Projects 49 Prefect - "Altered" Style Build

2014 >>>Countdown to the Meltdown Drags 2014

We have the Ugly Beast registered for the Meltdown Drags this year so we better get off our ass and get this thing running !

We have actually been working on it these past few months but not nearly as much as we would like. The engine is done and back from the engine shop. The Powerglide is almost ready.

After weeks of trying to get some momentum on the trans tunnel we finally have it mocked in. Now we need to weld it and clean it up a lot. Our mediocre fabrication skills are really out there for all to see. We fabbed in a rad and fuel tank support and welded in the tilt front end hinges. We also added some lower frame support bars. Not sure if they are needed but they look cool.

We need to pull the mock up engine, weld in the engine mounts and put the real thing in so we can start setting up the remote fuel pump, fuel lines and cooling lines. At that point we can measure up the driveshaft and look at what we need for a driveshaft tunnel. (Center steer requirement). With the tunnel comes a change in suspension as we cannot use the locating bar. We'll have to fab up a watts link of some kind.

We finalize pedal placement and shifter placement and started fabricating mounting points. This will lead to plumbing the brakes and the electrical.

Still lots to do and not a lot of free time to do it in if we hope to have the Ugly Beast running for the Meltdown event

Pics coming when it's pic worthy

 

Your Prefect looks great! It's come a long way, makes me wanna get mine going.


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Here is a little inspiration to help get this thing done by the Meltdown.

Meltdown Drags July 18,19,20 2014

 

Here's Larry Shipshock at Minnesota Dragways in about 1962.

Looking forward to seeing your Prefect at the Meltdown Drags.

 

We need a recent photo!

 

Thanks man...this pic really appeals to me on a few levels. The stance and balance for sure. This was the set up we wanted for the rear slicks but using what had put the rubber fully under the fenders. especially with the narrow rims we scored for almost nothing. As soon as we shred the current set up we'll look to wider rubber and cut fenders. Should balance our ride out a bit better.

We plan on dropping the new motor in very soon for mock up. As soon as we do that and finish the really crappy metal work inside I'll take pics. Right now there doesn't appear to be much change. We're in that "work like crazy without a lot of big apparent changes" phase...

Cheers all

 

As Prefects go this has to be one of the best, looks great Saxxon

 

Love this build, and the idea of using what you have, or what you find cheap! It's good old fashion hotrodding on a budget!

 

Step right up, chum, and watch the kid lay down the rubber road, ride to freedom!

Nightrider​

Here are some pictures kids, we pulled the mock up motor and put in the real bullet and the fully built Powerglide, We started cutting fenders and finalizing pedal placement. We are also putting the original dash in place and we will mount the few gauges we plan on running in an aluminum insert. My brother fabricated up some simple but effective shock towers and now we are almost ready for the mind numbing process of sorting out the fuel and cooling lines, running brake lines and doing the electrical. We also have to sort out where to put the fuel pump and run the lines


Sorry about the modern style fuel tank but it's bigger than the modern style Moon tank we have and we would rather have the capacity when running alcohol.


Then we need to sort out the Hilborns and set up the Magneto. We plan on painting the frame and interior but we want to leave the body in it's patina glory, We also plan on leaving the roof open if they allow us. Far easier for us broken old guys to get in and out

 

Looking good, Saxxon. Hope to see the Prefect at the Meltdown this year.

 

'yes sir'

 

Three words for you Saxxon:


GO MAN GO!

 

Man that looks like it will be a fun ride! Looking forward to first videos.

 

That's looking pretty spiffy! Nice work Saxxon!

 

Don't look too close... thank God for paint and grinders...

 

I don't know how I could have missed this thread. What a neat project! Subscribed

 

Awesome build...love it.

 

Epic metal day !!

At one point there were sparks being thrown by 3 guys at the same time. My brother was welding in the front cross member, Larry was grinding the contour on the passenger fender after I had trimmed 2" off the bottom and I was cutting the same 2" off the driver's side... How we didn't set each other on fire I will never know...

We even put some paint on it ... no... really... Paint !!

My friend Dennis (Non HAMB friendly 10 sec 67 Camaro) was bolting the front end together, straightening out the grill and wire wheeling 30 years of rust and debris from the underside. We turned our back on him (to throw more sparks) and before we knew it he was painting the inside of the front end with Rustoleum Flat Black. We were stunned !! We had actually progressed to the point where we were painting... It looks great... We've officially turned that corner ... paint !

 

Good news, keep at it!

 

This business will get out of control. It will get out of control and we'll be lucky to live through it.

Admiral Josh Painter:

2 days in a row at the shop... and we're not even in thrash mode. Sooo much more to do and the Scout is sitting in pieces waiting for our attention as well.
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Spent most of the day fuddling with the tilt front The sheet metal is so distorted it's hard to figure out where anything should sit. We also found out that we cannot put the engine and trans in from the side without holding your mouth the right way and smashing fingers. Much easier if we can attack it from the front. So we pulled the front support for the rad and fuel cel and re-did it as a removable unit.
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The paint thing yesterday has caused us to divide by zero... I painted the engine and transmission and my brother started painting frame rails and the underside of the car... I'm very worried...this whole paint thing is getting out of hand... it's starting to look like we know what we are doing...which we don't. The resulting paint high isn't too bad though...
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We also modified our shifter by adding a custom shift knob made from some weird aluminum ...thing... we found. It makes it a LOT easier to manipulate the shifter with the cage the way it is. We finalized the mount and welded it in. We'll likely shorten it a little but for now it works great. It sits only a few inches from your right hand and very very easy to make the 1-2 shift and you can still reach the lock out. ​

 

Fuel system placement time.

We are limited as to where we can mount the fuel pump and ultimately it's where the pictures show. It a bit high for our liking but we are hoping it has enough to draw a bit uphill once it's running. The primary bypass and fuel shut off will be mounted directly to the pump to reduce the lines and complexity of the system

We also mounted a priming pump (not in the pictures) and the plan is to prime with gas so we'll run a small surge tank beside the fuel cell. I just submitted a long list of fittings... pocket book say "Ouch"

Oh yah... brake lines !! One step closer kids

 

Looks great! All those little bits and pieces needed near the end really add up quickly! Every car I build I think I'm done with big purchases, and then I get all those receipts at the end that still shock me.

 

I laugh long and hard everytime someone says "I'm done the big stuff... just the little stuff left".

I laugh because the big stuff is obvious and can be estimated. The little stuff like: belts, bolts, buttons, cables, clamps, chrome, decals, fittings, fuses, fuel, gaskets, glue, grease, grommets, hoses, levers, lubricants mounts, nuts, oil, paint, sealers, shields, springs, switches, washers, wires, wiring, zip ties ... then the requisit - re-do and repairs...

These are the intangibles that will suck your bank account and your motivation totally dry... It just never seems to end

 

Yeah, and not to mention all the trips to the parts stores! Make a list and think you've finally got everything to finish. Then quadruple the list's number of items and cost, and you might be close!
The money is a bummer, but the multiple trips to the store are almost as bad!

 

Looking good! One I've been at on and off the past few years. ...

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Damn photos won't upload.

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hell yeah! tilt fronts rock.

 

Time to build the headers... decided basic fenderwell style is... well... boring. Went with the Headman zoomie build your own kit and brought in a talented friend...Scott... and built our own to fit.

I think they look seriously bad ass... almost makes me want to put the blower motor from the Scout in the Prefect just to match up to the headers. The Scout would look bitch'n with the Hilborns... like I said...almost. These are obviously not finished and are just tacked together. They fit under the fenders with a bit of trimming to the sheet metal.

We also dropped about $200 in fittings and hose and plumbed the Hilborn fuel system. The Plastic fuel cell we are using had 4 bulkhead fittings and in the end we are only using the outlet that has the ball check valve. Everything else we repositioned.

By the way... I HATE -4 hose and fittings...they seriously SUCK to make...

After screwing around with the fitting tools and different ways to cut the ends I finally fell back to the good old tried and true way of getting the hose into the fitting by using a very small flat screwdriver and stuff the loose ends in. Works great... got both ends together and just as I was tightening the last fitting... it snapped off leaving the piece inside the hose... I'm not a happy camper...

 

For hose cutting I use the Speedway Motors hose cutters, they cut a perfect end with no bits hanging out, at $20 they are a bargain



Looking good dude.

 

That might be the best bit of advice we have received in 5 years... ordering one today


Oh ya... I got pinged by 4 very concerned folks about my -4 line rant. (Thank you all by the way) The -4 lines are on our priming system and not on the primary fuel system itself. That system is all -10 / -6 lines as suggested by Alchydigger and the system itself.

Cheers all and thanks