Awesome little cars, but theres still plenty about. I like the V8 60 idea, and if you use a 36 Ford spare wheel cover cut up, you can have period looking hot rod fenders. Paint them black, and your car will look fenderless. Dont be scared to chop it, if thats what you like. Its your ride.
yeah im really getting into this v8 60 idea too now im sure someone over here has done it before so ill have to track them down and get some ideas from there build. hmm now thats an idea might have to look out for one'a them wheel covers now! yeah well iv always wanted a chopped rod!! so im most probably gonna do it eventually. ill probably have a lyntch mob after me over here but, oh well
Daimler 2 1/2 litre hemi is 23 5/8" long overall from tip of water pump snout to back of block. It is 5/8" longer than the Willys L134 engine that Flat Ernie mentions. If you could find one the killer engine for this would be the V8-60 derived EmiSul which was in Brazilian Simcas from 1964-1968. Even if you could find one it is almost impossible to get them out of Brazil....
i had two ys both full fendered, the fenders need widening an inch or two to give it better propotions,personally i would leave that one alone,i have a mate who has a project for sale
A friend of me have a fenderles y with a v8 60 a vedette trans and a taunus 17M rearend front brakes from a Volvo P 1900 almost the same as PV 444 un chopped beacuse it looks better that way
A little Daimler would be very cool in that. But if you want some go, slip in a Pratt & Whitney R-4360, look for a -51 VDT model, they ran at about 4,300hp (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pratt_%26_Whitney_R-4360_Wasp_Major) You can get one off Howie Hughes Spruce Goose, it has 8 of them and I cant see that flying again soon!
We built one back in the '90's with a 'Cologne' 2.8 litre V6. We removed the stock lower firewall (below the battery/toolbox tray) & turned it around 180 degrees so it ran backwards instead of forwards. Plenty of room for the V6 then. Also built a larger tunnel over the gearbox. That car ran easy 15.0's and was a really sweet tow vehicle. They are small widthways inside but plenty long. I'm older now though & would seriously think twice before cutting up one as nice as this!
I would leave it as is and swap in a cool engine,,several different engines have been suggested. The car is just too nice to cut up,,but that's my personal opinion. HRP
You've got an original, rare, car in great shape.........== 3 strikes in your favor!! Don't ruin it, leave as is. Personally I wouldn't chop or alter the body, it's worth much more just the way it sits. I would put in a warmed up flattie though, it's easier to keep up with traffic and..........you got a little something extra off the line at the stop lights. Just my opinion, it's your car, your $$, nice score, good luck, & do it the way YOU like it.
Yeah thing is, any engine swap is gonna mean cutting the bulkhead anyway, I am still undecided on the chop yet though vim gonna see what she looks like with the fenders and stuff off first I spose I could just unstich the bulkhead so it can be refitted but I'm not planning on selling it yet anyway, and I'm not one's them kinda people out to make money outta others so I'm just gonna rod it!
Check out kustoms pics for pictures of his sons project 4 banger toyota motor looks almost trad as hes used it i think at the end of the day sit in it and start measuring down from the inside of the roof to see if you really want to chop it. But got to say my partner is president of the local Y club even though I like em rodded.
If you pick the right engine swap, no bulkhead butchery need be done. 100E engine will almost bolt in with two significant mods (trans bellhousing area clearance for starter, and oil pan sump swap). Even a V8-60 won't require surgery to the firewall - just the steering and maybe tweaking up front (radiator move forward, crossmember move forward with Pop wishbone) and I'm confident the little Jeep Go-Devil 134 4-banger will go right in (and 60HP to boot). Bottome Line: There are options that don't require major sheetmetal changes.
Alfa 105 series 2 litre aluminium twin cam with 131 bhp in stock form weighs around 280 lbs all up and is 1" shorter than the Willys 4 banger. The transmission is a 5 speed and the rear end is a trick looking aluminium piece too - narrow enough at 52" hub to hub. The wheelbase of the Alfa is 99". Shorten the driveshaft and you can slipp in the whole drivetrain. 105 series spiders are very common and you can use a ton of stuff if you buy a complete donor Alfa. I have long been a proponent of the 105 series Alfa drivetrain in a small lightweight hot rod....
love it this is well and truley the way to go a couple of big side drafts hanging out the other side and it cant fail to win
What on earth gives you that idea? The Euro version came with twin Weber DCOEs and hotter cams - there are all sorts of variations on the Alfa theme - twin plug, supercharged etc. Used 105 Spiders are both cheap and readily available - hell, I see complete Alfas for sale for under a grand regularly. It is one hell of a good way to go for a small hot rod. Here's an exotic 4 valve Angelini head on an Alfa with those to drool for Webers....
I remember my friend having the old T of Al Stevens in the 90s, that ran an Alfa engine and rear end from what i remember and it flew along.
What a cracking little motor! - a good original Y is a rare beast indeed. Before you dump a lump of v8 60 junk in that UK gem check out the literature on souping up the standard ford donkey in that smashing little motor. They can be made to keep up with motorway traffic without too much effort. It looks like it has lots of insitu auto archaeological integrity that deserves preservation with a few subtle performance mods. Don't tear the character out of it, give up six months down the track, and list it in the for sale section as an unfinished project. It deserves a bit of thought I reckon. Just my few two shillings worth. Kume
I'm with him. Get another tidy-but-ratty car and go to town on that and drive your ridgy-didgy as you build the rod. Or sell that car and use the money for one that is rod-material.
How I see it, is that I've bought a car that won't need ANY welding except for costomising, there for saving me a lot of time and having a less bodgy and more original looking car, as in the 40s/50s rods wouldn't of had plates and rust repairs haha. I'm very perticular, and searched hard for a Y this good and payed good money for it, yes I could just rub it down and spray it and probably make a small fortune, but I'm not really into making money outta fellow car enthusiast's to be honest. Hard luck if someone wanted to restore it to original they should'a bought it before I did! It is won't sit half done as I'm getting it on the road in the next few weeks, its gonna be a rolling project I'm still undecided on the chop as of yet but no doubt it will get done haha.
Have a good look at Kuztoms car (post 16) as the chop on his is perfect. And please don't ditch the fenders as they look crap without them. I like the Alpha running gear. Looks cool.
You could do a lot worse than taking a few ideas from Andy Collin's old Model Y. 100e powered for a bit more go and fits in without cutting the bulkhead. Don't know if you are aware but Nervous Bob is the man to see for spares and he's in the same county as you. www.bobfroch.co.uk
oooohhh, now thats the exact look i wanna go for on mine, except its gonna be in the original paint. that chop is just right too.
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