Thursdays Thoughts

The morning was cold and I needed to get moving so the old bones would be able to work. I have the nicest heated seats in my wife’s new car so I headed over to Frantics to return the AC unit I borrowed for Alan. Fred had Jerry’s new red 40 coupe in for some repairs and a little upgrading. The car looked good but needed some attention after a few years on the road. TCI had supplied all of the suspension components and they were still gold colored. I built a sedan a few years ago using these same components and they worked really well. All you need is a 3/8 hand drill and a little patience to build a complete chassis. The hardest part of the process is the removal of the old center crossmember.

I have that chore facing me today. I need to remove the transmission mount and the center section of the frame. My body is still mounted on the chassis which makes it real difficult, but not impossible. It means I will have to lay on the floor (thick mat) and drill out the rivets from the bottom. If I had a plasma cutter it would be much easier. I have included some pictures of the engine installation with the distributor installed. I have plenty of clearance for the right cylinder head and valve cover. Henry is turning over in his grave with the Chevy installation but so many of these have been done that he should be used to it by now. I think the swap started in 1955 and has never stopped. My first 40 coupe had an Oldsmobile engine installed…remember those! I caught the engine on fire and ruined the hood so I drove it without a hood for a while. Hoods were $15 bucks in those days. Today a nice hood will set you back a $1000 or more. Maybe Drake will have one soon.

I better go out in the garage and get something done today.

Stay Tooned!

Lynn

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Roger’s phaeton has always been one of my favorites. The car now resides in Washington. The top was the best design I had seen on a chopped phaeton. He has an equally choice 34 roadster with a really bitchin’ top.

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Sedans offer a lot of room for everyone and plenty of storage space in the back seat for the wife’s necessities.

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The first installation is with an old Edelbrock manifold I had in stock. Note clearance between firewall and distributor.

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Head and valve cover clearance is very good. The firewall has not been altered in any way.

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Distributor clearance is tight but adequate. You can take the unit out without removing the cap.

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This is the same installation with a ZZ4 manifold. You could use an HEI with this manifold but it would hit the firewall. The HEI works well but is too large for the look I am after.

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The carburetor pad needs to be level to operated correctly. Mine is close (2 degrees) but I have not installed the transmission so I can make it perfect when mounting the rear plate.

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Jim Davis the past president of B&M had his old Deuce on display. Jim had Roy freshen up the car a few years ago. Jim is now president of Performance Products.

Today’s 40 Sedan

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I was wondering if anyone knows who owns this nice 40 sedan. I have a reader who would like to know how to get in touch with him.

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I really did the gates myself using the hot rodder approach… seven trips to IMS for material.