Well, the time has come to put this out here and give the rest of you something to giggle at. We finally have enough parts to start laying out the car and making it creep towards reality. Looking to have a shot at having the oldest pile of parts competing when we get it up and running. Feel free to try and be more vintage. Chassis: Model T Ford, year unknown Engine: 1934 Dodge 218ci flathead 6 Transmission: 1934 Dodge Front axle: Lincoln Zephyr, year unknown Steering box: Small aluminum, unknown parentage Progress will be slow, but the build has started. Shot at 2007-08-06
With that frame and engine combo, will you go with ford mechanical brakes or the plymouth hydrolic brakes, a small aluminum steering box, if it has a big S on it, it might be a saganaw, corvair. Maybe you can just use that band brake on the tranny.
She already has a "feel", looks like a well balanced layout. Nice to see another "frame" job going up too. Didn't waste any time before playing house with the new parts did ya? I see you have a selection of seats, that tall stool would make for one "unique" ride. Tranny brake? You trying to sneak in a disguised slush pump, boy? (If so, that's gotta be the ugliest one I ever saw. ) Good start, Tom.
Ain't no way we are gonna laugh, we all started that way, at least I think everyone started that way? Looking forward to a bunch of progress reports on this one. How many of you guys in California are planning on the HAMB drags? It would really be great if a bunch of you could make it.
Light years ahead of those that havent started. You know they made a factory two one barrell for that engine in a truck?
Right now the rear axle seems like its going to come from a '60s Dart, at least I have a friend who has offered one from a car that's being upgraded to an 8 3/4 and a 360, so the brakes will be "modern". The steering box appears to be Fiat or such. definitely metric sized bolt holes in the mounting flange, and about 2/3 the size of the Corvair box. Very light weight. The band brake on the tranny will probably go away to prevent it turning into a "smoke generator" as I have seen in previous old Mopars. Thanks for the kind words and support, we're definitely having fun.
YAY!!! somebody I can have an even race with! I can see that it's time for me to "come out" and post some pics of mine. cool start- I was looking (not real hard mind you) for T rails for mine, but ended up going tubing.
I'm trying my best to keep the spirit of The Bug alive. Looked it over many times at the NHRA Museum when we have gone to the cruise there and love the concept of the early rails.
REJ.. As it stands right now, We have about 6 cars in the planning stage, A couple that the chassis are done. and another couple that are close to running.. And yes, I would love to go to the HAMB drags next year. And might drag another one along.....Dick....
Here's our latest progress shot. got a pair of vintage 1 3/4" SUs to feed the flathead 6 and did a rough mock up of the frame taper that I'm looking at. The white tube down the back side of the picture approximates how the frame rails will taper, front to rear. The front crossmember will be about 8" wide. Also have the fuel tank mocked up to make sure it will fit. Should hold about 2 gallons, it's being fabricated from a couple of vintage military aluminum food cans. Damn, this stuff is fun. Shot at 2007-08-06
A carb named SU ? Them side suckers sure look purty on the flattie ............. (though I think your "manifold" might require just a skosh more porting). 'Course I may be just a bit prejudiced.
Here's another picture from the rear that shows the frame taper better. The rear will be wider allowing a bit more room in the cockpit, and the seat will be offset to the left. Shot at 2007-08-06
So you're gonna widen the rear of the frame and narrow the front? As in, if I imagine a 2nd white tube on the opposite side. Why is your chair gonna be offset? Thanks, Kurt
By offsetting the seating to the left, (as the original "Bug" was done), and spreading the rear of the frame, it allows for more room in the cockpit and the shift linkage can offset to the right rather than being directly under the steering. It will also allow the steering drag link to run down the left side of the engine without needing to extend the steering box shaft. The triangle is an inherently strong shape and the overall layout will help in my goal to keep the car as light as possible.
You know Tom weight or lack of it equals horsepower. Several years ago Car Craft magazine ran a test. They took a 80 something Cadillac sedan and ran it through the quarter. It went something like 78 mph and about 18 sec. et. they then took a cutting torch and started cutting pieces off ala Bug. They finally were down to the frame which was heavy enough, and they were over a 100mph and in the 13's. Roy
Pounds per horsepower has always been the name of the game. Back in the high school days I had a '50 Chevy coupe and couldn't afford speed parts, so the car got gutted. Beat a friend in a street race with a similar car with two carbs and duals and he couldn't figure out how. All that steel on the garage floor had a lot to do with it.
Small progress update: No visible changes so no pictures yet, but the back yard engineering is progressing nicely and I hope to have some "engineering shots" to add in the near future. Got the front suspension figured out and the chassis will be a major triangle. Wheelbase looks like it's going to come in around 110" or slightly shorter. Need a top cover with the shifter for the '34 Dodge trans if anyone happens to have one lying around.
Why TOM. You've STREET raced? Tell me it ain't so ........ ps. Don't discount Tom's creative engineering streak. A tall Coors can "velocity stack" may look funny but it certainly gets a bunch more top end out of a Rochester pig when you capture that annoying standing wave with one.
I think most here would agree.......if you built anything in the '60s, at one time or another you probably did a bit of back street drags. Besides, as I'm sure you remember, we had that nice marked off 1/4 on Valley Center above the high school, and it would have been a shame to waste it.
Been a while but we are starting to make some progress.......getting the chassis layout done and if all goes well, we should start welding stuff by the end of the year. Here's some pictures of where we are at. First shot is from the right rear, Next is a side profile showing the height that the engine will sit above the rails, Third shows the nose in better detail, front suspension will be by a single quarter elliptic spring to the center of the axle, Last picture shows the seat position offset to the left, may even be enough room for a passenger. Yes.......we are having fun with this. Hope to have it up on the wheels sometime in the spring of '08.
I think those flathead Chrysler, Plymouth, etc look great. When I lived in Riverside, Calif. I built dune buggies and used those engines cause they would pull at a low rpm. I like your idea of the single spring in the front. Ron
I really like the engine. previously built a 230 in a military M37 B1 that I did a frame up restoration on, (sold the truck last year after lots of fun trips at 55 MPH and below ), and had a friend back in the '60s with a built 230 in a gasser style '50 Plymouth coupe, that was major quick. They have a sound all their own, and with the shorter stroke I figure the 218 will turn up pretty well. I feel that while we may not be the fastest when we get done, we are doing everything we can to keep the car light and the car should be pretty quick, and a bunch of fun to run on a limited budget.
Being the quickest and fastest does not always determine the winner. Luck and misfortune play a lot in it. I love building things with my own hands. You can build that car on a limited budget and have fun and win sometimes. I really like this class because it is built for having fun. I think each one of us would help a fellow competitor even if it meant he would get a competitive edge. That is the whole idea to have comradeship among all the players with racing fun thrown in. Strike up the welder and let the sparks fly. Roy
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