I'm building a MEL 430 marauder marine engine... tripower, edelbrock exhaust manifolds, lots of polished aluminum etc, but while hotrodding the motor compared to the stock install, I want to maintain a vintage hot rod look. Everything on this engine is vintage correct hot rod parts. Here is what I don't know: What type of hoses and connectors were used in the 1960-65 period among hot rodders and drag racers? Were braided hoses around then? AN connectors? Types of hose clamps? Fuel lines? Use of stainless? Thanks for any help, this place is the resource of all resources for hot rod stuff.
Back in the 1960's Petersen published a series of magazines on different hot rodding topics, fuel systems was one if my memory is correct. I just have a a few photos etched in my memory, check eBay they turn up now and then. My library isn't an organized one, but if I find something I'll post it. Bob
AN, yes, but not the aluminum colored anodized. there were brass and steel fittings. Same for hose ends. And Aeroquip was black fabric coated, wirh a steel braid liner inside and a rubber core. At least, this to me says old race car or hot rod. Stuff that was avaiable in the Army-Navy surplus stores that were all over the place in the 50's and 60's. Ha. I still got fittings and hoses that have OD green on them.
Okay, so just natural colored AN fittings. Does the current Aeroquip hose and say, Russell pro classic have simliar looks to what you remember?
You can actually take any of the current AN style ends and hit them with a quick shot of oven cleaner and the anodize will come right off. clean them up right away with soap and water, and rub with a bit of fine steel wool or scotchbrite pad and come up with an acceptable version of the older stuff. Also, each of the performance plumbing companies have an "ultra light" type hose today that has a cloth outer braid and is black. It would be very convincing.
Need louvers is right, that new black hose looks good. But the older style stuff is still available from industrial and hydraulic hose places. I'd think the brass or plated steel fittings and hose ends would be more reasonable priced than racing stuff. Maybe not. Worth looking into.
I don't know for sure, but pics of cars in the early to mid 60's had blue anodized fittings. The Old Master (circa mid 60's??) has blue fittings. Do some google image searching. I think there was more than natural finishes.
In the 60's when I owned Speed and Marine Associates, we used simple brass push on fittings, heater hose with gear lock hose clamps we got from Nicson Engineering. Some jobs demanded Weatherhead Barb-Tite fittings and the hose spec'd for the fittings, certainly remote oil filters and coolers got this treatment. Yes limited braided hose was sort of available and we used it on our record holding blown fuel hydo. A few clients who were always in the mode of upgrading would have us copy our "Big" boats. I can send you photos of the first two types if you think that is what you are looking for. However by far the bulk of the Sangers and others we put together were done with the hose and clamp.
This is a 1965 Chris Craft 21 foot supersport, which effectively is the last blast of the mahogany plank speedboats before they went completely to fibreglass. This one came with a 430 lincoln, but it was marinized all in CC blue, with cast iron manifolds etc. After I researched the 430 I wanted to hot rod one, so I bought some 430's and built one from that pile, kept the numbers matching engine complete. I have an original Tripower, I just got it back from Joe Bunetic, ..Illinois Ford multi carb guru. I polished the manifold... and a whole lot of other things, for a long time. Those of you who have polished old castings can appreciate how much work goes into die grinding, sanding and buffing... I would love to find out where I could get AN brass fittings... That would be cool. Thanks for the responses.
Here is a pic of the tripower... still have to machine some risers/spacers for the Nicson flame arrestors...
I know this isn't the topic of your thread, but man I love those Nicson spark/flame arrestors! I'm actually looking for a set of three exactly like you have, with the Ford/Holley 2-barrel "D" opening. Do you happen to have any extras or know of another set? Thanks- Malcolm
I found two from someone in San Diego, and one from a guy in Michigan... Yeah, they're super cool. I have to offset the two outside ones ... so sideways and up if you get my drift. The center one with get a riser... probably about 2 inches or so. Mine are not the D shape, they are round, so it will be a little bit of fabrication to get everything set up properly. I think they make a multi carb set up look beefier than a regular breather, and in this case, they are coast guard approved. To find nice ones, they ain't cheap, altho I bought all three for 300 bucks... which is a fair price I think They come up now and then, but you have to keep your eyes open wide... For this build I have been a kijiji/ebay/craigslist junkie and more...
This was very popular for a short time...until they realized that it got very brittle and would crack letting fuel run all over the hot engine. It was shortly outlawed at the track and taken off the market. Notice that it says that this stuff is vinyl and not the same stuff that is sold today which stays very flexible and rubbery but it does turn orangey from the fuel after a short time.. Good old black fuel line was used by most or if you were lucky you could find some red-ish neoprene fuel line. Edelbrock actually sold red rubber fuel hose with their name printed on it just like Goodyear. This is a 55 catalog. Anodized aluminum fittings and braided stainless covered hose was available if you lived near an aircraft surplus supply house but I never saw it actually used on the street until the 70s when the race car and hot rod industry started to stock it and the magazines explained how to cut it. The modern brass fittings that we get today do not look anything like the brass fittings of the early 60s. Nobody that I knew ever made hard steel lines on the engine in my area at that time. I have a fetish for the thumb screw clamps shown above. They are still available from Restoration Specialties. I found a supply of very small hose clamps that use a small screw to clamp the hose. I'm using them on my trips system. It's all about the details!
I totally agree. I have spent hours and hours on detailing engines... it's one of my OCD symptoms I do feel that vintage engines require some attention to vintage details, but I have also seen a lot of engines featured on this site that are tastefully 'modified' to incorporate modern touches. Wimmin wouldn't understand this, but there is a decorating discipline...when my wife is pissed at me she says "Why don't you go outside and polish something" .. referring to me going to the shop.. Thanks for all the replys... I learn somethin every time I come here.
Here's some vintage brass. Made from castings, real old ones look like sand castings, more recent like die castings. Modern ones are made from bar stock. The hose ends are steel, but are for Teflon, not rubber aeroquip. but the look is very similar to older hose ends. Dimentions are different for different tube materials. but whatever you do, please...no white tape for thread sealing. Frank
AN fittings are left over aviation fittings from the second world war if I am not mistaken. I know that they showed up in land speed racing so I am sure that they showed up in other venues. The NHRA didn't have as strict a set of saftey rules in the early '60s as they do now and I know that a lot of ribber line and screw clamps got used if that helps. yes there was braided line back then as well as line with a braided cloth covering.
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