Projects BACK TO MY ROOTS-261 CHEVROLET 6 Powered Model A Stock Car

I will be running a 390 cfm Edelbrock. I have a good machinist friend that married Fenton Header with Clifford Intake. The Fenton’s are the old style and the Cliffords are the early heat plenum type the later ones have water jackets.

 

Dad wanted to help, so he built this bitchin throttle return spring mount. Made from 3/16" aluminum plate and 1"x1"x 1/4" aluminum angle that came out of the scrap dumpster at work.

 

My camshaft cam today-

 

I spent this morning taking my F-1 transmission a part, with some help.
I will post more photos latter.

 

I wire brushed the outside of the case, I will clean the inside at work.


I also got one of my 261 blocks and a crank out of storage.
The plan is to mock up the bellhousing, flywheel, clutch, pressure plate, and transmission, and build the slave cylinder mount.
As well as drive pulleys, fuel system, and headers/exhaust

 

Set up and plotting my slave cylinder mount, I will flip the engine before I build anything.

 

Very cool

 

Well thanks to Governor Andrew Cuomo, my plans for this weekend changed, (Grandstanding on Coronavirus) On Thursday he ordered all events 500 and over order shut down and all 500 and under to be cut in half . The Northeast Motorsports Expo on the New York State Fairgrounds which was to open today March-14-2020 was cancelled

The race car show (set up Thursday 03-12-2020 last day Sunday 03-15-2020) at the Rotterdam Square Mall (my club was to be part of this show) was cancelled by mall management. The management cancelled the show as race cars were being unloaded in the parking lot of the mall!

They had assured our club president Laurie Fallis (who works tirelessly on this club for us) twice on set up day the show would go on.

Rant over out to the shop to get some work done photos to follow.

 

@Robert J. Palmer - myself and @Gofannon are very interested to see how you get on and what components you use to get the clutch setup to work.

We both have Cyclone Stovebolt/Jimmy to flathead bellhousings, Heidelbrandt flathead to Packard adapters and '35 to '37 Packard transmissions behind our six cylinder engines. Initial measurements leave us wondering if our setups will work due to the length of the input shaft relative to the flywheel.

 

I see why the bottom was cut off my bellhousing it was a little bit of a pain getting a 10 1/2" pressure plate in even with the ring cut off.

The flywheel turns freely no issues.

I don't have the pilot bearing in yet, but I did work the clutch using a crescent wrench and a pry bar (made form a 1953 Chevy driveshaft). The counter weights on the pressure plate move toward the transmission for brief time then move in toward the engine.

 

I hope up dates will be coming fast and hard, Governor Andrew Cuomo has mandated all non-essential businesses closed starting Sunday night at 8:00 P.M.

My employer is good enough and big enough that all 124 employees will be getting their full pay for the next two weeks.

 

Robert, did the 10 1/2" clutch go in from underneath or through the back of the Cyclone adaptor? I can't slip a Chevy diaphragm type clutch in mine from any angle, apart from the 9 1/8" unit through the back. I'm hoping the Long style pressure plate is an easier fit. I have the hard to find 4 bolt Chevy 10 3/4" flywheel and clutch for my GMC but it looks like I won't be able to use it with the Cyclone. I'm stocking up on workshop supplies and self isolating regardless. I might even tell people I have Corona Virus so they stay away!

 

It went in from the bottom, however the bottom of mine was cut off years ago.
I doubt a 10.5" clutch would fit a stock Cyclone adaptor, I am guessing this is why mine was cut off.

 

Looks like I am stuck with 9 1/8", ain't no way I'm cutting mine! It probably won't be an issue in a light car that most likely wont hook up.

 

Internet find posting, so I can find them again latter for reference

 

I brought home my work/welding bench project be before New York State kicked us out of the shop for two weeks.
I didn't have a chance to finish painting it.

Built with channel I found scrapping, 4"X4" by 1/4 steel tube from the dumpster at work, and wheels from one of the Powder Coating carts that was being scrapped. I did buy the 1/2" X 4" I used for the bottom cross member.

I took a cue from oval track tour cars and welded a jack stub to the crossmember opposite of the wheels, so I can move it around the shop.

 

I also got a fair amount of work in today. Got a good jump on building my slave cylinder mount, one of the last "Government" jobs at was milling the channel in the 1"X2". My dad helped with the lay out




My dad fabricated a clutch shaft arm, which he cut and notched with hack saw!
Please forgive the weld not my best work.

 

Don't blame you a bit, here is a look at mine with the 10 1/5" clutch

I built the bottom of mine so it unbolts.

 

I cut some weight of the clutch arm and cut the bottom,dash and filler out of my tank today.
As well as some other work I will post more photos latter.

 

Making progress Robert, nice!

 

Yes and it only took a Pandemic, and a state quarantine!

 

More photos from yesterday, I cut the filler neck out of the tank, cut down my slave cylinder mount and primered the cylinder head.
I am hoping to get more work done today.

 

No ground breaking progress in the last couple days, I got the block primered plotted some brackets.

So I can find them again latter for reference, Mid-west super mod new chassis built in a late 50s stlye by Dennis Frings @Frames. One of premier oval chassis builders of the 70s and 80s.

I plan to build the cage like this with more door bars.

 

This is a good news bad news post.

Good news New York State says I can go back to work Monday
Bad news the work I had planned for next week is going to have to be much slower than planed.

I prepped my oil pan for the right kick out. I had to remove the stock baffles, The Hi-Volume Melling oil pump is larger than stock and needed clearance too.

I am not sure if I want to build a kick from scratch or buy an oval track (you weld) kick out kit.
My dad build his kick out on his first car using a 235 rocker cover, however that seems sacrilegious!

 

Robert, with your welding skills, it could be done before you head back to work. Use the cash on other speed parts!

 

Thanks, lack time is my big enemy. After I go back will have access to lathes and mills for some chassis parts I need built.

 

Guess which way I am going, I will by getting a lot of input from my dad he is still a better fabricator particularly with sheet metal.


Remember the most importation rule of race car, hot rod, motorcycle building,
Never buy a $20.00 part when you can build it for $200.00!

 

I went back to work Tuesday, despite being a short week it was the longest most tiring week of my life!

I spent a little time in the garage today built and an aluminum sidecover.

 

Up next figuring out where and how to mount my coil.

N.O.S. Mallory Mag-Spark coil and Distributor

 

Here is what my dad and I have been up to-

Mounted the coil-


Dad fabricated and I T.I.G. welded a fuel junction-


Fuel line plumbing


Oil line/Ground wire bracket