New project - 65 Mercury Gasser

Hunter's 64 · Post by **Hunter's 64** » September 9, 2011, 5:11 am

http://www.thehotrodcompany.com/shopnow ... t_id=96021

These guys have the fuel line

Cool build , YOUR money , YOUR truck ,YOU do with it what YOU want !!

Danny

ps: The company in the link has a Y Block section also

Power by Ford · Post by **Power by Ford** » September 9, 2011, 7:35 pm

Motor is not to my liking but I still respect your work and the concept. Everyone has opinions, some just cant maturely share them.

loosrp · Post by **loosrp** » September 9, 2011, 9:45 pm

Everyone has opinions, some just cant maturely share them.

Well said!

noley99 · Post by **noley99** » September 11, 2011, 1:45 pm

Very cool project. I actually have considered going that direction with mine but decided to go more traditional resto mod. More pics please!

64LL · Post by **64LL** » September 16, 2011, 11:02 am

turtle1056 wrote: I do beleive i have yet to see one of our Slicks done this way? If anyone else has please feel free to post pics so we can all get a handle on the "look"

Is this what you were after?

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/atta ... 1262963529

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http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/atta ... 1304371957
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/atta ... 1304371957

turtle1056 · Post by **turtle1056** » September 16, 2011, 4:34 pm

more pics, with new additions, chrome traction bars, couple skulls, tires mounted etc

slicks look freakin huge mounted, and i cant beleive the whole blower is gonna be below the hood line with just the breathers pokin through the hood, so I just had to have some bling with the skulls

turtle1056 · Post by **turtle1056** » September 16, 2011, 4:35 pm

those two trucks are way kool

turtle1056 · Post by **turtle1056** » September 16, 2011, 4:55 pm

this is the culprit that started it all for me way back when i was a wee un

mmm around age 9 or 10 or so

loved the look, and even today I could not afford a Victoria hard on, to butcher into a gasser...sooo here we are doin yellow

The Big M · Post by **The Big M** » September 20, 2011, 9:59 am

turtle1056 wrote: so - Yes, it is a chevy motor, and apparrently some of the aluminum bits are "billet" ( I dont know the difference - they are just polished cast aluminum to me), and yes it is hoping to be a gasser in every sense of the word, not a restoration. Hell, I am even going to run neoprene fuel lines in stead of my normal AN stuff cuz nobody used AN back when.

"Billet" refers to a part that is CNC-machined from a solid piece of aluminum. They are typically bulkier, with sharp edges and features that aren't easily achieved in a cast piece and a surface finish that's almost too perfect. They project a 90's street rod vibe, and as such are out of place on a 60's build. I'd recommend finding some cast pieces, painting the existing ones black, or simply bead-blasting them to more of an as-cast finish. That should help disguise them.

The billet distributor sticks out a bit too. A magneto or crab-style distributor would be really cool, though I'm not sure how practical that is for you.

I'm not too sure how correct the master cylinder and booster are, although a 60's hot rodder could easily have visited a chrome shop. That being said, it's unlikely that a drag truck would have power brakes, so I assume those are being retained for safety and driveability.

The 90's frame is probably acceptable since it's still a twin I-beam front suspension, albeit an updated one.

The skulls are definitely out of place. That's more of a rat rod thing, which in my opinion isn't really an accurate representation of traditional style. It's more of a modern re-interpretation of it. Besides, they're presenting an airflow restriction.

I like the wheel and tire choice. I'm not sure how accurate the whitewalls are for '65 and later, but I still think they'll look cool.

I think in a way you're building a bit of a phantom, as there likely weren't too many long wheelbase drag trucks during that time period. And if you look at photos of the F-100XL you won't see an extreme nose-high stance (if anything the rear is lower) or fenderwell headers. I do get the impression you're shooting for a gasser-inspired or gasser-style build using period-correct parts, moreso than a historically accurate recreation of a particular drag truck. So I think that gives you a bit of leeway and room for creativity. I have seen a few slicks (including the ones posted above) and a few fridges done in this style, so I'm interested to see how yours turns out.

turtle1056 · Post by **turtle1056** » September 20, 2011, 10:11 am

Hi and thanks for the critique

My pulleys are all chinese cast, the only machining being the grooves.

The distributor is a cast Australian Pro Comp HEI piece as well, more for drivability than anything else, and it is one of few distributors today that will fit behind the blower. I would love to find a crab cap distributor, but have had no luck finding anything in usable condition.

If anyone has a decent crab cap distributor, I am looking

yes the power brakes are because it is a street truck

My truck will have a level or slightly nose down stance - I am not a fan of the nosebleed stance a lot of the current recreations are sporting

I can lose the skulls lol.... just happened to have them around from another project

Yes, a representation not a duplication.

The 113 truck stance is exactly what I do not wish to build

HiBoy63 · Post by **HiBoy63** » September 20, 2011, 12:08 pm

Nose down used to be used for weight transfer to the rear wheels on launch. Not sure what they are doing today. Motors were usually chained down in the day to account for twisting and torque.

The Big M · Post by **The Big M** » September 20, 2011, 2:14 pm

turtle1056 wrote:Hi and thanks for the critique

My pulleys are all chinese cast, the only machining being the grooves.

The distributor is a cast Australian Pro Comp HEI piece as well, more for drivability than anything else, and it is one of few distributors today that will fit behind the blower. I would love to find a crab cap distributor, but have had no luck finding anything in usable condition.

If anyone has a decent crab cap distributor, I am looking

yes the power brakes are because it is a street truck

My truck will have a level or slightly nose down stance - I am not a fan of the nosebleed stance a lot of the current recreations are sporting

I can lose the skulls lol.... just happened to have them around from another project

Yes, a representation not a duplication.

The 113 truck stance is exactly what I do not wish to build

Alrighty, my mistake on the pulleys. They have a "billet" look to them (the accessory drives, not the s/c pulleys) which just seems a bit out of place. The distributor only stands out a bit because of the red cap.

I misread your original post about the 6" lift; I interpreted that as 6" in the front only.

Just found this link that shows photos of gassers in competition in 1965. The majority of the cars have a high but level stance, so I'd say you're on the right track: http://gassermadness.com/bond/

EDIT: My critique is meant to be complimentary, not bashing your ideas, in case that wasn't clear. I happen to think the gasser style is cool.

557f1 · Post by **557f1** » September 20, 2011, 10:46 pm

I can't wait to it run. are you running open pipes or mufflers

Watch out for that procomp gear ,it's cheap for a reason,

turtle1056 · Post by **turtle1056** » September 21, 2011, 6:28 am

actually if the budget will allow, I plan to have both open and mufflers ala electric cutouts that will dump right at the corner of the front fender, with mufflers tucked up high and way back at the rear wheels

Are you telling me the dist gear wont last? cuz if so they are cheap at the parts store and I wi l replace right now.

love that gasser madness link - thanks

557f1 · Post by **557f1** » September 21, 2011, 8:59 am

Sorry Turtle1506 ,I will rephrase what i said,

Procomp parts in general are not real good quality,
Their Distrubutors are known to kill modules and snap the shafts in them.
The dizzy gear if like the rest will proberly wear easy.

What rear end plate do you have on your blower,
you could try a mallory dizzy.
http://www.mallory-ignition.com/News/ta ... butor.aspx

turtle1056 · Post by **turtle1056** » September 21, 2011, 10:09 am

thats a really nice distributor, but $459 plus shipping is way out of my budget

thanks anyways

what would be really cool would be an old Vertex or Hunt magneto with a crab cap if I could find one in good working conditon. However even used they run $500+

557f1 · Post by **557f1** » September 21, 2011, 5:09 pm

Ok,I didn't look at the price,.
It's just about impossible to sell a vertex mag out here,
How about a small cap mallory unilite. the caps are 3 1/2" dia and 3" tall should clear your blower

turtle1056 · Post by **turtle1056** » September 27, 2011, 10:37 am

no pics as yet, but the truck is now sitting on the floor, on all fours, and the rake is perfect , 4" nose down, but whole truck is 6" lifted,

the stance will be totally perfect for my personal preferences, even if it doesnt fit the "normal stance" that is considered to be correct for gassers.

pics to follow this weekend when i roll it outside to powerwash the frame getting ready to paint the frame.

turtle1056 · Post by **turtle1056** » October 11, 2011, 1:44 pm

More work... it is amazing how a little bit means a lot.
This truck actually looked reletively straight until you really looked at it. The body lines were somewhat banana looking

Leveled the chassis, and then put tape lines and levels on the body.

Drivers side the box at the front needs to go up 3/8", the rear 3/4". I suspect it is the springs that are causing the rear out of level, as the box is tight to the frame. At the front they shimmed the box for whatever reason.

Drivers side cab front needs to go up 3/8"

Passenger side of the cab, front needs to go down 3/8" rear up an 1/8"

There is a 3/8" difference in the gap between the box and the cab from top to bottom. If I make the gap even, there would be a pronounced crown from front to back in the truck body lines, which would be much better than the pronounced banana look it suffers from now

Can anyone tell me if the box/cab should be slightly crowned in the body line to make it "LOOK" straight?

What should i be looking for?

The tape lines show a lot.

turtle1056 · Post by **turtle1056** » October 26, 2011, 7:07 pm

So I am tryin to buy a soft tonneau cover for my 1996 F350 pulling truck.

I go to the Kijiji free want ads, and low and behold doesnt a guy just an hour down the road have what I want like new for $50. I am thinkin this is a steal cuz they are about $450 new . You know the kind, has the clamp on rails n snap on cover so no holes in your body and ten minutes to remove the whole thing.

I get it home and sittin in the shop, and just for shits n giggles lay the aluminum frame on the 65 to see how far off it might be.

Doesnt it just fit perfect in every dimension. Turns out the newer 80-96 box is exactly the same dimensions from inside face to face, front to back, side to side

So I get out the clamps, and install it. The clamps needed a small cedar shim under the box rail to tighten up completely. The newer trucks have a double panel under the box rail.

Then i installed the snap on cover.

Well the pics speak for themselves. It is a PERFECT fit, and like we all like - dirt cheap.

There were a total of 17 of these on my add service, so they should be easy for you all to find if you wanted to. They are also still available brand new. Fits 80-96 F150-F350

Needless to say, this one is stayin on the Mercury, and the pull truck will have to wait till I find another similar steal of a deal

New project - 65 Mercury Gasser

My newest to you all discovery