Projects Drug home this Henry J project.....

What about moving the front axle forward and re-doing the sheet metal to stretch it out?

 

I have given this a thought..........not sure yet........Thanks, Dave

 

Mine will eventually be done this way. The whole front of my chassis will resemble a early 70's Woody Gilmore Funny Car chassis.

 

Quick update.........I removed the rearend to inspect everything.......noticed it has a 741 center section, which has the smallest pinion for the 8-3/4 Housing.......I scored a fresh 489 center section w/ new 4.56 and posi ready to go for 350 bucks from Craigslist.........I looked the housing over and decided all the brackets needed to go.....found a few cracked brackets on the housing...I could have repaired them but would have never been happy w/ them......So I stripped the housing down and started on the brackets........I also elected to swap out the Dutchman axles and ordered up a new pair of Strange axles and rear brakes.......

First I made up the pattern and cut them all free hand on the band saw.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Then sanded them to be all the same.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Added the mounting holes and a large thru hole to connect the two to establish spacing and add strength.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

I then machined up some thick weld on washers and welded them into place.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Then cut and machined the thru tubes and welded up everything.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

This weekend I was able to tact the new ladder bar brackets into place and started on fabbing up a housing back brace........Like everything else I do.....I started by making a pattern.....



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Then cut them out of 2x4 boxed tubing on the bandsaw and started to fit..........yeah...I know they sell them for 90 bucks or so......but that would be no fun ......I would probably order them..get them......not like them...and end up making my own anyways....



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

Porn, pure porn.

 

Good move getting rid of those Dutchman axles!! Chris

 

Wish i was at your skill level. Very nice work!!

 

Looking great...real nice work!

 

I concur ! subscribing

 

Dave ,was your Henry in the Akron/ Canton area for awhile??. If it is the same car i walked around, it was beauty at one time(not saying your is not and won't be when your done). The Henry i walked around, in a small shop in Hartville, looks to be the same car. Curious minds ya know

 

I am sure it is the same one............I picked it up out of Mogedore,Ohio.........did you see it in a bodyshop in Hartville?.........Dave

 

I'm always impressed with your workmanship and talent and am not trying to nitpick at all but, if you are not really careful or lucky I'm afraid you are going to end up with a crooked rear end housing. I have never had good results bracing a housing and welding brackets after the ends are welded on and ending up with a straight piece. I'm sure you have a remedy for this and can't wait to see what it is. Rocky

 

looks great Dave!!

 

Dave; I saw it in a small fab shop in Hartville Oh. the guy that owns the shop went to school with my son and every once and while i stop in to see what he has going on,i don't know what it was there for, but it was in one piece and dammed nice, I'm pretty sure it was before the run in with the guard rail . By your description there was some pretty hokey work done on the frame and i can't see that kind of work out of him BUT if you want to talk to him i can PM you a phone #

 

O... M.... GOD... this thing is so damn RAD!! ha-
I love henry J's... I built a few of these in the REVEL form- one was metal flake sapphire blue with a hemi... cheater slicks and a straight axle-

Subscribed!

 

Quick update......I have the backbrace fabbed up and welded on along w/ the ladderbar brackets...........Today I started on the coil-over housing mounts.........I tried to tie them into the ladderbar mounts........still need some work before I tact them on..I will add...the work that was done to this car was fine to start with.......I just have a hard time leaving stuff alone....Dave



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

I like the idea of tying all the brackets together. I did it on mine too...nowhere near as nice as you did though. Looks awesome, keep it up.


Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

Do you ever sleep Dave?

 

Nice Henry and nice work........

 

Always room for improvement, It's Just a dam shame you haven't learned how to weld yet

 

Boy I hate to see the car in that kind of shape after all these years, Putting that aside lets get the story right, Jons not the one who brought the car back from ca, Nice to hear he tells everybody he saved and rebuilt the car, since he's my brother. Thanks , I bought 2 henry j's in the late 80's from california, both drag cars, 1 for me 1 for my wife. she ran it at new england dragway a couple times. The car was an original car with stock suspension front and rear and powered by a hot 283 chevy and powerglide, it was built for the owners wife to drive ran 14 second qtrs, never a serious drag car. The straight axle came out of the other car, the 8 3/4 rear was in the car when i bought it, I built the car minus the ladder bar suspension was Jons doings, It had leaf springs when it left my shop in n.h. The floor was street signs and angle iron, The nailhead used hurst motor mounts, I flipped them side to side it put the donut more to the rear of the motor, but not symmetrical side to side, but it worked better. Jon put the blown nailhead in the car, It left my shop with a dual quad 401 in it, The other car was a 10 second car powered by mopar. I'm sorry I redid that car, I'm sure it had some history, back then without the internet it was hard to find info.

 

It was a neat car in the late 90s

 

What was the power back then, was it still the dual quad Nailhead?

 

yes

 

Thanks for the additional info !..Thanks for saving the car..........Not too much is going to remain the same.........this thing should hold its own when I am done and run a #.....Littleman

 

It was blown 2X4's when in az late 90's per the picture from jim, I built the car as a street car that had the gasser look, trying to keep some interior room. The nailhead sat pretty much centered over the front axle, per 60's gassers rules the motor could have been back 10% which puts the motor under the cowl on a henryJ, The other car was built to those rules. nice work, good luck with the car

 

I would like to see pics of the other car........w/ the engine set back if you have any......Thanks, Dave

 

I have the car back on the ground........fabbed up a panhard bar and squared up the rear to the center of the axle..........working on straightening out the front now.........both front and back were not square when I got the car......I had Bill Carlson a fellow Hamber at WAC CUSTOMS make up the new axle..........I very rarely have anyone do work for me.....In this case it allowed me the time to re-do the entire rear of the car instead of me spending time to make a fixture to weld up a new axle......I looked all around and found some pics of his work ...liked what I saw and sent him the bent axle out of the car........He sent me a real nice axle built to my spec's using the original Henry J spindles ............So if you need a tuff straight axle, contact him here on the Hamb ! His Hamb name is BCCHOPIT...........I set up the rear on the car much lower than it was before.......working on some of the front axle u-bolt brackets and chassis shock mounts..........then its time to cut the firewall..........

 

Bills a great guy!!!
Looking good, and it sounds like you're making great progress!!

 

Looks great! The lower stance is also great!