1937 Cord 812 Custom with Audi R8 v8 Engine

[carl63_99]

You remember the mockup I shared of my Cord with Mercedes rims and tires?  Well I got busy on it and am slowly solving all the challenges of putting modern German components in an old pre-war car.  When I do customs, often my goal is to capture the essence of the original, while improving on things that really need to be improved. Classic example here, I'm using a Revell Audi R8 v8 mounted reverse from its normal position. The Cord, being front wheel drive, actually accepted this motor nicely. I am tweaking the intake to fit, exhaust will drop and go out the rear. The Cord exhaust pipes will be left in place to retain the original look of the car.  I already sanded down the radiator from a Corvette for the radiator fans, and will also go with Corvette tail lights. 

[stitchdup]

very cool and custom, and very very close to an idea i haven't got around to yet. honestly the only difference is i was going to use a pagani engine and box!

[David G.]

What a cool idea Carl! 

The Cord body style is both timeless and immediately recognizable. Not to mention way ahead of its time. It's a great platform for limitless customization and updating options.

I'll be following this with much interest.

David G.

[slusher]

I like the build already!

[carl63_99]

4 hours ago, stitchdup said:

very cool and custom, and very very close to an idea i haven't got around to yet. honestly the only difference is i was going to use a pagani engine and box!

Having built a Pagani, it would be interesting to see how that engine would fit in this space. I think it would be pretty tight.

[dino246gt]

Using a mid-engine configuration for a front wheel drive car is brilliant!

Can't wait to see more!

[carl63_99]

I'm using old Corvette half shafts to do the driveshafts. I will cut them to length when the time comes, so the U joint is in the open space between the frame and the hub. 

Also, with the Mercedes rims, lots of light comes through the wheel wells. I attached some sheet plastic to the frame so you won't be able to see through the back end.  This doesn't have to be perfect as I'm not opening the truck.

[SpikeSchumacher]

Looks to be an interesting build/concept. 😉👍

[David G.]

Good choice on both accounts.

David G.

[Kenmojr]

What a cool idea. This looks like it's going be "a must follow" thread.

[carl63_99]

I've been busy with a lot of other things, but I did get the final shape of the tail lights, finally. I then put sheet plastic behind them so the Corvette lights set in place. I also took the gas filler cap from the Audi and mounted it. After a lot of checking, testing and mulling, I decided not to use inset, exposed headlights. As original, they don't give you much to work with and I couldn't come up with something custom that looked good.  

Sometimes, you have to try things to see if/how they might work. I saw a pic of a 1/1 Cord and the soft top was cut short. Since my original plan was open cabriolet, I wasn't worried about destroying the top. However, I do not like the look on my car and won't be using it.

[carl63_99]

Smart phone are great for taking lots of pics, cheap, disposable, no worries about cost, because there is practically none.  I can't stress enough the importance of test fitting and taking lots of pics. 1:1 scale builders will disassemble a car as many times as needed to verify fit and look.  What I learned from last night and this mornings test fitting is that I have to be very careful with installation of the radiator. It has almost no room for error and will look like BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH if not installed perfectly vertical. I also tested out the ride height and fit of the tires. I'm actually going to have to trim a small amount off the inside of the rims to get them snug and not touching the outer fenders.

Another thing I'm going to do is leave the exhaust pipes in place from the engine bay to the fender. But, I will trim them as I will be using modern exhaust. I added sheet plastic under the fender cutouts so the pipes will rest on those when installed. This keeps the look of the original.

[carl63_99]

I have chosen the color, champagne gold.  I got a couple bottles of automotive touch up paint and splashed it on a junk body to see how it looks.  Based on the sample, black primer with the c gold. Body is ready for primer, I just need to get some from the store.

[bill_67]

Nice color choice looking forward to seeing more. Great concept and build

[carl63_99]

One of everybody's favorite stage, primer!  First coat, and I'm pleased with what it shows me.  I have more filling and sanding to do on the areas where the bumper mounts were, but overall looking good. Panel lines are pretty good. A couple round of prep and I should be moving forward to paint!