Hot Rods Dare to be Different - Hot Rod Excalibur

Dutch metalman and hot rodder Henry van Uden - hotrod holland on the HAMB - is heavily into traditional hot rods, especially when they have 4-banger flathead Ford "motorvation". When an old car buddy passed away a couple of years ago, Henry was left a 60's Excalibur SSK restoration project in boxes... not really Henry's "thing" but he started to work on it anyway for his buddies sake. Of course, Henry had to add his own personal hot rod touches... Not for everyone's taste I guess but still pretty cool in it's own right. The fenders were added to make it road legal for tech inspection.

 

that is.. kool as hell

 

Is that one of the Brooks Steven's Excaliburs?

 

I have never seen an Excalibur that I liked
until now, maybe.. I'm still not ready to admit it in public

your friend has made a huge improvement there

 

This car is incredible! That is the only way to restore an Excalibur! The only other way would be by driving it into a compactor.

 

I'm liking it alot.

 

I always thought taking one of those "neo classics" and turning it into something that resembled a mid 30 European sporting car would work. I'd loose that stuck on as an afterthought tank in the front though, it takes away from the whole concept of the car as it sits.

 

that looks good like it!!!

 

It's hard to get all the ugly off an Excalibur! Your buddy did a good job! I think I like it even better with the fenders

Thanks for sharing-

 

looks much better than a stock one nice work on it

 

"not for everyones taste"..nothing ever is. Not a fan of the Excalbur, the exception might be this car.

 

Looks to be a Series I "no door", one of the most sought after body styles for Excalibur enthusiasts. Was supposed to be powered by a supercharged Studebaker engine but at the last minute Studebaker backed out with only one being manufactured. The car was subsequently built on a Lark chassis but was powered by a 327/300 Corvette engine. Extremely quick and a great handling sports car given its high power to weight ratio. Don't confuse it with the pimped out Excaliburs of later years than weighed 2 plus tons powered by a 305 CI Chevy that were gaudy, slow pigs. This was and is a sports car, and yeah, I own an Excalibur..., its on the rack behind my shoebox in the photo below...

 

I like this a lot. I may have done a few details different (a pan built out over the front frame horns instead of the tank) but overall the core concept is right on.

The headers make the car. Will he be able to ditch the fenders after tech inspection? I love the look of it fenderless.

 

Send me Henry's phone number. I need that car.

jack vines

 

I like it. Hood sides would make it PERFECT! (everybody's a critic, huh?)

 

I owned the 12th Excalibur ever made for a short time. 300hp Chev sbc, FMX trans (adaptors were acquired from Checker Cab Co by Brooks Stevens - FMX being a stronger trans - plus were 3spds) than the PG. It was on a Stude frame - discs in front. Hawk instrument panel (machine turned). Body fiberglas, hood/sides were aluminum, the the massive grille was cast aluminum. The sidepipes come out of a big cast iron box that bolts to the intake ports and then s.s. flexpipe with inner flexpipe comes out the sides - had one of them blow out coming through Snoqualmie Pass one night - hard to look cool with a 2ft flame shooting out of the passenger side of that hood. Anyway, the cars were reasonably well built until they went to the Corvette frames and started the phaeton weight-gain program. Even with only 300hp (supposedly a 350hp with M21 was available) the car would move right out and I made several banzai runs across the great eastern desert between Seattle and the Tri-Cities, even all the way to Clarkston and Walla Walla one day. Neat cars, but highly impractical. Never had the top up - if it rained...it rained.

dj

 

maybe i should quit putting down the excalibur that is sitting in one of my bays

 

After I posted, I decided to dig out some pix of my 66 Excalibur SS - kids dropped some water on some of the photos and they became stuck, but I have no idea where the negatives are, so this is the best I can do.

dj

 

I see it has the Studebaker frame.
What engine is in it right now?

 

Hey Henry looks good Brother!!
See you saterday driving it to the Antwerp Vintage Reunion.
You going to surprice more people there!!

Greetz

ShoeBoxBro

 

Kind of what I thought as well. That tank and the front bumper throw it off a bit.

 

As originally designed:

 

Henry should chime in on this thread and answer some questions himself - Earth calling Henry...

 

The guy my dad worked for was into those things and my dad actually went to the factory to pick them up for him and he said every single time he went even though he was just picking the cars up they treated him like a king and gave him a tour.

The guy that had them was named Buster Lyon.

He was pretty famous in the North Dallas area because every year at Christmas he put animated Christmas characters in his front yard and even had singers out there.

He gave out suckers to kids and blocked traffic on Lovers Lane for years...it was a North Dallas tradition.

Anyway, he would always have a life sized Santa in the Excalibur driving and waving at people.

 

yes its a steven's brooks car number 1027 [serie number]

 

Hahaa, this thing is insane!

I've never liked excaliburs. Not even when I was a kid. Until now. As a hotrod. Who would've thought... This thing actually looks cool. Sure, I'd do some things differently but the overall idea is there. Love the tank en the wheels in the top photo.
Henry, you've got a lot of guts. Well done!

Cheers,
Jeffrey.

 

i have change some things looks now ........?

 

Dare to be different

 

some things i have changes now like it more

 

And cheaper than a Blastolene, fer sure. What could you loose by trying something like this anyway? Absolutely nothing! Gary