Birth of Long John

[PotvinGuy]

I have the little 1/8” rotor with the Hallcraft calipers so I’m going to put them on. I did buy the Wilwood vented disks for the rear. I think most of the weight will be on the rear so I think I’ll be ok. I have plenty of crumple zone up front! Lol

I ran my other T without front brakes. Tip: front brakes can bust up wire wheels. ORF, I'm loving your build! And want to know how that torsion bar works out.

 

[fletcherson]

Just a thought for you long wheel base guys, Scott always ran on the street without front brakes and told me he never thought he needed them. I'm going to guess that the stopping power of 3" tires extended that far ahead of the engine and body is probably not something to write home about, so maybe he had the right idea. Your mileage may vary.

I have the same reservations about front brakes on mine. Not long wheel base. It had spindle mount skinny magnesium spokes with no front brakes when I bought it. I did have the rims modified to add rotors and intend to run them but I wonder how much real braking power they will provide. I was more in the control thought process when I made the decision. Sticking with rear drums for now. The entire rear ended, 9.2” GM front loader, is chrome so I’m going to run it for now. It was on the track with only rear drums prior to me buying it. Big block-4speed. I really struggled with deciding to cut on those magnesium rims but I wanted to retain as much of the nostalgia parts as possible and upgrade the controls to be as safe and functional as possible. I’m aware of newer aluminum reproductions with disc provisions. If I were building from scratch as opposed to trying to resurrect this one, lots of things would have been done differently... and more simply.

 

[old round fart]

I’m a little concerned with the torsion bar myself. It feels very stiff when I jump on it. Hope I get some frame flex to soften the ride. Just ordered coil overs with 160 lb. springs.

 

[old round fart]

Took a couple more pics a little closer.

 

[Indycars]

Way cool looking John !!!

 

[AltBantam]

Nice. I love the rail look with the cantilever on the steering and the torsion bar front suspension. I am also envious of your blower.

 

[old round fart]

Yes I’m a frustrated front engine driver wanna be! Guess this as as close as I can get!

 

[Spanky]

I'm with ya, ORF. There's just something visceral about these machines . . .

 

[PotvinGuy]

ORF, where did your torsion bar come from? Is it adjustable? I think your looong WB will give a great ride. Even my 120" is super comfortable.

 

[old round fart]

The torsion bar is a funny car part from Mark Williams Enterprises. It is adjustable by rotating arm on splines.


Product code 35000. Can’t figure how to link info. It’s $460.

 

[old round fart]

I had the front end jacked up and dropped it down and the frame did the oscillations. It was cool as hell!

 

[Jack Henderson]

How is this project coming along?
I sure like it!

 

[LongJohn]

Thanks. It’s to cold in Oklahoma! I haven’t done anything for a while. My next step is mounting rear shocks and they were ordered i late October. Stacking up money now for parts! Thanks for watching.

 

[choppedtop]

It was to cold for me to even try to heat up the shop. Can't afford the electric bill there. I have a fairly large upholstery gping and couldn't work on it. Warm enough today to give it a try. 29 degrees in Tulsa area now and that is a heatwave.

 

[Jack Henderson]

Thanks. It’s to cold in Oklahoma! I haven’t done anything for a while. My next step is mounting rear shocks and they were ordered i late October. Stacking up money now for parts! Thanks for watching.

Just knowing you are still working on your goal soothes my anxiety. Seriously!

 

[Jack Henderson]

It was to cold for me to even try to heat up the shop. Can't afford the electric bill there. I have a fairly large upholstery gping and couldn't work on it. Warm enough today to give it a try. 29 degrees in Tulsa area now and that is a heatwave.

24° here! Feels like a heatwave. A week of -° anything had me stuck in the house. I despise a forced sedentary state!

 

[Spanky]

So . . . what's the next step on your build, John?

 

[LongJohn]

I’m in the process of moving right now. My buyer I’m afraid overestimated his ability to get his VA loan. Got one more hoop to jump through and that should be done soon. We are to close July 11. My rear shocks only took 7 months to get here so that’s the next step. I have all the brackets and bars for rear suspension so it’s just a matter of mock and weld. Next will be mounting body and hanging doors, mounting the radiator I have in the pick up bed and wireing! That seems like I’m almost done! Another 5 years should do it! Lol Thanks for asking.

 

[Indycars]

Did someone mention wiring???

 

[LongJohn]

Lol Rick! You looking forward to the querying? I’m looking at two carbs on marketplace now. That can save me several thousand dollars as a “get-by” step to at least get it running until I can get the EFI system paid for.