Ace-Garageguy

"Some days it's hard to keep going, but I find that attitude is largely a series of conscious decisions, and all any of us can do is try to make the most of the hands we've been dealt." Me

Unfortunately, the specific aluminum alloy manufactured products are made from is rarely identified. Hardness is a key indicator of machinability, softer being generally easier for hobbyists to work with. Harder stock will have more "ring" when struck, softer stock more "thunk". The specific heat-treating applied to an alloy can have a significant effect on its hardness and machinability too, so the alloy number isn't everything you need to know if you want to be precise. Someplace like Metal Supermarkets lists the alloys / heat-treats of their stock, of course (as do online metals suppliers), or a local welding / fab shop (yeah, right) may have some identified scrap and cutoffs available cheap.

Greens covered in dandelions would be more fun to putt on in my opinion, especially after the heads had all gone to seed.

Sidewalks probably won't make it to my neighborhood until it's bulldozed to build a new cluster of McMansions.

Baby, the rain must fall.

"Need" isn't the same as "want real bad, Mommy, and I want it NOW!!!!!", but there's no shortage of 'adults' who don't grasp the difference.

I would if I could, but I don't have access to the kind of people who can throw away a hundred grand on a spoiled banana, or anyone with enough sense to pay what one of your models is actually worth in applied talent and skill. Some things in life just defy logic. People pay what some "expert" with a good line of gab tells them to pay.

And don't forget how important it is to signal to the rest of the herd how you support the "consensus" and whatever the current "thinking" on everything is.

Quit yer...whatever you was doin!!!

There are a few subtle things going on with that car that aren't readily apparent to a casual observer, and that enhance both its performance and appearance. For one, the wheelbase has been stretched as much as is possible without getting weird. The front axle centerline has been pulled forward, and the rear has been moved backwards to center it in the fender. Compare the stock axle centerlines with the black rod above. It's hard to really see the front on the rod, but trust me, the front axle is definitely a little forward of stock. The other thing is that besides being about as low in the chassis as you can get one without dry-sumping, the engine is farther back than what you see in most V8-powered rods. The firewall has been tunneled to allow the engine to go back as far as possible without making it a nightmare to work on. Compare the black rod above to this more typical engine placement relative to the body (though the '30-'31 shell below is on '32 rails, which have a longer wheelbase to start with). The effect of the slightly longer wheelbase on the black rod is improved high-speed directional stability, while the engine setback improves cornering response by reducing front end weight, and slightly improves weight transfer to the rear under hard acceleration. And it looks cool.

KInda funny that in what a lot of people view as the dark ages of vehicle design, two of the favorite phrases were "that big car ride" and "a heavy car holds the road". What kills "ride" to a large extent is a thing called "unsprung weight". The higher the percentage of unsprung weight to overall vehicle weight, the more something rides like an empty old truck on stiff springs, crashing and banging on every road imperfection. The huge wheels / tires that are fashionable today are very heavy, account for a good bit of unnecessary unsprung weight, and have a lot to do with many late model vehicles having a rough, jarring ride. Yeah, making the overall vehicle heavier is one way to decrease the percentage of unsprung weight to make something ride softer. But it's the idiot's way. Far as "road holding" goes, weight, any weight, is the enemy. Just look at Can Am cars for any proof you might need. 700-1000 HP, 1500 pounds. PS: My light little Neon on 15" alloy rims rides remarkably well for a cheap small car...because its unsprung weight is pretty minimal considering what it cost to build it. The rear suspension is an independent lightweight affair with tubular control arms that would be right at home on a real race car.

"All the reasons which make the initiation of physical force an evil, make the retaliatory use of physical force a moral imperative." Ayn Rand (italics mine)

^^^ Next conversation I have with the neighbor's dog, I'll tell him you said that.

Genuine all steel '31 Ford coupe, chopped 2.5", 383 stroker smallblock Chevy, 5-speed manual, Ford 9" out back. It belongs to (and was built by) a friend of one of the guys at the shop...and it's VERY fast. Hot rods don't get much more real than this thing.