MAGAZINE

Tech

MODIFIEDS

But watch out, Commander. Our country cousin Mild Mitch is laying hands on his BB based modified with Cad V-8 (Flathead) and has it fully mocked up, professionally lettered and reflecting the Hop Up Style we're so accustomed to, here!

HIS MILDNESS MAKES A PASS

Key your imaginations, Boys. This is where Stroupe started. Reflect on the stance. Consider the Sound of that Cad. Look how cool the Mug looks, goggles and all. Remember this stage of your last project? Maybe one of the most memorable and mind-etching recollections in a project.

It looks like a car. You can sight it up, down, long distance, front and back, to see if , in fact, it has Hop Up Style, and you can sit in that lil' stinker making motor sounds, banging power-shifts, and imagining how much more comfortable a cushion would be than the 4x4 you're sitting on.

Dreaming in the daytime.

TRANSISTORIZE YOUR PRE-HISTORIC DISTRIBUTOR

Some years back, guys started converting old Chevy breaker-point ignitions to transistorized, and it was good. The idea of replacement electrical parts being available nationwide influenced our decision to go the way of the conversion.

Sparkman David Ray has upped the ante with a patented version that we decided to employ on our "The Flathead Died-I'm Puttin' That Old 283 Into It- Flatheads Are For Tougher Guys Than Me" deal. We took him the original dist shown in the "Before" picture. Dirty. Better visual. Less work for us if we take it in au natural. David walked us through his compact but super-equipped shop and tried to explain the phenomena of "How come de spark come widdout no stinkin' points." We nodded a lot and said "Hmmmmmmm" real pensively. Just the suggestion of a frown, as though we UNDERSTOOD. Really, it was informative and impressed us how much actually went into the job, including machining the housing and other tasks that don't meet the eye.

NASTY-ASS OLD PART

Essentially, here's what he does.

Completely disassemble and chemically clean everything.. All parts to be reused were inspected, and necessary machining weas done. Since the distributor was to be painted as original, the body was glass-beaded to help the paint stick and to remove any rust. The part was painted and the new bushings were installed and sized.

The mainshaft was hard-chromed to bring the stock diameter back to specification and to provide a wear-resistant surface, unlike the stock un-plated shaft.

The point cam area was machined to accept the reluctor (star wheel that operates the trigger), the point plate was modified to fit the magnetic pickup assembly, and give clearance for the noise suppressor. Mechanical advance pieces were selected for the engine specs we are running in our 283, and the mechanical advance was assembled. A new vacuum advance was selected that will give the proper curve for our engine, and it was installed.

Next, the modified point plate with the new magnetic trigger assembly was installed into the dizzy body; the noise suppresser and HEI ignition module were installed, along with the hand-made wiring looms, including the quick-disconnect feature for easy disc removal and replacement.

The mainsheet assembly was then inserted into the mainbody and the end-clearance was adjusted with the proper shim "stack", and the gear was installed.

He set the magnetic pick-up trigger gap, and went to the Sun Distributor Tester for reflector phasing. After phasing, the mechanical and vacuum advance curves were checked and final adjusted, and the firing pattern was inspected. With the distributor still in the machine, the actual spark was made and checked, from idle to 8500 crankshaft RPM.

The complete distributor is now ready for the rebuilt 283 in the pickup.

MORE HERE THAN YOU'D THINK

The parts installed represent Dave's regular rebuild/conversion: new bushings, hard-chromed mainsheet, new vacuum advance, new electrical parts, screws and fittings. All of it. The works. No holes in the "gotta get" list. It carries Dave's usual warranty:

"Good until your taillights are out of sight".

Couldn't resist.

Really, "one full year from first use" covering all mechanical and electrical parts, and workmanship. Dave doesn't have a kit for shade tree work, because it would be unlikely that most of us have the machines and machining skill necessary to do the deed.

A regular price of $165.00/U.S. seemed like a bargain.

Our part was supplied with the optional NAPA cap and rotor set, RR165 & RR167R, for an additional $15.00. These guys have copper terminals, are heavy duty, and the black cap color works in our "resto-lookin'" motor motif.

FINI. AND A HANDSOME PART, AT THAT.

Spark plug voltage is better than stock GM HEI systems, and with use of a performance ignition coil, and a good set of spiral core wires, we'll open up our plug gap to .050. Conversions are available for V8, V6, I6 GM, Ford and Chrysler Overhead valve engines, including early hemis, ACM, Studebaker and other older engine applications. On aluminum dizzys, "billet" look machining and polishing are available.

This all has to be a lot of work, and a lot of intellect for the money.

We can't wait to see how this puppy pulls the Hop Up Cragar to the hillclimb!!!!

Dave's Small-Body HEI's
11605 Waddell St.
Whittier, California 90606
(562) 699-6949
e-mail: sparkman451@earthlink.net

About a year ago Dougie was going to answer an ad on a Model A tudor with a banger in it. We didn't really figger Dougie for a Banger-Kinda-Guy, but, Hey. "It's right over there by your shop. Wanna go with us? R-Dub came along, too. In fact it was probably R-Dub's idea. He's pretty sneaky when it comes to sniffin'-out interesting iron. (OK?)

There was this Parts Store we had to go to not far away, we knew where it was and:
Vene, Vide, Vibre (We came, We saw, We Vibrated).

When we walked into the shop, there was a world of cool stuff hanging from the ceiling. Bikes, Whizzer, Soapbox Derby Car, WWI artifacts, early manifolds, advertizing goodies, too much to list. This cat has been ahead of the curve. He surfaces and Hey! He's not an old timer. Well, not to us, anyway. Grey beard, for sure, but not Old.

THE HEART OF THE PROBLEM.......OR SOLUTION!

Larry takes us to his private shop and in it sits a neat, fendered '29 Tudor, suede, no hood, flathead banger, etc. He and Dougie go for a ride and we and R-Dub stand there soaking up the aura of this guy's happenings. Riley head. Magnetos. A hundred early car club plaques. Un-molested posters of cars shows, drags, and roundy rounds from his youth. Ours, too. And some kind of overhead valve setup for a Four Barrel. Some Kind of Rig.

If you are from this coast, and probably anywhere else, you have heard of Jiggler Joe Gemsa. Gemsa was a character who was into Four Barrels mainly, round track cars, specifically, and performance, completely. Don't miss the word Character. Every lovin' person we ever talked to who knew this Dude, has a Gemsa Story. Love him or hate him. Gemsa. He designed, cast and machined his own racing heads, owned race cars, drove 'em and generally was the hub of racing goin's-on, headquartered in the San Gabriel Valley. He stamped "Gemsa" on every damn thing that went through his shop.

Back to Larry's shop. The fancy head said "Gemsa" on it. Cast in it. There was this hell-for-stout aluminum oil pan. "Gemsa". A custom cam. "Gemsa". Mag. "Gemsa". Oil pump. "Gemsa". In these parts, this junk is precious. Our own historian, Crew Chief, Machinist, Teller-of-Tales Scott Bowser, knew Gemsa, and found these parts to be very interesting.

So this is just a part of the treasures we found at Larry's place.

LARRY ALLINGHAM'S A-BONE IS ON THE MARK

By the way, Dougie didn't fit too well into the A-Bone, so he passed on it. 'Never could figure out why he went to look at it. Could it be that he took Us so that he could read Our reaction, buy it, turn it to Us (for the Whisper price!) and have one of those famous BUY LOW-SELL HIGH days? Naaaaaaaaa. R-Dub wouldn't let him profit from a Pal, would he? Naaaaaaa..............Could they have been in it together? Naaaaaaaaaaa.

Either way, we met Larry, but came into his acquaintance later, anyway.

He still has the Dodge bucket car he drove in high school, completely assembled, banger, Kelseys, really cool piece that has, By God, cycled back into fashion again! If ya just wait long enough, huh?

And his newest project is the A roadster with flathead Four Barrel (Firewall is already relieved to accept a jiggler, later). He figures to make shop nights this summer in this one.

We'll tell you more about Larry as time goes by............

PHOTO COURTESY OF T. WOOD The type-written caption for this press release photo reads: MOTOR MAGNATE INSPECTS JALOPY San Diego, Calif. Edsel Ford, at the California International Expositions, approves the mechanical ingenuity of boys who built this car from parts collected from junk heaps. Residing in La Jolla, near San Diego, with Mrs. Ford and their four children, Ford spends much time at the exposition where he and his family are seldom recognized as the travel unannounced. 8-20-35 W