Gr8rods: February 2021

Back in the day no one drove pickups for fun. Part of the reason it's so tough to find genuine Henry Ford steel in good shape is that pickups were almost always used as farm trucks in the 1930's. As such, thought this was a cool shot contrasting the hot rod versus farm truck theme.

Yee Haw

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08/26/2015

Hot Rod Hill Climb 2015

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07/27/2015

Keepin it Classy

Quick photo op at one of my favorite restaurants

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05/12/2015

Out for a Cruise

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03/18/2015

Donut Derelicts Huntington Beach

Made my first trip out to Donut Derelicts recently. My thanks to Rodney for grabbing a great shot!

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02/13/2015

Ride Along

Nothing too exciting here folks, but if you want to take a brief ride-along as I make my way to lunch you can check this out.

Followed all the rules of the road. Good thing, I passed a sheriff at 3:13.

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02/10/2015

And Just Like That, All Finished

Wow, after nearly 20 months in the making the truck is suddenly done!

Rudy & Jasper at Fullerton Fabrication made a final push to get the pickup ready for the Grand National Roadster show & it made it's public debut at the end of January.

Since the show, I spent about two weeks driving the truck & shaking it down. Needed to make a final list of tweaks & requests for Rudy to call the truck done-done. I've driven it about 200 miles & amazingly enough, there's very little on the checklist. It really is remarkable that a truck built from the ground-up has so little in the way of adjustments needed. Hats off to Fullerton Fabrication, this build turned out to be completely turn key upon delivery.

Just dropped the truck off to Rudy yesterday & I hope to have it back in two weeks for good.

Thanks for following along with this build thread & your support. Been an amazing journey & I'm already planning the next build for Fullerton Fabrication (don't tell my wife).

1935 Ford Pickup, Hot Rod, Rat Rod, Fullerton Fabrication, Hunter Speed & Kustoms

All polished up and ready for its debut at the 2015 Grand National Roadster Show

I tell everyone this amazing build is due to the talent of this guy, Rudy Rodriguez of Fullerton Fabrication. Modest as he is, he tells everyone its all about the truck

GNRS 2015 (photo credit IG: jamesyocum)

GNRS 2015 (photo credit IG: kingsofkustom)

GNRS 2015 (photo credit IG: mr_den)

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12/31/2014

Bed Floor, Electrical Progress

I brought the bed of the truck home for a couple days to build a floor. Made it out of 1x6 oak planks. Turned out pretty good IMHO

image from http://s3.amazonaws.com/hires.aviary.com/k/mr6i2hifk4wxt1dp/14123120/21f0331e-78be-474f-a962-49cd6fc006d0.png

Back at Fullerton Fabrication, Rudy installed the gas tank tail lights and license frame. Planks in the bed are misaligned as they aren't tightened down. Love that original 1935 California plate. Thanks to the DMV for letting car collectors run the originals

Once the bed was installed Jasper rolled it outside for some pics. Man, it always looks good when its down on the ground. Killer rake, what attitude!

These Guide headlights were one of the first vintage parts I bought for this build and I still love them. Going to use these running lights on top as turn signals

Let there be light. Rudy at Fullerton Fabrication testing the wiring to the headlamps

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12/15/2014

Progress, Final Assembly

Final assembly has begun. Killer to see the body back on the frame again. Rudy & Jasper at Fullerton Fabrication are pouring it on now to get the truck ready for it's official debut at the Grand National Roadster Show at the end of January.

There's no doubt, the blue pearl and gold paint combo looks great

I'll never get tired of seeing those carbs poking through the cowl. One of the many detailed touches Rudy has made to this build

Headers, generator, plug wires and steering box installed

Since I plan on keeping the truck rubber side down, this'll be your only opportunity to see the detailed underside of the build

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12/01/2014

The '35 Finally Has Paint

To all the frequent visitors, sorry for the lack of updates. The past five or six weeks the cab & bed have been in Riverside getting the full treatment of bodywork & paint. I'm told that's a pretty quick turnaround for a project like this but admittedly, this seemed like an eternity where we've made seemingly little progress on the build. Once I got a chance to see the end result however, I couldn't be more pleased. Good things come to those who wait.

Special thanks for "Merc John" who handled all the bodywork and custom paint. Also to Rudy Rodriguez yet again for persuading me to spend extra time & money on a proper paint job. In the end, this little truck is turning out much nicer than I ever expected it would.

Here's a little photo essay of the various steps the build went through before arriving at the end result.

As a brief refresher, here's what the truck looked like on April 30th. At various points in time we considered running the truck in this original patina. With two cabs being melded into one, a roof panel from a late model Olds and a freshly sandblasted bed I thought it looked too much like a patchwork quilt to leave it this way

After deciding the original patina wouldn't do, I tried cleaning up the doors to see if we had a nice coat of original Washington Blue under all the oxidation. No such luck, buffing the door out only uncovered the original primer under the blue paint

And here's what the door looked like on the rest of the truck. Wasn't a good look in my opinion so it was onto the next step...

Here it is folks - the best $100 paint job you'll ever lay eyes on. Basically what I did here was spray some Rustoleum midnight blue over the original patina. I scuffed it up with some ScotchBrite to give it a weathered feel and even exposed some of the original rust here and there to age it further. The truck sat this way for a couple weeks until Rudy and I had a heart-to-heart at Fullerton Fabrication. After Rudy talked some sense into me we abandoned the Rat Rod look I had achieved in favor of a proper paint job

A proper paint job meant sandblasting my rattle can paint job off. Rudy took the opportunity to do a bit more metal work, gap the doors and finish the rust repair. This image shows some new rocker panels installed and various other small fixes such as filling in all the screw holes around the cowl. From here the truck was transported to Riverside where Merc John worked his magic. The resulting body work was amazing. He even mixed a custom blue pearl color for the final truck

Here you go, the final paint laid down. Seriously great bodywork and that color!

The pearl in the paint shows off different colors in different light. The color ranges from dark blue (almost black) to blue with dark purple highlights in full sun

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The truck bed looks nearly factory fresh after the detailed bodywork

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An extreme close-up of the roof. Check out the ever so subtle flake in the paint

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10/17/2014

The Truck is off to Paint

It's been ages since I've provided an update. Rest assured, progress continues.

The last couple weeks Fullerton Fabrication has been finishing off the last of the rust repair on the cab. More recently, the cab and bed were sent off to be body worked and painted.

Next update should come in about two weeks time when final assembly begins.

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08/22/2014

Fuel Lines

Progress is a bit slow at the moment while we wait for the distributor & radiator to come back from being reconditioned. Additionally, it looks like we're going to need to put a stall converter on the transmission & change the gears on the rear end. Better now while the cab & bed are off the truck I guess.

In the meantime, Rudy has installed a new linkage on the carbs as well as the fuel lines. Looks good.

Toward the middle of the image you can see the new carb linkage. This version with heim joints moves silky smooth unlike the previous version that bound every once and a while. Also notice the new fuel block that looks to be floating near the valve covers. Rudy made a nice little bracket thats nearly invisible

Wow, looks good. Fullerton Fabrication installed some copper fuel lines that really compliment the rest of the gold and chrome

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08/04/2014

Final Assembly Begins

With all of the major fabrication work complete we recently turned our attention to taking the whole truck apart for paint, powder coating & chrome. Fast forward a couple weeks & parts have come back surprisingly fast. Fullerton Fabrication has begun final assembly. We're getting close to having a driver!

The front end installation has begun in this pic. Note the installation of the brake plumbing and period correct drum brakes

This shot was taken last November when the Hurst-style motor mounts were installed on the mock-up motor. These bent over the past months and needed to be reinforced, see below

With the Olds motor weighing in at roughly 750 lbs the section of the motor mount that attaches to the frame started to bend. Jasper at Fullerton Fabrication did a nice job doubling the thickness of the mount while keeping a stock appearance. Compare to picture above

Bendtsens Transmission Adapter Oldsmobile

My 1949 Oldmobile 303 motor needs to be connected to an automatic transmission. Due to the aggressive channel on the body and firewall mods there's simply no room for clutch and linkage. To mate the 303 to a TH350 transmission, this adapter is needed

Bendtsens transmission adapter assembly, Oldsmobile Rocket 303

Master cylinder installed. This'll be accessible via a trap door in the floor of the cab

Hopped Up 1935 Ford Pickup Frame, 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 303 Motor

1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 303 Motor

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07/11/2014

Brief Intermission

Hey everyone, sorry for the lack of updates. About a week back the truck got completely taken apart so that various parts could be sent to the powdercoater, chrome shop & various mechanics. Should have a rebuilt radiator, new distributor & shiny odds & ends soon for the final assembly. Will be another quiet week or so - perhaps by next weekend the chassis will be reassembled for the final time.

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06/17/2014

Floor and Tunnel Progress

Here's a view of the floor and transmission tunnel from the passenger side. The main tunnel section is removable for access to the transmission if (when) I toast one

A view of the drivers side. In this shot the brake and gas pedal have been installed. The hatch on the floor provides access to the master cylinder. Gear shift was a long swan neck and has been shortened to more closely resemble a Hurst setup

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06/13/2014

Triple Plated, Thanks Buena Park Chrome

Wanted to send a special thanks out to Buena Park Chrome for doing such a nice job on the first batch of parts Rudy sent over.

Most of the engine pieces are done but I still have a few odds & ends from the suspension to send over. Really nice work, I couldn't be happier with the end result.

Like most things on this project, I find the chrome process fascinating.

The valve covers are stripped and degreased

Next, the parts are dipped in copper one or more times to fill small scratches and pits

After copper, the parts are dipped in nickel

And the final step is chrome plating. These valve covers from 1949 look new again!

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06/10/2014

Oldsmobile Rocket Engine, Ready for Launch

A week or two ago I promised a look at the near final engine. This 1949 mill has turned out real nice in my opinion. So nice, that I'd like to think GM's then chief engineer Charles Kettering would have been proud.

If you'd like a refresher on why I chose the Rocket engine, be sure to check out my earlier post.

Without further ado, here's an update on my hopped up engine.

June 2013. Here's a look at the barn fresh motor that'd eventually be restored for my little hot rod truck

Teardown begins. The first order of business was to make sure the engine block was still solid

It can be confusing trying to identify a vintage engine. The shop manual specified the casting numbers for the block

Sure enough, this is a genuine Oldsmobile Rocket 303. I still love the original flecks of gold paint from the GM factory

If you recall, I actually bought two engines, the 303 and a 371. Good thing I did too as we were able to salvage the best parts of both to restore the '49 mill

Here's the block all cleaned up over at L and R Engine in Santa Fe Springs CA. The proprietor Larkin is a stand up guy, I highly recommend his shop. What a joy they've been to work with

People sometimes ask me if we've used any new parts on this project. The answer is, I don't know how you could build one otherwise. I've tried to use as many original parts as possible, but as evidenced by this pile of hardware destined for my engine you sometimes have to go with new parts for reliability

With an open engine bay the valve covers bring out a lot of personality in the engine. For this hot rod, I couldn't think of using anything other than original 1953 Rocket covers. Thanks eBay!

I really wanted a genuine Clay Smith cam in this motor. I was happy to have this longstanding speed shop make a small contribution to my truck

The engine upon arrival back at Fullerton Fabrication

I just love that glass bowl on the fuel filter. Rudy had started painting the engine and reconditioned parts were slowly being installed

Before and after. Who would have known that these vintage parts would clean up so nice after polishing?

And here she is. Cleaned up real nice for a 65 year old, huh? Chrome courtesy of Buena Park Chrome and custom headers by Circle City Hot Rods. Everything else, the handiwork of the boss at Fullerton Fabrication. Click the image for a larger version

Click the image for a closer look

You may recall an earlier post where I described the custom spacers needed to run the vintage valve covers. Once they were painted they really disappear as is evidenced by this shot

Before and After. Amazing! Be sure to click for a larger pic

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05/22/2014

It's all in the Details

I don't have a time for a full update today but you can expect something more substantial next week. The engine assembly is nearing completion & I'll be posting some great pictures of the end result (spoiler: it looks amazing). For now, how about a few pics of the odds & ends that have been getting attention over the last two months?

1935 Ford Pickup, Hot Rod, Rat Rod, hunter speed and kustoms

Here's one of the last pictures you'll see for a while of the assembled truck. It's nearly time to take it all apart for chrome, paint and final assembly

This little doo-dad is something Rudy fabricated at Fullerton Fabrication for the radius rods. It's also one of the cool little details that make this killer truck the sum of it's parts. Check the next pic for more details...

1935 ford pickup, hot rod, rat rod, fullerton fabrication

If you look closely at the bottom of this pic you'll see the hairpin bracket from the previous shot. Over the past ten years most builders of this style truck have bolted the hairpin to the frame through the body. Rudy opted for a fresh take this time around by installing these neat brackets just like they did in the old days. Also of note in this shot, check out how Jimmy White of Circle City Hot Rods fabricated the exhaust headers in such a a way that the bottom pipe perfectly matches the 5 degree angle of the top of the radius rod. I'm a sucker for these little details!

Another fine detail Rudy added to the truck is this subtle web behind the cab. Again, with builds of similar style owners often add "skirts" below the bed so that it doesn't look like it's floating behind the cab. Here, Rudy and I agreed we didn't need skirts as the 1940 Ford bed already sat well. To compliment the line that flows from the front portion of the frame to the cab Rudy fabricated these webs to continue the line of the cab into the rear of the frame

Close-up detail of the aforementioned web. I love the craftsmanship that goes into these killer parts. When we do final bodywork we won't fill in the top seam between the web and the pickup bed. Why? Because these are intended to look like a vintage part someone might have bought at their local speed shop circa 1955

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05/04/2014

Custom Valve Cover Spacers

Seems every little detail of this truck requires fabrication in one way or another. If it were easy, everyone would be building one.

Though I'm going to run a 1949 Oldsmobile 303 engine I don't want to run the stock valve covers on it. They're really cool looking but you can buy replicas to run on your small block Chevy & I want to install something that has an authentic look. So, in steps a set of vintage 1953 Oldmobile Rocket valve covers.

Regardless, I need to install some sort of spacer between the heads & the valve covers. I'm running a big Clay Smith cam in this engine & the adjustable rockers would bang up against the inside of the stock covers.

Whenever there's a problem, Fullerton Fabrication seems to have the solution.

Here's a sneak peek of the progress on my final engine. Remember, the rusty one you see in the truck right now is a placeholder and this 303 motor is going be be dressed to the nines for the final truck. Here's a look at the 1953 valve covers before they head off to be chromed

Underneath those covers are my new set of adjustable rockers to complement the cam. As noted above these will collide with the valve covers without a spacer

Before rushing off to fabricate spacers we first must decide how tall the spacer should be. They shouldn't be too tall or they'll ruin the stock look of the engine. To tell just how tall they need to be a dab of clay is applied to the rockers. With the valve covers reinstalled they can be raised progressively until the clay stops colliding with the inside of the covers when the engine is cranked

image from http://s3.amazonaws.com/hires.aviary.com/k/mr6i2hifk4wxt1dp/14050420/e298bf59-6593-4c73-baf4-f3bf41ef1d82.png

With the height of the spacer determined a wood template is fabricated to be 100 percent sure the thickness is right. Also pictured are some templates for intake manifold block off plates that are also being fabricated

Metal spacers are finally fabricated using a water jet cutter. These custom spacers are sandwiched between gaskets

A final test fitting. The bottom gasket will blend with the gold engine as will the metal spacers once the edges are painted. The top gasket disappears inside the valve covers. In the end these spacers will virtually disappear and allow for a stock appearance. Neat

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04/27/2014

First Magazine Feature

Be sure to check out the July issue of Rod & Custom magazine. There's a nice write up in there on the radical firewall that Fullerton Fabrication installed.

UPDATED: Here's a link to the article in case you can't get your hands on the July issue.

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04/24/2014

Headers by Jimmy White

I haven't posted many updates these past couple weeks as the car took a bit of a fieldtrip over to Circle City Hot Rods in Orange California. Shop founder Jimmy White was kind enough to fit the truck in to fabricate exhaust headers and it turned out great in my opinion. It was nice to meet another hot rodder who's also a genuinely good guy.

image from http://s3.amazonaws.com/hires.aviary.com/k/mr6i2hifk4wxt1dp/14042420/066a5ab2-43fb-4215-8e1a-afbebf5a1286.png

Rudy Rodriguez (left) and Jimmy White discuss the plan of attack as the truck arrives at Circle City Hot Rods

This pic of the Oldsmobile 303 header flange illustrates some of the problems Jimmy faced. The round exhaust port at the front is no problem, but how to deal with the oval one in the middle? Also, the rear port is tucked completely behind the cab and firewall leaving very little room for the rear pipe to make the corner and exit the engine bay

image from http://s3.amazonaws.com/hires.aviary.com/k/mr6i2hifk4wxt1dp/14042420/77aafbad-753a-48bb-b46d-2608720337c1.png

To tackle the oval pipe in the middle Jimmy simply flayed a piece of the 1 5/8" tubing open to fill the flange's center port

image from http://s3.amazonaws.com/hires.aviary.com/k/mr6i2hifk4wxt1dp/14042420/ddded83f-80f4-4964-b202-1c3bfeafc2d9.png

Next, the gaps in the stub are filled in with similar 3/8" thick material to complete the job

As the job nears completion this overhead shot provides a good look at the exhaust layout. Note the rear pipe to the right of the picture - Jimmy did a nice job routing it without modifying the firewall or starter placement

image from http://s3.amazonaws.com/hires.aviary.com/k/mr6i2hifk4wxt1dp/14042420/6e681b75-1ec7-4790-a61e-07346268d3d6.png

The three tubes still need to be welded together so they don't rattle around at speed. Jimmy will hide those final modifications so not to disturb the wicked shotgun appearance

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Tags: Oldsmobile 303 headers

04/20/2014

What a Difference a Year Makes

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04/06/2014

1933 Ford Grille, Sectioned & Installed

What's that saying? If at first you don't succeed, try & try again? Seems that's been the story of finding the right grille for this project.

In earlier posts you'll recall that we initially tried a 1935 Ford grille on the truck. Problem was it made the front of the truck feel too stubby. Then I picked up at 1934 for a classic look. It fit the truck pretty well but to really take it to the next level a 1933 Ford grille would be the ultimate choice. Problem is, those grilles can set you back $2,000+ on any given day & I've been unwilling to pay that much.

After a year of eBay searches though I did find a '33 grille for a reasonable price. Seems it was affordable because it was painted & you just never know what things look like once that paint is stripped off. Still, it looked straight enough so I gave it a shot.

Good news is the '33 is straight & servicable given a little TLC to address the rust issues.

Better news, I don't have to buy any more grilles. I've gotten sick of the pricey things sitting around the garage. Off to a new home via eBay for the '34 & '35 grilles.

Here's what the 1933 looked like when it arrived from the seller on eBay. I couldn't wait to get the paint stripped to see what condition it was in underneath. That, and I wasn't a fan of the street rod paint scheme

Here's a decent comparison of the '34 (top) and '33 grilles. Though they look similar the '33 is flatter on the top and swoops out at the bottom which will hopefully address the previous "stubby" feel of the truck's front end. Also note how straight the '33 is compared to the slats of the '34 which would have needed some serious shop time to straighten

Looks much better without the coat of makeup. The sandblaster did a nice job stripping the paint while not bending any slats. Look closely 3/4 of the way up each side and you'll see that it's been sectioned two inches. Rudy at Fullerton Fabrication did a real nice job on this - it practically looks stock

While the grille is straight, its unfortunately pitted pretty badly. The paint masked all the filler and now it needs some serious repair to reapply chrome. We'll give it a shot. Also note the original copper visible from the recent sandblasting

With the grille installed. The brackets were fabricated in such as way as to lean the grille back just a bit to give the front end some real attitude

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03/13/2014

1935 Ford Dashboard & Instrument Panel

Progress update from Fullerton Fabrication.

With renewed focus on finishing the major fabrication work Rudy has been getting the dash sorted out.

At one point early in the project I had considered using restored 1935 Ford gauges but Rudy suggested period correct Stewart-Warner gauges. I think it was a much better idea. Check out some pics...

As a reminder of the starting point, this is what the dash looked like when I took delivery of my Ford cab

Stewart Warner Police Special Speedometer

Even though I decided to go with aftermarket gauges, I still wanted vintage parts. My goal was to find a 1950's era Stewart Warner Police Special speedo. What's a Police Special you ask? Check out the product literature from 1954

Over the course of a few months I purchased two gauge candidates. The one on the left is from a police cruiser circa 1958. The one on the right came off a police motorcycle and was manufactured in 1968. I ultimately decided on the one on the left since it met my build guidelines of using 1950's parts whenever possible. That, and the police star graphic is just plain cool!

Factory sticker is still intact on the back of the speedo

Many speedos of this vintage are pretty worn. Fortunately mine still has a legible stamp on the back. The top digits are the model number. The bottom letters "B1" are a date code that tell me this was produced in B (1958) 1 (January)

I needed an water temp and oil pressure gauge to compliment the speedo. One of them is a vintage instrument and the other is from the Speedway Motors catalog. Can you tell which is which?

Here's the first mockup of the gauges in the dash. The Police speedo didn't fit in the stock opening so that had to be enlarged. With that done the two flanking gauges seemed too close to center so they were moved out. This meant that the side holes needed to be filled in so there were no gaps. See, nothing is ever simple, is it? Note the opening near the top of the speedo to allow me to lock the needle on a future dry lake run

Before the gauges go in the dashboard has to be reinstalled in the cab (it was removed during firewall work). The ol' Henry Ford steel was a bit flimsy so Rudy added a cross member. If you look carefully you can get the gist of how it supports the center of the dash

And finally here's a look at the column drop setup. The dash couldn't give proper support for the steering so a little more custom fabrication ensures that the drop is attached to something rigid

Coming soon, progress on the floor and transmission tunnel.

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02/21/2014

1934 Ford Grille

Bit of a facelift. Trying on a 1934 grille. Would still need to be sectioned about three inches but I'm trying to decide if we take the build to the next level with a '33 grille

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02/18/2014

Steer Clear Offset Steering Coupler

During the first month & a half of 2014 progress has been slow. I needed a bit of time off from the project & Rudy's been focusing on other customer builds in the meantime. Good news though, we're back at it on the '35 with the goal of finishing all the remaining fabrication in the next six to ten weeks.

Before the break Rudy was able to get the steering sorted out. Here's a couple pics of the unique setup.

1935 Ford Pickup Hot Rod Rat Rod Steer Clear

You may recall from an earlier post that the big Olds Rocket engine we dropped into the Ford causes some problems with the stock steering setup, namely the column was colliding with the engine's heads. While a pitman arm setup would provide a more traditional solution we decided to go with a more modern strategy. This little box is called a Steer Clear. The column enters the box at an interior location high enough to give me some much needed foot and pedal clearance but exits on the other side of the firewall at a much lower location to clear the heads and headers.

A wider angle view of the interior. Also, the placeholder transmission is out and my TH350 has been installed

And here's a shot of the external firewall. With the Steer Clear the steering column exits the firewall at a much lower location than stock. No more clearance problems with the heads or exhaust headers

Posted at 09:57 PM in Build Pics | Permalink | Comments (0)

01/28/2014

Please Excuse the Lack of Updates

It's been a busy month & I just realized that I haven't posted in a while. For now, this will have to suffice.

I always seem to post pictures from the front 3/4 view. Here's a moody pic of the rarely seen back of the truck that Jasper Rodriguez snapped

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01/08/2014

Stromberg 97's

When choosing carburetors it only made sense to select something of similar vintage to pair with the Edelbrock manifold. Why Stromberg 97's? Along with being one of the more nostalgic choices for a modern day hot rodder they also lend themselves to multi-carb setups. Interesting fact - according to Rod & Custom Magazine, when Vic Edelbrock started manufacturing aftermarket speed equipment in the early '40s his first product was the 180-degree "Slingshot" manifold, built for dual 97s.

Edelbrock ol-496, Oldsmobile Rocket, stromberg 97, 1935 ford truck

The Edelbrock OL-496 manifold will eventually get polished to match the risers. Velocity stacks by Speedway Motors

Though these Stromberg 97s aren't originals, the factory in England does an admirable job with the reproduction, right down to the vintage logos

While it'd be a tempting shortcut to put generic carb risers on the manifold, the unique shape of the OL-496 all but begged for custom risers. These 2" jobs were specially produced for this project by Dash Manufacturing in Viroqua, Wisconsin

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12/23/2013

Headlights Installed, Guide 682C

In choosing headlights for this project we eventually turned to vintage Guide headlamps. These OE replacements were a popular choice in the 1950's largely due to the fact that the parking/clearance light could be converted to a turn signal. For that same reason, the Guide 682C's are a sensible choice today.

Trivia of note - Guide was one of the first companies to produce electric headlamps in 1908. They also introduced the first dual-filament high/low beam headlight (1924) & the first autotronic headlight dimmers. Guide introduced the sealed beam headlight in 1940.

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12/18/2013

A Radical '35 Ford Grille

Early on in this project Rudy & I had a conversation about grille selection. Now-a-days everyone runs a 1933 or 1934 Ford grille it seems, and with good reason - they look awesome! To me, a '33 Ford grille screams "hot rod" nearly as loudly as chrome hairpins do but the problem is, a vintage '33 grille in good shape will set you back about $2,000.

I scoured eBay for a month or so looking for a '33 or '34 grille & wasn't having much luck. Around this time I found a nice 1935 Ford passenger grille in good condition & I bought it. Imagine Rudy's surprise when I showed up at Fullerton Fabrication & explained that the '35 grille might be preferable to the '33 or '34 given this is a 1935 Ford pickup build. Rudy agreed in principle, we stored the grille upstairs for another day & moved onto other projects.

Only recently did Rudy & I talk about the grille again. Neither he nor I have seen a '35 grille on this style of truck before & we agreed it might be neat to give the project some unique character. As Rudy noted, "it'll be hero or zero" and the modifications began.

Though Rudy has only completed the preliminary fabrication work, in my humble opinion the results thus far look awesome. By the time Rudy is done this grille will look like it came from the factory purpose built for this truck. My hope is that people will see the grille in its finished form, stop & look at the subtle modifications & appreciate the craftsmanship that has gone into its design.

1935 Ford Pickup Hot Rod Fullerton Fabrication Rudy Rodriguez 1935 grille

Here's a nice 3/4 view of the grille from a distance. I've always loved the way the 1935 grille swooped back under the car near the bottom and lamented the fact that Ford effectively hid this feature by placing a bumper directly in front of it

The final grille will have black inserts and a chrome outer frame that'll further highlight the unique styling of this vintage grille

Description necessary? I think not, the picture speaks for itself

The grille has been pinched and sectioned yet still maintains its stock appearance. Look at how much was removed!

Posted at 02:16 PM in Build Pics | Permalink | Comments (0)

12/04/2013

1935 Ford Cowl Modifications

As noted previously, the engine mock-up highlighted two problems. First, shoehorning the Oldsmobile Rocket mill into the shortened wheelbase meant that two of the four carburetors failed to clear the cowl, & second, the steering column failed to clear the engine. More on the steering workaround in a future post. Today, I wanted to highlight some of the work that's gone into modifying the cowl for the carbs.

As usual, Rudy & Jasper down at Fullerton Fabrication have done some amazing work not only making everything fit but doing so in an aesthetically pleasing manner (read: the intake is looking completely wicked).

Yup, looking more like a proper hot rod each day.

Here's a good illustration of the problem. I'm going to run four two-barrel carbs on top of the Rocket and clearly the back two aren't going to fit under that cowl

At Fullerton Fabrication, there are no problems - just solutions. I'm sorry to see the cowl vent go but looks like there's no choice but to seal up the crotch cooler opening. Here, Rudy has tacked a new plate in

Jasper has welded and smoothed the new plate in. Looking like a good starting point for some modifications

As the new firewall starts to take shape Rudy also cuts some of the cowl away for carb clearance

The formerly 2D cutout starts to get some dimension thanks to the continued firewall progress

And finally, here's a shot of the Stromberg 97 carbs in the cowl cutout

We'll run two inch spacers between the intake and the carbs. The steel blocks are placeholder for now while the final ones are being fabricated in Wisconsin. With a couple velocity stacks added to the mockup this is looking completely sick!

Posted at 06:16 PM in Build Pics | Permalink | Comments (0)

11/19/2013

Engine Mock Up

With the chop & channel completed its time to begin mock up of the engine & transmission.

Since the engine will be in & out of the truck a number of times while the motor mounts are sorted, Fullerton Fabrication mocked up my junk Oldsmobile 371 motor as a placeholder for the Rocket 303 I'm in the process of restoring (no sense banging the final engine up). With the intake manifold & carbs in place we not only get a feel for the engine height & overall aesthetics but also identify any unforeseen problems.

Compared to small block Chevys & Ford Flatheads people normally use in this style of truck the thing that's immediately apparent is that the Olds Rocket is a BIG engine. So big in fact that only two of the four carbs fit under the cowl & the steering column is intersecting the engine's heads. Though we weren't anticipating these minor hurdles Rudy already has a backup plan & he's beginning to make the necessary modifications.

All said and done it looks really great in my humble opinion. I like the way the Rocket completely fills the engine bay & the choice of four two-barrel carbs on top should make quite a statement.

The Olds 371 is dropped into the truck and all things considered, it fits perfectly. The radiator fan will be right over the front cross member and the transmission fits into the frame with fractions of an inch to spare. The Hurst style motor mounts will keep the engine from torqueing too much but Rudy may still shave some of the frame near the bell housing for ample clearance

One of the two problems encountered is that the two rear carbs don't fit under the cowl. Nothing a little time and money won't fix however - grab a saw!

A view of the engine bay with my radiator set in place. It needs to be short enough to allow proper ground clearance but large enough to provide ample cooling. This vintage Ford radiator looks just right but will still need to be rebuilt

While I'm not planning to use a 1933 Ford grille Rudy lent me his for a bit so we could get a better idea of how the front end is shaping up. Looks like the engine is set back far enough into the cab. In the end, carbs will be raised about two inches so the velocity stacks should be about as tall as the mid point of the windshield

Posted at 01:27 PM in Build Pics | Permalink | Comments (2)

11/06/2013

Chop and Channel Complete

I've learned over the past couple weeks that mocking the project up can be a both exciting & confusing stage of the build. One one hand you have the frame, cab & bed all tacked together & you get a good feel for what the truck is turning out like. On the other hand, the mockup can be misleading. It's natural to conclude that the truck is nearly done when in fact a bunch of hard work is only just beginning.

For example, setting the cab on the frame is a far cry from completing the channel job properly. Chopping the roof doesn't mean there still isn't a ton of work left to do to finish the doors & chop the windshield.

Long story short, Rudy has worked his ass off in October getting the chop & channel finished - & finished properly I might add. As I'm finding is typical with Rudy's work he doesn't cut corners, and while the results mean this truck will look like it rolled off a Ford production line this way, attention to detail doesn't come overnight.

The hard work has paid off though & the chop & channel are finally complete. Not only that, but the firewall has been cut out & the steering column has been installed.

It's been nice to get the truck off jack stands. The project looks downright nasty when the tires hit the pavement & you get a feel for the slammed profile & killer rake.

These 1935 doors are a pain to cut down. The top and bottom taper, there's a ton of detailed angles that require serious fabrication hours

After all the pie cutting, welding & smoothing the door looks like it might have rolled off a Ford production line

One of the areas a lesser shop might cut corners would be the interior of the door. After all, who will see it since the door is shut most of the time? Just like the exterior of the door the interior has been painstakingly finished properly

The finished result looks great. With a little body work this will look really slick. Note that the windshield has also been chopped - it cranks out too!

Here's a great look at the windshield and door profile. Looks positively wicked compared to the original stock height of this cab. Firewall has been removed in anticipation of the engine and transmission mock up

The channel job has been finished off. Of note, the bracket along the back of the cab. The new metal on the door sills blends perfectly with the vintage Henry Ford steel along the bottom. Even retained original rivets

Three quarter view of all the combined work in October

Coming soon... my junk 371 Olds Rocket stands in for the upcoming engine and transmission mock up

Posted at 11:01 PM in Build Pics | Permalink | Comments (1)

10/10/2013

Mini Progress Update

In case you're wondering about the lack of updates recently, things are still progressing quite nicely. That said, the build is in one of those periods where there just isn't a lot of new stuff to show. Since Rudy & I reviewed the mockup of the cab, bed & frame he moved onto a couple other clients hot rods in the shop. While it'd be cool to have my '35 be the only thing Fullerton Fabrication worked on day in and day out I don't think my checkbook could support that kind of ongoing effort. The wife is quite certain it wouldn't.

After a short hiatus Rudy & Jasper are back to the pickup & work continues on completing the channel. From there, they'll likely finish off the doors & windshield before moving onto the engine & transmission mockup & firewall modifications.

On another note, I just visited L&R Engine and the '49 Olds motor is coming along quite nicely. Not a lot of interesting pics to show though I did find the crankshaft balancing process fascinating.

My '35 Ford in the background as seen through the windshield of a Ford Model A roadster truck. Artsy!

This thing's a BEAST! I picked up this rare Offenhauser 4x2 intake as a topper for the Olds Rocket engine. But, I found something even more desirable to use on the Rocket. You'll have to wait and see...

The guys at L&R could probably describe the balancing job better than I can. Basically, weigh a bunch of parts, spin the crankshaft on the machine, consult a chart and drill metal out of the crank to balance it. Need additional weight? Drill cross sections in the crank and add dense metal plugs. This isn't the technical description folks, but trust me, it's more impressive when L&R walks you through it

Check out the barn fresh engine block, original gold paint and all (left). After the engine shop got done cleaning it up you could practically eat off it (right). You wouldn't know its 60+ years old

Posted at 07:40 PM in Build Notes | Permalink | Comments (0)

09/27/2013

Looking Like a Real Hot Rod

I realize the majority of this site's audience doesn't get nearly as excited as I do over valve cover selection or glass pack mufflers. To many, I'm sure this project has more closely resembled a random pile of parts than a hot rod. I have some good news though loyal readers - the '35 is finally starting to look like a truck!

Check out the recent progress at Fullerton Fabrication. Rudy has nearly finished the chop (doors & windshield still to be completed) & we just reviewed the final mock-up of the channel.

Man, this truck is looking radical. Stance & rake are as aggressive as I envisioned & the overall proportions are perfect (a common failing of this build style). I couldn't be happier to hit this milestone.

Nice shot of the cab placement before the bed is mounted. Check out the difference in angles between the lower portion of the cab and the gray frame behind it

Talk about slammed. The mock-up has the cab about three inches off the ground but we can still adjust ride height later. Maybe a bit lower? HaHaHa

Looks promising but there's still LOTS of work left to do

Artistic shot - those are some wide whites!

Posted at 06:46 PM in Build Pics | Permalink | Comments (3)

09/21/2013

Anatomy of a Roof Chop, 1935 Ford Pickup

Yup, it's been a while since I provided a proper update. With luck this post will more than make up for it. Grab a coffee, this one might take a few minutes. You've been warned.

I took a lot of pictures of recent progress as in my opinion chopping a roof is one of those old school art forms that sets vintage speedsters apart from their modern day counterparts. Chopping a roof with this many angles is complicated for Rudy, but for me it's been a rewarding couple weeks as I've watched the transformation from vintage farm truck to radical hot rod. Rudy and his son Jasper made quick work of the task & their experience with this sort of thing is worth every penny. Seriously, I don't know how people tackle this sort of thing in their home garage & still get half decent results.

Stay tuned, in the coming week I should have some new shots of the cab as it's recently been channeled & mounted on the frame. It's starting to feel like a real hot rod rather than a collection of parts.

This pic is from an earlier post, but just to refresh your memory we planned to take six inches out of the cab

Post surgery scrap metal

CLICK THIS IMAGE to see what a dramatic difference the chop makes on the attitude of the truck. The GREEN line in the animation shows the difference between the stock cab and the six inch chop. The RED line shows the difference between the chop and the crown removal (more on that below)

Check it out. Rudy took the best parts of both cabs and tacked 'em together for this final mock-up

There are easier cars to chop than a 1935 Ford pickup for sure. With so many angles and curves it's enough to give you a headache trying to figure out how to piece it all back together. With a bunch of slicing, dicing, pinching and pie cutting Rudy got the puzzle all sorted out in quick order. As you'll see in later shots it goes back together at Fullerton Fabrication looking like it just rolled off the showroom floor

Kind of tough to see in this shot, but the upper portion of the rear window is suffering from some serious rust and rot. Nice that I sprung for the second Ford cab as Rudy can take pieces off it to patch this up

OK kids, school is now in session. What makes Rudy Rodriguez's hot rods so amazing is his attention to detail. Most late '30's trucks you'll see have a crown in the roof. While there's nothing wrong with leaving that curvature in the cab, one of Rudy's tricks is to remove the center section of the roof and replace it with a flat roof from an appropriate donor car. By doing so you not only improve the chop by removing another 1.5 inches but the "pancaked" roof also looks more aggressive - sort of like you'd see on a '32 Ford

Almost a shame to fill this nice looking sunroof in again

In the case of my pickup the donor roof is coming off an Oldsmobile. Appropriate I suppose given my choice of the '49 Rocket engine

Jasper has been doing some of the welding and the results are amazing

All said and done the resulting chop is roughly 7 inches. The resulting cab looks downright wicked

Note the rear window. The rotten upper window section has been repaired with genuine Henry Ford steel from the second cab

Posted at 10:16 PM in Build Pics | Permalink | Comments (0)

09/11/2013

Cranking Away

My apologies to those of you who've been checking in for an update. I'll admit, the new posts have been slow coming since Rudy started working on the chop. Even though I have some great pictures of the progress I'm hesitant to post them until the work is completed. Should be another week or so but rest assured, Fullerton Fabrication is cranking away.

Speaking of cranks, here's a shot of mine from the '49 Oldsmobile Rocket over at L&R Engine in Santa Fe Springs. For whatever reason I thought this was a really cool pic.

Posted at 09:38 PM in Build Notes | Permalink | Comments (0)

09/03/2013

eBay + Indecisiveness = Lots of Valve Covers

When building the engine I think proper choice of intake manifold & valve covers is vitally important. With the valve covers I'm suffering from a serious case of indecisiveness. On a positive note, I'm clearly cornering the market on these vintage parts.

Tops two rows are valve covers from 1952. The ones with the wire looms are vintage 1949. Bottom row from 1957.

Posted at 07:26 AM in Build Pics | Permalink | Comments (0)

08/30/2013

Chop Update

The cab is stripped down and prepped for bracing

Bracing tacked into place to prevent the cab from getting out of shape once the roof is removed

This pickup cab will be 6" shorter once the chop is completed

The roof section from one of my cabs has already been removed. Parts of the foreground roof will be used during the chop of the blue one

When I explain the radical stance of the finished truck I don't think everyone gets it. My definition of radical? Consider that the 6" chop takes my stock 8.5" rear window and reduces it to 2.5"!

Stock 14" side windows will be 8" tall after the chop. Righteous

Posted at 09:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

08/27/2013

Two '35 Ford Cabs Better Than One

One of the more common questions people ask about the build is, “When will it be done?”

It’s tricky to answer. There’s no schedule we’re working toward but I’d say the project is steaming along nicely. Having started in April with a bare frame we’ve already got a rolling chassis, the pickup bed is modified & the machine work on the engine should be done in a few weeks. In absence of a hard deadline I figure the truck will be roadworthy by the end of this year & mostly finished by Spring of 2014 if we maintain current pace.

So what’s next?

Starting in September Rudy at Fullerton Fabrication is moving onto one of the more interesting & time consuming (read: expensive) steps of the project – chopping & channeling the cab.

Def. CHOP

“Chopping the top" goes back to the early days of hot rodding and is an attempt to reduce the frontal profile of a car and increase its speed potential. To chop a roof, the pillars and windows are cut down, lowering the overall roofline. Some racers on the dry lakes chopped the tops of their cars so severely the windows were only a few inches tall. These were sometimes referred to as "mail slot" windows.

Def. CHANNEL

To channel a car the body is lowered over the frame by removing the floor and refastening it higher inside the body, causing the body to rest closer to the ground without altering the suspension. The overall effect is to give the car's body a more massive appearance. Each automobile would have its own engineering challenges as far as modifying the various components of the chassis.

As the chop & channel approaches Rudy & I have been discussing how to handle the process as economically as possible. The original cab I bought in April has no floor & the back of the cab was cut as a result of an earlier channel job. It has some dents to be hammered out, most of the interior accessories are missing & when Rudy starts the chop he’s going to need a few extra inches of roof & drip channel (not easy to come by). All this can be handled one way or the other but fabrication hours & replacement parts get expensive.

Alternate solution?

We decided that buying an additional 1935 Ford cab might make sense as the missing pieces it’d provide might potentially be cheaper than fabrication. So, out comes the checkbook & in comes ‘35 Ford #2 that I recently located in West Virginia. Two cabs are better than one? Sorta makes sense – or at least as much as the rest of this project does.

The previous owner had cab #2 in his shop for the past ten years as the foundation of his own hot rod project that never commenced (happens all too much). After getting it shipped out here in a 53’ freightliner I have a new toy.

Like most vintage steel the second cab is rough around the edges. Still, Rudy & I agree this one’s in good enough shape to become the primary cab that’ll be chopped & channeled.

More updates on the chop & channel soon, but for now – pics…

Here's the newest addition to the family. This '35 cab has been in storage the past ten years and while it's a bit rough it has very little rust on the doors and lower rear of the cab. The windshield cranks out perfectly and the doors open and close really well

Here's the interior. Nice that this one has a floor, toe panel and some hard to find parts such as the glovebox door. Replacement gauges from another eBay vendor already arrived. All that junk inside? It shipped from West Virginia with a selection of bonus parts included. The bumpers and seat springs are trash. The headlight buckets I'll sell on eBay. The rare '35 Ford hood section I'll probably keep

The image on the left shows the visor area inside the cab. The panels are usually missing on these cabs, so that's a bonus. Few people my age would know what the mechanical controls are for (A). That's the vacuum windshield wiper control while (B) shows the vacuum line that runs to the engine's intake manifold. Neato

Here's a comparison of the two cabs we'll be working with in September

Posted at 01:10 PM in Build Pics | Permalink | Comments (0)

08/21/2013

Oldsmobile Rocket 303 Prepping for Launch

I wanted to provide a brief engine update. The Olds 303 is over at L&R Engine & is progressing quite nicely. A handful of parts needed to be located but we're full steam ahead with new pistons, push rods, bearings & a freshly ground cam. Looks like it'll be bored 0.080 over which leaves some room for another rebuild down the road if so desired (can bore these stout Rocket engines up to 0.125). All said and done this 303 should be good for about 324ci. All the major work should be completed in about three weeks time.

Oldsmobile Rocket Engines (circa 1950)

While the cam could have been ground anyplace, I insisted that we make best efforts to get the job done over at Clay Smith in Buena Park. Clay Smith not only has one of the most recognizable logos in hot rodding history, they've also been supplying custom cams since the 1930's. I'm looking forward to having a bit of automotive history in this vintage motor

Posted at 03:28 PM in Build Notes | Permalink | Comments (0)

08/17/2013

1940 Ford Pickup Bed Restoration

When someone decides to build a hot rod a major thing that's often taken for granted is the time spent finding & restoring vintage parts. In the case of this build, I'm using pre-1955 parts wherever possible & that means I spend a ton of time online doing research & a bunch more scouring eBay and Craigslist for desirable parts.

When Rudy & I initially discussed this build we decided that the 1940 Ford bed was the one we were after. A 1935 would have made more sense with the overall build theme but we both felt the side & tailgate styling was more interesting on the '40 as opposed to 1935 or '37 options. As mentioned in a previous post, the early Ford pickups were mainly used as commercial vehicles & the beds you find today are in pretty rough shape. It's not easy to find Henry Ford steel in decent shape but fortunately one of Rudy's connections had a '40 bed. For sale, yes. Decent shape? I think that's debatable.

Rudy told me not to worry though & just like always he & Jasper are doing fine work on the restoration. Sure, it'd probably be easier to buy a remanufactured bed from the Mac's catalog (and cheaper) but what fun would that be?

Ain't she a beauty?! I didn't think so either. Front bed panel? Trashed. Tailgate? More Bondo than steel. Stake pockets, side supports, cross-members? Trash. Bed sides? Servicable with only minor rot. So I've got that going for me, which is nice...

Here's the passenger bed side. Stake pockets are OK and if you squint you can make out the embossed detail behind the fender stains

The driver's bed side isn't quite as nice. Some rot in the side panel, stake pockets are worse for wear and the side support needs work. Only reasons we're working with these I figure is because the top rails are straight (major win) and out of personal principle that this truck sport vintage steel wherever possible

After the bed sides were sandblasted I had to admit they didn't look half bad. The rust and rot here and there didn't end up being a big problem as the plan all along was to shorten the bed anyway to give this hot rod proper proportions. You can see here that a good amount of the bed sides were removed. Note the trashed stake pockets at the bottom of the image

Interesting shot of the area where the side support was removed and repaired. Above the tig welded section you can see the rotten piece that was eventually discarded

Here's the other side. Tig weld has been ground down

Here's an overall look at one of the bed sides where the repairs are apparent. Notice that the bed was shortened in two places. I'm finding that Rudy doesn't do anything half-assed - this attention to detail will ensure these sides look like they rolled off the factory line once they're finished up and painted

Here's the other side with the welds ground down and the stake pockets reinstalled. Looks AWESOME! Center support will be reinstalled once we mock the bed up and ensure the rear tires center properly

The tailgate on the original bed was really rough so I bit the bullet and ordered a NOS gate off macsautoparts.com. I have to admit, it's a quality part

Here's a shot of the final mockup looking back toward the inner tail gate

Final mockup. The bed turned out awesome. You'd have a tough time differentiating vintage steel from NOS parts and the shortened sides look completely stock. All the mods will be invisible after final paint

Posted at 10:26 PM in Build Pics | Permalink | Comments (0)

08/03/2013

Multiple Choice - Lug Nuts and Center Caps

I have all sorts of time to figure out my wheel setup. Still, I thought it'd be fun to do a little multiple choice exercise in case anyone has input.

OPTION A

Ford 15" Steelie w Firestone Deluxe Whitewalls

Though this represents the most basic wheel setup its arguably the one most consistent with my build theme. Lakesters in the 40's and 50's rarely had center caps or trim rings because event organizers disallowed it. Wheel trim had a tendancy to pop off during a timing run and it turns out its bad business running over chrome bits at 100mph

OPTION B

This setup blends the all-business look of Option A with a 15" trim ring suitable for cruising or making an impression at Bob's Big Boy

OPTION C

There's a host of center cap options available, but I've always been fond of the 1940 Ford Deluxe caps. If I go with caps I'll discard the trim rings

Posted at 05:37 PM in Build Pics | Permalink | Comments (0)

07/31/2013

Piles of Oldsmobile

Here's what things look like when you tear down two motors and put things in neat piles. Easy to tell the 303 parts from the 371, yes? Now if I could just find the instruction manual to put it all back together...

Posted at 07:35 AM in Build Pics | Permalink | Comments (0)

07/26/2013

More Pics of the '35 - Rolling Chassis

I never expected that we'd have a rolling chassis so quickly but honestly things are moving along at a pretty good clip down at Fullerton Fabrication.

I just visited the shop & was pleased to see that we've hit a major miletone. The suspension is all mocked up & you can steer the chassis around the garage. More work to be done such as shortening the rear of the frame & installing the shocks, but still, this is a really nice change from seeing the frame up on sawhorses these past months.

Starting to feel like a hod rod!

Good profile shot of the chassis. I really like the lines of the '35 frame and Rudy doesn't need to Z it as he does with a Model A (in background)

The pics don't do these rear tires justice - they're huge. Tallest Firestones I could get for these 15" wheels. For point of reference the top rail of the pickup bed will be only slightly higher than the top of the tire

Firestones up front are 560/15. I really like the Firestone script printed into the whitewall itself. Sadly, Coker Tire says the rear tires weren't molded this way back in the day. If anyone ever has a line on 890/15's with a 5" whitewall and Firestone script on the whitewall itself, let me know

Detail of the rear suspension (minus shocks). Note the 1952 Ford truck spring hangers. Rudy and Jasper did nice work on these mounts. Rear springs were custom built for this hot rod. I hear Toyota makes springs that are similar but there's no way Japanese parts on going on this build. 4" spacer block is temporary for now. Front and rear suspension is adjustable during final mockup

First time outside

Posted at 09:11 PM in Build Pics | Permalink | Comments (0)

07/21/2013

Birth of a Torque Monster - 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 303

From previous posts you'll recall I've been really particular about engine selection for this build. After evaluating all the options I chose the Oldsmobile Rocket which led to the larger problem of finding a 60 year old motor in good enough shape to restore. The first engine candidate didn't work out so well but fortunately, another was located.

Perserverance paid off & the chosen powerplant will be a 303 cubic-inch 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket.

I'm really stoked to have this motor not only because it fits into my overall build theme but also due to the significance of the '49 Rocket 303.

After it's introduction in 1932 the Ford Flathead dominated (some argue facilitated) the hot rod scene. It was the rodders engine of choice until 1949 when Oldsmobile & Cadillac launched the first OHV production V8's. Given their modern engineering & 35% greater horsepower over the Flathead, the introduction of the Olds Rocket signaled the end of the venerable Ford motor. The Rocket engines went on to build a reputation for an excellent power-to-weight ratio, fuel economy & smooth, strong, reliable running.

Long story short, I'm looking forward to dropping this historic engine into my '35 Ford pickup.

As for the specifics of this engine build, I'm aiming for a traditional restoration with mild performance upgrades. It's already sporting 1957 Olds 371 heads & the camshaft will be ground in the coming weeks. The resulting stroker motor will produce more horsepower but we'll still optimize it for torque over top speed.

How about some pics?

Vintage Picture Oldsmobile Rocket Engine

A common performance mod for the old school hot rodder - swapping out stock carburetion for a dual or tri-power setup

Here's my Rocket 303 as tear down begins. 60 years of history are apparent in both appearance and functionality (it was seized up pretty solid)

Intake, valley cover and heads have been removed

The number stamped into the block tells us this is the first year of the Oldsmobile OHV V8. Also note the flecks of gold paint. Flagship engines were often painted gold by the manufacturers

Posted at 12:57 PM in Build Pics | Permalink | Comments (2)

06/27/2013

More Frame Fabrication, C-Notching

With much of the front end frame modifications complete Rudy turned his attention to the rear of the pickup. To achieve the super-slammed look we're after the frame needs to be notched to accomodate rear suspension travel. Looks pretty awesome. Another step toward getting the project on its wheels in the next month or so.

Fullerton Fabrication 1935 Ford Frame 01

The "C" is in place on top of the stock frame. The original '35 frame I bought was shortened at some point so also note the new pieces of frame tacked on behind the notch. These frame pieces courtesy of a 1940 Ford donor frame.

Fullerton Fabrication 1935 Ford Frame 02

A good look at the area that'll eventually be cut out.

Fullerton Fabrication 1935 Ford Frame 03

Talk about luck. The stock '35 frame was a mess at the top of the rear end. Fortunately all that rot can be discarded as part of this process.

Fullerton Fabrication 1935 Ford Frame 04

In this shot the original frame has been cut out below the C. The 1940 Ford frame pieces are also welded into place and blended into the '35 frame for a stock look. The notch on this build might have been done with softer, rounded lines but we decided to save a few bucks and go with an angular approach. The C will be hidden beneath the bed of the truck anyway. This lakester is being built for go, not show!

Fullerton Fabrication 1935 Ford Frame 05

Rudy's son Jasper contributed some of his fabrication skills to the rear end and the results are awesome. After the frame was notched the whole rear end was boxed for finish and structural integrity.

Posted at 03:02 PM in Build Pics | Permalink | Comments (0)

06/16/2013

Scratch the First Motor Candidate

An Oldsmobile 371 was recently located & it seemed to be a promising engine candidate. After tearing it down though we found that a couple cylinders in the block were compromised & needed to be sleeved. We discussed repair but further inspection of the block showed cracks that ruled this one out as a viable powerplant.

I'm not too torn up over this one to be honest. The Olds 371 was produced between 1957 & 1960 and while I would have fudged my build guidelines in exchange for more horsepower, I think I'll be happiest with a Rocket 303 or 324 in this build. The early Olds engines produced between 1949 & 1956 will be period correct & still offer a measurable horsepower increase over a stock Ford Flathead.

1935 Ford Flathead - 85hp, 144 lb-ft torque
1953 Oldsmobile Rocket - 165 hp, 275 lb-ft torque

Barn Find, Oldsmobile 371ci Rocket Engine

Posted at 10:18 AM in Build Notes | Permalink | Comments (0)

06/11/2013

New Shoes - Firestone Deluxe Champion Tires

Seems everyone nowadays is putting blackwall tires on their rides. I could probably get away with that & still be period correct but I'll be honest; they just don't speak to me. A week after giving Coker Tires a call I've taken delivery of a fresh set of Firestone Deluxe Champion whitewalls. These will look beefier once they're mounted and inflated. Admit it; these already look awesome fresh off the delivery truck.

Gotta love that Firestone pie crust sidewall

Gum Dipped - the process of dipping strips of cloth in rubber until they were completely coated and uniform, and then adding the strips to the tread for greater strength and flexibility. Firestone gum dipped tires were the Deluxe line - the very best

Posted at 12:46 PM in Build Pics | Permalink | Comments (0)

06/05/2013

Engine Selection

Take it from me, choosing an engine for a hot rod is more difficult than one might imagine. I suppose this doesn't have to be the case as anyone can drop a small block Chevy crate motor onto a frame & end up with an inexpensive & reliable mill with modern performance. That said, I decided not to take the easy way out with this decision.

For me, the engine choice is far too important. The chosen power plant will be the heart of the performance, the center of attention given the open engine bay & validate the overall theme of the build.

If you reference the build theme bullet-points in an earlier post you'll quickly agree that a Chevy crate engine isn't the right choice. A sensible compromise perhaps, but I'd hate myself for doing it.

After ruling out the crate motor I've examined a couple of vintage options. I won't bore you with my list of pros and cons of each, but suffice to say I thought very seriously about the Ford Flathead, Buick Nailhead, DeSoto Firedome & Cadillac 331. Each would have been awesome choices in their own way, but I ultimately ruled each out for one reason or another.

Which leads to my answer for the engine question...

The Oldsmobile "Rocket" engine makes sense for a couple reasons, not the least of which is that it was a common choice for a hot rodder in 1955.

A Rocket 303 or 324ci mill produced between 135 & 240hp as compared to a late model Flathead's 100hp in 1949.
The Olds engine had a great reputation. The Rocket engine won the NASCAR Manufacturer's Championship in 1949, 1950 and 1951. Ak Miller's Olds coupe set a speed record on the salt of 123mph in 1952.
Rocket engines were affordable & easy to come by in the 1950's. Aftermarket part availability further increased the desirability.
The Olds engine was durable & stood up well to supercharging, nitro and stroker crankshafts.

After the difficult job of choosing an engine its time to turn attention toward an even more difficult task - finding a serviceable 60 year old motor to restore.

Friday, February 26, 2021