I feel it is time to give back to the HAMB. I know it is just another SBC 32 build like most of the others. However, this is my first complete build. I can blame no one but myself for anything on this car. Working on cars is just something I enjoy. My career is not in automotive nor do I have any schooling other than the HAMB. I think most of the HAMBers which don't post can probably relate to this build. As most of you know being in the military comes at a cost. Not just the cost of having to go to war, but the cost of having to move to new locations every 18 months to 2 years. We continuously have to put everything on hold. I know that is my lame excuse for not putting this together earlier, but it is all I have. Well, here is the story. I have owned 2 Model A five windows which I loved. But, as I have grown older and wider, the chopped and channeled car became very tight. Therefore, I sold my Model A , and I bought the rolling ch***is and steel body about a year ago from a fellow HAMBer , OCFAB. At the time I was stationed out at lovely Fort Irwin, CA. OCFAB was an extremely nice and honest guy. I cannot thank him enough. Here is what it looked like when I picked it up at his house on 15 NOV 09. The plan was to build a daily driving steel roadster. I love the traditional look, but am looking to build something dependable. I also didnt want to make it so nice or so exotic that I would be hesitant to drive it. The goal of my car is to build it and drive it with a fairly traditional look. I completely understand I have opened the door for criticism on many of the compromises I made. Also had to plug my number 1 Helper.
I went with the zz383 SBC. I wanted to go with something very traditional like a Flathead, but I wanted a little more power. My father is an old drag racer who continues to talk me into power over tradition. I am sure you will continue to see his influences throughout the build. This is the second time he has persuaded me on this engine. I will eventually put a three deuce setup on it, but for now it gets the parts left over in the garage. As, stated before I wanted a car that was a little bigger so I used the stock firewall with little modifications. Squeezing the engine between the radiator which I already had from the purchase and Stock firewall was fairly difficult. Therefore I went to a remote water pump. I understand it is not traditional; however, not going to a flat firewall will be comfortable for my legs. I picked up a Muncie 4 speed and a Lakewood bellhousing with left over money out of selling my model A. The frame already had a hydraulic clutch & brake brackets so I ran with it. You can see I tried to fit both a lon and short water pump, but was always just too close for me. You'll see some pics of the frame painted and unpainted, because I'm digging thru the pics to find what fits. The headers were also leftovers from a project I put lakes on. The wrap just made it a cheap fix.
The car had a ford 9 inch. I went from 308s to 3.73s posi. It will probably be a little high for the highway, but I dont hit the highway much from my House to base so it should be OK. No brakes were on the rear, and I have run into significant issues trying to match the offset of the axles since I didnt know what the axle came out of. It looks as though the rear came out of a 57 to 59 Ford. I had the hardest time finding 11" X 2" drums. I got them from rock auto, but they were not cheap. Note to self Identify every item on the car and what it came from before you drive off.<O></O> I was able to get it stripped down and painted. Since I am not running a water pump on the front I decided to push the altenator to the rear also to completely clean up the front of the engine. I got lazy and just bought the kit from speedway to mount it to the drive shaft. I can already tell from the numbers I am going to have to get a smaller pulley for the altenator. And of course like everything else on the car, I had clearance issues. I went to a smaller belt and a couple modifications and it ended up working out. And, of course I had to put new wheel studs in too. Front brakes and Lines OK, as Im sure you noticed I dont have a lot of time to hit the junkyards due to the job or the family so I order almost everything. It does tend to bite you in the *** at times. Not a big deal, but here is what you typically tend to get when all you do is order parts. Just remember these beautiful things are not models with instructions. Everything must be modified in some way or another. Example- the socal brake line kit. On the front I got the SOCAL hidden discs. The brakes give me that traditional look with the modern convience I was talking about earlier. I think I should have gone with a powdwer coat since the polish will be very difficult to keep clean on a driver. I had the brake reservoir door pinstriped at Viva Las Vegas last year. I know it will be hidden under the floor mats , but sometimes when your car isnt running any little thing helps
OK, as stated before due to clearance issues I am using a remote water pump, Cut a mounting plate out and welded it prior to the powder coat. I mounted it underneath the p***enger side to hide it. Used this water neck on the front. I really hate the water hose, but until I can find something better it will have to do. Man, I hat saying that. The lower hose worked out perfect. As you can see I used some stainless tubing. It took some work getting it lined up but it works. Now I have to hit the upper hose up. I got the overflow mounted also. Used some aluminum tubing and it worked out nicely. I also got the body and frame painted
I ordered all my steering parts from limeworks. It was a little bit more expensive to order all the parts from the same place, but it paid huge dividends. The help they gave was very valuable, and Everything fit together with no extra parts and no significant issues. I placed the vega steering box as far forward as it would go and not hit the motor mounts or exhaust. This allowed the steering arm to align with almost perfect geometry. As you can see the d bar misses the exhaust with plenty of room. The drop was with the parts from OCFAB. I thought it was awesome, but it was bright orange so it got sanded, painted and a new switch cover. I also put in a whole new switch ***embly. Jerry fabbed up a bracket to fit under the dash. It worked out very nice. It mounts to the cowl hardware. Also, I had to move from california to upstate New York half way thru. Currently in Afghanistan, loving life in RC South. By the way the Rainy season ****s.
Interior, I broke the piggy bank and bought the cloth wiring harness. I know it is completely over priced but I think it will look great over time. I went with stewart warner wings for gauges with a sun tach repop on the column. The starter switch is out of a HUMMWV. No I didn't steal it; I found it on ebay. I think it will fit nicely. The seat came back from the upholsterer. I used old shelter halves. I know they are fairly water resistant as I have slept under them for months at a time. Jerry also had them make some floor mats and a shifter boot. Jerry kind of took the project over by the way. I deployed in October. Thanks Jerry.
Three more pics, I had to show Jerry's hard work. I saw thew perfect shirt the other day. It said "The Future of Hot Rodding is HISTORY." How true! Thanks Jerry.
pics didn't take. By the way, being in the military is great because everyone helps you out. Thanks so much America.
Looks great, man. Please stop apologizing, you're not far from driving a '32 roadster and should be proud of what you've accomplished! I am using surplus Humvee buckets in the front of my sedan, and I need to scare up some matching green material to cover my rear bench and maybe my door panels. Where could I find old shelter halves, what should I look for? You have a cute helper, I have two and they keep me on my toes. Thanks for serving, stay safe over there. Will Kimble
BTDT, many things have changed for the better since the Vietnam era (now they praise, then they threw dog ****) be safe, fair winds and following seas. OCF, USN Ret., Feb '71- Sept '91
Looks great!Maybe you will have it finished for the Roundup if your able to go.THANKS for serving this great country.
Alright, exhaust is done. I wanted the pipes to come out right in front of the back tire. However, the suspension didn't really allow it. I also wanted to put a muffler on. Here is what the guys came up with. I had never seen a muffler like it, but it works. What dod you think?
You're doing great on it! It is nice to see some folks lending a hand - especially as you deploy and are far away. THANK YOU for serving this great country - you have my admiration and respect - be safe wherever you are. B&S
Those mufflers are great. That is the old Trans-Am style. I had them on a Plymouth. Neat car and you've done a great job. Thanks for your service Jim
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I saw this 32 Saturday night at a cruise night and I must say I was IMPRESSED Nice roadster and a the owner is a nice guy also. The fit and workmanship is excellant. Lots of ideas not usually seen. It all works together and FITS. Randy
Car looks GREAT !! We talked before about out color we chose. Just about the same. Thanks for serving NICE JOB
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