[1971_c10]

Originally Posted by Advanced Design

Well Chris, that is a very impressive LS rabbit hole you've gone down. Seems I remember Don Hardy race cars for V8 Vega kits back in the late 70's or early 80's.

Chassis and powertrain looks really good!

Thanks! I may be down the rabbit hole, but not complaining.

And yep, Don Hardy has been around a while. I didn't realize he had a small hot rod shop making engines until recently.

Originally Posted by mooseknuckles

wow, I love that motor...and the chassis is pretty sweet too, and the wheels, and pretty much everything else. awesome build!

Thanks a bunch man!

Originally Posted by Stickman

That looks awesome, Don Hardy has been around a long time. They mention the above in there website bio. Again , that frame and engine look terrific.

Thanks! Yeah the 418 cu in is a popular combo. I said, if it's good enough for Rodger Brogdon it's good enough for me!

In all seriousness though, it's was crazy that I could get a built LS long block with the same specs as what I was about to buy for a SBC, for the same cost as just the parts for the SBC! I then went all bling crazy because I knew I would do it eventually so might as well do it now.

Originally Posted by rustylew

Did you go with the standard 61" rear axel and 61-1/2" up front??

I kept the standard 61" rear 61.5" front. It's a balancing act. For turning corners you want a wide track, but you also want a wide contact patch (i.e. tread section). Then you start pulling in look, with things like lip depth affecting the overall look and it makes a big difference. The 61" seemed like a good compromise. I had thought about going with a slightly more narrow rear, to get an even bigger lip, but with the slightly convex spokes, it gives a deeper lip with a deeper backspace, which is normally opposite (deeper backspace is usually shallower lip).