The Cannarozzi Flathead Fires!

So, fifty-four days ago Keith Tardel pulled a bare ’32 chassis into the shop. Since that time, that chassis has magically morphed into a hot rod roadster and last night, he fired the monster 306-inch flathead for the first time.

Most “first fires” I’ve ever been involved with feature drama of some kind or another. Either the distributor is 180-degrees out, or a fuel line is pinched, or there is a leak somewhere, or… You know, little shit typically goes wrong that delays the firing by an hour or so while it’s ironed out.

So when Tardel came into my office and asked if I was ready to fire the motor, I only casually grabbed my camera and made my way to the shop. As I was setting up the tripod, I heard the fuel pump come on, a starter bump, and the flathead scream for mercy. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my dog (Tugboat) head for the hills in fear.

“Wait! Jesus Keith! I’m not even set up here! Dammit…”

Keith quickly shut if off and waited patiently with a smirk on his face. And once I was ready and the camera was rolling, he did it all again. It was literally a first bump fire… and holy smokes does this “little” flathead hit hard. But don’t take my word for it, check this shit out:

If you are interested, you can follow the rest of the Cannarozzi build here.

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