|
Doug and his '33 Tudor are something of an institution at
events up and down the Qld and NSW coast.
|
 |
Doug having a break from working on the tub in 1975, before
the addition of the fenders, and an ounce of fat. |
The USA produced '33 body was purchased in '86
from Col Dell and Steve DuPont, who had sourced it from Les Lawry,
who had bought it from the importer of the car; Diablo Motors. Doug
set to work on the chassis, and had Col Chapman perform the panel
beating. Col Chapman is a tradesman from the old school, a fact that
Doug had been made aware of after seeing Col's work on a number of
cars. There was plenty for Col to do - the entire car is original
steel, apart for the repro windscreen frame and stamped steel tank
cover.
The Tudor was registered in 2000, and it's first
big run was to Yamba 2000, then the Hawkesbury Nats. The car
consistently picked up Top Ten awards, which Doug appreciates, but
doesn't record. Another highlight was when their son Gary had his
High School formal, and Dad's '33 provided the transport.
The chassis was an original '33 which Doug
modified to take an HR Holden front cross member, to which were
attached Castlemaine Rod Shop
dropped spindles, P76 hubs, Holden Statesman calipers and Falcon
discs. The P76 hubs are used in place of the Holden hubs, as they
serve to narrow the front track (the distance between the wheel
centres) which means the front wheels are tucked up under the
fenders. The steering box is XA Falcon, and an HQ pitman arm is
fitted to the steering box, while an XR Falcon provided the idler
arm on the passenger side.
The 350 Chevy was a new 290 hp crate motor, and
has been accessorised to provide reliable rod-running peace of mind,
with a Holley 600 cfm carb on the GM manifold, and a Mallory twin
point distributor. Doug smoothed the cast iron rams-horn exhaust
manifolds then sent them to Jet
Hot Coatings for, umm... coating, by Jet Hot.
Harry Caldwell from Toowoomba built the radiator,
and another Rodder, Tom Fulton, shortened the tailshaft. The Turbo
350 transmission was rebuilt by another Rodding community identity,
Jim Rose, and is controlled from the Falcon
steering column. The diff was removed from a '62 Fairlane, fitted
with later model Falcon drum brakes, then suspended on a pair of
smooth riding semi-elliptic springs.
Tradelink Stainless did more than the stainless
steel work on the car; their Graham Burling added the steel RHS
bracing to the interior and the roof, as well as fabricating and
mirror finish polishing the fuel tank and the entire 2½" stainless
exhaust system. The tank is 2" deeper than a standard tank, and
really sets off the back of the car, if you happen to be lying on
the ground behind it.
The interior is more than a little comfortable;
the Bayside Trimming chamois coloured vinyl is extremely well padded, and perfect for
those longer trips. The seats are Honda Civic in the front and the
rear bench is from a Mazda 626. A Grant steering wheel dominates the
frontal area, and the column is a from an XY Falcon, complete with
the column shifter. The Moon gauges and So-Cal switches are
perfectly appropriate for the theme of the car, and the wiring was
done by Logan Priest.
The wheels are American Racing Torq-Thrust II's,
15x6 up front and 15x8 at the back. Being a tourer by definition,
Doug prefers the reality of radial ply tyres, using Michelin at the
front and Bridgestone at the rear. ◄
 |
The reflection in the
door is that of Graham Scriven's '29 Roadster. The '33's
body has been perfectly panel beaten to a file finish by Col
Chapman. |
 |
The end.
Home... |
Accreditation: The Editor,
and information supplied by the owner.
|
