Projects The Brooks Special - louisb’s 29 lakes roadster build

That’s really helpful. Just so happens I have a set of 34 pedals as well. Be cool to cruse together one day.

—louis

 

The shippers will be here on Monday to take the flathead to Dan Soliz @ Hill Country Performance in Spring Branch, Tejas, so I have been busy crating up the engine and getting it all ready to go. Couple of pics showing the engine cradles it built so it will sit in the crate.



I used UShip, whom I have used in the past, and the cost was pretty reasonable even for picking it up at my house. Can't wait to see what Dan is able to do with this lump. Not sure if he is on here but if you are not following him on the Instygram you should be. (@dansoliz)

Thanks,

--louis

 

I would say its a pretty Lump if I do say so.. Man you are going to be Booging before we or you know it..

 

Just out of curiosity, how/why did you pick him to rebuild your engine? I personally have zero knowledge of him or his skills and since it's no where near you, makes me even more curious. And, I'm also in the market for a flathead engine machinist... local to me!

3blap.

 

I got turned on to him from Keith Tardel who uses him for machine work on the Flatheads Rex Rods builds. Figured that was as good a recommendation as any. Been following Dan on the Instygram and was impressed with what I saw. Chatted with him a bit as well. It is obvious he has a lot of experience with Flatheads.

Thanks,

—louis

 

Yeah... I was looking at his instagram page and he looks like he knows what he's doing! Thanks for the lead!

What are the plans for your engine?

3blap.

 

It’s pretty standard stuff.

4” Merc Crank
3 5/16 Egge Pistons
Aluminum Canadian heads milled for compression and polished
Potvin 3/8s regrind by Pete1 on the Ford Barn
Offy standard dual intake w/ 97s
Crab distributor

I like to drive my cars so the engine is designed with that in mind.

Thanks,

—louis

 

Same engine as I'm building. Even the cam! LOL! I've ported mine pretty big and have will fool with 48's or those Big 97's to try and get the most out of it.

 

Not sure how far I will go with porting this one. It may just get a basic port match and cleanup. Full on port job is probably not in the budget at this time. Post a video when you get yours running.

Thanks,

--louis

 

Sitting here impatiently waiting on the shippers to pick up the engine. My window for pickup is 11-6 :| . Here are a few more of the engine getting crated.



Crate ended up being 40 L/30 W/ 34 H. Once this is out of the garage I can get back to the chassis.

Thanks,

--louis

 

Working on figuring out the steering wheel location. Good tip I got from @NealinCA is to use 1/2” EMT for the steering shaft to figure out the right length. I will tack the flang on to the box and then send it all to Neal for rebuild. He has been very patient with all my questions trying to get this right.



Looks like I will need to make a spacer so the ‘32 column drop will be long enough. Wheel is from Joshua Shaw and looks great.

Thanks,

—louis

 

Lookin good Louis, that steering wheel is awesome.
Aaron

 

Spent the day playing with fire.



I will take it apart and finish weld the trailing arms tomorrow. I also need to figure out the right length for the drive shaft.

Thanks,

—louis

 

A good day at the Forge...

 

Nice!

 

Louis...Kudos on all the fits, steering and pedals mostly. '32-'34 pedal availability has all but dried up in these parts...(East central Calif.)
Josh Shaw is a smart head, didn't know he had 4 spoke wheels; is that wheel 17" diameter? (looks close to the windshield is why I ask)
Like your stock, un-pinched rail treatment. True to the times, (Only ever saw one in the Dry Lakes days that was 'pinched', and that's because the '27 T body was channeled 1-1/2" over Deuce rails...)
Great choice on the '5/16" X 1/4' size...(276") I ran one that size to 70k miles, according to my S/W odometer. Never a problem, but 1 head gasket. (8.5:1 Edelbrock heads, Navarro intake) Ran to L.A. 6 or 7 times, Bonneville 5 times, no fan, used 'restrictors' in the hoses. Steady and 'spunky'. Sold it to pal Jim Rose, it went in his '36, never smoked, ran and started nicely. Love those 276es!

 

@Atwater Mike thanks for the comments. My first flathead so I based the specs on a suggestion Ol’ Ron Hollaran made in his book. I like that it can be done with mostly factory Ford parts.

The Shaw wheel is 17” and my knuckles are close but not in the windshield. It is really a nice piece and the price is reasonable. Plus it comes in a pizza box.

It took a while to find all the ‘32 pieces but it is worth it to make things go together easier. Another benefit of keeping the frame stock.

Thanks,

—louis

 

Hi Dan,

Thanks for stopping by and posting some pics of the build. Looking forward to the rest.

Thanks,

—louis

 

Got some bad news from @Hillcountryperf today. My block is cracked so I need to find another one. ☹️



—louis

 

Damn .....

 

Boooo!! Can they stitch that?

 

There are a few more cracks so it's not worth it. Looking for another block now. I took out my frustrations on a set of frozen 32 pedals.



I am sure we will find another block. If anyone knows of a good 59ab block, preferably near San Antonio, Tejas, let me know.

Thanks,

--louis

 

That’s a drag. Hopefully another block will turn up quickly.

 

Sent you a PM, just went thru your whole thread, man your roadster rules.

 

Louis:

Put a want ad in. I just did the same thing and I got three replies within a day. Two were for blocks that were magged and check so you'll know they are good.

Sorry to hear about this. Certainly stinks.

 

Hope something comes up quick to bury this setback...

 

Dan has been working a few leads and I have a couple as well. I am sure something will turn up. Dan and his wife Elaine have been great to work with. Good people as we say here in the south.

Spent some time today cleaning and sandblasting small stuff. Pedals, brackets, brake parts, etc. Nothing real exciting but it has to be done.

—louis

 

I've been watching this build for a while, and this is going to be a sweet roadster!! Hope you find a new block soon.