Here's my project, a 1946 Austin sedan.
Purchased it locally in July of 2010 to use as the basis for my street legal gasser. My plan was to toss something together that I could drive the following summer, then break it down again and take it to the next level. I also planned to do upgrades all summer, as long as they didn't take more than a few days, and I could still drive it regularly.
Started out making a list of what I wanted, and then went on a search of the local Craigslist, and swap meets. I had a limited budget for the build of under $10k, and that had to include buying the car for $1900. To complicate things more I had a single car garage, and my '71 427 Camaro is stored in there, so the build had to be done outside in the backyard! I ended up buying a $200 Costco canopy and putting a plywood floor down to build on, so the project could go forward during the winter.
A neighbor had this 1969 Chevy 327 that was recently rebuilt, so I purchased that as the basis of a later power upgrade. Found a TH350 in the local CL with a new rebild and new converter, also had a good TransGo shift kit, so it came home too. A buddy had a narrowed 10 bolt that he was going to use on his '41 Plymouth project, but it was too narrow. It ended up at my place with the rest, so I had a drivetrain after a few weeks!
I broke down and bought one new item; a Speedway gasser straight axle kit. Just couldn't find an old truck or van axle narrow enough to fit the Austin's little 52" wide body, so new was the way to go.
At this point I began tearing it apart and completely gutted the car of all wiring and plumbing, plus chopped the firewall out of it.
Purchased it locally in July of 2010 to use as the basis for my street legal gasser. My plan was to toss something together that I could drive the following summer, then break it down again and take it to the next level. I also planned to do upgrades all summer, as long as they didn't take more than a few days, and I could still drive it regularly.
Started out making a list of what I wanted, and then went on a search of the local Craigslist, and swap meets. I had a limited budget for the build of under $10k, and that had to include buying the car for $1900. To complicate things more I had a single car garage, and my '71 427 Camaro is stored in there, so the build had to be done outside in the backyard! I ended up buying a $200 Costco canopy and putting a plywood floor down to build on, so the project could go forward during the winter.
A neighbor had this 1969 Chevy 327 that was recently rebuilt, so I purchased that as the basis of a later power upgrade. Found a TH350 in the local CL with a new rebild and new converter, also had a good TransGo shift kit, so it came home too. A buddy had a narrowed 10 bolt that he was going to use on his '41 Plymouth project, but it was too narrow. It ended up at my place with the rest, so I had a drivetrain after a few weeks!
I broke down and bought one new item; a Speedway gasser straight axle kit. Just couldn't find an old truck or van axle narrow enough to fit the Austin's little 52" wide body, so new was the way to go.
At this point I began tearing it apart and completely gutted the car of all wiring and plumbing, plus chopped the firewall out of it.
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