Average Hot Rod Build

Next up on the list was seats. I had debated options ranging anywhere from bomber style buckets to a custom bench to stadium style seat cushions (seriously, I went there). I had a kirkey race seat I sat in there and thought about chopping down but it still didn't fit very well, a set of Mustang buckets which are very popular in the hot rod world were too big, and I've been down the custom seat route before with mixed results. What did I end up with? A pair of fake leather bass boat seats. The price was right, the style was decent, and I can always mess around with the brackets at a later date to get the look/feel just right. Best of all, they were in stock at Gander Mountain and on sale and it was only a week or two before TROG.

Also note the shifter - I went back and forth looking at pricey Lokar kits, ratchet shifters, you name it, but a simple Mustang floor shifter from a buddy's parts bins turned out to be the perfect fit, even if I had to combine 3 shifters to get one decent one...

Here's another detail I missed earlier on. When I first started mucking around with this engine I had to figure out the ignition. The motor came with a Ford Duraspark distributor from its previous life as a pickup engine. I contemplated options ranging from an early style distributor with a Pertronix pickup to a snazzy MSD unit. In the end, the thrifty budget-minded nature of this build prevailed and I found a couple articles online about using a GM HEI module in lieu of the stock Duraspark boxes.

I grabbed a mating connector for the distributor during a pick-a-part trip for $0.37 and picked up a new HEI module for $13 at the new super-convenient Advance Auto which is so close to my house that I can walk there if none of my junk runs! Woo! I quickly added a couple spade connectors and bolted a plate to the front of the motor to hold the module, 3/8" thick aluminum to dissipate heat since the module needs a heat sink and compound. This is one part that I still need to clean up, as it still looks like a square chunk of aluminum and some really crappy spades... but it works GREAT! It also keeps everything self-contained on the motor rather than having to hang a dozen different things on the firewall.

Oh and dig those sweet slotted screws, old school....errr, something like that...

Makes sense, I suppose there is some flex in the hairpins.

Also, what's going on with the crossmember tube up front, friction shocks?

Yup, friction shocks built into the x-member, a feature of the Total Performance chassis.

So next thing you know it was time for The Race of Gentlemen. This was our second year going and the last time we were there we had talked about how fun it'd be to have something to bomb around town in even if it wasn't "period correct" for the event. The scheduled weekend actually got hurricaned out thanks to Joaquin, but the following weekend turned out to be BEAUTIFUL.

Loaded on the [sketchy borrowed] trailer

So it turns out the C4 trans that was "barn fresh" was pretty much garbage (I could've sworn it was fine 10 years ago...) and the car didn't want to go into gear when cold and would constantly slip in/out of gear while driving. It didn't really matter though since we were staying in downtown Wildwood with it and I just drove it everywhere in 2nd gear and tried to avoid backing up if at all possible.

Friday/Saturdway we had fun bombing around, driving it to the various parties/race activities, then Sunday they let anyone with a "hot rod" out on the beach to park in front of the event, meaning that it go to go out on the sand pretty much for its maiden voyage! Sweet!

Looks tiny between two "normal" cars

We also met these two [crazy @$$] broads driving around in this full-fendered bucket, built sometime in the late 70's. I loved the fact that it used a beam axle, a SBF, and a home-made coil rear setup; it even had a Mustang floor shift like mine.

They had actually driven it to Wildwood from somewhere in North Jersey, mad props.

Points for the E.T head on the tow-hitch

looks great!

That pretty much brings me to today. The car has sat all winter since TROG, I picked up another used C4 to throw in it but haven't gotten around to it. I'm really torn, because I'm not a huge fan of the fiberglass body but Henry Ford steel is just too pricey these days. Part of me wants to rebody it with something interesting (and something that has a title already...), and part of me wants to just yank the motor and sell it as a roller.

Thoughts? Inspiration?

The Jeep-rod concept has always intrigued me

Not sure the wheelbase is long enough to support a volkswagen based body

Move the engine to the back ala BenModified?

A Jeep tub would work well.

I'm also liking the Jeep idea.

Are we going to see the Valiant again in Lemons? I'm with Idle Clatter(slow diesel mercedes team) and it's great having more old slow cars on track

Can you get it titled and plated? I say rock it with another barn fresh tranny. Its a neat little ride.

C4's are ~really~ easy to rebuild. I'm sure you take it on and freshen it up!

I do like the Jeep Rod concept too, but I'm with SkinnyG, and think that either rebuilding or swaping out the C-4 for a junkyard item is the way to go. And either fight the "title" process or sell and then start fresh. I think you'd be ahead to sell this as a running driving project and then use that cash to fund your next automotive adventure. But if it were me, I'd rock this ride just as it is.

Rebuild the C4. And put on a Track T nose.

I love how the Track nose looks on these. This was one that a local shop built a few years back for a giveaway that actually was on Street Rodder's cover. Used a Solstice GXP drivetrain.

buzzboy wrote: Are we going to see the Valiant again in Lemons? I'm with Idle Clatter(slow diesel mercedes team) and it's great having more old slow cars on track

Cool! We'll be at CMP this spring. I find that the southern races seem to be lacking on other cars that are in the painfully slow group with us.

My teammate snagged a pic of your Lemon on his way from RVA south

Not much to post for updates on the Bucket, the Lemons Valiant has been consuming most of our time.

I pulled the motor/trans last week, making the car a roller again. The engine will be going in our F100 for a temporary solution since it's not doing me any good in the bucket.

buzzboy wrote: My teammate snagged a pic of your Lemon on his way from RVA south

Awesome!!! We were a couple car lengths back and saw them taking that pic, too funny! It was a blast racing with you guys, congrats on the Class C win!

Here's what's been taking up most of our time, I should probably do a build thread for this thing too:

Pics courtesy of Judge Phil aka Murilee Martin http://www.roadkill.com/v6-mustangs-dominate-lemons-south-peugeot-504-diesel-not-much/

Holy crap it's been forever since I updated this. Finally got back to working on it and drove it again.

That thing is cool!

CLynn85 said:

...the only failures that really seem to get spun into these horror stories are typically the result of bad welding or the like. Frankly it just doesn't bother me.

I want to be your friend!

So one of the few good things to come out of Quarantines, was that a lot of us made some good headway on projects. For me, it was wrapping up the bodywork on the T, installing the windshield, rewiring the chassis, and getting my VIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here's a video I did on the bodywork:

Any Updates ?