Hello everyone! Forgive me for already jumping in the other threads to ask about old parts and stuff! I shall now proceed with a proper introduction! I am Arnd from Belgium. Together with my buddy Frank we picked up on the idea of building a "Belly Tank" while visiting the Normandy Beach Race in 2020. After a year of collecting some mayor parts; like axles and a french flathead V8, we eventually officially started building in september 2021. We found a s**** F16 centerline tank on the black market. And started bending tubes to fit inside. When buying the flathead near Antwerp, we also received a first gen Model A front axle! So that had to go under there! We found a 1949 mercury that was far gone and were able to acquire the rear axle, wheels, gearbox and other misc parts. We welded the rear axle so that it became fixed to the frame, but still detachable by means of heavy plates and bolts. However, after finishing the steering, we cut the axle of to go for a more traditional candidate; the Ford Banjo Axle. Also the 3 speed automatic got switched out for a top loader manual short box (truck?). this way we gained over 10 inches of "belly-room" We also found an extra front so the tank can have the typical old school belly look. Currently we need to rebuild the banjo axle, the bearings sounded too crusty. and the engine mounts need to be redone to fit our shorter shifter... I will ad a few pics, more can be found on the socials. Thanks for having us here, we'll probably need lots of advice!
Welcome to the HAMB from beautiful downtown Cleveland, Tennessee. So, you're from the place famous for its smelly cheese and now to be famous for Belgian Belly Tank Racers. Outstanding! I'll follow along.
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