason

I've run hose clamps like these, found in the bottoms of coffee cans, on all kinds of stuff.

 

Ramshorn Exhaust manifolds did not come out until late '56- and the angled ones later than that. Gonna be tough to make it look '55 under the hood- Why does it need to be? I thought you were saying it had a flathead under the hood?

 

wouldnt they be staggered bolt valve covers too, rather than the straight across ones, and no bolt holes in the front of the heads, if there are any close detail shots.

 

Move the generator to the other side, that way you won't have to mess with linkage. Ues sone old corvette valve covers. there close enough.

 

The carbs don't fit for 1955 they should be 97's, maybe corvette valve covers.

 

I read somewhere that Rochester 2G's were first introduced in 1955. Not sure how true that is though... Anyone?

 

You mentioned resuming filming of the modern days section of the film; does this mean that you are portraying the car as an untouched survivor?

 

If you are running a push ****on for the starter.. Your off/on switch does not need to be "heavy duty" as the start ****on should not be wired thru it anyway. You can run a hot lead to the starter switch from the battery (fuseable link advised) and run the power for the off/on "key" switch from the hot side of that.. The solenoid on a gm starter doesn't draw all that much "power". A 10ga. Wire for the "hot" coming into the car and a 14 ga. On the start side of the solenoid will be plenty.

 

True, but the starter would engage even with the key off, not always a bad thing, as this allows you to bump the motor without it starting, like when adjusting valves, but I'd recommend a hidden battery kill switch regardless.

 

Yep - they first came out in '55 on the Chevrolet 265, but weren't used in a factory tri-power until they put 'em atop a Chevrolet 348 in '58.

I believe the chokes were heat tube, not electric back then.

They flow 280 CFM, and the first ones appear to the naked eye to be much smaller than the ones from the 70s...

~Jason

 

I already have bought plain, black unmarked spark plug wires and we are doing thjis next week, so I was ahead of you on that one hehe.


YOu suggest to: "Circle City Hot Rods and leave it with Jimmy for a week". I do not know Jimmy and as I said I do not have ANY funds, so whatever is to be done will be done by people willing to help me (aka: friends, etc...). I can't hire anyone right now. If you think Jimmy would be willing to do this to help me, in exchange for credits in the film, let me know.

PS: I have only left my rod at a shop ONCE when I first bought it. Usually I go wherever the rod goes and I watch, learn and help whenever repairs are done.

 

that tri-power is 56, close enough for me.

I do not have the need for the car to be 100% period correct 1955, it is not needed for the film. in eth flashbacks we never see the engine so there is no problem there. but since I am doing some work on the car, I might as well aim for a more nostalgia look. So I aim at going closer to 55 if possible. Remember I drive this car A LOT so some stuff will remain upgraded and modernised for teh sake of reliability, safety and performence, at least some.

 

No, the car is not intouched. It has had 10 owners since Johnny so you can only imagine how many things might ave been moved around and swapped. but overall it still "looks" the same from a distance.

 

Actually I researched my carbs from their numbers. They appear to be off of a pontiac 56 to 57 tri power. the center carb is a 69 camaro, but I have the matching 57 pontiac carb waiting to be restored and put back into the tri power set up.

So can anyone post photos of car fuel line tubing so i can get ideas?

 

No, he was not runnning a flathead.

 

You could always add some ultra-tight shots in post of a stand-in engine - tight enough you can't tell it's not the DOS - for guys that still want to see the "goods" LOL!

~Jason

 

Aw, ****! You're right!

Pontiac and Olds both had tri-power setups (small base) a year earlier in '57! From '59 -'65 the outboard carbs were large-base, the center carb was small-base.

Here's a Pontiac promo shot from December '56!



Touché!

~Jason

 

there are so many misconceptions and people oftentimes rely onw what they hear other people say...

here is another misconception that was just calrified for me a moment ago, by someone knowledgeable at Edelbrock, regarding the finned Edelbrock valve covers:

"We originally made them for the Merc’s in the late 40’s but we started the small block chevy’s in 1955."

I am waiting to see if he has some photos to show me what their 55 finned Edelbrock valve covers looked like. I know mine are old, but not that old since they have the normal bolt pattern. I believe they may be from the late 60's? But waiting to hear back from him, I sent him some photos of the inside stamping of my covers, which bears a number, which I hope might help identify my covers age.

 

yeah Jason, I found that website that list all the serial numbers for Rochester carbs and the number will tell you exactely what year the carbs are from and from what car they came off of. No need to guess , it's all do***ented on there.

My tri power is a true tri power set-up, the outside carbs bear a stamping "1" and "3" indicating what position each carb has on the tri power. Only the center carb has an idle circuit. None of them have a choke. I recently stripped the gold paint off of them when we rebuilt them. maybe that was a mistake, but I wanted a bare metal look. The center carb currently running on my car is 69 camaro as I said, but i found the 56/57 center carb for the same tri power at my friend's home shop and am buying it from him. It is gutted but I will move all my current carb components into it and it should be good as new. I will then have a near perfect mid fifties (or so) tri power set-up . Groovy.

It currently has progressive linkage but when carb 1 and 3 kick in you're in for a ride. It's fun to watch all the other city cars in my rear view mirror look very small all of a sudden LOL. It's like I am in another zip code.

 

Wow, what a woman.

 

Vega steering?

If I was looking at the picture right it was a rack!

-Jeff

 

I think we just did

 

It's a half rack - unisteer system. I can steer my roadster with ONE finger with this thing on plus my bias plys tires plus my oversize 53 chevy steering wheel.
I found this cool photo of 53 steering wheel / interior





And this is what I did with mine: