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General Site Info => General Discussion => Topic started by: 85MudMonster on January 30, 2008, 11:27:43 pm
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Okay so I was thinking about how the south always gets to have all the fun and attention. What I mean is there are all these songs about the south, and not to mention the South has it's own automotive mascot, the General Lee. So I got to thinking about what I wanted to do with my truck. I'm not into the whole 6" lift 35" tires and a 350 V8 that almost eveyone does, it doesn't thrill me, I see that and go "wow, another 350..." I want something original, then I thought why not build a theme into my truck, I did that with my car. So what theme would be good, then I though why not build the Grneral U.S. Grant. I want to paint it flat black with a flat matte clearcoat, ant then orange "hot rod" style pintstripe down the side with some fancy pinstripping on the hood and the ends of the stripes. Then an 01 on the doors, and the old 34 star flag on the roof of it. I wish I could draw it out cause it looks cool in my head. But I'm thinking for engine wise something like an old 283 with the mechanical Fuel Injection (283HP factory in 1957) on it, and I'd have to do a bit of port and polish and other work on it, and up the ponies a bit, or maybe an old 348 BBC the 1961 model made 350hp. A 4" lift 35" tires, custom front and rear bumpers, a 10,000lb winch front and back, KC light bar. And on the tailgate an air brushed picture of "the Gen. Grant" with one tire up on the hood of the "Gen. Lee" like it's crushing it. So what do you think? what other engines should I consider? Anything you would add?
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Sounds Cool if you were living somewhere in the Northern US, like here in Washington(I was actually thinking of doing that with a car I wanted back in High School), but if you are in Louisianna I wouldn't recommend it.... I know of way too many Southern People who wouldn't take to kindly of something like that, and would be more than Happy to express their feelings to you or your truck(In the Wrong Way!!) :o
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well, as soon as they touch me or my truck I can legally shoot them....
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How about the "General Sherman"... Black with flames from burning cities and plantations. Oh, and crushed skulls. :)
I like the idea for the hood. And move up North after the mods.
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what about all the people who feel the General Lee symbolizes slavery. I used to want to get a charger and paint it like that, until one of my black friends said he would kick my ass and burn the car. But eveyone loves the USA, or I like to think they do since they live here. I could leave off the airbushing on the back so as not to piss off to many General Lee fans...
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How about the "General Sherman"... Black with flames from burning cities and plantations. Oh, and crushed skulls. :)
I like the idea for the hood. And move up North after the mods.
Someone Else said I should go with Sherman as well.
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I don't get the 01 on the side of the truck..
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why?
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because you said you didn't want to make a General Lee. General Lee = 01 in everyones mine. Why not make it 10 if you were going to do it....
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Listen. Why don't you just forget the north-south thing and paint your truck like a WalMart store? Everybody loves the USA right? So does WalMart.That way none of your friends-black or white will be mad at you.
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Listen. Why don't you just forget the north-south thing and paint your truck like a WalMart store? Everybody loves the USA right? So does WalMart.That way none of your friends-black or white will be mad at you.
Lmao...Dont forget the smiley face on the hood
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Listen. Why don't you just forget the north-south thing and paint your truck like a WalMart store? Everybody loves the USA right? So does WalMart.That way none of your friends-black or white will be mad at you.
Lmao...Dont forget the smiley face on the hood
Now that funny right there.... :D
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Ok, time for me to chime in.
I am from Richmond, Va--the capital of the Confederacy. Yeah, i read about the Civil War and trace my numerous ancestors who were in the 12th va infantry www.12thva.com another one of my many websites.
I will stand firm about the War being about states rights. You have to put this in the 19th century perspective--the federal gov't waS not that strong--the states were more important. I hate the fact that Ken Burns stated that Lee was a traitor--no he wasn't--he lived his whole life in Virginia (except when he ran West Point). He was a Virginian--to turn his back on Va would have made him a traitor.
Anyway, most of my ancestors did not own slaves, but, they fought when the FEDS started beefing up Ft Sumter in S.C.--that was an aggressive act. You can read more of my opinion at www.roadtodisaster.com My Road To Disaster website...many of these ideas are true to Gov't politics now.
Anyway, my favorite books right now is US Grant's memoirs. You know his real initials were not U.S. He adopted that at West Point. His real name was Hiram Ulysses Grant---his Congressman who helped him enter West Point made an Error in his name--and it stayed that way. He liked it because his foot locker would not have his initials as HUG.
But then, US (ulysses simpson) became popular as "Unconditional Surrender" Grant when the North won their first victories of the War, Ft Donelson and Ft Henry. Grant's terms for the surrender were "...no terms except for unconditional and immediate surrender".
That should be the name of your truck.....UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER
And the number should be 50---for the fifty states in this UNION.
As a side note, speaking of Ken Burns and his PBS specials (Civil War, The West, Baseball, The War, etc..) his co author on all of these is a guy named Geoffrey C. Ward. Well, in Grant's later years, he went bankrupt because his son and a guy named Ferdinand Ward went into an investment firm company together. US Grant let his son invest most all of his personal funds. Ferdinand Ward was a crook and took all the money and basically threw it all away. You guessed it, Geoffrey Ward is a direct descendant of Ferdinand Ward and that will be the subject of his next book. I don't know if Burns will do another special on PBS about that or not.
It was Mark Twain that coaxed Grant into writing his memoirs. He literally wrote that on his death bed (he died of cancer) and his widow became quite wealthy--over $200k for the first printing.
At a recent book signing in Wash d.c. i was at....
(http://www.delbridge.net/burns1.jpg)
(http://www.delbridge.net/burns2.jpg)
Now excuse me while I plan my trip to Gettysburg in August--The south's worse whipping.
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Well, your ancestor's may not have owned any slaves but mine did. I had a ancestor who was in the 163rd Alabama Infantry during the Civil War. He was captured and keeps as a POW by the north at a fort on an island off the coast of Mississippi. I also had an ancestor who fought for the Brits during the American Revolution. Seem's like they were always on the wrong side. Anyway, Maybe a more "America" theme would work better than a "north" theme...
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By the time you go back 4 generations, you have 16 great great grandparents. Some did own slaves. Today there are a few black Delbridge families in southern Va--where the Delbridge family is from (in the same county that my father is from--going back all the way to 1756--eight generations in front of me). I am not proud of the fact. But, i had nothing to do with it. It was common then that the black family would take on the last name of the family where they worked.
But, I will say slavery was a key issue, that was just one factor of the State's rights issue. When Lincoln was elected, the Radical Republican, and the South was mainly democratic, well, that was the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak. Tariffs of exported cotton and tobacco were increasing dramtically and the south felt they had no say.
The rest, so they say, is history.
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I actually like the idea, but agree with Del that "Unconditional Surrender" would be a better name.
If you want to do somthing different than a 350, source a good 396, 427, or 454. Or go really different and track down a BOP 400 out of a 350 diesel truck and swap in a Buick 401 nailhead..my '63 Riviera sports one of those and it really walks the dog, with a claimed 445 ft lbs of torque bone stock..but with the original '63 valvetrain w/ 120k miles, and a 2 speed auto slushbox it seems to get gallons per mile. By the time you get a good 283, and spend the money working it over to make power comparable to a 350, it wont be any more practical to drive, AND will probably cost as much as finding and mildly building a short stroke big block...I haven't seen too many of these trucks with a 396 or 427..
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SgtDel, do you do any reenacting? I am with the 3rd MD CO A. I had a GGG Grandfather fight for the 15th WV CO. C (Union). I would love to chat history with you some time. We are practically neighbors.
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If you want to be diffferent as far as the engine goes. I would say definitely go with a 472 or 500 Caddy motor. They weigh about the same as an all iron SBC and make diesel-like torque. The only drawback is that the stock valvetrain and connecting rods are weak. Aftermarket shaft rockers and strong rods are readily available, though. Check out Maximum Torque Specialties (http://www.mtscadparts.com/MTSHome.htm). There's one in this '69 RS (http://www.carcraft.com/featuredvehicles/66358_1969_camaro_rs_ron_evans/index.html) (read the part of the article where they discuss the engine output). 625 ft/lbs @ 2500 rpm!!! It'll be the exact opposite of the Fuelie motor you're considering.
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With a 3 yr old boy, time is tight. But, I have considered joining the 12th virginia reenactment group. It is convenient, they are based here in Richmond. I could actually play one of my five ancestors who were in the real 12th. I'd probably portray my great, great grandfather, George Washington Welton. It's funny how many people were named after the father of our country. I have two gr gr grandparents w/ those first two names.
Anyway, GW Welton was the father of my great grandmother. I never knew her father was in the CW when I knew her and used to visit her. She died at age 90 when I was 15 years old.
He lost an eye at the battle of Petersburg toward the end of the War.
I'll be going through Frederick Md on my way to Gettysburg in August. You are so close to that and D.C. Both armies passed through Frederick both before and after the Battle.
History is my middle name. I'll chat history with anyone who'll lean an ear my direction. ;D I am slowly doing a complete history of the 12th's actions throughtout the entire war. It may sound crazy, but, I want to know exactly where they lined up in Lee's line and what they did, what part they played, in every Battle they were in. I have been working on this book for two years and I haven't completed 20% yet...visiting every battle sight as I go along. Luckily, Gettysburg is perhaps the farthest in distance I have to go, that and Antietam. Been to both before back in the 90's. This time I am taking a digital camera to help document where General Mahone's men were. I currently have 27 books on Gettysburg sitting on my desk as I type this. I like to delve head on into whatever I am trying to learn. Having collected books since my college days, it is rather easy to do. Thank goodness for a basement that holds upwards of 8,000 books. :D
(http://www.delbridge.net/gettyy1.jpg)
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That is my favorite thing, is history, I'm going to major in it. Anyway, I've researched almost as much as I can find about my family on a computer. Now I'm gonna have to take some trips to find more info.
A nyway, A Caddy 500 might be what I need. Although 625ft/lbs might be more that what I'm looking for.....maybe more like 400ft/lbs...course this is the "Unconditional Surrender"............
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400 ft lbs.....hmmmm, ever consider a 383 stroker?? They are getting to be pretty common nowadays. www.delbridge.net/install
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General Grant, been done already. Years back when I was about 17 a buddy of mine had a 70 2 door Impala with a 396 in it. It was a beater. He stuffed a 4 spd. in it, some Crager SS wheels and a set of Super Wide Stinger L 60s, dual pipes. Then one night we got drunk and painted it satin gray spray bomb. A few weeks goes by and he shows up with the doors welded shut ( repainted gray ), an American flag painted on the roof, General Grant lettered over the windows, a big red 10 on the door. The next weekend we put a push bar on it.
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Call it the Unconditional Surrender. Under those words, put Appomattox--that is, after all, where the surrender took place.
The surrender was signed by Grant and Lee in Wilber McLean's parlor. It is funny to note that McLean moved to Appomattox to escape the chaos of war---where did he live prior to the move? Manassas where the first and second battles of Bull Run took place, where his house was hit by canon as he was innocently sitting inside his house.
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'nutter idea.....as you pull away from your racing competition from a stoplight, have them read on your tailgate, "Sic Semper Tyrannis". Thus always to Tyrannts.
This the Virginia state motto. The flag has a picture of one man stepping with one foot on a slain man. In other words, "this is what you get for challenging me."
(http://www.delbridge.net/vaflag.jpg)
It is very unfortunate that John Wilkes Booth yelled this as he jumped from the balcony of Ford's Theatre after shooting Lincoln. It kind of tarnished our state motto.
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SgtDel - any opportunity to recommend the 383, LOL. But I think the assignment here was something other than a common SBC.
Well if you are only shooting for 400 ft/lbs. Go with an LS6 for light weight and 6500 redline or an LQ9 for affordability and potential. They are becoming more commonplace on these truck every day, and it's not just another 350. I'm gonna get my hands on one of these motors someday.
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actually I think I know what I'm going to do. I have a Olds 350 block out of a '77 442. If i bore it out to a 4.186 it'll be a 373ci small block, i've got some 65cc heads for it from a W-30 Engine and a good torque cam, all I need is a 650cfm holley and a high rise intake, and I should make about 400ft/lbs give or take a little. I wish I knew what other engines used 2.500" mains that had a stroke of more than 3.385 that way I could bore and stroke it...
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bore it .068 over and use 425 pistons. The pin height should before perfect for close to a zero deck height and will bring you up to around 10:1 CR
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that's a good point. Although 4.185 is a 425 that's bored .060 over, and if you've ever seen an olds 350 then you know it can go to a 4.185 bore, possibly even more. I was thinking about the stroking of the engine and considering I want lots of torque stroking is probably not what I want to do, so I can get a low revving high torque engine. But that aside, Vile I do believe you are right, I think with the pin height on the 425 pistons in a 350 you get like 9.8:1 (give or take) with 68cc heads.
I haven't even looked at or touche that olds motor in over a year, let alone look up parts or info on it....
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I built one of these about 3 years ago for my buddy. As far as stroking it you might want to spend some time checking the block casting. I know that some of the olds 350 castsing had more meat around the main webs where other year blocks didn't and are prone to cracking.
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mine's a '77 block and it's got the windowed mains on it. I'm going to have to make a gidle for it in order to push alot of power through it.