www.flatheadmeltdown.com

Well I suppose it all started when I turned up at the Hot Rod Drags in my freshly built ‘32 roadster, that would have been 1999, in what I thought was a perky little 21 stud. Well it hauled itself up the quarter in 18.4, not too shabby but I thought I could do better.  The following year I returned to Shakey with dual 94’s and extractor manifolds, result 17.9. Not enough. By now I had it bad so I decided to go large.  Fast forward to 2004 and the 21 stud has been languishing under a bench at work for a couple of years along with the B rear-end I’d replaced with a V-8 item the year before. The idea was to put together some sort of rod using the engine and axle I had and any other “crap” lying around the workshop with a view to selling it on after a season running it around.

At this time I happened upon Neil Tuckett’s web site after searching for more info on his Golden Ford. I think the seed was sown when I saw the car pre bodywork at Goodwood or Coys festival, I forget which, a rough plank with a sack thrown over it for a seat and the Roof overheads spewing warmed oil over the driver’s feet. Just the right side of barking mad I thought!

So to Tuckett Bros and the big stack of T chassis outside their workshop. (I had planned to build my own chassis but the T’s were reasonably priced and, of course, genuine in all their rivity loveliness).  I chose one that had already been “mucked about with” as it was a bit cheaper but in excellent condition with virtually no pitting.  I think that chassis was the turning point, out went the cheap money spinner and something a bit different was growing. I’d been into vintage single-seaters for years but didn’t know much about American cars of the period probably because you don’t often see them over here.  Soon though I was catching up on all those great back yard specials of the 20’s as well as the work of the Chevrolet Brothers , the Deusenbergs and Harry Miller.  That T chassis is 24 inches wide which kind of dictated the width of the body if I was going to build the style I had been looking at, especially the way the body is attached to the chassis. So, Bobber or tail job?

Now at this point I have to confess this car is largely inspired by a single black and white photo in Hop Up Annual #1. If you have a copy check the article on Muroc and the photo of Don Smalls’ T bobber, that’s how minimal I wanted to go.  The chassis was set out some time in August of 2004, and the first task was to lower the frame. The rear has a kick of 6 ½ inches and the bolt on front perch raises the front spring a similar amount.  The design of the perch was taken from Murray Fahnestocks’ Model T Speed Secrets and called for it to be made from 5/8 inch stock. OK if you have access to a forge but even the biggest cutting head on my acetylene set wasn’t up to the job so I made it in 10mm plate which looked pretty good until I loaded up the suspension with the weight of the engine, the result, a 5 degree deflection in castor and a speedy re-design!

The autumn was spent collecting the parts I would need to complete the project.  A couple of trips back to Tuckett Bros yielded the distinctive radiator grille (still unidentified) and various chassis components like the rear spring and hand brake leaver. Many parts were scrounged or donated but it all had to be early Ford. The only non Ford parts where those I made and the steering box which is ZF and from a Volvo Amazon. (I used to own one and the box was part of the ‘crap pile’ I was originally intending to use).

The build progressed steadily over the winter, and by April 2005 it was pretty much there. This is when the build photos where taken. The push was then on to finish for the Meltdown at the beginning of July.  At this point my good friend Dean Micetich suggested I get in touch with Eddie Wimble who was developing the new Stromberg-97 carbs at the time. He liked what I was doing and it was agreed that in time he would sign write the car with the Stromberg logo and top off the Thickstun PM-7 manifold I had with a pair of the new Strombergs.  Eddie sent me some of the Stromberg artwork so I could match the colour scheme on the car.

In August my club the Executioners hosted the first Hot Rod Hayride.  As part of the entertainment we had organised a run to the nearby Brooklands Museum.  Hot Rods with suitable ground clearance were given the chance to ascend the test hill, a surviving part of the original 1907 Brooklands complex. I’d been visiting Brooklands for years and the prospect of driving a car that I had built on Holy ground was……. well, close to a religious experience. I was determined to make a good show of it.  At the drivers meeting we were warned to back off at the cone that was placed about three quarters of the way up the hill. Right….. back off at the cone and no wheel-spin at the bottom, this is a scheduled monument after all.  So second gear launch then, get it rolling then nail it….. there’s the cone, back off, back off! Much to my surprise my machine and I had 'slipped the surly'.   I was out of my seat and the car had a foot of air.  I know Brooklands is the birth place of British aviation as well as motor sport but I hadn’t intended to pay tribute to Mr A.V. Roe.  

Back at our camp site I was very proud to be voted Participants Choice, no doubt a result of my cars entertaining aeronautical behaviour.  The following summer I decided to swap the 21 stud for the “big” motor from my roadster, reckoning that the chassis would be up to the increase in power.  So in went a 276 ci track cam’d motor which resulted in a 14.3 @ 96 mph.  The lack of suspension damping at such speeds caused the front wheels to bounce up and down as the axle oscillated to the point of a blur and the rear axle tramp under engine braking was severe.  This would have to be sorted out before more runs were attempted.

In 2007 Eddie agreed to sign write the car and it was finished just in time for the Scrapers’ indoor car show in Antwerp, and  a return to the track in 2008 with friction shocks all round and a pair of new Stromberg-97s’ saw disappointing times due to poor traction with 14.8 the best time although terminal speeds were still in the mid 90’s.

The future?  I have no firm plans for the speedster other than to race it every now and then. Possible engine swaps? A banger would be nice and better suited to the period. Anyone got a Curtiss OX-5!?

Oh, and it does have a log book…