Customs Traditional Custom work in progress

Okay, here is the mark.

It has been driven about 1 mile since a complete mechanical re-do. There are some "up-grades" to the brakes, but it is basically circa-1955 (the year of its Packard hubcaps.)
The ignition is vintage Mallory dual point, and the generator is a gennie 1957 12 volt. The aluminum radiator has been painted black.
Plans are to re-wire it, stitch up some threads, and french some teardrop tail-lights from a '51 Hudson. It has yet to settle in on new heavy-duty rear shocks, so the stance will only improve.

Drive line is a hot 216 built with old speed parts (NOS Jahns pistons, McGurk cam, etc.),chopped flywheel, and tied to a Packard gear-box.

One of my favorite changes to this car is the 3" shortened steering column.
Another is shifting that long throw '37 Packard top-loader trans! (Think Mack truck!)

 

choppppppppppp--------it!
had fun at the gas station car show parker.

 

This is a great thread! Good looking cars here... Whose that bloodyknuckes guy? Is he a MMA fighter or something? haha... Car is looking great Ron!

 

the engine and transmission turned out beautiful , nice looking ride

 

Very cool start. Its nice getting the motor hopped up and ready to go, this will make the car enjoyable to drive and will spur you on to keep working. -fryguy

 

Hey Greasemachine,
Great build and wondering where all the "Hey it's not a Ford or Chev so it can't be traditional" guys are!(just kidding) But seriously I have an important question. How are you dealing with the steering column going into the cylinder head. I feel as you do about using as much early stuff as possible. Did'nt see it mentioned early in the thread. I will someday put my 241 Dodge in my '39 Plymouth as soon as I can find some "round2its", and would like to make it look like maybe it was done long ago using the original column. Lots of great pics and good folks on this thread. Thanks!

 

....just getting this on the road after a 12 year build (old guy novice, what can I say)...
Click on the pics





...going to do a detailed post soon....

 

What's a "traditional-styled" hot rod. It all depends which era they are built. 50's were sure different than the '70s. East coast /west coast. It all depends where you are and when.

 

Is this a real question or are you be facetious? You are on a Traditonal style Hot Rod and Custom website. This is all based on pre-64 cars and trucks and your right it all depends on what era. You can have a traditional style for any era but typically the styles emulated here are Pre-War, Post War, Early Fifties, Late 50's and early sixties. Each style has spurred tangents of their own followers.

Its one of those questions thats easy to answer but hard to explain You know it when you see it.

 

Hey haul'n ash,

looks like you know the Mopars, the steering is a real problem. Put it this way, the suspension is stock, just lowered uprights spindles. With the steering, some guys put in the engine off set, I bought a 40 Plymouth before that was build in the late 50's and ran a 354 poly hemi, they used a different box and modified the frame a little. It didn't look good. No matter what, a Mopar needs more fabrication than Fords and Chevys. Maybe that was the reason for people back in the day to use more Fords. It was easier to but a other V8 in. Because I like the lines of early Mopar at least the same as Fords. Seems like any kit you buy is not engineered right or can't just bolted in. My engine is centered and my steering is for sure not a powersteering! But the box is not old. Shame on me... You can only do so much. My goal was to have a correct engineered car and using as much of the orig. trad stuff as possible. And I wanted a car that looks, drives and feels like a car from the time period. It is more work to go the extra mile and not cutting up the whole frame. At least the car keeps its soul in my book.

 

Looks like the thread is going back on track with some nice new projects!

Nice to see somebody put time and money into a clean Chevy six.

Sweet Lincoln, they are hard to chop I guess, very cool.

Thanks for posting!

 

Greasemachine,
No harm intended. Just curious how you were tackling this prob. On my '39 I used a '68 mustang box to replace the OE. Stock '39 pitman arm was used, and original column modified for the look. This allows me to use u-joints later and detour the shaft when I get around to the Baby Red Ram install. For the last thirty years (yup 30), I have been running a 318 LA using an A-body left manifold. The engine is off set one inch and use a 273 water pump and pulleys are one inch shorter. Stock style radiator is moved one inch forward. An inch here and there really helps. Best of all it looks pretty original. I even modified an old oil bath air filter to keep the flavor. Really dig what your doing. Keep up the good work!