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 →
When Ford designed the S550 driveline, they chose to use a ‘Guibo’ joint just ahead of the differential. Probably done for Noise/Vibration, it just adds another joint when adapting to our toys. Depending on whether the diff came from a manual or automatic vehicle, the joint was a different size, requiring a different adapter. Created a lot of confusion in the Factory Five world. Ford supplies the cast iron differential to the aftermarket and seems they may have changed the joint (for standardization?) and didn’t tell anyone. There still is a lot of confusion over this. I came across a post on the FFCars forumRead 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 →
It’s rare that you get a do-over. After driving HM1078 for over 8 years, I still had the hankering to do another build. A little bit of work, some great support and guess what – I get to do it again! Working with Hurricane Motorsports, I have an opportunity to build the test mule for their new 2015 based IRS. • Time to incorporate all those little things I wished I’d done different • A chance to add those little things to make it even more period correct My plan was to build basically the same car with a few alterations. Having owned one, youRead 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 →
Extending the edgesAfter I positioned my body, I learned the opening for my side pipes was not correct. I would have to gain more clearance on the rear but I would have to extend the forward edge back. Extending the edge concerned me since it was cantilevered. I did some research on the web and found it was recommended that to get maximum bond, the joint should scarfed about 12:1.I decided I would put this taper inside and out and then install a layer of glass at the middle. Once that was solidified, I then built the edge up using Kitty Hair. I wanted toRead More →
The body I received was very high quality – on the outside. The inner edges left a lot to be desired. Two issues; 1) voids in gel coat and underlying glass had to be repaired to insure integrity of the finish and 2) I knew that people would be feeling the edge to determine the type of body. I could emulate aluminum but I could make it as close as possible. The body openings, on the inside, looked as if they had been cut out with a dull pocket knife. In many areas, the glass laminate had separated and presented voids. The arrows point toRead More →