Slant Six Roadster Build

[thebearded1]

Hello Everybody,

I've been a long time reader of this site and found a lot of help in the slant 6 forum and gotten a few parts from here as well. I appreciated the interest in my car so I thought i'd start a thread to show its progress. When I purchased the car the previous owner was going in more of a rat rod tractor themed car but i was able to see past that and luckily got it for a low price. My plan has been to make it similar to dirt track roadsters from the 40s and 50s.

Yup thats the exhaust with a rain flap that conveniently was about face height haha. The suspension needed to be redone as he had quarter ellipticals up front and a cateliver style in rear but he mounted all the springs arched up like a smile to get the car lower which resulted in the weight of the car working with the springs rather than against. The car now has quarter elliptical springs front and rear and the mounts have a bolt to adjust ride height slightly but only plan to raise the front when running on dirt tracks. I also re wired the car completely as i didn't trust what was there and the P.O. used switches that weren't not meant for autotive use.

Another issue was the P.O. used a mishimoto radiator that was meant for a honda civic in order to fit it into the Case tractor grill and it was not enough to cool the slant six. After looking up many threads on here and slantsix dot org on how to clean and flush the block I did several flushes, soaks, scrapping and vaccuming from the freezee plugs and got the block running clean but will still be running a peice of screen. Then I had a friend and I modified an aluminum radiator intended for a 65 mustang to fit into a 1917 Dodge Brothers grill shell I picked up at Hershey.

It turned out really well and made the car look a lot better and seems to be cooling it a lot better as well.

 

[GGs66GT]

Nice .
More pictures please .
More stores about the future plans for it please..

 

[thebearded1]

I built the seat frame out of some wood then upholstered it in waterproof canvas. I used 4" foam and cut holes in the seat base with added webbing to help make it better for longer drives. Still trying to figure out how I will do the seat back and side panels. I thought about aluminum for the sides but was worried it may get too hot since there is no roof but it probably wouldn't be too bad since I would plan to leave it raw. My other option I may go with is to use some waterproof canvas that matches the tan in the seat.

The seat hinges forward for storage and electrical access. Still need to make a hinging cover for the master cylinder to replace the temporary brown wood scrap. I built the battery box out of a street sign and pop riveted the sides together this hangs the battery under the car to help save space. I didn't have a hinge on hand so I made one out of more street sign material and used the old VA license plate for the lid. Under the black cover to the right is a large continuous relay that powers a separate fuse panel so i didn't have to run all the power through the key switch. The key switch supplies a small amount of power to turn the relay on which sends power to most everything else. If I have room I'm going to mount a small fire extinguisher on the front panel under the drivers seat.

The dash is just a sheet of plywood with a metal lip I added to the top. Pretty basic but it does have a GPS speedo and the trim around it is fuel cap trim from a Hudson I found in the woods. Going to make a panel to cover the fuse panel access.

 

[GGs66GT]

If I ever swap out my /6 for a V8 I want to build a roadster .

I’d use the 225 with a Hyper pac manifold and TBI along with long tube header’s into a single 3” exhaust that runs out the back . Of course I’d use the 904 and the 7.25 rear axle from my ‘66 Dart .
Of course a solid front axel with disc brakes hidden in Buick fined drums .
Tires would be big littles maybe white walls .
Wheels most likely painted steel .

 

[thebearded1]

The floor is a thin piece of plywood with the pallet wood screwed to it from underneath. It is easily removable in case i need to access around the trans. Still need to make a cover for the trans tunnel and a boot for the genie shifter. I have an old Hurst handle that i'm going to use for the shifter. I may make a shifter knob out of a billard ball since the #6 is hunter green and the car is a six cylinder. I also have a wood knob i made on my wood lathe.

 

[thebearded1]

If I ever swap out my /6 for a V8 I want to build a roadster .

I’d use the 225 with a Hyper pac manifold and TBI along with long tube header’s into a single 3” exhaust that runs out the back . Of course I’d use the 904 and the 7.25 rear axle from my ‘66 Dart .
Of course a solid front axel with disc brakes hidden in Buick fined drums .
Tires would be big littles maybe white walls .
Wheels most likely painted steel .

Yea the slant 6's are plenty of power for a roadster! Plus it's a fun engine you don't usually see in hot rods. I would love to get one of the AussieSpeed long runner Hurricane intakes but that's just too much out of the budget for now. Right now I have a Holley 1920 which starts up quickly and runs great. I've got the motor tuned pretty good and can get it to idle at 550 rpm. I could probably go lower but it stops at 550 once the idle screw is backed all the way out. I have it set at 750 now in park. Will set it to 700 with the headlights on once I get them hooked up.

 

[67Dart273]

That is pretty darn cool!!

 

[abdywgn]

Nice! Plain and simple...like the catch can

 

[Badvert65]

I recall seeing pics of that car around the beginning of the year. Was this your car then?

 

[barbee6043]

Slant hotrods are COOL!!! Heck, any Mopar hotrod is COOL!!

 

[thebearded1]

I recall seeing pics of that car around the beginning of the year. Was this your car then?

Yea I've owned it since 2018 and have been slowwwwly making progress. I spoke with you a lot about the driver side alternator mount. I haven't made one of those yet but did mount a GM 1 wire to the stock location as the chrysler unit had a screaming bearing.

 

[thebearded1]

Engine wise it's a 1971 225 completely stock. Currently running the Holley 1920 but i do have a Holley 2280 to rebuild and a 2 barrel intake. Other than that I will likely keep the motor stock. I do have a spare head that i may do some minor gasket match porting and maybe take it to get milled slightly to up the CR. I'm not wild on where the PO mounted the steering box so I'd like to move it closer to the firewall to make more room for the exhaust. I have a few ideas for the exhaust that my friend is willing to help me weld up. A 6 into 1 header similar to this Maserati 250F and then run a single 2.5/3" pipe straight back to the rear of the car. The Maserati 250F is probably one of my favorite sounding straight sixes too. There are some good videos on youtube that I play many times through the speakers in the garage while working on the car.

or end it shorter like this one

This is one of my favorite vintage photos has been a big inspiration for the direction of this build.

The other option would be to do 2 3 into 1 headers or a set of dutra duals if i could find a used set and then run 2 smaller 2" pipes either down the side of the car like I discussed above or run the exhaust lower like on this Talbot Lago T26C

Once I get the steering box moved I may run a single pipe like the above car from the stock manifold until I come up with a different header option. I know of a guy selling a set of older (2001/2002) Clifford headers that were jet hot ceramic coated for $650 but that's a lot for what I want to spend not knowing if they would fit or give me the look i'm going for.

 

[Red's '72 Dart]

I like the #6 billiard ball for the shifter. That would look really cool!

 

[thebearded1]

I wanted to run the wire wheels in the back but the rear is a Dana 35 with 5 on 4.5 bolt pattern. The previous owner used adapters and wire wheel supports to run them but the wheels stuck out too far for me. I purchased a set of Willys 18" wire wheels which are 5 on 4.5 but the back plate on the hubs wouldn't clear the brake drums, about an inch shy. I'm going to keep my eye out at the Hershey Swap meet this fall for a pair that would work. I'm also looking out for a pair of early Thunderbird wire wheels as they are 5 on 4.5, unfortunately most of them are chrome so i'd either attempt to paint them or have them powder coated black. If i can't find a pair i will see if i can find someone weld new centers into the pair of wheels that came on the back of the car. I didn't want to go through the hassle of switching out e axles for 5 on 5.5 bolt pattern that way in case i break one i can find easy spares from stock jeeps. Also not sure if there is enough meat to drill 5 on 5.5 bolt pattern on the stock axles.

I would like to find another Model A 19" wheel to go with another one i have to use as narrow front runners. Soon I will paint the front wire wheels black so they match the back steelies somewhat. I'm also going to look for a set of 16x4" 40s Ford steelies for the front. That way i can have a set of steels and a set of wires. Will probably outfit one set of wheels with some dirt tires for racing events.

The back half of the car is pretty simple like most lakester modifieds. I may add a small bumper and hidden hitch for a small hot rod trailer my friend gave to me so I can haul some camping gear for some fun trips. I may get some soft motorcycle paniers to strap onto the tank for some extra storage.

 

[thebearded1]

I like the #6 billiard ball for the shifter. That would look really cool!

I think my dad has one so I am definitely going to make it. I will probably make a few different ones since i can easily switch them out. The handle now has an old 3 speed pattern knob that i may leave on their so people try to figure out where the mystery clutch is.

 

[65 Dartman]

And following

 

[thebearded1]

I didn't like the silver paint job and needed to paint the grill shell I purchased too so I had to decide on a new color. I wanted to paint the car myself and wanted to roll/brush it so i didn't paint the entire garage and to go with the old race car theme. I went with Hunter Green rustoleum and thinned the paint a little with mineral spirits. I did about 4 coats and it turned out better than i expected. I was planning on wet sanding with 3000 grit and then giving it a polish to take out the orange peel but I'm pretty happy with the results and don't want to risk over sanding and having to repaint right now. It's going to be getting dirty at the track anyway.

I'd like to add a number to the car and maybe some small logos of my favorite things as "sponsors" on the lower cowl.

Grill and radiator I lugged several miles back to the car. It was pretty heavy but was only $200. I've seen just the emblem on ebay for $80-250! The brass radiator itself was not usable and was going to cost $900 to have re-cored so I went with the option of modifying the aluminum mustang radiator. I ended up selling the radiator to a guy in TN that was restoring an original Dodge Brothers car and recouped a good chunk of what I paid for the combo.

Painted the valve cover I got from @Road/Rage to go with the car. Thanks again!

How she sits now

 

[thebearded1]

Overall it's been a great learning experience and am proud to have done all the work myself except for the welding which my buddy Drew has done graciously for whiskey and a welding shop gift certificate. I'd like to get a welder soon and learn though. It may not be perfect but hell I love it! I plan to take it to some vintage racing events in southern PA next year. The events include circle dirt track, paved drag racing, gravel drag racing at Allentown Fairgrounds, street style gran prix at Coatsville and what ever else I find out about.

The current to do list get it on the road is as follows:
*Add headlights. They will bolt on here and will be wired with weather pack connectors so I can remove them when racing. When on the dirt tracks I will make a frame that bolts into the headlight locations for a screen to protect the radiator. Right now I covered the radiator with a Nomex honeycomb radiator guard which is used on a lot of dirt cars.

*add Ford hydraulic lever shocks to the rear. Just need to get some dog bones the right length to connect the shocks to the rear. Don't worry the yellow clamps are just temporary, I will paint them black before I'm done.

add front shocks. Haven't decided which way i'm going to go yet either make my own friction shocks

or a set of ford hyrdraulic shocks

I'm also torn on where to attach them. If I go forward either option will have a long distance to the axle (about 11-12") so that leverage may reduce the effectiveness of the shock. Yes I see the humor in my babbling about leverage affecting the effectiveness of 1900-1940s technology. When I was at the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing (York Springs, PA well worth the visit they have every auto racing genre covered, dirt and asphalt circle track, drag racing, land speed, motorcycles) I saw this setup on a dirt track car (can't find the photo after looking in every folder i can think of) where the hydraulic lever shocks were attached to the front hairpins. The front hairpins had a piece of steel welded between the hairpin arms. I will try and find the photo so it makes more sense.

*add lap belts. I'm going to sandwich the lower rear plywood in the body with 2 33" long x 2"wide pieces of 1/4 steel to make anchor points for the belts.

*finish the shifter handle


Future plans include
adding a small rollbar
add five point seat belt that attaches to rollbar
making a tonneau cover for the passenger side of the cockpit
rear bumper and hidden hitch
hook up the parking brake if i can find room in the cockpit
maybe make a soft top if the windshield to rollbar line clears my head.

 

[Duggie]

Very, very cool! Following for fun and education.

 

[GGs66GT]

You know outside parking brake levers were used in the teens … so it could work on your car too .

 

[65dartcharger]

I didn't like the silver paint job and needed to paint the grill shell I purchased too so I had to decide on a new color. I wanted to paint the car myself and wanted to roll/brush it so i didn't paint the entire garage and to go with the old race car theme. I went with Hunter Green rustoleum and thinned the paint a little with mineral spirits. I did about 4 coats and it turned out better than i expected. I was planning on wet sanding with 3000 grit and then giving it a polish to take out the orange peel but I'm pretty happy with the results and don't want to risk over sanding and having to repaint right now. It's going to be getting dirty at the track anyway.
View attachment 1715984201

I'd like to add a number to the car and maybe some small logos of my favorite things as "sponsors" on the lower cowl.

Grill and radiator I lugged several miles back to the car. It was pretty heavy but was only $200. I've seen just the emblem on ebay for $80-250! The brass radiator itself was not usable and was going to cost $900 to have re-cored so I went with the option of modifying the aluminum mustang radiator. I ended up selling the radiator to a guy in TN that was restoring an original Dodge Brothers car and recouped a good chunk of what I paid for the combo.
View attachment 1715984202

Painted the valve cover I got from @Road/Rage to go with the car. Thanks again!
View attachment 1715984203

How she sits now
View attachment 1715984204

Great build!

 

[RustyRatRod]

This thing just keeps gettin cooler! Really glad you decided to join us.

 

[thebearded1]

You know outside parking brake levers were used in the teens … so it could work on your car too .

I've thought about that option. I will see if I can make it work with the way the body bulges out from the frame

 

[barbee6043]

Great build. Yes, I have to follow along and learn some cool stuff!! Thanks for sharing your build!

 

[thebearded1]

Took it on a shakedown run this evening. Unfortunately a lot of wind noise so you can hear the mighty slant haha. Hopefully will have headlights and seatbelts in this week. Maybe shocks too!

https://youtube.com/shorts/MHB0s_EzmJo?feature=share