Ever plan a project around a single part?

[hotrodfords]

Ever make up a project around a single part? Well, I've dreamed a lot of projects around a single rusty beat-up vintage speed part.

Over the last 17+ years I have been slowly collecting pieces for a mythical Trans Am car I keep telling myself I'm gonna build. Over time a Hust Shifter, Top Loader 4 speed, early front timing cover, dual point ignition, Monte Carlo bar, Lakewood scatter shield, early steel sheet metal valve covers (without PCV holes), radio and heater delete plates, 15x8 TT wheels, and a host of other stuff I don't need have found their way into my garage.

And here I go again....

Two weekends ago while I was at Knott's Fab Ford Show, I bumped into a dude who had a nice looking white '67 Mustang Coupe with a good Trans Am vibe going from 20 feet away. Then I got up to the engine, and saw he had a dual quad set-up. Further inspection reveled it was an early Trans Am piece with correct carbs (!), so I struck up a conversation. One thing led to another and he told me he had another, but it was "Shelby" lettered and had been milled/run hard. I asked if he'd sell and he said "sure". So of course I had to have it. It just arrived:



Signed, "Can't Say No" in Vegas.

[Barry Donovan]

awesome.. old draft tuned to feed all 8.
the real trans am sounds are phenomenal.
almost like those upside down header ford gt of old..

I think I revolve around drivetrain with a fantastic record to take on steel needs, or vice versa. Nice body, needing drive train parts.
I like working either direction.

I think of this mustang video about their trans am stuff:

these videos are 9 years old.. I remember them from day one.

[hotrodfords]

Yep, that's the vibe!

I've been to 5 or 6 vintage Trans Am races and it's just awesome. When I was 6 yo old (1971) mt dad took me to Kent and I can still remember the pony cars running by. Running with those guys today is above my pay grade, but I'd like to emulate it in a car as much as possible. I actually have an old Edelbrock F4B which was run by numerous privateers back in the day, but when I had a chance at this piece I just had to have it. They are pretty rare and are different than the run of the mill dual quad Ford offered in their "Cobra Kits". I'm aware of 3 different part numbers for the Trans Am piece, one is C6OE, another C7ZE, and the Shelby lettered job (1968 and later).

Here's some cool shots from the pits - not my photos as these are sharply focused LoL:

[corvettedad]

I'm a Chevy guy but I appreciate all makes of Hot Rod's and that is a cool piece. Barry anything that hammer's like that is a Win Win. As for building around a part, the first engine I built that was ground up I started at the top! Buying a Edelbrock Tunnel Ram and built everything under it to match it.

[Barry Donovan]

this is inspiring.
I make carbs work, know the lean routine..linear to rotation needs real nice intakes.
injection dual banked is usually the answer.

..but that intake. I love just looking at it.

I wonder what a cheap 305 would do, on the 1996 spider injection (dual bank monitor) and trans am cam specs.
probably more noise than power... but it is in a truck.

I am still curious.
trans am played with 5 liters.. if you are wondering my weird choice (besides being a dime a dozen to buy).


edit:
found the cam at summit, can keep it hydraulic.. (its got H+ suffix)

I have found this in 265, all the way to the other end of the spectrum.

[hotrodfords]

edit:
found the cam at summit, can keep it hydraulic.. (its got H+ suffix)

I have found this in 265, all the way to the other end of the spectrum.

That's probably a good cam if you were to do a lot of driving on the street. Doesn't look like the ramps are so quick or the lift so high as to beat up the valve train. Plus the 112 deg lobe center will help out your idle.

[DanStokes]

Well, sort of. When I built the 215 Buick for my Vega the FIRST thing I bought was a pair of Offenhauser valve covers. What ever else happened it would be around those covers. That engine ended up with a Kenne-Bell cam, an Offy intake, and 390 Holley along with a bunch of other goodies.

Dan

[SuperBuickGuy]

Oh never, that would be Dan-Stokes-level crazy. I do, however, buy parts for a project I don't yet have.