The 41 Pontiac......"Garbage that barfed".......

[RAIV70Judge]

picture from the Friday night races at Meltdown. Not a good picture, but the 41 has the one wheel in the air.

[fatguyzinc]

picture from the Friday night races at Meltdown. Not a good picture, but the 41 has the one wheel in the air.

now THATS what im talkin bout, brother!
thats awesome. i loved your oldie but goodie
so much i went out and got a 55 plymouth 2dr
and am starting a gasser build.

if i had jay lenos money id be lookin for a crossram hemi
and an A-833, but for my budget (rather lack of...) i am
going with a stout 468"rat motor and a muncie 4spd.

if yours is garbage that barfed, mine must be garbage that sharted..

[RAIV70Judge]

Thank you ! The 41 did very well on Drag Week this year, finishing 4th in the Hot Rod class. Week average was 11.9 @ 111 mph. Still have a ways to go to make it faster, but we had a great time none the less.

[RAIV70Judge]

I have been toying around with the idea of installing a straight axle under the front of the 41. I don't want to go extremely nose high, maybe just level with the back. Anyone have any input or thoughts on this?

[fatguyzinc]

I have been toying around with the idea of installing a straight axle under the front of the 41. I don't want to go extremely nose high, maybe just level with the back. Anyone have any input or thoughts on this?

do it. do it now. DO IT. hah hah. i would totally do it, can you tell?
and id go at least a foot upwards from where it sits now....so that
you have 2x the gap on the front tire to fender as you currently have
in the rear. think stone-woods-cook stance.....

id also toss those ansens you had on at one point (i think?) back on
the car. just me. i love it as is, but a nosebleed gasser...oooh mama....

[Deaf Bob]

I have been toying around with the idea of installing a straight axle under the front of the 41. I don't want to go extremely nose high, maybe just level with the back. Anyone have any input or thoughts on this?

I-beam out of an Econoline? Or rather an early Chevy van. Guess it'd depend on your rear and it's bolt pattern if you want to match them..
My son took a 59 Chev half ton and bought hubs and bearings for the car.. Plan is to put it under his 57 chev.
There are all kinds of stuff around..
If you go the junkyard or scrounge yard, and take the springs apart, be sure you grab the wedges between the axle and spring.. Some guys say that the wedges do not matter, I think they do if you want it to drive right.

[JOES66FURY]

Dodge D100....71 and earlier....

[SuperBuickGuy]

cool idea - when you're pricing axles, be sure to check used prices vs. Speedway - they sell complete kits and way too often the cost of new is less then the stuff you find in the wild.

[silver_bullet]

Have been impressed with the Speedway options and am thinking of going that way for our 32 chevy.,...

[pintoboy77]

I wish I would have known this they had a Econoline straight axel at the swapmeet for $50.00 complete with springs.

[fatguyzinc]

cool idea - when you're pricing axles, be sure to check used prices vs. Speedway - they sell complete kits and way too often the cost of new is less then the stuff you find in the wild.

you mean, the " money saving buy the old stuff first, find out its garbage then
throw it away and buy the new stuff anyway" plan doesnt work anymore?!!?!?!!

got my speedway axle sitting in the corner--right next to that d@mn intake
manifold..........

[RAIV70Judge]

I currently have a axle and springs from a 53 Chevy truck that seems to be the same track as I am currently running on the front, and is already out fitted with GM front disc brakes. And it was free...... After a few days of measuring and staring, it is obvious that I will have to cut the front off the current S10 frame and build new with 3"x4"x1/8" wall tubing.That normally wouldn't be a big deal, except the S10 frame is wide in the middle. So I will have to make 2 pieces that angle up and in towards the engine, then 2 pieces to go straight to the front for the frame rails. As you all well know, I am not afraid to cut anything up to build. But......I will have to make everything from just under the firewall forward all over again including the front and mid motor plates, the entire steering set up, and still try to fit a little larger radiator in the car. The general consensus is to move forward with the conversion, so while I'm at PRI tomorrow, listening to the new drag week rules, I will make a final decision to install the straight axle or leave it alone.

[fatguyzinc]

......I will have to make everything from just under the firewall forward all over again including the front and mid motor plates, the entire steering set up, and still try to fit a little larger radiator in the car. The general consensus is to move forward with the conversion, so while I'm at PRI tomorrow, listening to the new drag week rules, I will make a final decision to install the straight axle or leave it alone.

cant just weld an 'outrigger' from existing frame rail to where spring mount needs to be?

[Deaf Bob]

cant just weld an 'outrigger' from existing frame rail to where spring mount needs to be?

Then you have spring pockets in the frame, straight axle cars look better with straight rails..

[fatguyzinc]

Then you have spring pockets in the frame, straight axle cars look better with straight rails..

.....................................kinda figured from the 'paint' that looks
werent the first priority here.............................and i applaud
that, my builds are the same--function first, THEN form.

so aside from looks, any other reason? strength issue? i guess
you could shave/plate/box the coil pockets to look more straight
or something. plus that arguably might make it stronger.

and i guess if hes putting in new rails he could move steering box
or something too, or maybe alter crossmember placement, etc...
just trying to wrap my head around why do all the extra
work if outriggers would suffice for spring mounts.

just my inherent "fat & lazy" modus operandi..