Design Details - getting the "look" right
In order to comply with the following rule; "Keep it looking like a car", I will be installing all new body panels on the Torino. When I took over ownership of the race car it had already had numerous repairs done to most of the body panels. The front end was missing parts, the bumpers were bent up and in rough shape, and the GTS hood had been replaced with a flat hood. So I will be getting the car put back together to better resemble it's original shape and condition.
Chrome Bumpers - in Stock Position. For this particular rule, I will be replacing both the front and rear bumpers. The bumper rule also states that it can be "reinforced to provide safe attachment and proper protection".
Below are some images of the process I went through to prep the rear bumper for installation. After locating a "new" rear bumper at the local salvage yard, I pressed out the dings. I then fabricated an inner roll bar structure to provide attachment points for the bumper and protect the rear of the car. The rear bumper is bolted to the tubular support so that it will be easy to remove and repair or replace if it gets damaged on the track.
I found a handy site online that has a "Tube Coping Calculator" that makes it relatively easy to mark the "fish mouth" area to grind off when fabricating roll bars. Here is the link:
I will now be able to fabricate the additional tubing needed to attach this assembly back into the original location on the car. Note that all original mounting hardware has been removed and discarded. The tail light and license plate areas will be covered by riveting on pieces of aluminum.
The original front bumper was covered in very fine white cracks in the chrome and it appears to have a slight twist. Once again, I found a replacement at a local yard. I will go through a similar process as mentioned above, to mount and reinforce the front bumper.
In order to achieve a period correct "look", the valve covers and other engine components need to be from the right era. As you can see by the series of photos below, I have put a lot of thought into how the engine should look. I could easily (and at greater expense) go out and buy a brand new pair of valve covers for the Torino's 460 engine. Instead I am going to try to recreate the look of the 1970's era dirt tracker.
The Modern valve covers shown (below right) would look out of place on a vintage race car. The black finish is way to recent. The chrome aftermarket covers all come with 2 lines formed in the top flat surface. Ford racing and billet aluminum are also too recent.
The examples of valve covers (below left) are a few that would have been used back in the mid 70's. The blue painted steel covers are stock and have the Ford logo embossed in them. The finned aluminum covers came on the 429 Cobra Jet and Super Cobra Jet engines and are a bit hard to find and can be expensive.
When I bought the 460 cu. in. Hardin Marine engine, it came with a set of original chrome valve covers that had been painted (over the chrome) by Hardin. They also came with a chrome finish decal printed with the engine specifications in blue ink.
I decided it would be best for this build to restore the original chrome valve covers and recreate the decals. By the way, I contacted Hardin Marine and they said the division that built the 460 engines has been shut down for over 20 years, so no decals available there! To recreate the decal, I took a photo of the original, vectorized it (made it into line art) and had my sign shop friend print a half dozen on his Gerber Edge Printer. The valve covers themselves have been stripped of old paint, dents pressed out and have been sent off to Keystone Ind. to be re-chromed.
Another issue I had to address was the entire front of the Hardin 460. The marine engine was equipped with marine water pump, non-stock alternator brackets, water pump cover, and a nest of hoses connected to the marine water cooling system.
I removed all the marine parts and set out to locate the automotive versions of the front pulleys. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have decided to install a factory alternator to charge the battery. I managed to locate a complete set of alternator brackets up in Canada for the cost of shipping! I cleaned them up and painted the metal parts with self-etching metal primer.
I did find a stainless steel flex fan inside the race car when I brought it home. According to the part number, it looks to be the original Torino part. I am now on the hunt for the water pump pulley, aluminum fan extension and a power steering set-up.
Hopefully I will have new tires and wheels to cover in my next post. Until ten, take care!
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