Projects Hillman Husky 427

Hello I’m new here my
Name is mark im located in Huntington park California . The story of how I got this vehicle is very long and I won’t get into that now but I would like to share my project with you guys if anyone is interested it’s almost done and was once finished in the late 70s by my uncle I’ve heard lots of stories from his friends and they told me that this car was just too fast and to narrow hence the power it’s got a 1966 Chevy Corvette 427 big block with a high rise Holley double pumper intake manifold .. Full M/T Racemaster slick setup front and back differential all built up floor done to fit those big slicks and firewall modified he did all the hard work pretty much the story behind it is it was too dangerously fast he took the wheels off of it and parked it from 1980 and since he owned his own body shop he never got around to putting it back he has a pretty big collection of all Chevy parts and vehicles which i was inherited I have my own classic car restoration shop / body shop as well my uncle taught me everything and even tho he’s gone he set me up and made me feel that he will be with me forever watching over me and happy and proud of how I rescued and saved and just appreciated what he left me … anyways that’s that .. when he passed away the car was parked at my grandmas his moms where he grew up and where he lived the time he had the car it was his first project … when I took the covers off it was bad it looked bad but after cleaning it and de webbing it lol it cleaned up not to bad now I was worried about finding the parts for it because it was all tooken apart but it’s been a long 2 weeks and I finally finished transferring everything from that garage and drive way to my place I was able to find every single part well almost at least he preserved these parts in the best condition possible any ways I’m gonna attach some pics and if anyone has any knowledge or tips on hillman husky’s any advice would be appreciated god bless ..
Mark
Redline Customs
Huntington park

 

The pic w the orange trunk was tooken last night I decided with going with a Chevy orange acrylic laquer to get that nice look and shine to it I will post updates daily since I am working on it everyday at my shop until I am finished with it I plan to take it to irwindale speedway when I’m
Done and enjoy it in remembrance of my uncle .. the heads were just completely done just need to be bolted on and push rods and rockers installed and that’s it I will upload more pictures of the heads and the intake manifold
And engine Tomorow and update u guys as I go if interested god bless and any hillman husky owners out there I have a billion questions LOL jk god bless have a good one

 

Here’s a pic of it I took earlier today at work im getting ready to install heads and get it going this week and finish painting it next week

 

Better check the title... that isn't a Hillman, it's late '50s/'60 English Ford Thames panel...
File:1957 Ford 300E Thames Van (16390521686).jpg - Wikimedia Commons
The side-window version is fairly rare, most were panel trucks.
Yes, with big power these are pretty squirrely...

 

Wow that clears up so much makes sense now I couldn’t find a single car that matched up w that one this whole time I taught it was a hillman and the original bill of sale from the 60/s days hillman but not a doubt in my mind ur right which is why I posted this to get some clarification cuz I couldn’t find any hillman w those lights and that front end thanks are these more rare or worth more what do these go for ???

 

Like Crazy Steve says: Ford

 

I noticed that it was a Ford not a Hillman. It a Ford 100e Escort or Squire. The Squire was the deluxe version with a better interior and I believe a heater. They were made between 55 and 61. Should think that they are pretty rare in the States. These guys do a few bits for them such as Squire logo.

https://www.smallfordspares.co.uk/

 

Welcome to the h.a.m.b. It,s still just as neat as a Husky . Now, about your screen name .

 

As far as being too small for the power, well, sure. A guy in my home town daily drove a 396 equipped T bucket. He said, "you just gotta remember, the throttle works BOTH ways!" Just know that if you get out of shape when giving it the gas, there's a lot that can go wrong in the blink of an eye.

 

i had a 59 hillman wagon. bought it for $6 in 1974 at auction. and no rust! had a lot of hard fun with it. shudda kept it.

 

Welcome to the HAMB. That is going to be a handful with a 427 under the hood!

 

x's 2. Will be a wild, exciting and crazy ride with a lot of hp!!

 

Rare yes, valuable, not so much. Ford US never 'officially' imported them, Ford UK apparently talked some Ford dealers into selling them here, and some were imported by private parties. They were orphans right from the start; I owned a couple of Anglias in the late '60s and parts were all-but-impossible then. More than a few got V8 transplants, but you couldn't legally race them at NHRA events because they didn't meet minimum wheelbase requirements. You need a very-well-sorted chassis to get one to go reasonably straight. VERY squirrely....

 

Wow thank u guys a lot it cleared up so much confusion for me I was going nuts trying to look up every single husky I couldn’t find a single part or piece that looked like it would fit now that I finally found out what it was exactly I can finally find parts lol I was praying that I had my uncle so I could simply ask him my whole family which aren’t car people all told me oh yeah it’s a hillman and I will upload a bill of sale I have that says 56 hillman that is why I was under the assumption I had a hillman now as for my username I need to change problem with that I will not be putting 427ford that’s forsure LOL I’m a Chevy buff not a Ford guy lmao so hopefully I can change my username if not oh welll lol but man I’m really
Thankful for u guys I appreciate u all very much

 

from the stories I heard when it was running that is absolutely correct one of my uncles friends was seriously implying that it is just to narrow of a wheel base and it is just to powerful that literally if u gas it on a turn ull flip over he was really implying to me that if I was going to build it I need to make the front wider it is literally like 2 1/2 feet from rear slick to slick and like 3 feet from frame to frame in front but of course me being a young lad I don’t care what he had to say I rather find out for myself I’m not a dumb driver or novice I been driving fast cars since I was 15 nothing like this tho but definately gonna get her up n going within a month or so but I will definately b fabricating a roll cage and some safety features just in case thanks guys again once again u appreciate u all ur awesome

 

There's an orange one running around right here in Pea Ridge, Arkansas.

 

Wow that looks nice I’m going with a orange as well I have 3 sets of those grills that it has as well I just need to find the headlight chrome bezels I couldn’t find those at all hopefully they pop up when I’m searching through parts at the shop like all the other stuff wow thanks for sharing that I really like the look of it all dressed up

 

This is the bill of sale ignore the pink slip that’s for my 56 Chevy but check the bill of sale lol that’s another reason why I taught it was a hillman but just nothing was adding up lol

 

Lots of hotrodded 100e's, van and a few Squires in the UK. Google search images, 100e hotrod. No need to go wider with the track (looks bad imo) unless you want to be carving corners, in which case there's plenty of circuit racers, racers and styled as. Many drag (Pro Street, ssshh!) versions. Do any drag / gasser styled cars corner particularly well??

Nice little cars. Built a hot ohv 4 cylinder one for son a his first car. They rust badly when not used in the right conditions. Salted winter UK roads aren't kind to them, or certainly weren't when they were new and rust prevention hadn't been dreamt of!

Chris

 

Amazing how close, both brands resemble each other, but there is a distinct difference !

 

Yes 100 percent agreed that’s why I’m almost done re assembling and will throw in engine heads and get going I plan to just run it on the track on weekends I don’t plan to bend any corners Tbh lol but thank u that ohv 4 sounds interesting any pics of it ?? And man this forum has helped me more in 24 hours than anything thanks

 

I couldn’t agree more it had me going crazy trying to find out why the hell I couldn’t find a husky that matched up to mine lol the taillights trunk doors and front bumper had me going nuts lol I’m glad I can finally identify parts now

 

Forgot to say, not a expert but yours looks rather like a panel van with the sides cut out rather than a genuine squire. Squire has I think several side windows and possibly a clam shell rear tailgate arrangement. Your rear doors are certainly van doors. Vans were lower spec and the headlite bezels were painted (and I think available now repopped in fglass). Bumpers painted too. Commercial spec, sitting low, period color, drag style look killer!!

Chris

 

The sides look too clean to be cut out they appear to be factory by the look of it I will upload detail pics rn in 30 min I’m driving to my shop now …
And thanks a lot everything seems to be drag spec not Nhra my uncle was a street hot rodder did everything himself and in the 70s but wow I’m surprised how well it was preserved if u have any additional info for me I would highly appreciate it thanks again im going to be uploading lots of more pictures in about an hour of the engine build progress where im at rn and of other things related to it im having a hard time figuring out the rear differential setup like of what it came from or if it was custom fabricated it is so thick and chunky and strong just the width of a go kart lmao

 

I think you are on the money here, I had a 1959 300E Thames panel van years ago. The grille matched the orange one above.

 

I’m
Thinking
The same as well from the info I was provided I been looking things up it looks like a Thames panel and I have the same grille as well but hey I’m learning from u guys

 

Here goes some pics of the heads / the intake manifold and carb setup and some etc parts

 

A couple of guys race one at our local strip.
It runs 9.60s with a 460 Ford. Neat little car.
I once owned a Husky. Also neat little car.

 

If anyone has any good advice or info on parts up above it would be appreciate I’m pretty smart with punching in casting numbers so I know what I got but I mean as experience wise I would appreciate it and hope everyone has a blessed day god bless