Engine

1965 Buick 425 Nailhead. 450 ft lbs of torque ! But ugly...

Stock bellhousing

GM T-10 4 speed

Shiny stuff ! (makes it go fast!)

Rare optional spark plug covers.

I was considering this vintage U-fab Crower 6-log manifold...

...but for drivability, I will start with this tri-power setup.

I checked the motor out, and it has normal wear, but not worn out. I did install a new double chain timing gear set , though...

I also de-burred the front of the motor, the sick bastard that I am.

Since Mr. Offenhauser has not sent me any endorsement checks, I ground off the logo and text, for that clean look.
I then sandblasted it, to regenerate the cast look.

The flying nailhead !

I quick mockup of the shine stuff is certainly a motivator !

I don't know why I do this, but the crude looking elbow was just that: crude. So I radioused the edges, and polished the bejesus out of it, and the same goes for the fittings.

I was just going to run a fuel hose down the firewall, but it didn't look right. So I got this 3/8 stainless line and...yes, you guessed it: I polished the bejeses out of it. Looks classier than a fuel line flopping in the wind !

These stainless hose clamp are pretty cool, but they look even better polished. So I did...

With progressive linkage in place, and sexy red fuel lines.

After cutting the sender and the pick up tube to the right length, the tank is ready for installation. It is painted in hammer paint.

Fuel line, vent line and sending unit wiring is done. I tested the sending unit with the DeSoto fuel gauge before I installed this sender, and it works great.

One of the beefy bolts that holds the tank down, also serves as body mounting for the ground strap. Make sure you add extra ground straps between the body and the frame, and between frame and motor as well. For the positive lead, I am using welding cable. They are less money that a similar gauge at the auto parts store, and the insulation is of much higher quality.

The black sheets under the tank are OEM style sound deadening material.

Fuel pump, fuel pressure regulator and gauge are all located under the floor.

Here is a tip: Make friends with your local Auto parts store, and maybe they will let you borrow the hose and belt catalog. You can look up radiator hoses by size and length, making it easier to find a potential hose that will fit your application. It is illegal to use those universal hoses. The goal is to make it look like Henry put a nailhead in this baby ! In this case, an Napa 8835 fit like a glove for the top hose.

The lower hose was more of a challenge. Here, I had to use tow different hoses, and a copper elbow. I will use Swedish stainless clamps, and paint them black, so they don't "stick out" .

With a 1 inch spacer between the fan and pulley, the fans ends up about 1/2 inch from the radiator.

I think this looks OK...

The top hose looks like it belongs there.

I don't care what the wiring looks like under the dash board, but where it shows, I am using vintage style wiring.

I really wanted the whole generator chromed, but for economical reasons, I settled for having the pulley and tensioner bracket dipped in the shiny stuff.  The bolts will also be chrome when it's said and done...

It is sticking out a bit, but it's a hot rod, so we like moving things, right?

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