Projects Austin Somerset Gasser Build (DragNasty)

Well I have been working on my Austin Somerset Gasser project for about 6 months now and gathering parts much longer. I have been keeping tabs on it in one of my H.A.M.B. Albums and contemplating a build thread.

I have had several members tell me I should do a thread on it so here it is, remember, you asked for it...

In 2007 I was perusing EBAY and stumbled across an Austin Somerset. I knew about the Somerset because I have always been a huge fan of the Austin Dorset Gassers. Anyway the Somerset was the next generation of the Austin A40 but unlike its predecessors the Dorset (2 door) and Devon (4 door), the two door model was gone forever.

I still liked the body lines and decided to play around with Photoshop. It looked to me that unlike the 4 door Devon, the Somerset had larger doors. I thought you could weld up the rear door and the front door would not look out of proportion with the rest of the car. Below is the Photoshopped idea and the actual car that was for sale in Florida. By the way, I lost the bid on it and poof, moved my ADD little mind to something else.

Then one day about two years ago I got the fever again for a straight axle Gasser. I put an ad out on Craigslist looking for a Dorset. About 6 months went by with no response. Then out of the blue a guy calls me from Northern Minnesota and says he saw the ad. He added he did not have a Dorset but he did have a Somerset that had been in storage since 1962.





No it is not the same Somerset, but it was green. It had 26,000 miles on it and aside from barn abuse and time, it was a very straight little car.

 

So the plan for this build is a Gasser that looks like one should at least when I close my eyes and imagine it. Straight axel, Chopped top, Big Block Chevy, Manual Trans, Ladder Bars, Crager SS etc. etc. etc. It will not be period correct. If that is what you are looking for in a Gasser Build Thread, LEAVE NOW!

I have a picture in my mind of what it should look like, sound like, and run like. This is going to be a car that goes to Car Shows, Cruise Ins, and will make an occasional 1/4 mile blast. Probably a few on the street as well. I want to be true to the traditions of the Gassers that I am such a fan of but some things will be the way I imagine them, whether they are period correct or not. Follow along if you want.

 

So I have had the car for about year and just now getting around to really starting the project. Step one, disassemble it. The first thing to come off was the hood and an immediate decision was made, "I don't think it is going back on!" I can just see the 454 jutting out of that small hole. We shall see, but my bet is the hood is gone for good!



Front Fenders also came off about the same time but "holy crap" Austin wanted those things to stay on there. 15 bolts per side held the stupid things in place, several of which you had to be a contortionist to remove.

 

I won't bore you with the bolt by bolt removal but suffice to say we got the body off the chassis. Speaking of bolts though, that crazy thing had 10 mounting points from the firewall back!



Check out this original chassis. It is all boxed and has a nice cross member, we are definitely going to use this thing. We finished cutting all the stuff off the chassis that we didn't need and sent it to be sandblasted.

 

With the body practically sitting on the floor we had great access to it. The first modification we decided to make was to shave the drip rails.



And that is about the time things get crazy. We had decided not to chop the top and just weld up and fill the rear doors. However we started talking about the roll cage that afternoon. My dad said it would be a shame to do it but if we really want to build a killer cage, it would be easier to cut the top off. I said something like. "It would only be a shame if we didn't chop it before putting it back on!" And so started the madness. We quickly welded up some interior supports and then went about figuring where and how much to cut!

 

Now this is the first time my Dad and I have ever chopped a top. So we studied it very carefully and decided to cut 2.5" out of it. We marked all the cut points with masking tape and then thought about it some more...and some more...

Finally I said the difference between guys that chop tops and the guys that don't is the brazen stupidity (or what ever you want to call it) of picking up a Saws-All and squeezing the trigger!



We started by cutting all four of the doors. Then we removed the center pillar posts and the area around the rear window. This left the roof still in place and a bunch of very valuable scrap metal scattered about the shop...

 

So here is the idea we had. Since we are losing the rear doors anyway, we are not worried about where the rear of the top actually starts or ends. In fact, it is my opinion at this point that we simply cut the roof off and put it back on in one piece. It should shorten up what used to be the rear door windows which will be even more convincing that it is the "2 Door" Somerset that Austin never made.



So off it came. Cut on the "A" Pillar masking tape and at the rear we cut it right at the factory seam along the body line.



All that was left to do was cut the other "A" pillar tape mark and then decide how much to cut off the "C" pillar when we put the roof back in place.

 

Here is the deal. When we sat the roof back on it, it was clear 2.5" was not enough. So out came the Saws-All and off came another 1.5" for a 4" chop. Like they say, if you are going to be a bear, be a Grizzly!

So we took 4" off the front and 4.5" off the rear sides and look what we got! By the way that is the full sized rear window back in place with no chop.



I was right about the rear side windows. Look where the new roof line ends back there...nearly 3" forward of the original. This really is going to be the 2 door Somerset they never made. And check out the windshield height...it is just how I imagined it would look!

 

With the top back in place and the "A" pillars tacked we decided to address the rear area first. We tacked the roof sides in place (basically to the tops of the old rear doors) and then set about filling the gap between where the old top ended and the chopped one ended up.

After getting the window back in place we cut fill pieces for the rear and tacked them in place.



I am very pleased with the overall look of the extended trunk area line. It seems to flow just about as good (or better) then the original factory line. I am telling you when we are finished, even Austin Somerset guys are going to be scratching their heads.

 

With the rear of the roof in place we decided to start putting it all back together. We closed the front doors (which will tell us exactly where the "B" or center pillar needs to go. It took a bit of cutting and positioning but we finally got it in place.



With the center pillar back in place, it allowed us to concentrate on the rear side windows. So here is the deal. The last minute decision to go with a 4" chop made these rear windows a real pain. In fact the rear curve of the window frames was so tight that it was basically impossible to create using the original cut off frame piece. (NOW let me point out, not impossible for a skilled metal worker but for my Dad and myself, it was a bit out of our league). We started a pie cut method and very quickly destroyed what is probably the ONLY original Somerset window frame in the Midwest!



So above was my solution. I needed a piece of metal to create that nice bend. It couldn't be flat either. The window frame has a very nice arc to it as it rolls from the door to where the glass will be. I decided we would have to fab something to fit there. While I was digging through the metal scrap pile to see what I could come up with I found a Model "A" exhaust pipe.



That's right! I looked at one of the bends in the pipe and thought it was pretty close. I drug it into the shop, cut the bend off of it and then cut the pipe in half so I would have one for the other side as well. Then I put it in the vice and heated it a bit. Very carefully, I coaxed the bend a bit tighter until it fit that window like a glove.



Then I made a poster board pattern of a filler piece and used the plasma cutter to make it fit perfectly (it even fit the crappy miss cut from when my Saws-All blade took on a mind of its own). I did give the filler piece a little "knee" action English Wheel work and then tacked it in place. You got that right? I don't have an English Wheel...



After some quick grinding, the window is basically roughed in and I am pretty happy with my Model "A" exhaust pipe window!

 

Thank goodness the frame came back from the blasters. My A.D.D. little brain was about to explode from spot welding and sheet metal fabrication. Starting to work on the chassis will be a well needed change in scenery!



The frame looks awesome. No rust issues at all and the factory welds are all in good shape. Finding this stout little chassis under the car is a definite bonus to the build. I was worried I might have to box it and reinforce it etc. but Austin over-engineered this thing like every other aspect of the Somerset.



The first issue is the factory horns on the front. They are too short for the front spring mounts of the straight axle. They also point down which common sense says will effect the nose height. We are going to have enough front end height as it is so off with the horns.



This what we came up with, .25" plate steel, notched on the sides to except the front of the original chassis. When these are welded on they are going to be really strong. We welded all the sides except the top. Before welding it we plasma cut them to match the angle of front cross member and then finished the welding.



With the new frame horns in place we were able to start positioning the leaf spring mounts for the straight axle. And yes that is a Speedway Kit. I know I am going to catch grief over it but there is plenty of fab work going on this project and anything that is new, clean, and bolts together is a welcome change.



Sorry the photo is a it blurry but it is the only one I took of this stage. This is basically how we ended up mounting the springs up front. I was fairly confused about whether to put the shackle in the front or the back. I got quite a bit of input both ways. My final decision was made to put them in the rear because I am going to offset the front wheel a bit forward in the wheel well and if the suspension is going to have any rotation in it, I would prefer it to move towards the back...we shall see!

 

Wheels and Tires. You know this project is like setting up dominoes. There always seems to be something missing or that has to be purchased ahead of time before the project can proceed. Now I am putting a narrowed 9" Ford in the Austin so yes I am going to tub this thing a bit. I know lots of guys are going to pitch a fit but I am sorry, when I see this project in my mind, I see a lot of meat out back. I will still radius the wheel the wells and plan to have the tires stick out an inch or so on either side, but I am putting 12" slicks on it no matter what.

So at this point I really need the wheels and tires. I could just mock it up but I want some vintage looking wheels and what if I can't find the exact size or backspace I need. So I went ahead and started searching for wheels. In my mind Crager SS just popped up and so I started looking for 10" rims. I found a set of deep dish on Ebay that had what I was estimating is the perfect offset. After that a set of Crager Front Runners was easy. For rubber I got a really good package deal from my local Hoosier supplier for new slicks and front runners so I pulled the trigger. For now the Hoosier text is still on them but I will probably take that off and run them as just black wall when the time comes.

 

Since I have the rear wheels, tires and rearend housing it is time to address the rear of the chassis. Now I don't want to back half this car but that is basically what it needs to sport the big tires etc. This is what I decided to do. I put the rearend where it will go and then measured from the center of the axle housing forward to the chassis. I needed about 16" to make sure I had proper tire clearance. I marked the chassis and cut the rear wheel arches off.



I then placed a 3" rectangular .25" steel tube across the rear of the frame, carefully double checked square etc and then welded it solid.



Finally I put the rear tires in place, measured the space between them and cut the rear cross member, which was still connecting the original wheel arches. I cut out what was needed and welded the cross member back together. Now I had a "back-halved" car but it was done with the original frame rails.



The secret to making this all go back together easily, straight and basically in the same position under the body was the way I cut the back part of the chassis off. I basically cut out a notch for the rectangular tubing which left a tab on the rear wheel arches, see the photo below. It not only assisted with alignment etc. but it also gave me more welding points for a much stronger build. Later this new cross member that was placed in there will have gussets at the frame connecting points and the center area removed for drive shaft clearance etc.

 

So with the chassis fabrication basically complete we got our first look at the front end on the ground.



We were pretty excited about it but after putting the tape measure to it, the nose appeared to be a little high! But you know it is hard to tell anything for sure with out the body on. So that is just what we did...



Although there is some "Hot Wheel Motor Revving" kid inside me that just loved this exaggerated Gasser stance, it was not going to be drivable! In fact I sat in the car and my dad walked to the end of the garage, about 20 feet in front of the car and I could just barely see his head over the dash. This means 20 feet out, I could run over a school bus and not know it! Well...I am sure I would know it, but you know what I am talking about.

 

Your going to want to take out at least three leaves per side unless you want it to ride like a pogo stick. A good way to set it up is to just use the main leaf without a motor in it.

 

So we have got to drop the front end. My estimate is 4 to 5 inches (at least). You know I should have titled this thread Austin Gasser Build by the Seat of Our Pants...because it seems even with the best intentions and planning we are always just sitting there starring at it wondering how to fix it.

In this case we decided to start with cutting the front spring mount blocks off and moving them up on the new frame horns. That bought us 2.5".



After more deliberation we decide with what we have the only real way to loose the kind height we needed was to mount the axle on top of the springs instead of having the springs on top of the axle.



Now this opens a whole new can of worms. We now have questions like will the tie rod and drag link clear and most importantly, what happens if we unload it hard after a wheels up launch. The forces on the front suspension are now completely reversed. Instead of the entire weight pushing down on the axle through the springs it is pulling down on the axle. We welded the living daylights out of the spring perches, re-drilled the .5" u-bolt holes to .75" and put them together with .75" Grade 8 fine thread bolts and lock nuts. Then just for our peace of mind, we took some hardened steal .75" u-bolts and ran them over the top of the axle and welded them solid to the axle and the spring perch.

 

Before we put the front end back under it is a good time to do some further chassis clean up. I took the plasma cutter and lopped off the original upper "A" arm mount system (quite a complex bit of cutting). After it was done, even though there was still a boxed chassis rail underneath it, during the cutting process I had blown a few holes in it. I decided to just run .25" plate steel from the new front frame horns to the firewall right at the original front "X" member mounts.



You can see above the driver's side "A" arm mount is still on and the one I just cut off is laying on the floor. Later that day I did the exact same thing to the other side. I think this will really strengthen up the front end.

 

After shoving the front end back under it was time to mount the steering box and address those nagging tie rod and drag link clearance questions. As you can see, I had to notch the angled front frame rail to get the box mounted straight. After the notch was cut out, I replace the entire mounting area with .25" plate steal, plasma cut to fit and welded in place.



After I took the original Vega pitman arm off the new Flaming River Box and replaced it with a straight aftermarket arm, we had no clearance problems at all.

 

We have been contemplating whether we will have to remove a few of them. The motor is actually in right now (you will see that a bit later in the Thread) and I thought it would move the springs a bit but there was absolutely no change in them when it sat on its own. I am putting Bilstein 90/10 front shocks on it (20" shocks with 7" of movement and mounted at 16"). They will be pretty stiff...but you maybe right!

 

LETS TALK ABOUT THE DRIVE TRAIN FOR A BIT...

So after the Somerset finally showed up, I started looking for a motor. Out of the blue a 454 big block fell right into my lap. A friend was a local fire fighter. They had a one-ton Chevy that pulled a BBQ rig to functions. A year earlier they blew the motor. He helped the city pick out a really nice crate motor for it. However when the engine was installed the front seal on the trans was damaged. Basically they could not keep fluid in it. It became quite a pain filling the trans every time it had to be used. So they parked the truck behind the station with less than 500 miles on the new crate. He new it was going to be auction off one day so every time he changed oil on a tractor or car he brought the old oil in, opened the hood and dumped it on the engine. When it finally went up for auction, you can imagine what it looked like. He bought the whole rig for $500. I bought it from him and then scrapped the truck. Didn't think I would ever get all the dried sludge scrapped off that thing but when I did, there it sat, an all but new 454 crate motor.

The piece that basically started this build is sitting on the motor above. I found this killer vintage Edlebrock tunnel ram with 650 Holleys and scoop at a swap meet and just could not turn it down. It has been sitting on the shelf for a year waiting on this Austin and this motor. But here is the deal, something I had not been thinking about became very obvious when I pulled the stock intake. You probably guessed it. I have a killer "rectangular" port tunnel ram and not so astounding "round" port heads. And so the madness begins.


After lots of looking I found this amazing set of GM Performance heads that have really been worked over by Eagle Machine in Buffalo, MO. Even building a flat tappet motor it will be hard to keep the horse power under 700 or so, according to Eagle. But that is not without a cost. SO....out come the perfectly good and practically new stock pistons, rods and cam. We are going back with forged pistons, I-beam rods and a thumper cam. It may still be a flat tappet but it going to be right at the ragged edge! From a cost standpoint, I am still in pretty good shape. With the heads, engine kit and all the extra high end goodies plus the machine work on the block (boring a perfectly good block to 30 over) I am at $3250 and the machine shop said they would assemble it for me for $250. So $3,500 complete and we are ready to roll.


So it has to be manual trans car. I am sorry it just has to be. I had been looking for a M22 Rock Crusher but the Camaro and Chevelle guys have run the prices up so high on them I don't know if it is going to happen. Then one day I run across an ad for a Doug Nash 5 speed. I had one in a big block 1970 Vette Roadster and I loved it. The guy sent me photos of it inside and out and few minutes later I owned it.



Now here is a cool little story to go with trans. I drove up north, just south of Kansas City to meet the guy and get the trans. I look it over and it is just as advertised and the bonus is it has a Hurst Straight Gate Shifter, a beck 11" clutch and scatter shield bell housing! Just before I hand over the money I said to the guy, now I don't want to offend you, but I have to ask, the photos you sent were of the whole thing disassembled etc. and now it is all back together. So I am assuming you know something.....about assembling them right? He laughed and said good question. He slid is jacket off exposing his work shirt that had a patch above the pocket: LARSON RACE CARS. He said I build cars for Larson (you know the 200 mph plus Hot Rod Fastest Street Machine guy). I said good enough for me!

 

I'm liking this! Awesome build you have going!

 

So we bolted the Doug Nash up to the Big Block and stabbed it in the Austin for the first time. It took a few tries along with some additional trim work on the firewall but we finally got it where it would sit.



After taking tons of measurements to get it placed just right I made some cardboard templates for motor mounts and then fabricated them out of .25" plate.



I was very happy with the mounts and when we finally let it sit on its own, the crank height was dead on 24". Exactly what we were shooting for. I can look at the below photo all day long. Dad and I sat for more then an hour just looking at it and smiling!

 

You may have noticed in the last photo of the Austin with the engine installed there is quite a bit of work done in the front that is not on the thread. My bad! I had really been trying to take the time to get photos but sometimes you just get caught up in the fabrication and the next thing you know you have missed documenting several things.

In the photo you will see the really cool arched up shock mounts for the Bilstein 90/10 shocks. These are what motivated me for the shape of the motor mounts. I also capped off and finished the top of the front spring mount blocks and added a tab for the roll cage that will be coming out of the firewall and ending right there. This will allow us to take the body off the chassis if need with out having to cut the roll cage.

 

Love the Austin, and enjoying the build too! Are you planning on boxing those plates you put up front to make frame horns? I think the gusset is good, but it's a single plate after the gusset, with the front perch hanging on it. I'd come off the vertical box tubing for the perches and run back on the outside to tie them into the frame. Then just close the top and bottom in. Or at least a top and bottom gusset outside going back.

 

That's gonna be fun to stomp on the gas lol. I looked twice but I didn't see, what year is it?

 

Yes very good point. I am actually building a radiator mounting box that is going in between them just in front of the original chassis. It will actually be the final structural piece of the front and will basically be boxing in the new horns. Hard to explain but it will wind up on here sooner or later. That area will also get some support from above as the roll cage legs from the firewall will end there as well.

 

It is a 1953. They made the Somerset in 53 and 54 with no change.

 

As for the transmission we were hoping we would not have to alter the original "X" member system. After we got the motor exactly where we wanted it, a quick check on the trans showed it resting about an inch above the the cross member. Score! Now we just have to fab up a mount.

 

This thing is cool. I'll follow along and try to keep up. Great job on a weird little car. And I mean that as a compliment!

 

Totally understood. Thanks.