Hot Rods I'M GOING TO BUILD AN ALTERED.

Don,
Chassis Shop/ Pro Werks has 24" x 24" mid plates and so do Quarter Max and Neil and Parks

www.chassisshop.com

quartermax.com

neilparks.com

 

Hi Don,
Glad to hear your project is back on track, we just finished up the season at the Jalopy showdown Drags at Beaver Springs . We ran a 10.01 at 129.44. Car has been fun and low maintenance. A big thanks for using our car as the look, We did a Speedway body modified for the wheel wells to keep the nostalgia look, the newer bantam and T bodies built for altereds are too new looking. I second the powerglide, put it in and forget it, car is easy to drive handles well. Good luck , I will be back in Florida in January for the horse show in Venice, maybe we can get together

 

Haha, that's really funny that I liked your car so much and here you are on here ! Very cool little T you have.

Rooman, so what do you do with those square mid plates, cut them to shape ? That would be fine, I will look into them when the time comes.

Don

 

Hi Don,
We use a 3/8 aluminum midplate that roughly follows the shape of the bell housing flange, we use a Hurst style front motor mount for the nostalgia look, but wanted the motor tied to the frame at the back, we got our frame certified by the NHRA this season and it is an all mild steel rectangular frame car. it has a rear trans mount cross member like a street rod, but I use a rubber mount.

 

Don,
what I would do in your scenario is make the frame 24" to the outside and notch the bottom of the mid plate to suit. Then you can radius the top corners of the plate and that will make it easy to fit an aluminum cowl panel back to the firewall on the bantam body depending on the location of the motor relative to the front of the body. That way the mid plate acts as a firewall. If you do it this way then you can run a cowl loop at the mid plate and attach the upper rails to it. The alternative, if you want to double rail the car to the front of the chassis is to simply put in an upright at the mid plate location and notch the mid plate so that it sits on the top rail (as in a dragster). Again, radius the top of the plate for the cowl. If you want to keep the front upper rail lower you would use the cowl loop and simply stagger the tube height at the loop. The higher that you can put the upper rail in the cockpit, the more protection you would have in an "incident". Call if any of this does not make sense--317 852 4547

Roo

This is the dragster version of what I am talking about with a full upper rail--in your case simply substitute the rectangular lower rail.

 

Well you've got me hooked Don. Always been an Austin/Bantam fan. My never finished 32 year 1938 Bantam Sedan Delivery project went over to the Tampa area a dozen years ago and I haven't seen or heard of it since. Looking forward to your progress. Stop by and say howdy at the Daytona Swap. My space is Red Field, Row 9, Space 296.

Lee

 

Hi Don,
Here is a picture of how we did our midplate , and you can see some of the chassis details,

 

Don, With you and your son's ability to bend, cope and weld round tube, why would you use a rectangular bottom rail? Many altered cars were built on this principle in the 60's, I think you would save weight as well.

 

Using the mid-plate for a firewall, as Rooman suggested, it makes it easy to get a good seal, this is how I finish it off inside.

 

Really nice Marty !

 

I am really soaking in and appreciating all the good info you guys are providing, especially the pictures. Those help a lot, and are going to help me design my cage and the rest of it.

I know it would be somewhat better to do the bottom rails out of tube, but I have my heart set on a set of rectangular rails. We can whip that up very fast, and I don't want to take my Son Dan away from his own project for longer than necessary. He gets so little time at the shop as it is to work on his own car, and he is my go to guy on welding and bending, that I am going to do a frame that doesn't drag on and on for too long.

If I do the rectangular tubing, I can cut it myself, tack it, and then have him finish tigging it. Same with the cage, I can bend it up, notch it, and have him do the final welds. As I mentioned, I am not looking for a record setter, just a bulletproof little fun car to run down the quarter or eighth now and then.

But please keep the ideas and pictures coming, I have already stolen some of your work to use on mine.


Oh, where do you guys get those center steer steering boxes ? I will be needing one of those.

Don

 

Like this one Don? : http://www.swracecars.com/store/Strange-Funny-Car-Steering-Box-OSCARItem_203=35-153.aspx
Glenn

 

I second the S&W strange funny car steering box, we have one and have had no issues, S&W is less than an hour from my house it was a valuable resource to have, go online to get one of their catalogs ,lots of stuff for home builders .I added the removeable steering wheel, helps old fat guys like me get in the car

 

Great project Don! I will be watching this. You may want to dig back in the archives for @Samiyams Bomb Factory digger that was at the first HAMB drags. He did egg-zactly what you are proposing.

 

This one is from Mark Williams, around the same price as the Strange unit. Here are some installation pics. Back in the 70's we used to buy the the P&S Machine boxes for $120. bucks !!!!!

 

Not cheap, are they ? Funny how these "low buck" projects suddenly become not so cheap.

What's the old saying.........."Speed costs money, how fast do you want to run ?"


The workmanship on all the cars you guys have posted is stunning. All of you should be very proud.

Don

 

Man, It just makes a guy want to go out and notch some tubing.
Norm

 

Shit I fill the same way Don. When I see the stuff these guys do. But man I sure like to look and take notes.
I think you have a good and safe plan you will have to much fun.

 

The pics I have been posting are "my spin" on HAMB Dragster design. I built 3 of them a while back. This one has a 116" wb, and if it had been built at 100 to 105 inches it would work well as an altered. I chose a '40 axle because it is narrower than a '28 to '36, and I prefer that look. The "shorty" dragster style body would work well to enclose the driver. It could also serve as a tunnel extension to gain some leg room in a short body, such as a Bantam.

 

Now that looks like a Ton-of-Fun Marty!
Where can I see more of these?
Glenn

 

Glenn, here is a link to the group in the Northwest.
http://home.comcast.net/~northwest.vintage.dragsters/site/?/photos/

 

Here is the last one I built. Some of you older lads will recognize my security guard :>)
don

 

Dolmetsch, I met Bob at Baylands Raceway (Fremont CA.) back in '86, he was running his 40 Willys coupe with the blown Hemi, what a character !!!!!

 

Yeah He is a treasure. I did a piece on him that is in this months Hot Rod Deluxe. near the back.
Despite his antics he is a reliable friend and has a heart of gold. I met him when I was 17 years old and we have been friends since. I am heading for 65 so tis while.
I remember he used to help Ernie Chapman set up for Mohawk Drags back in the 1960s. Ernie had this old beat up Ford 1/2 ton. Bob wrote on the tailgate in White shoe polish "If you can't pass this, try Exlax"

 

This is one I built in '75. Boss 302 Ford, 4 speed and 543 gears. 1515 lbs wet, it kept me busy on the shifter !

 

I met Bob this last July at the New England Hot Rod Reunion.

 

subscribed. Bob Bezzer(sp) is usually at the spring Sterling(Ontario) fleamarket. Always a pleasure to talk to him.

 

Great builds here is the altered I'm building.

 

Don, you already know I'm watching. The work that comes out of your families garage is nothing short of MIND BLOWING. Here's to another great build.

 

Thanks, Fred, but the workmanship I am seeing on all the pictures posted makes we wonder if my simple little fun car is worthy of being put on this same thread ! Damn, all of the cars you guys put together are SERIOUS altereds, and I am in awe. By comparison mine will be just ok, but I have to stick to my original plan and budget.

However, the cars you guys posted and your ideas are really appreciated and I am learning a lot about proper cage construction all all of that.............thanks for doing it and please keep them coming.

Don