Parts Hunting - Part 2
I last posted back in April but a couple of things have caused a bit of a slow-down for me on this project. One is that we moved to a new place, the other is Summer rolled in! But that hasn't stopped the planning and parts hunting.
Back in February I managed to locate an engine on Craigslist that I think will work out well for the Tribute Car. A gentlemen up near Dassel, MN had an older Ford 460 cubic inch that came out of a V-Drive Boat. It was a 320 horsepower 460 that was still equipped with all the marine accessories.
Here are a few pics of us getting the engine picked up and delivered to it's future home.
Next up, I located a 3-speed "Toploader" manual transmission, again out on Craigslist. Bob "the Turkey farmer up near Aitkin, MN said he had this transmission in his shop and he wasn't sure what it was from but wanted it gone. So I drove up north and brought it back home as well. While I was there I was able to see 15,000 of Bob's 30,000 turkeys and hear some great stories!
Can't install a transmission without having a bellhousing. I reached out to French Lake Auto Parts in Annandale, MN and asked if they had a 460 manual transmission bellhousing and yes, they said they did have one. So I brought it home, cleaned it up and sprayed the exterior with metal-etch primer.
The most interesting find so far has to be the shifter set-up. I was talking to a co-worker about the collection of older parts that were passed down from his Father. I asked if he thought he had any 3-Speed shifters, and yes he said, I believe I do. So he brought in a pretty rare piece of equipment.
There was a chain of stores in this area called 10,000 Auto Parts. Back in the day they would take products out of the box and sort and set all the parts and pieces of the kit on a bright yellow (in this case) piece of cardboard. They would then vacuum seal them to the cardboard and add grommets on top to hang up for a store display.
My co-worker just happened to have a vintage Spark-O-matic 3-Speed shifter display that he was willing to sell for the Tribute Car. It's like a time capsule dated on the back Feb.1st 1977. Perfect vintage for the Tribute Car.
My most recent acquisitions were a "new" set of gauges for the dash of the race car. Most of the gauges that are for sale currently do not look like they are from the 1970's. The car I am trying to reproduce was raced during the 1974 season and new gauges would look out of place.
I was able to track down a set of smaller 2" gauges and a 3 3/8" tachometer that have more of a vintage feel.
I still have several other parts and pieces that need to be located. The ultimate plan is to acquire enough of the needed parts to make a big week-long push to get the race car re-built, body replaced and the first color painted. Take care until next time!
