By Kev Elliott - Wheelers Speed Shop

o
By Kev
Elliott
e back
at Wheeler's
eed Shop for the second
month running to follow their
buildup of a Merc woodie with
a new, all-aluminum Ardun
motor and modern 700-R4
trans. I'11 reiterate what I said
Iast issue in that this isn't so
much a "how-to" but more of
an overview ofhow the crew
at Wheeler's overcame the
packaging problems of squeezing
the Ardun into the Merc's engine
compartment. While the block is
the same as the Flathead that
the car was originally equipped
with, those Ardun heads are
extremely large, making this
a very wide motor, despite its
identical length to the stocker.
Add in the associated
complications of fitting a new
front chassis clip, independent
suspension, steering, and new
ABS electric brake system, and
making all the components fi.t in
the same small space required
some intricate planning and
fabrication. The end result is an
extremely neat build, beautifully
finished, and we're sure, not a
Iittle inexpensive, both in parts
and labor, but then some things
are just worth having, whatever
the outlay!
I enjoyed watching the project
come together, and picked up a
number of tips for future use on
my personal projects, as I'm sure
you will too. Here's how the guys
at Wheeler's Speed Shop wrapped
up the install with brakes, oil pan,
headers, and exhaust. Rad
Here's where we left off lo$ monlh: with oll the
heovy fobrirolion done, lhe Fotmon tlip lorked in
plore, olong with the modified rrossmember. Note
oll the inner ond ouler fenders ond grovel pon ore
in ploce os ore lhe bumper brotkets ond bumpers,
to cherk for finol fit before the Mert gels lorn
down for lhe losl lime.
84
rodondcustommogozine.com
With everything
finol welded,
the Fotmon
.5
Fobricotions rlip
wos removed
from the
chossis.
While usuolly it
would be welded
permonently ol
this iunclure, the
Merr's rhossis wos
powdercooled
for the first
build, so the clip
wos senl oul for
powderrooting
heot
I
lorge dio
Ihe
lo rleor
prior lo welding in
ducting
heods ond re
d oir
ploce. 0nre welded,
tontiol re_working
opprorr,r.
lhe oreos oround
A
lhe joints will be
fobriroted to
blended wilh point.
.%H,,
0ncethedip
o
for fie lower
inlo fie top
sm
I
while lhe front clip wos or the powderrooters,
there were plenty.of smoller
iobs ro be romplered,
"g:,rr,r.
leosr of which beino rhis brorr<e,o
pr-r,
lo
no,he
he
Note the residuol volve olso mounreJ ro
The stock broke pedol wos modified
ro pivol on rhis
order lo ocluole the new mosler rylinder.
f
grou
ioinls
where the
0nce lhe
f,bri(,red brocker
in
,;rri rh;;;i;,' ,ytina* iio, iii
ril b;;;k;i;; ;ointr,, b,ok, lirr,.
s welded to the
ending wilh
nro*d *ri,
November 2010
.
r
poin
ROD &
s
ol
C!STO^,4 85
m$Ese$&*ffs
tlert
With the chossis
Ihrough-frome
work compleled,
fiflings were used
powderrooled,
on eorh side of the
ond pointed, finol
rhossis
osembly could begin.
broke lines to lhe
Here, lhe eledrir
fronl colipers.
lo roule lhe
ABS moster rylinder
ond orcumulolor ore
instolled ond plumbed
with stoinles lines.
Assembly of the Folmon fronl suspension
could now begin.
.!t
,##
With oll ports either powderrooled or $oinless
sleel, tore wos loken during ossembly. Nole
the use of rogs to prevenl strolthes during the
proces. Here Andy Humenik is removing port
of o spring (0mpressor required when inslolling
lhe coils.
86
rodondcustommogozinecom
One of tuo couses for the slight deloy in progres (the other being woiling
for the i00-R4 trons to be powderrooted ond rebuilt) were the front hubs.
While the Wilwood oluminum hubs ore fouhles, the owner wonted to retoin
his 5-on-5 1/2-inth eorly bolt poltern wheels, ond the Wilwood hub wos of
insuffirient diometer to ollow re-drilling to suit. New hubs will be morhined
for
fie
cor, but were not finished prior lo our deodline, henre the bore steel
"roller" wheels
used on lhe front for lhe remoinder of this story.
srEERr tG u.-totNrs a
CONVERS'OA'S
We showed you
fie beoutiful cost finned oluminum
oil pon from Ardun Enterprises lost monlh, ond
how it wos going lo require modificotion to
fit
lhis opplicotion. Afier meusuremenls were loken
lo ensure il would cleor the cronk ond rods, o
Sowzoll wos used to remove seclions lhot could
be reused. The fronl port of the lower sump for
in$once wos reloroled
forfier bork.
ACCESSOR'ES
,s
*r
il e;l i
ie
With o iig fobriroted to where fie oil pon wos
bolted to ensure the mounting surfore remoined
flol,
CALL OR GO ONLINE FOR A FREE CATALOG.
reconstruclion begon. The firsl oflempl wos
lo reloin fie fins on the whole bottom surfoce, bul
the finned sectionsweren'l long enough
(onofl
ond would require lobor-inlensive fobricolion.
OFFICIAL STEERING
COMPONENTS OfTHT
NATIONAL STREET
ROD ASSOCIATION
teering You Forwrard
860.482.8283 or visit www. borgeson.com
91 Technology Park Drive . Torrington CT, 06790
lUleliculous
tlerr
Ihe finol resuh feolures o V'd lower seclion
to cleor lhe cronk, lending some chororler lo
lhe finished ortide, while soving on lobor lime
ond still looking like o rost piece. 0nre it wos
welded ond ground smoolh, il wos blosled
wilh coorse medio to give o cosl 0ppeoron(e.
Mission orromplished!
,r
Wire
& Hanress
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Base is only 1,5 x 3.5" Pre-Wired rcady to run!
o Unlike other manufacturers,
we
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.
Our head and taillight wiring is 25
are shorter to cut cost.
We use 8 gauge wirc
fi! long,}lhers
tot the main powet feedlo
run heavy load accessories. Most others only use
l0
.
Our wire is color coded, labeled and nunbered
every 4 inches making lt a Snap to read and install.
.21 circuits .20 fuses .1 relay . 2 flasherc
.
Easy to hide in the glove box or console or mount
to the steering column.
flame and oil resistant wirc,
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ide!
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Proven reliabiliU!0ver 20,000 ModelZZ-2l
harnesses sold in the USA alone!
sleering rork, ond how il now
fih
obove the
dropped rrosmemher.
Every harness includes a colored schematic
for Chevy, Ford and Chrysler
Model ZZ-2}-panel/urire
Every harness is Manulacfured in the U.S,A.
lnstolled in lhe cor you con rleorly see how
lhe oil pon is nolrhed ot the front to rleor the
larness
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Model Z7-12- 12 ctncuit panel^{ire trarness
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lor gear or tire size
PBOGRAMING SWtfCH
Easy to read white, black, gold or grey
faces with red pointers
$ ree
Five gauge mechanical sets
$
Five gauge pr0grammable speedo sets
.
,
2-1/16", 3-3/8", 5" sizes
.
Mechanical speedometer has trip odometer
Many color combinations to choose from
o Sets include sending units & mounting brackets
3-3/8" quad wiprogrammable speedo
0uartz Clock
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Six gauge mechanical sets.
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Here's how lhe sloinles steel exhousl looked
ol the beginning of this proiect. Most of the
front sedion would be removed from the
mufflers forword.
rodondcustommogozine com
bl
the
pedol, oil pon, ond
With the dummy
th oll
oncillories, like
orm, broke
rofion
could stort. New collectors were ioined to the old
syslem using V-bond domps (ororv) ovoiloble from
componies like Deeds Engineering or Dynotech,
which provide o leokJree
ioiil fiot ron be removed
ond reused indefinitely. A temporory iig wos used
lo ensure bolh colledors would be ol similor heights
ond then heoder conslruclion could slort.
November 2010 o ROD &
CUSTOM
ffietttu*aur
terc
While he moy hove opted for o vintoge (olbeit
With the heoders neorly completed,
When fobricoiing on exhousl sy$em, especiolly
fie syslem's
olmo$ done. You ton see fie new forword
seclion of the syslem, wilh the mufflers left
fiey
were before. A new crossover serlion
brond-new!) molor,
fie Merrt owner
hod run
vinioge rorbs on his old blown Flotheod, ond
this time opled for o Demon four-borrel. Ardun
Enlerprises offers this four-bonel monifold to suit
heoders, il's vilol lhol oll olher tomponenls ore
where
in ploce, suth os the ex
fte Ardun, whirh feotures seporole flonges,
in lhe previous piclure.
wos odded iust oft of the tons pon. The heoders
vory in shope from side lo side in order lo cleor
componenls, such os the
lhe $eering shoft ond slorler molor.
fie engine's "overhonging" rylinder
os o
one-piece inloke wouldn'l be removoble, owing
heod flonges.
removed ond reploted wilhod hoving lo remove
fte heoder
fie engine.
the heoders. Thol's why
side curve owoy from
tubes on this
New lop woler "hoses" were fobricoted from
stoinles $eel. ls lhis going to be one cleon
inslollotion or whot?
Almosl loo nke lo insloll in o tor,
fie oll'oluminum
Ardun is o work of orl. The polished ribs on lhe
volve covers ore replicoted on lhe oir tleoner,
The woler inlels on top
while o PowerGen olternolor mounls in lhe
stork Flofieod lorotion. Even
o ribbed Ardun piece.
This is where we
leove lhe proiecl,
os il's still owoiling
ils new lrons ond
front hubs, plus
some minor work
fie oilfilltube
is
of eoth heod were
reduced in height. Thott o $ock piece on the left.
WilEEEDE'S SEEED,SITOF
(7r4) 842-1881
www.wheeletsspeedshop.com
EAFm4.M Eflnnro.arlrcds
(704) 535-0469
www.lolmonlob.tom
AEI}U,ryIEMtrEA,PETSES
(323) 775-6803
www.ordun.com
surh os lhe heoler,
whirh moy now be
rhongedforonM(
unil inside lhe tor.
A8,SP0W/SE $frAr{B, trNA,
(7141 771-6549
www.obspowerbtoke.tom