the most recent progress on my HA/GR can be shown in a couple pics. After dumping the engine and stuff off on the machine shop (winky icon here, if I knew how) I thought I'd try to get some chassis stuff done, so I worked on my bender for the roll bar. Plenty more to go on that, but the pic gives an idea. Then I talked to the guys at the machine shop they told me I had to come by and check out the progress. I honestly didn't expect any!! So I went by this morning, the block is decked (.006"), the guides are shortened, the port work is started (oooh, shiny!) , and he was rough boring the block when I showed up. (.060" over) he's estimating the engine will be done before March 1 ! Hope my finances hold out! So, I kinda got a wake up call, I have to lay off the chassis and get to work on the manifolds and oil pan.
Mr. Mac are you seriously thinking of running a Hudson six? I would like to see someone get one because in dragracing about 1957 there was a Hudson Hornet with Twin H power that was a terror in his class. He blew 50 OLDS and Cadillacs away. And not to rob this thread from Moparsled, I'm glad to see you are progressing along. Roy
Sure is tempting Roy. Two things hold me back,one they are very heavy, second it would cost about 8500.00 to build a competive one.
a new picture with a little visible progress-- the alignment bar is still in place, the block plate is drilled to fit the back of the block, the trans is on the bar, and the can is ready to be drilled. Starting to like like something!
a new progress shot- the Drag-Lasalle hooked to the 44 via the front half of a Ford Torque tube type u-joint and cross, with custom made "caps" to bolt into the 44's yoke. The flywheel is in the lathe getting cut down to get a 168 tooth Chevy ring gear, and to fit in the Chevy clutch can. After that the whole bottom end is ready for balancing. that's about it for now, trying to get the powertrain all ironed out before the rails go in the jig.
Mopar, That's the way I originally wanted to couple our tranny/rearend but it didn't allow enough legroom. Your design's look excellent. I'm impressed. Ron
Looking good, really good. Couple questions ....... What distance do you have from #1 plug to rear axle centerline? And about what angle will you be laying down in driving position? ps. Tom, you don't need ANOTHER top cover do you?
During my initial planning I measured approximately the length from the rear axle centerline to the front of the engine (pulleys and all) at circa 60". I was trying to see if I could cram everything inside a 120" wheelbase. Scoring the already shortened Lasalle sped my time table up a bunch!! From axle centerline to the bellhousing mating surface of the trans is 23 7/8" give or take. The rest is all at the machine shop, I'll get measurements for you when I can. At this point I still have a variable in the length--I don't know if the clutch and stuff will all fit within the Chevy can, and how it will all relate to the Lasalle input. I may still have a spacer between the block plate and bell, or the bell and the trans. If it works out, I'd rather shorten the Lasalle input than use a spacer. Curious why you're interested in that measurement? Not sure yet about the roll bar angle or the seating position, I keep beating around different ways.
Mopar, Mid engine is even better! It will be interesting to see the percentage of weight on the rear when the car is finished. I think your 60' times will beat all of us. If the weight bias is toward the rear the 6" bias tire now becomes less of a limiting factor. I like your plan. Ron
Ron's headed the right way, it's all about angle. And without a couple hundred pounds (or more ) of driver right over the footprint we need to pay a bit more attention to it than the "Bug" cars do. A line drawn through the #1 plug to the footprint will yield a rough & dirty angle along which your center of iron mass will typically land (within a few degrees). The steeper that angle the better the bite, right on up through wheelstands (think early gassers & altereds). That's the simple part. Adding or subtracting a percetage of angle for the driver's belt buckle position and his resulting approximate mass center finishes off the "rule of thumb" version of this equation. The whole car & driver's actual center of mass angle is a bit more of a grind to figure of course, but the "#1 plug and belt buckle" gimmick usually comes in close enough to work with on a dragster. Of course the complete answer's also a balancing act between that and the "lift" capabilities of a given wheelbase & footprint but as we're on the short side of traction by design we likely won't be needing to address that part of it in this life. It's looking like your shorter flathead and short gearbox'll give you a slightly better angle than our car, even after we get in our own short gearbox (we'd hoped to put it in early this year but are holding off pending possible Dragfest activities). We should at any rate have it in by MoKan.
I get it. I'll have to keep all that in mind as I work forward. I had planned on having the rails level, and the complete powertrain all level, not knowing how an angle up or down would effect, but, maybe some angle is in store...THANKS!!!!!
Ron- I'm hoping to see that "Gigantic Jimmy" Do the -smoking burnout to half track- style pass. And still turn 12.50's.
Yeah, your cube/torque advantage alone should negate all my finagling. Hell, long before "You can't beat cubic money" it was "You can't beat cubic inches".
my camera is on shaky ground at best, the last pics sucked, these seem to suck worse, but what the heck. A shot of the '51 Dodge 1 ton truck flywheel (more on that at a later date) with 168 tooth Chevy ring gear welded in place. Note the two balancing holes in the upper right corner. I feel pretty good about the balancing, all the way through very little weight had to come off to get everything balanced. Basically at this point everything is ready to go back in the block, but the cam has not returned from the grinder yet. so, a shot of the painted, but empty, block. The color doesn't show well, it's flathead Ford green. (supposed to be funny, full race MOPAR painted stock FORD green, his way of picking on me, calling me slow!) I have been saying for weeks now that I need to finish the oil pan, and I'll say it again, I need to finish the 2" deeper than stock oil pan, and I need to get moving on the rest of the stuff to seal up the engine- block off plates n stuff. I should have a more pics in a couple days.
I think a full ton for a flywheel is a bit heavy. Keep on pushing to get this thing going. I'd like to hear it run.
as promised, more crappy pics. a bunch of front end shots, now that all the pieces are together. The nyloc nuts on the Pete & Jakes shackles are bugging the crap out of me, ALL of the other nuts on the front are castle nuts/cotter pins, so the nylocs stick out like a sore thumb. They'll be changed to match V8-60 axle cut down 37-41 Ford spindles all steel spindle mount wires Model 'A' wishbone, unsplit stock 'A' pivot ball mount custom 33 1/2" spring unknown manufacturer (possibly Posies) Pete and Jakes shackles '34 Ford spring perches and nuts bent "hairpin" side steering arm the 2" deeper oil pan in progress. Turns out I suck at hammer welding! last, a pic of the disassembled keg tap whose pump will be my fuel pressure hand pump. Beats the cost of an original Bell or Eelco, or a repop Mooneyes.
just got back from the machine shop. no pics this time -but- the cam and crank are in the block!!!! the rest of the insides go in this week!!! I've been away from my end too much lately. Got the breather tube plug made, and the water pump block off and fuel pump block off made, still working on the oil pan. hopefully it'll be buttoned up soon.......pics will come.
I've barely touched this thing since my last update, and I've hardly been around here all summer, as I've just been busy with other stuff. that is, until this past weekend. I went down to the track in Pueblo Co., for a shot of motivation, and to see the guy who's building my engine run his blown alcohol '55 Chevy. He broke on the line, so I went to the pits to see what was up. He put me to work helping him pull, fix, and re-stuff the broken Lenco. We didn't get him back up in time to make a pass, (newbie slowness and mistakes)but he did cruise the pit roads before loading the car. Anyways, that was enough motivation for me to wrap up the re-fixing of my oil pan Saturday morning, it's now at the powdercoater's. I fabbed the distributor clamp for my Mallory Magspark today, and dropped off that stuff so it can be run on the machine and set up. Next up for me is the manifolds. I'll save the long, drawn out personal history story for later, but the short version is that I am going to run two Carter BB's and a set of yet-to-be fabbed headers. There's really very little else left to get the engine done and on the dyno.
Have you done anything to the main bearings or crank? How many rpms do you intend to run? 2-B&B's are good. Really good. Hud
the oil sytem is based on your old posts about your tractor from the Inliners board. I'll just say that there is pretty much no chance of valve float in this one. I'm shooting for a 6k+ redline The current BB's are '48 Plymouth, I'm trying to save the dough for a pair of truck carbs from George Asche.
The Jalopy Journal
