- Joined
- Jan 30, 2002
- Messages
- 7,269
Studillac and Ford-caddillac-oldmobile combos were the first hot rods of guys in stock-car races, or those back-yard mechanics coming back from WWII.
The big bore engines would be stuffed into the light-weight chassises, the Cadillac-LaSalle transmissions had gears the size of kitchen tables and wouldn't blow up, the timing would be set so far advanced that it had to be retard manually by wire or string to start. Before the term was popular, the engines were 'blue-printed' and refined.
sigh
I had a 51 Ford (think THUNDER ROAD, 1958, Robt. Mitchum), its engine pulled and installed first a 327 with Muncie 4 speed and hurst shifter (before it was a cosmetic), SS buckets, then when money ran out...a 283 ci (same block as the 327, and actually the 265 ci--great engine), the engine set back ten inches into the driver's compartment, a stainless steel "tunnel" build by Harry Adair, a guy down the block who worked for Walgreens, making and installing stainless kitchens and counters in the Walgreen's stores (remember?). Harry had a machine in his garage ( a Brake?) for forming right-angles in large sheets of stainless.
The guy who taught me to hunt scrouged up a 12 foot I-Beam which we put in the rafters of the garage, and I got so I could pull and put back the engine/tranny combo by myself.
Everything was done except cutting and balancing the drive-shaft.
Project ended. Parts sold. Even a home-made header system and collector box with welds like Frankenstein, but a sound like the earth was quaking.
Neat experience, mostly.
Kis
Enjoy every sandwich.
The big bore engines would be stuffed into the light-weight chassises, the Cadillac-LaSalle transmissions had gears the size of kitchen tables and wouldn't blow up, the timing would be set so far advanced that it had to be retard manually by wire or string to start. Before the term was popular, the engines were 'blue-printed' and refined.
sigh
I had a 51 Ford (think THUNDER ROAD, 1958, Robt. Mitchum), its engine pulled and installed first a 327 with Muncie 4 speed and hurst shifter (before it was a cosmetic), SS buckets, then when money ran out...a 283 ci (same block as the 327, and actually the 265 ci--great engine), the engine set back ten inches into the driver's compartment, a stainless steel "tunnel" build by Harry Adair, a guy down the block who worked for Walgreens, making and installing stainless kitchens and counters in the Walgreen's stores (remember?). Harry had a machine in his garage ( a Brake?) for forming right-angles in large sheets of stainless.
The guy who taught me to hunt scrouged up a 12 foot I-Beam which we put in the rafters of the garage, and I got so I could pull and put back the engine/tranny combo by myself.
Everything was done except cutting and balancing the drive-shaft.
Project ended. Parts sold. Even a home-made header system and collector box with welds like Frankenstein, but a sound like the earth was quaking.
Neat experience, mostly.
Kis
Enjoy every sandwich.