First published in the March 2008 issue of Street Machine

Rod Hadfield’s latest project started with the set of RATROD numberplates purchased seven years before the car itself hit the road.

“The rat rod scene was really taking off in the States at that time and I knew it wouldn’t be long before the same thing happened here,” Rod says. He had plenty of other projects to keep him busy — including his P51-powered ’55 Chev and his Lincoln V12-inspired Model A pick-up — but he knew he’d make good on the plates one day. At around the same time he came across another great find: a set of original Ardun heads, which are the holy grail of Ford flathead V8 speed equipment and perfect for this car.

“The heads were part of a deceased estate in South Australia. The old man was an orchardist and fitted the heads to his fruit trucks because they struggled to make it over the Adelaide hills with the stock flatheads,’ Rod says. “The family had three sets, two used and one new. They kept one of the used sets for themselves, sold the other to Harry Wright in Castlemaine, and I got the new set, which had been sitting in a box at the bottom of a work pit that was being used by the guy to stand on while he was working on his truck!”

Now Rod had the plates and the makings of an incredibly desirable engine — all he needed was a car to fit them to! He found what he needed while he and wife Carol were campaigning three of their cars on the US show scene.

“I saw an ad for a 98 per cent stock T Ford coupe in the farming lands of Nebraska’ Rod says. After a nightmare trip over the snow-covered Rocky Mountains the coupe was brought back to LA, ready to ship to Australia.

Rod decided to build the car with a nostalgia drag racing theme after bumping into a bloke who had worked for the Hurst Speed Equipment Company in the 60s and had acquired its old drag slick moulds. He agreed to make Rod two pairs with whitewalls on modern radial cases. Rod’s tyres were the first out of the mould but they’re now available from Adam’s Tires in Spokane, Washington.

The major build started with a complete strip of the original car and by working out what wheelbase would be required to make everything proportional. Two more T chassis were found to lengthen, box and provide extra material for the nine-inch step over the rear end, which is still supported by the Model T rear spring, crossmember and shackles. Ladder bars made from 1936 Ford radius rods extend forward, running parallel with the rails, into the cabin and are anchored with heavy-duty truck tie-rods mounted to brackets attached to the chassis rails.

Huge Lincoln brakes bolt straight to a vacuum-operated Columbia two-speed diff, which provides an overdrive gear for highway cruising, and a pair of Rod’s own Haddybrand wheels were multi-drilled, sandblasted and sprayed in clear. The original Ford torque tube was replaced with the open tailshaft conversion from the pick-up and ute models of the same year.

The body was channelled the depth of the chassis, the roof was chopped seven inches, though with only two inches removed from the rear window to retain good vision. Four inches were trimmed from the rear panel to allow more rear-end exposure and the firewall cowl was shortened three inches prior to the original lip being welded back on. A firewall was then made from 2mm plate and recessed another three inches to allow the motor to sit back further — necessary because the car was to have an exposed transmission.

To seal the firewall more securely, a plate was made that would bolt between the block and the Ford pressed-steel bellhousing — similar to the 360-degree scattershields used in drag racing today. This plate sits against the firewall, forming a sealed surface. Rod fabricated the gearbox crossmember to hold the top loader transmission, which was reconditioned and fitted with the Jeep top that puts the shifter into the centre and forward, like the original Ford transmissions used until 1939.

Up front are repro Radir 12-spoke rims, cast as blanks and then machined to suit the bearings of the 1926 Chev stub-axle. Using these stubs in a T Ford front axle lowers the car another two inches, gives a larger size kingpin and converts the car to a side-steer format, instead of the factory cross-steer set-up.

The front axle was dropped three inches by Garry Page, then the front spring eyes were reversed and a stepped plate made to bolt to the front T crossmember and further lower the car. A pair of bolt-on strengthening bars were made by a local blacksmith to reinforce the mounting and add to the early look. The early-style hairpins were made using two sets of T Ford radius rods, then attached to the axle with a pair of 1916 Ford perch bolts and some clever machining. In turn, ’34 Ford tie-rod ends mount them to the rail brackets; two letter Ts, cut in an old-style font, strengthen the hairpins and add to the look.

The real talking-point is the 8BA motor, topped by a pair of Stromberg ’97 carbies adapted to the Bob Fischer-prepared GM blower. Ignition Developments handled the distributor and leads, a truck sump and high-volume pump take care of the oiling, and power is delivered through a stock clutch, flywheel and pressure plate.

The T Ford headlights have been fitted with quartz halogen globes and indicators but everywhere you look the early style has been retained, such as the old grease nipples, retaining pins and castellated nuts. In fact, with the exception of the rear indicators, there’s nothing visible on the car that wasn’t available in 1965!

Rod drove the car to our photoshoot and we can report that it sounded fantastic and looked wild on the road, which is where this baby belongs.

“The reason I built it left-hand drive is that I would like to take it to the States and go on some road tours”

The coupe’s first big trip will be to the Island State Street Rod Nationals at Easter.

Body in detail:

• Chev 1926 stubs lower the car 2in, with a 3in dropped axle bringing it even closer to the deck.
• Grille shell was widened 1in and houses an Aussie Desert Cooler radiator, with thermostats built into the top radiator hose connections.
• Alternators have no place in a trad-style rod! Firewall is set back 6in in total but retains the original lip.
• The roof has had a 7in chop, with the body channelled to the depth of the chassis.
• Repro whitewall Hurst street slicks are fitted to Rod’s own Haddybrand rims.
• The dust caps on the spindle-mount Radirs are recycled Model T petrol tank caps. Front brakes are original Model T — absent!

Engine in detail:

• Early blower set-ups used multi-belt drive systems and so has Rod.
• Any modern components are neatly hidden — here a recent coil has been fitted inside a stripped 6V body.
• Likewise the inefficient but cool-looking cartridge oil-filter houses a modern full-flow system.
• Intake manifolds for Ardun-equipped flatheads aren’t easy to find. Rod tracked down a Canadian dentist who had a manifold pattern and was able to supply him with a blank casting.
• Rod made zoomies fitted with Harley-Davidson baffles to keep the coupe quiet enough not to frighten the horses too badly.
• Mechanical linkage set-up required a ton of work but looks far more appropriate than a cable.

Interior in detail:

• Check out the water-pipe rollcage — shades of Brian Plankmann! Many of the stickers on the door are seriously old.
• Seats are ’48 Fiat with diamond-pattern stitching. Belts are ex-aircraft.
• Instruments include an early and highly desirable Sun tacho strapped to the steering column, and a brace of Stewart Warner gauges.
• Orange Perspex side windows, vintage switches and dash fan plus a Blitz truck dash-light all contribute period details.
• The tough top loader is shifted by a floor-change mechanism courtesy of Jeep. Gear-knob grenade is a dummy made from aluminium.
• Accelerator is made from two horseshoes; other pedals are vintage Oldsmobile.
• 12V universal windscreen wiper replaces the original hand-operated unit.
• Genuine early Ford oil can is used to top up the original ‘toilet bowl’ lubrication system used on some of the suspension components.

ARDUN INFO

By Rod Hadfield

For those not familiar with the Ardun conversion, here’s a brief run-down on the hemispherical overhead valve conversion for the 24 head-stud flathead Ford V8 engines, from 1938 through to 1954.

The story started in 1945 when two German engineers, brothers Zora and Yura Arkus-Duntov (ARkus-DUNtov), moved to the US.

Ford’s V8 introduced in 1932 suffered from overheating. The brothers took on this problem and came up with an advanced hemispherical head design (copied by Chrysler for the 331/365/392). The conversion had heads, valves, pushrods, lifters, covers, two log manifolds and two single-barrel carbs, and by 1947 everthing was in place to start production – except labour and materials. Due to these shortages, early units were made in England before moving to New York.

The kit was a bolt-up deal and raised the 85hp donk to 170hp! It solved the heating and cracking problems but fewer than 400 sets were produced as Ford released the new 337ci Lincoln flathead in 1949, taking away the market.

Zora later went to work for GM and was instrumental in the design of the small-block Chev and Corvette.

ROB & CAROL HADFIELD
1926 MODEL T COUPE

THANKS
Ignition Developments; Peter Way, engines; Gavin Hill, trim; Aussie Desert Cooler; Garry Page, axle work; Phillip Berry Signs, Ballarat; Waddington’s Restorations; Ray Charlton; Harry Wright; Bill Mussett; and wife Carol.