Humble greetings from Tomball Tx. Frankly I have popped into this site from time to time to see the magic that happens when skill, imagination, and determination come together in the same place. I signed up hoping to contribute in some small way in the future. At the risk of boring you, a little background as an introduction: 57, married 37, military brat and Vet, retired engineering/operations Verizon Wireless, Australian Cattle Dog (healer), and a 13 month old Grandson. Some of my earliest exposure to math happened when I was handing the proper size wrench to my father while he was working on everything from Studebakers to Citroens. My father and I rebuilt my first car before I had a license to drive. Although I can turn a wrench, strike an arc, and cut metal I am not a fabricator by any stretch of the imagination (not that I won't try and eventually succeed). I built my first "hot rod" while I was going to school at Angelo State. A 50 Dodge 1/2 ton with a Volare IFS, 340, 727 Tflt, and 8.75 RE. The original flathead six went into a 50 Dodge Coronet Deluxe that I used to get back and forth from school and work until my truck was back on the road. All of the work was done with the help of extremely talented mentors and friends. The joy of the brotherhood. My work in progress is a 1947 Dodge PU that I purchased a few years ago with a 318 and a Volare IFS. The 318 and the IFS are both worn out and the mods to the original frame make the front clip almost unusable. I have an extremely low mileage 5.7 Hemi, and 5 spd automatic in the garage waiting for me to make a decision on the ch***is. The original thought was to reuse the Volare or go with a Mustang II style IFS but with the shape that the frame is in I am considering a Dakota frame swap. Others that I drive and wrench on : 75 Porsche 914 V8, 70 Citroen DS21, Triumph Sprint ST motorcycle, and KTM 450 EXC dirt bike. I have rambled on enough. If you have gotten this far I thank you for your persistence and your continued contributions to this site. Hal Buckholts
Welcome! Man I wish you were my neighbor...I like the way you do things from what I've seen. Awesome 47, I personally would go with the dakota swap, and the 5.7 sounds cool, even though you probably will not get a lot of praise for newer motors here on the HAMB, I would love a new 392 Hemi for my 57 Dodge but my 360 will do for now, I cant wait to see what you do with it!
Understood on the "new" Hemi. I drive this truck all over the country (15-20k miles a year) and I need it to be ultra reliable and easy access to parts. Thanks for the input and for your service!
The Jalopy Journal
