While working on the steering, I decided to incorporate the self-cancelling turn signal mod. Update to current design The kit includes a VW turn signal lever. It has the self-cancelling mechanism built into it, it only needs an actuating cam to make it happen. But whoa, little buddy, it requires a little more attention than that. The cancelling cam is a 3/4″ shaft collar, with a couple bumps on it. I placed two welds, 135º apart and then sanded the profile. The PDF file shows the finished dimensions. You need to be fairly accurate in making this. Too small and it won’t cancel properly, tooRead More →

So, what’s different with the new car? A commonly asked question, HM20203 is very similar to my first car, HM1078. So why and what? Why? Everyone talks about the concept of “if I had it to do over again, what would you . . .” There were few if any things I changed due to this concept. Yes, I did learn some tricks after building the first one, but for the most part, HM2023 is a totally different approach. Maybe the biggest motivator, ‘I like to build’. I just completed an almost three-year project and have a number of years of ‘annual upgrades’ ahead ofRead More →

The rollbar has a third leg that extends into the trunk, attaching to a frame point to provide triangulation strength. The originals had an adapter socket that bolted to the rear framework. The Hurricane Motorsports design has a tube welded to the rear frame extension that the strut slides over. It must slide down far enough to let the main rollbar pass by when it is install. The strut is then slid back up and the retainer bolt installed. All smooth and thought out, except on the trunk side.  Their original design relied on the three legged triangle to hold all the pieces in place.Read More →

On my first build, HM1078, the car came with a Lokar #EHB-7000F, flat-mounted eBrake handle. The originals angled up and there was definitely room for improvement. My first pass was to modify the mounting of it and the way it attached to the cables. The Ford TBird IRS eBrake system was pretty in-efficient and this mod was marginal, at best. This is a link to the earlier posting. After multiple attempts to make it work, I found a Lokar #EHB-7016 Transmission mount handle. This provided a longer handle which increased the leverage. I modified it to fit the Hurricane frame which became Mod level#2. ThisRead More →

Hood Tube Frame

Hood Tube Frame Mod One of the first things you notice on a replica is the underside of the hood. Original cars had a 3/4″ tube frame with an aluminum skin attached to it. Replicas – not so much. I obtained the upper skin of the Hurricane fiberglass and then mounted it to a tube frame I built. Considering the hood is bent in two directions and has four rounded corners, it tested my skills as a fabricator. I’m anxious to see it painted…Read More →

One of least replicated items of the 427 is the secondary air bleed line on the coolant reservoir. I can’t say I’ve ever seen a replica with one yet every original had them.   I am adding features like this to my new build, to go that extra step on my replica.  I chose to use a dual pass radiator, the radiator is divided in half, top and bottom, so the coolant goes across on the top set of tubes turns and comes back on the lower set of tubes. That extra time in the cooling fins makes a big difference in cooling capacity.  ThatRead More →

Sorry, been a little remiss in keeping my progress reports up-to-date. I’ve incorporated a number of modifications to my Gen II Hurricane build, mostly to make it even more period correct.  Looking at the originals and the ERA builds, I liked the removeable transmission tunnel. The Hurricane comes with a removeable ‘X’ frame for transmission service, but even so, it still isn’t the easiest chore. This makes for a little more access:   The dash shown is the Street layout, wanted to validate my use of the glovebox. (S/C’s didn’t have a glovebox). Layout was taken from a local original CSX street car. Looking onRead More →

Third time is a charm. Plastic tank, aluminum tank, mod’d aluminum tank and now a redesigned aluminum tank. Some fitment challenges but more trunk space, more fuel capacity and an improved view from the rear. Check this out: Fuel Tank Mod’sRead More →

The original Hurricane build used a polyethylene tank by Tanks, Inc. – serviceable but it left a little to be desired. It was very difficult to get it to seal up completely. Builders of the first kits investigated various aluminum replacements. The Gen II cars came out with the first iteration of the factory aluminum tank. I added one of these to my build, but quickly noted a fault. The design protruded below the skirt of the car and wasn’t very becoming. A little aluminum, a saber saw and some welding, I came up with the first mod, cutting the rear into a taper. TheRead More →

When I received my body, the gelcoat was in excellent shape. But as I began to work on it, I learned although the body looked good, the edges were horrendous. The glass cloth had separated, or wasn’t filled, there were all kinds of voids. No where near ready for final body work. I chose to correct these. Period Correct I wanted the car to appear as an aluminum car. We have all seen persons come up to a car and put their hand under the edge of the fender well, trying to feel if it is fiberglass or aluminum. I wanted to pass this test.Read More →