ok...i see "I do it because I can" and " I am proud because I did it myself".....what about us guys who do it for those reasons plus "I do it because I HAVE to?" For me, building my coupe is just a bunch of solutions I HAD to come up with because it aint no "cookie cutter" car and that presents a whole host of individual situations that I had to come up with on my own to make things fit and work...just like I am sure all who are creative tend to do. My philosophy is to follow whatever I dream up, as long as its safe and wont get somebody else hurt. And if I want someone elses opinion about right or wrong, good or bad, I will ask for it. Otherwise, I am doing it my way. Friendly advise is always welcomed of course if it is sincere and well presented.
I can understand making brackets to put on a generator, when an alternator would be cheaper, lighter, easier, and put out more zot at idle. Because some things can't be measured in specifications. But they still exist. BTW... The sound is: "DOH!" when you look at the wavy line. bill out.
Drive Em- My first thought is that you want to use a generator because it looks RIGHT on an open hood, traditional style motor- My buddy has a term for most period style rods and customs he calls the "90%" factor... Say you see a 50's/ 60's killer ride from a distance, so you get close, start drooling over details. Its the right model and year that you dig. Its got rare speed equipment, correct bias plys, stance, etc.. Then you get to the one thing that ruins the whole "fantasy" of the perfect car- It could be a chrome 80's GM tilt column, late model high back velour seats, or a huge one wire alternator! Its those one or two little details that would have pushed a car to that Cole Foster or Keith Tardel level of detail... And just missed the mark. Thats why somebody goes through the trouble of fabbing a generator bracket. Not because everybody else is doing it or not- Because its the right thing for that particular car- and it would bug the crap out of you if it was wrong.
Sam - my head hurts. WHat about the guy who starts many things, but finishes few? For the SBF - hell, I'd just run the alternator - it's too new of an engine anyway....but that's just one man's opinion - and I'm a true blue Ford guy!
Not sure if this goes into the philosophy bit, but one thing I've noticed after dinking around with this stuff for a while, you really need to build the garage before you build the car. Garage meaning, a location to build and the tools to do it with. Maybe bein' a tool junkie is a Zen sorta thing. And I'm just like everbody else, the garage got built right along with the cars. When the garage became a touch more exotic - read, more tools and more capability to do specialized things - so did the cars. What's really struck me funny recently is how many tools I've made. The last few, four gizmo's for getting a 9" together. And the one I'm working on now, a simple square tubing rack to hold the body up over the grinder, bandsaw etc. and get it out of the way so I can do some chassis stuff. Thinking ahead as well. When I'm done with the rack, cut 6" off each leg, toss a chunk of MDF on top and you have a light duty workbench. Maybe . . . for me anyway, it's getting lost in what you're doing. Amazing how fast time goes in the garage. 'Course, nowadays I tell time by how well the knees are doing. When they're done, that's more or less it. Nice part is, I can come inside and write. Always something interesting to do it seems....
Using a Ford 302 instead of a 350 Chevy separates you from the masses. Using a generator instead of an alternator is icing on the cake!
it's posts like these that remind me why i love the hamb so much. this one has really got me thinking about my current project and debating which direction to take with it, and evaluating my skills and the oppurtunity to learn new ones. i need to be more aggressive in trying out uncharted territories for myself, welding, painting, etc. i'm a mechanic by trade, but when this project is done i want to be able to say that everything on the car was done by me. paint, body, interior, engine, everything. there is so much more satisfaction of doing it yourself and learning in the process than farming out the more "difficult" tasks. thanks you.
Nothing says 'me too' more than an sbc. The epitome of boring and uninspiring use of cast iron. That being said: Build what you can, build what you like. Lately its also build what you can find, afford, or already have. Who gives a damn what someone else thinks. How many of us build cars with our names on the title for the enjoyment of others? Others not meaning family members. If you cant build anything but crate sbc/th350/700R4 in a primer coated shell with an alternator, well then its all you can build. You arent less of a man, and no less a hotrodder. (Women dont seem to have issues with feeling inadequate about building a rod that has an alternator or doesnt make a 'wow' statement in a peer group.) Just remember, when you are cruising around in your home built rod, be it a deuce, a sled, a post war, gasser, post 49, post 60, or muscle car, the guy driving next to you with the minivan or SUV wishes he could be you. He cant do what you have done, he didnt spend the extra for a 3 car+ garage and the tools. He didnt take the time to learn how to do the work. He just goes to work, watches TV and wishes he could have a rod... you already have one. even if it has a sbc in it.
retrofitting equipment seems a bit odd to me, I suppose a 302 could be dressed to look like an early sbf but wasn't the first year for this version the '62 221? and weren't alternators on all the detroit cars by then? I can see a generator on a 350 Chevy though, if it were done right you could make it look similar to a 265 or early 283. total package is important to me, the sbf may be a fine motor, but it dates it's self and in my mind should be used for what it is. a late sixties Shelby Boss motor transplant in a red line tired A Roadster comes to mind with an alternator
The 64 Fairlane at the farm has a generator on its 260.. so it isnt dating it that much. Although you have a point with the Boss...
Paul, Ford used generators until '64, so you could dress up a 302 as an older engine with the early stamped steel valve covers & big breathers w/generator. Hell, you could do it to a 351W & most folks couldn't tell the difference!
for that matter "most people" don't know what they are looking at anyway my point was that I would think a well dressed 302 should be able to stand on it's own just like I would not put a generator on a 426 Hemi.
Most people couldn't tell the difference between a 302 or a 260, so it is a moot point. I like the looks of the generator, and I mounted it up high on the engine like a flathead because the '67 302 engine block I am using does not have the bosses on the block to mount the generators like the 221-260 or early 289's had. I also happened to have a nice rebuilt gen and regulator off my '64 Galaxie lying around. The engine will have Mercury FE valve covers with adapters I built because I like the looks of the smoothy valve covers. It will also have an NOS Mallory Double Life dual point dizzy, and an oil bath air cleaner, so the generator will look right at home.
I build stuff I like and to the best of my ability... The 49' is the first pre 66' car I have had and I have had to learn a lot on it. Its my first channel job, my first frame swap, and my first major fabrication job. I like it and I can tell people that I did that.
Just tell him: "Devotion is an emotion filled with commotion, but fearless in its stance." That will confound him even more.
You just described a typical Sock Fuckers garage nite . Look us up sometime if your ever in the area and we'll definately have a place of honor set aside for you .
I've started building a 3x2 intake for my 351 a few years back, it's almost done. By the time I finish it will be an expected item, far from something different. And I don't care.
That's a trap I've fallen into with a '64 Ford. I always wanted a Tudor Post, but hadn't a clear perception of what sort of car I would want it to end up being before buying it.. As Drive-Em can tell you, I've changed my mind more times on that car's destiny than most any other woman that you can name.... That's why I'm tabling it for a bit and an searching for a '55 Ford to replicate my first car. The picture is VERY clear as to what I expect. Jan
For those interested this pic and link may help you understand the concept... Thanks Sam for the 'knudge' moe .. . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxonomy_of_Educational_Objectives ... .. .
Yet another "why I built it this way'' thread. Makes me wonder if anybody actually reads the threads entirely. Like it was said before. If it is your vision to...SBC,SBF,Hemi,nailhead,alternator,generator,chop,no chop,channel,no channel,skulls,no skulls,flake,pearl,rust,flat black/red wheels,......whatever! Follow your vision. NOT mine or anybody elses. Build for the right reasons,your reasons. Sam, My head hurts now! Too much" inner self" stuff. I'm just a guy with a toolbox and some wrenches. I need some Advil and a nap now!
If it makes YOU happy, do it. If it pisses other people off, do it. If you build a car to make the crowd happy, then you won't be. Different is what YOU say it is, it's your freakin car.. Riff Raff
Why do you give a F what anyone else thinks? Build what you want and returns to you what you want. Why ask why? Just build it.
The Jalopy Journal
