Projects Kent Fuller Top Fueler Recreated

The first things people see are the pleasing shapes and lines of a Kent Fuller Racecar. The cowl and windscreen has to fit the flowing shape of the body. From preivous emails you have seen me sneak up on this shape.

6 windscreens are in the garbage, but this last one maybe the winner. I keep looking at it from different angles and have shaved off some heights and curved the edges.

 

Here are some Kay Trapp pictures that never made it in the Hot Rod Magazine article Jan 1964 issue and a few that were published. These came from Lefty Hay, # 1 crewmen for Masters & Richter.

 

awesome thread, certainly makes you want to go out and build fast cars....

Appreciate the detail, great viewing....

Cheers,

Drewfus

 

Sometimes you got to slow down and don't get burned out. I also have to let the Money Tree grow abit.

Lefty Hay has been a great help and I have been picking his brain. Sorry Lefty, but I think you like it LOL. I made the front aluminum plate Airdam for the M & R Special. Two 1 1/2'' muffler clamps and .090 x 15 x 20 aluminum sheet make it up.

The back of the seat pattern is done in posterboard. I'll finish the bottom and side panels next. A whole lot cheaper in posterboard first and less bleeding. Got to get a BIG Howard decal.

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Posterboard is one of my favorite shop accessories...easy to trim to fit and if you cut too small easy to splice with tape. Once you have the part how you like it, transfer to metal. Saves a lot of metal from the trip to the scrap bin too!

 

This week I spent alot of time on photoshop, 4 ink cartridges, paper and photopaper to reproduce the right Mfg and sizes of decals for the M & R Special.

Thanks to the Wavemaker for the Howard Rod decals, lots of magazines, internet and reference pictures on hand, all the Masters for the decals are now finished for the M & R Special.

Rare early 1960s Torco Oil and the Howard Twin Bear decals were from B & W pictures from Kay Trapp. Photopaper copies were test fitted for size and double taped on.

 

This is shaping up to be one beautiful machine. Nice work riceman!

 

After Brian Fox lit a fire under my ass, I got after the starting of the seat. The posterboard pattern was adjusted during last week and was ready to copy it in .050 3003 H14 aluminum.
This aluminum grade forms great and will stretch as you have seen with the cowl. Slapping with a 2'' sand mallet over a tube forms a smooth arc. I used a heavy wall 10'' shipping cardboard tube to form the main radius of the seat back.
You have to take your time to do this to match the radius of the inside edges of the chassis seat area. The seat back form was in & out many times. A few belly rolls over that big tube worked fine. LOL
The mounting with Dzus fastener button were done next. Once in there, minor trimming was needed. I removed it and slap formed the upper radius along the top edge using a 3'' steel tube and the sand mallet. The interior snaps will attach on this radius. 6 hours of work , but came out bitchin.
I cleaned up all the edges and radiused the corners for a nice finished look. The side panel extensions to the back of the rearaxle are next.

 

Mike, Fuller sat me down for 2 hours and told me everything that was needed to know about this dragster, front to back. I sat there and took it all in the knowledge bank.
Fuller said he made only two dragsters with the narrower (38'') than normal width of a 32 front axle. I asked him why and he said when the ordered the tubing in random lengths, there were two pieces of 1.500 x .120 4130 CM at 40'' long that came in. Fuller made use of them. LOL

 

The interior side panels are done.

 

Kickin ass and takin' names.

 

Typical Fuller! Some years ago I asked him about some noteworthy changes in his cars, like left-side steer vs. right-side steer, fully expecting some paradigm-changing insight, only to learn that Fuller got a great deal on a batch of steering boxes that were other-handed than what he'd been using. LOL

Mike

 

And Fuller is still out thinking us, KISS Method

 

Saw some shots of the [SIZE=-1]Masters & Richter car here: http://wediditforlove.com/NoCal.html
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Hey Roger, got any updates? Todd.

 

The M & R Special is on hold for awhile since the last update. Someone over spent on the budget and I have to wait for the money tree to grow.
Also the late 2011 summer tour with 3 events done and one more this coming weekend isn't helping either, but WTF. Maintenence between events on a Cackler Nitro motor is almost as bad as if you raced it.
I plan to get the tail section competed and put a mockup motor in it for the CHRR just for show. Hang in there everyone, I am working on it.

 

Any other updates on the Potvin monster???

 

I understand totally! That tree grows slow, especially when I keep chopping big ass sections out of it . . . back to the stump one might say. I know that I am a bit of a perfectionist, so if it takes longer to do it right, using the right/quality parts . . . so be it . . . that is the way it goes. I'm looking at having a bunch of chrome work done on my coupe - bunghole is starting to pucker just thinking about it.

 

Thanks for posting all of your progress shots on the build! It has been great to follow along and see all the progress. The M&R Special is such a beautiful car and you're doing a hell of a job re-creating it.

 

After 5 events in 5 weekends of cackling the Brissette Woody, it was time to get back at it. Even though the progress was slowed, the planning stages were cooking in the brain.
<STYLE type=text/css><!--DIV {margin:0px;}--></STYLE>This is a replica I made today of 1 of 3 steering wheels made by Pruett Machine Co. from Belmont Ca. Masters & Richter and the Schrank Bros. Desoto Fueler were the only two used in competition. The Schrank Bros. Fueler still has the original steering wheel on their Cackle Car. The unique thing about this steering wheel is that the handles pivot.




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With the up coming CHRR at Famoso, I stated that I was going to load up both Fuelers in my 20ft trailer and bring them out for that event.
Coming to my senses, the Masters & Richter project will stay home until it is completely mocked up and ready to be shown in the raw. I will still post progress reports.
March Meet 2012 is the planned date to bring the Masters & Richter out for it's first public showing and finished for the 2012 CHRR. Yeah BABY !

 

Holy frickin handfull!!! That seems like it would be easy to get crossed-up, but also seems that it could be easier to steer. Cool, wierd, but cool. I'm hoping to be able to go to the March meet this year, see this debut would be the cats ass for me.

 

If you are steering, you're not going fast. Little corrections, but if you have to make a big move, deep shit city !

 

Inorder to postion the DTPR,( Duel TP Roller) steering wheel, I had to make an extension so to clear the cowl windscreen.
Using a 2 1/4'' hole saw I cut out 2 disc out of 1/4'' aluminum for the ends. A 4'' piece of 3/4'' solid aluminum round stock was drilled and tapped for the 3/8'' countersunk Allen bolts to attach the mounting disc. The centers of the disc were chamfer countersunk and drilled for the 3, 10-32 Allen mounting bolts.
The 3/8 Allen countersunk bolts were Locktited and torqued to 35 ft lbs. I deburred all the edges and surfaced with grey Scotchbrite pad.
I made a mess again, but one more thing done.

 

Automotive art! Too fricken cool Riceman, your attention to detail is making this car beautiful!

 

Riceman it was good talking to you will send the parts on Monday.

Derf

 

So I'm at the bank today... during a burger run... and I see this guy come walking up in a Pat Foster Shirt.

I say "Cool shirt!"

After some small talk... we realized we had a bunch of mutual friends like Mike Bishop, Kent Fuller etc...

Then I said "Are you on the HAMB?"

And he says "Yea! I go by riceman"

I said "Oh yea! I go by SamIyam!"

We shook hands, exchanged numbers... and will hopefully get to check out each others' projects real soon!

It was good meeting you riceman!

Sam

 

Ladies & Gentlemen,

This morning I went to Sacramento Raceway for a Racecar Parts Swap Meet. Found some needed parts for the dragster. What I am going to tell you next is one in a million.
I am walking around for certain parts and see a guy I recognized that worked at Vic Hubbards when they were on Meekland Ave. in Hayward. I haven't seen him in 30 years.
We got to taking and he bought the Arigoni & Greggs AA/Gas Dragster and all the parts that raced out of San Jose. We started talking about restoring the old dragsters and I told him that I was building the Masters & Richter Fueler.
You have to meet my friend who came with me, he brought the M & R dragster from Sid ! WHAT ! ! ! My ears were burning !
His name is Henry, and he bought the whole deal, everything from Sid. He sold the car and never raced it. He sold it to Henry Garretts . Unforunately that is where the trail ends for the car again.
Henry who bought the dragster from Sid, still has alot of the parts that came with the deal ! Parts for the Dry Sump System, the 5/8 & 7/8 stroker cranks that Chuck Jacobs made for the M & R Fueler, Cragar blower manifold, blowers, weedburner headers, Moon Valve Covers and the Grand Prize, the complete Enderle Barndoor Injector Fuel System all off the original M & R AA/FD!
I am blown away ! We are negociating on " LETS MAKE A DEAL " ! What a DAY ! Stay Tuned !
Thank you, Roger Lee

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Roger riceman Lee -

W O W !!! ... "One in a Million" is right !!!

My fingers are crossed that you pick the "correct" curtain:

 

what a awesome thread, i would love to build one of these dragsters!!! awesome car!!!!!!