Bonehead is back to work

Rat Rods Rule

Help Support Rat Rods Rule:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
looking at your pics again, i could be wrong, but i think you have the early 70's 472/500. i have the same set up. has the exhaust passage tubing. they have a low compression, around like a 8.3:1, thats why im freshening mine up and just slapping twin turbos on it. good luck
 
what i researched is the only way to identify what you have is the numbers on the crank, and the pistons, and the numbers stamped on the heads inside the valve covers. even then the heads wont confirm anything crank and pistons tell the whole story, good luck.
 
The crank stroke is the major difference. (piston pin location as well) externally they are the same. You can run a 3:00 - 3:25 gear with a tall tire due to the enormous amount of low end torque. Burn outs for days! I had a 501 in a 70 GMC 3/4 T and it was a tow monster. 6.5 MPG empty and 6MPG loaded with a car on the trailer. still pull 75mph up most hills loaded! with an aluminum intake on it it will wiegh just 70 lbs more than a SBC. High nickle content block is light and very strong. you will almost never see any cylinder wall wear on them as well. [P
 
How to build a rat rod....
Step one: locate old tin
Step two: Cut off everything that does not look like a rat rod.
P1170194.jpg
 
I took out the floor and cut off about 4 inches off the bottom. Got rid of most of the rust, and made the proportions a little better after the chop.
P1170191.jpg

P1170193.jpg

P1170195.jpg
 
This may be a stupid question, or already covered, but how do you cut these up? Do you use a plasma cutter, or a sawzall, or something else?
 
Sometimes on A and B pillars I wll use a skill saw with a cut off wheel in it. Slices through all the layers in one clean cut. BUT it will light the saw on fire if the gaurd is made of plastic. FYI. :D
 
i have used hellgate flanges and they are very nice, and i believe you have the 472/500 right? they have intake flanges incase you considered building your own intake?
 

Latest posts

Back
Top