Thread: Project "Left Overs"

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Steve, you're right, I guess my pride shows a little, huh? I've been really blessed with two Sons that I can't imagine what my life would have been like without. Seeing them is the high point of my day.

Jim, I've thought the same thing about hiding my slicks. Good thing he is running 16 inch wheels or my 15 inchers would be bolted on for a "test fit." He has an extra pair of 16 x 4.5 40 Ford wheels that he is considering having widened so he can run 16 x 8 inch slicks. The Billetproof Drags are in October and it would be fun to see him get to make a few passes with it.


Don

It's been a hoot watching Dan evolve his tastes and talent. It's probably added to the frustration of the build to keep changing (frame, body, etc.) things, but in the final analysis he's built a car at the leading edge of his peer group.

While many young guys his age pretend they "know" what real hot rods are/should be, he's built a car that melds the timeless and the practical. A well done blend of traditional notes from 60 years ago with finish, attention to detail, materials and styling/function elements (alternator, fan shroud, etc.).

A few years back we here were talking about the "rat rod" craze and how the young guys who embraced it were a mix of crappy to somewhat better builders. It was speculated that a few of them would take the hobby to heart and improve their cars as their skills grew. Danny is one of those, though he never intended to build a true piece of rat crap. I suspect Pop's influence and mentoring had a lot to do with that higher level of vision and achievement.

Though I have a couple flathead powered cars, I'm not in that "if it don't have a flathead, it ain't real" crowd. The constant criticism of the SBC (brand loyalty aside) over the past decade or so has bordered on hysterical. I notice now that some of the other young guys that share the leading edge with Dan are beginning to embrace the older SBC's (265, 283, 327) as they become aware that that engine IS part of the tradition of REAL hot rod history. Some of them are replaying in a way what happened in the mid '50s. Others, like Dan, are creating a combination of that era with little bits of later eras. The evolution continues. Good job Danny!

Thanks Bob for those very nice words. Like you, I look back on what he was doing 5 or 6 years ago, compared to now, and he has come a long way. I don't know how much of that is due to me, both he and Don have surpassed anything I am able to do........both in the car world and in their professional and personal lives. You always want your kids to be better than you and now I find myself going to them for advice and guidance. But every once in a while the old man still comes up with some solution that makes them get a surprised look on their faces. (Of course I have to take a nap afterwards)

Don

Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

......... (Of course I have to take a nap afterwards)

Don

You're wise to play to your strength...............................................

Wow is the right word, though Bob put it in a way that I just could echo, nicely said Bob, and true to the point. The combination of flat black, to the gloss, chrome and white is just stunning. I love the old pause as the key turns, and the starter slowly kicks in, reminds me of old Plymouth Satelite that would windup before take off so to speak. It just hints at the evil power that beast of an engine has!

I used a VW radiator, I think it was a Shiroco (sp?) anyway it was aluminum and very thin, maybe two cores. It had plastic tanks and very small inlet and outlets, the same size as a heater hose. I mounted it behind the rear end at about a thirty degree angle. I used it just like a heater core, using the heater inlets and outlets on the motor. I used a two hundred degree sensor on it which triggered a electric water pump. No fans on it, but I did have one on conventional radiator. I have a couple of idea's for your car if you are interested.
Ken

Thanks Steve. Ken, that sounds like a pretty good setup. Were the hoses to the radiator only heater hose size all the way back? If so, did that flow enough water without restrictions?

Don