Some of you may remember an irreverent replica builder who showed up at Knotts Show several times a few years ago. He had a black cobra body mounted on a VW pan chassis, complete with fender skirts yet!
I think I met his uncle yesterday at El Cajon Cruise night. This guy was sitting in a homemade C-Cab panel delivery, small tires up front, big slicks out back. sticking out thru the hood were two Ardun heads topped by a 6-71 blower and a huge chrome airscoop. The vehicle was VW powered.
The visible "engine" was a Thunder Ranch fiberglass replica hollow shell. The metal hoses were under-vanity plumbing hoses. The spark plug wires coming out of the heads were black rubber hoses from a home aquarium. Hidden inside the "engine block" was the gas tank. The blower drive belt actually rotated, driven by a hidden electric motor. On the street - you could not tell it was all fake!
To Thunder Ranch's credit, a LOT of old timers came over to study what little they could see of this very real looking "holy grail" of flathead engines. Ya gotta love the owners attitude!