New Guy Introcuction.

Posted by RayGun On 2008/8/23 16:25:30

Hi Guys. I'm new to the forum and site. My name is Kevin Tully, and I own Hot Rod Chassis & Cycle in Addison Il. After leaving the Air Force, I found myself working for a dragster shop in Maryland, and later moved to Illinois. I worked for a few shops in the area, and found that I just wasn't getting what I needed out of the employment. So I moved on and decided to try my hand and owning my own shop. 5 years later, and we're going strong.

I'm friends (via email and the HAMB) with Rich Fox out in California who races on The Salt with a hopped up 374 V8. My shop is known for using pretty much vintage engines. And we have a special project coming up where we are going to use a 374. I'm sure there will be plenty of folks here that may be against using a 374 in anything but the car it came in, and I totally respect that. But I'm really hoping to meet some folks that will be excited to see a Packard mill used in a notable hot rod. And be willing to help with details, so we can be true to the Packard name.

The car we will be building is a period correct Fall of 1958 west coast open wheel car. Being that the 374 was the largest mill available up until 1958, it only stands to reason (in my mind) it would be attractive to the hot rod crowd of the day. No replacement for displacement, right?

We want to build a nice vintage powerhouse, that will also stand the test of time and mileage. So I'd like to hear about it's faults, how to solve them, and anything else that I should look for. The correct engine color for the year would also help, especially if there was a special color for the highest HP motor that year. I'm assuming that they had a range of HP ratings, depending on which model you chose, and that one of them was the power house. Perhaps the dual quad motor that came in the Caribbean?

Thanks in advance to those who are willing to help.