You will of course pardon my suggestion that an engine with such weight and length deserves to be built on a stretcher rather than a see-saw. The auto pictured (pun intended) was a handful because of incredible horsepower and required a light touch in the curves. It and others of its marque brought home their share of trophies --- a testament to the design, and designer. While not a typical Hot Rod, it does solve the problem of a long engine with a certain elegance. Thinking out of the box, even if not quite traditional hot rod is still traditional when it does have a tradition.
Fortynut....brilliant! Mid engine is the way to go! Not how I pictured it, but great lateral thinking...
Living right in the heart of Auto Union land I have a certain affinity to them. I often drive on that stretch of autobahn where Bernd Rosemeyer lost his life. Just not quite as fast though. It is a very good stretch though and I often do 150mph there if traffic is light. Its just South of Frankfurt and very straight and level. The engineering on those Auto Unions and the Mercedes pre-war racing cars is awesome. 600hp and more on those skinny tires! Auto-Union even ran double rear tires like a truck. I remember reading somewhere that at a British Grand Prix in the 30s they lapped the British ERAs! Anyway think you should stick with front engine. Those Rover wheels are nice too. Look like 40 Ford. BTW although a 1947 the frame is identical to the pre-war cars and dates back to the early 30s. Are you going to stick with the Rover front end or convert to early Ford? Have you collected the frame yet? How about livening up this thread with some pictures of all your ingredients? Ed
BTW. I'm a Ford man through and through. Nothing else is allowed in my shop. I only have parts for Fords. Ford is just another word for car. However there is just one other make that sits there in my heart equal to Ford. A little more prestigious, much rarer: and that's Rover.
Well Edward, this is not the place to discuss allegiances maybe. I only say that because I don't feel comfortable with some of the tribalism the "make" thing generates. I have a love of Ford engineering, actually the 4 banger block, which I think has a particularly unique place in the pantheon of engines. But I just happen to have this crazy monster of a thing in my shed with " Buick" cast in the side, which owes me hardly anything, and have you heard a straight 8?! Its a great sound! Next week the Rover chassis will be sat in my shed.... I'll post pics to prove it!
Edward my father lived 25 miles from Donington and persuaded his father to take him to the1937 Grand Prix. It was the defining moment of my dads life. He said he would never forget the sight and sound of those awesome Mercs and Auto Unions. One memory was the smoke pouring off the rear tyres as they accelerated out of the corner where they stood. The tire technology was way behind the rest of the engineering. By the way, I think the ERAs were 3 laps down by the end of the race....
Ned, That Duesenberg powered '34 Roadster was built as an SCCA road race car, so it may not be a true Hot Rod of the day. I believe the original builders were better funded than the adverage guy, and the workmanship may have been better. Bob
This thread is going sideways, that is ok in my book. Could someone post a photo of the underslung Rover chassis that was mentioned above.
Yes that's the race I was thinking of. Your father was very lucky. That was one of the century's most significant automotive events. To have actually been there - wow. Anyway we digress, you're building a hotrod, not a Grand Prix car. Considering the ingredients you have I suggest you browse through the Don Montgomery books for inspiration. Lots of 30s and 40s dry lakes cars ran unusual and low frames. Straight eights were also not unusual. I think a roadster body would be more suitable than a coupe though. Also roadster pickups are a good idea if you start running out of wheelbase. With car bodies you have the long engine pushing back through the firewall, in turn pushing the driver further back in the car. With a roadster pickup body you can place it where you want. Also coupes didn't run on the lakes til much later. Ed
Sorry about the diversion back in time, enthusiasm sometimes gets the better of me! 37Kid, here are some photos.
Sorry for the crappy cell phone picture, but Here's that roadster it was in the may 2009 issue of hot rod deluxe. Just one picture and no real info in the caption. But it was apparently for sale for 19000 in Oregon at the ratrodorama that year as I said before I remember this car in Wisconsin before that. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
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