I've been searching all around for a Mallory distributor to fit an 8BA like my car ran with back in the day, but wasn't having much luck. Took a trip to visit local hot rodder and former racer Walt Locke, and he ended up having one. Unfortunately it turned out to be for a SBC, but GMCBubba is going to help me out with that.... After photochopping my coupe, the frame definitely had to be shortened. I've debated it for a while, but it needs to happen. I was trying to avoid getting into the front end, but it was necessary... Kingpins were a bit of a project - but they could have been worse.
Finished chopping the frame 5", and took care of the cancer hiding under the front bumper and mounts for the split bones. Grille is going under the knife next....
Got the Mallory done today. Nice unit and will make this old jalopy hum for sure with a look like it would have been. The chevrolet turns the correct direction and requires the housing to be turned down along with a shortend shaft and new drive gear. Mechanical advance is adjusted to 20 degrees (chevy had 28). Two piece cap allows the use of soldi wires and work very well.. I have a real soft spot for this car as i worked at a gas station ( early sixtys) and we ran a couple of these old cars on a dirt track in Tennessee. Actually (gasp) i helped destroy a few interiors and window glasses during my high school days. Track rules only allowed pre 1953 engines so that kinda makes the flathead the prefered engine...... No electric fuel pumps so we wrapped the electric pump in a old grass sack and stuffed it in the frames rails.....dash had hook welded on it to hold the early ford trans in 2nd gear.......I loved these old cars !!!!!!!!!!
The Mallory looks beautiful Jim! I'm Thankful you were able to convert my junkyard find into a serviceable distributor for the flathead! I'm excited to have the approval of someone with firsthand knowledge of these old dirt racers. Hearing old stories, and helping other relive their past is always a highlight - but having someone help me out the way you have is a true honor. Can't wait to put it to the test racing around backroads, and hopefully on the beach at the Race of Gentlemen!
this car IS legit. and you're coming up with a cool way of making it really useful and maintaining its history. very cool.
A little detail on the wheels... Started a thread on here looking for suggestions of what to use for a donor hoop- ended up with a late model Honda Civic as suggested by @ronzmtrwrx . They work perfect. Ended up reversing them... Need to true them, weld them, and drill a new hole for the valve stem. The center is welded in 4 places, which are easy to get with a cut off wheel. Mine didn't exactly want to fall out, so I cut out the center, and cut the remaining ring in two. Came apart easy then. I can take more pictures or provide more details if you guys want. Been putting in some hours... New kingpins in the front end, which went a lot easier then the spring shackles. Mounts are just tacked on for now, had to see how it looked. Think I might go back to a stock front spring instead of a reverse eye. More details on the grille soon... Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
They're 6.5", some ballooning with the 8.90's, but they'll work. Clearance is still a little close... Was thinking about jacking the rear up a little more.
Mocking up the grille... Realized I need to lower the motor, or else run it without rubber pucks for now.
It's kinda tough to tell from the pics, but the bodyline and hood/grille are clashing. Even with the hood resting on the generator, it was a little too tall in the front. Took out the rubber mounts and everything lined up much better. Radiator is going to be a real challenge!
Bulge the hood? Does lowering the engine mess with any levels/angles at the carb? I'm curious because I had to jack my engine up almost 2" to compensate for my rake.
Ended up chopping the '36 pickup grille 4", and narrowing it 4". Salvaged the original mesh from the car- had to piece 3 or 4 sections back together.
I did... But it was when it first opened. Wish I had waited until now. Maybe I can edit my submission somehow?
Email them. I had the same issue. I emailed new pics and list of mods. Your car looks awesome! Hope to see you there! Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
That thing sure has character, I think that there's just enough left of it's previous life. A nice little nerf in front to protect that grille (with removable headlight mounts?) and some small running lights at the rear for on the road use (night races), call it done. Good Luck at TROG!
Small update... So a few days after receiving my masterfully converted/restored Mallory Magspark from @GMCBubba, I did my normal scan of CL and the first result caught my eye... Guy listed an original Magspark for a flathead, along with the same style coil my car ran with. Ad said make an offer so I shot him a number- guy said he'd take half. How could it get any better? Well, the distributor was located about 10 minutes from where my coupe was built, and get this - it may have raced against my coupe! The guy's father had owned a car in the same Jalopy / B Class. #808 raced at Claremont around the same time as mine, and also ran with a hopped up flathead... Sometimes Craigslist really does payoff! Another fun find, from my own shop... When I got the car, the Magspark was still mounted on the firewall, on a steel block. Hadn't really given it much thought since I cut it off years ago, but stumbled across it the other day. I was looking it over, and realized what it was - the original fuel block for the tri-power. I've always had a suspicion that an OHV was in the car at some time, they must have thought the fuel block was a convenient place to mount the coil with the swap. Also dug out the original 1937 Ford (?) steering wheel... The center is in tough shape, but the ring hiding under the tape was in decent shape:
I figured I'd come out of hiding in the shop to give an update.... About a month ago I got an e-mail that I was accepted into the Race of Gentlemen. I was pretty excited, to say the least. So I kicked it into high gear. In the past few weeks, I stripped down the car, finished welding the frame chop, painted the chassis, painted the body, swapped out to an aluminum flywheel + Auburn clutch, wired the car, installed the "plush" interior, and a host of other things I can't remember.... And then Monday night I get an e-mail that I'm being rejected from TROG. My coupe didn't meet the criteria, a mistake was made. Offered an apology and a couple free passes. Oh well, I guess. Thought I'd at least share my progress for those interested. Might as well keep truckin', and try to have it back on the street for the summer.
The Jalopy Journal
