Projects BACK TO MY ROOTS-261 CHEVROLET 6 Powered Model A Stock Car

You are more then welcome.

 

We had our first race of the year, late Saturday nights at Fonda speedway don't make for very productive Sunday racecar building.

We did get the left wishbone mount fabricated and started on the right side, but that was all. Next up finish the right side and build some gussets.

 

I took a couple week off the H.A.M.B. to focus on some non racecar related issues.

Now I a back at it with the racecar.

Typical old Model A frame, and repair also finished the right side wishbone mount, worked on the left side wishbone mount and started the front spring mounts not photographed.


The left side frame rail was O.K. but I can't stand when things are asymmetrical. It drives me nuts!!


The right side wishbone mount, I am not happy with the welds. The welder wasn't running right and tripped the breaker on the top weld.


Left side wishbone mount.

 

Going on 2 months. Any news?

 

Working like crazy at my real job! I have fabricated a lot of front suspension components.

I plan to get a good day's work in on Sunday, I am helping a good friend and her husband build an animal pen on Saturday.

It's a good trade she is doing up some artwork of crew shirts for me.

 

Sounds like a good deal! And don't you just hate it when work gets in the way?

Any chance your vintage group is going to be at Malta this year? Life gets in the way of traveling too far these days.

 

Friday August 5th

 

Woo hoo! I think I can make it! And it's a Friday night!

 

Racecar update! The money from working overtime is nice but it doesn't leave much time for working on the racecar.

Added gussets to the engine mount.






Built and installed the battery box







Redesigned the left side wishbone mount






Dad and I both worked at the left side dead perch. It doubles as a fish plate to strengthen the wishbone where it has been heated and bent.










Lastly started the slider for the right side.


working the shock mount in too.

 

And I bet your father drilled the holes by hand as well, didn't he?

Looking good.

 

We both worked at them, the ones in the dead perch were kind on a son of a gun!

The plates don't line up with each other, but the holes need to, the rear mounts where the wishbone is still straight the front mounts after the wishbone is bent.

It took a couple tries to make everything work.

 

Well a difficult job well done makes you feel proud of the finished product. You two are really making it old school, and it reminds me of the cars from my youth. It just proves your tag line, "why buy it..." Looking forward to seeing it finished.

 

To me vintage means vintage, repro vintage style, or hand built parts, not a coupe body hang on a brand new modern chassis, and parts.

I am going for an early to mid 1960s outlaw style look.

 

And I think you're getting it!

 

Racecar front suspension was the order of the day, with a little body work on the side! Yes, the old master was helping out too.

Start of the front spring mount


Mount with lots of adjustment, still need to be trimmed.


It will bolt to the frame top and bottom


More of the spring mount




Cut the left B post out...


...and moved it back 6" to give myself a bigger window to climb in and out of.

 

What an awesome build. I love cars like this where a bit of extra effort is put into finding cool parts instead of the easiest catalogue parts to get. Looking forward to seeing it when finished.

 

Robert, with the amount of adjustability you've built in, I don't think you'll have any problem dialing in the handling.

 

The front spring mount all welded up.

 

Sorry for your loss sir.

 

I can’t hardly imagine why. Lol

 

A short day of racecar work, I picked up the sliders from the machine shop and started to mockup the front shock mounts, and bars.

Spring sliders for the right side

 

Nice! So much adjustability built in. Even more than before. And you didn't even have your father drill and file those slots!

I'm looking forward to seeing it finished.

 

So many people have the idea to just add horsepower, you need to have a car that handles. Then you can add horsepower.

I will take a car with 200 horses that hooks over a car with 500 horses that just blows the tires off!

As my dad always says "Tire smoke is wasted horsepower!"

 

Couldn't agree more. The injected sbcs we ran allowed 200 pounds less weight, always a good thing, and didn't have tire destroying torque. We ran the softest Hoosiers available which wouldn't hold up to the brute power of the unlimited big blocks of the era. But horsepower was king at the Valley. And if you were willing to drive in to the 1st turn and dive under someone, think Tommy Corellis, well crashing notwithstanding, you were probably going to make the pass.

 

Spot welded the above the door sheet metal to the body, and spot welded the left B-post back in, as I cut fitting and welding the sheet metal dad was fitting the spring sliders.

 

Moved the wheel openings forward, started the body mounts, Dad built the right-side mount behind the door.

 

I skipped the Brookfield Speedway vintage show/parade Saturday (09-10-22) to make sure the car was ready for the Central NY Stock Car H.O.F. next Sunday

Right side down tube and shock mount tube the right and left shock mounts will get a crossmember the spring mount will be welded to.


Left down tube


Front spring mount




Right slider will be trimmed




Now it's looking like a racecar!

 

Looking good Robert. Reminds me of the cars at the Valley when I was a kid. Just a few years back...

 

Thanks, I will be taking the car to the Cental New York Stock Car Hall of Fame at the sit of the Mid State Speedway Morris NY on Sunday

 

The front suspension is in and the car ready for the Mid-State Speedway reunion today!