So I'm building a model a sedan for a friend of mine, and am wondering about some of the parts I was thinking of using.?? He has a good running driving '53 Olds to use as a donor car, "trust me it's a POS, perfect donor" anyway my plan was to build a '55/'56 period hot rod using the 303 Rocket engine, hydramatic trans, and Olds Rear. fenderless keeping it on top of the frame chopped "not sure how much yet, with a full hood. dropped axle and spring behind set up on the rear with a reverse eye model a spring. I'm not sure what to use for wheels and tires, and I'm a little up in the air about the trans and rear end choice. The plus is I have the parts and they are in perfect working order and it will be a bullet proof set up. I'm just wondering how "cool" of a set up that would have been at that time? What do you guys think? If anyone has any ideas I would love to hear them. Thanks.. Oh and please don't tell me to "do a search".
dont forget to use that dash and wheel from the 53, in my opinon that would look great....................john
That would have been a pretty awesome Hot Rod!!! I think a banjo out back would be a little more fitting but shit, a 303 in a chopped sedan?? Some kid in 55-56 would have killed for that thing!!! Might be cool to stick with a 4bbl carb but replaced with a Carter off a Caddy as some guys used to do. THat plan sounds awesome!!!
Jeremy, Thats the way it was done. Nothing like a Rocket powered Model A........Build it without dialing 1-800.
I got an edmunds 2x2 intake with carter WGD carbs the ones with the air horns facing the firewall. Any ideas for wheels and tires?
I think if you have the Hydro that was behind that 303 and make it shift manually. That would be the shit.
You have all the right ideas...in the mid-50s some of us used Moon discs over solid Ford wheels, still used banjo Ford rears, but at least in Calif we had to go with fenders, which I think look cool on '29 sedans....fenderless is good too... used '39 Ford boxes with Zephyr gears when we could find them...please send pics as you build it...
Ha, Never mind what I said then. That Edmunds intake is the shit!!! As far as wheels and tires, I think the standard 16" wheels with 7.00 or 7.50's out back and 6.00's up front would look pretty awesome. I think 16" wheels are just a better fit and more appropriate look on a car that was built pre 1958. Now whether you go white walls or not is a personal preference but seeing that it's 1956 and not 1946 I think white walls will be the the ticket. I'm building a '35 Ford coupe to a similar era. I have a '56 265 Chevy motor, 3 spd Early ford top loader, 7.50's and 5.50's on '36-39 ford wheels. 52 Ponsho Steering wheel, '53 Desoto gauges, 3.54 equipped banjo out back, full black interior with pleats everywhere!! I am hoping to get the feel of a kid in High School circa 56-58.
how do I do that? I know nothing about that trans. I don't even know what the letters mean on the gear selector lol.
So I did a search and found nothing about how to make the hydramatic shift manually. If anyone has any info on this that would be great! Please forgive my ignorance. The only experience I have with transmissions is with early Ford V8 stuff and I think a boy scout could figure out how to put one of those together.
B & M automotive got their inital fame building these transmissions; lots of famous gassers used them up into the mid-60s, when newer transmissions became more popular. The trade name was "Hydro-Stick," you might be able to find some info using that as a search key.
WWW and hub caps. There were no mags used on the streets in that era. Lots of choices...Olds Fiestas, Caddy sombrero's, 53 Studebaker caps and of course the early aftermarket flippers.
In the early days some builders swapped out the weak Ford differential for an Olds. This was before they discovered 9 inch Fords.
I ran a B&M hydro in an Olds powered A gas Studebaker. Loooong time ago! Somebody on here must iknow how to rework an early hydromatic. I may even have some old info buried somewhere.
B&M Hydro stick installation instructions http://jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=147409&page=4
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