Making Parts

Parts for these old heaps is probably the single biggest issue I face. When new parts are available they are reproductions, and they rarely fit. Reproduction parts always require some kind of work to make them right. Otherwise I am fixing original parts, or in many cases making parts from scratch. Here's an example of the last scenario.

On the Tsukagawa Deuce, we decided to use a mechanical fuel pump with glass filter bowl along with the stock style flathead fuel pump riser with the breather. The actual pump will be electric and mounted on the frame but it will push fuel through the mechanical pump. This will keep the correct period appearance.

So, I go to a local vendor and find a new mechanical fuel pump, and an original riser. I bead blast and clear coat the riser, attach the pump to it and go to bolt it all to the back of the intake. But the bottom of the fuel pump hits the vintage Edelbrock intake. After a few back and forths with the vendor, nobody knows why this is happening. So I decide to make an aluminum spacer to lift the riser off the intake.

Here's the pump hitting the intake. The intake is 50 years old, the motor is 60 years old and nobody has ever seen this happen before?

I laid out the pattern on a piece of 3/8 6061 aluminum.

I left the piece long so I could clamp it, and started by hole sawing a 1 3/4 hole in the middle.

After trimming the length, the piece was set up in the mill and I drilled the two mounting holes.

Next the part was rough cut on the band saw.

After finishing the part on the disc sander It was checked for proper fit.

Done and done.