Projects Kurt’s Puddle Jumper - 1930 Model A Extended-Cab Pickup Build

I have been meaning to start a build thread on my build for a while, but didn’t want to rush since this will be a long build cycle. People keep asking me when I will be done, my answer is “it’s a life long project, I hope to drive it in my lifetime”.

To answer the big question, what’s with the thread****le? No, my name is not Kurt. I was having trouble coming up with a thread****le until I decided to name it after what was painted on the door when I bought it.




So if not Kurt, who am I? My name is Roland Clouse, back in my youth I was known as Mouse. More background can be found in my “New to the H.A.M.B.? Introduce yourself here!” posting:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/new-member-in-tennessee-build-31-model-a-5-window-coupe.941817/

I always wanted a Model A Coupe HotRod. A friend in my neighborhood while I was growing up had a channeled Model A roadster with an 1957 Olds J2 engine. I loved that car but was always partial to the coupes.

In the spring of 2014, I was searching the internet for something which I can’t remember and stumbled upon H.A.M.B. It reignited my interest and convinced me if all these people can do it, so can I. So I started looking for a Model A coupe. While in MN, I looked at one at Rufus Ranch, but passed on it. In August, I stumbled across one on Ebay, bid on it.

Surprise, surprise, I was highest bidder. So off to Wisconsin to retrieve it. The first picture in this thread is what it looked like when I got it back to TN. Turned out the conversion to a pickup was a worse hack job than I expected, but otherwise the body was pretty good.

I promised myself I would not start work on the car till I got my garage ready for it. I have a 1400 sq ft garage that holds 2 cars plus a Motor Home. After 8 years, I had only one wall insulated and paneled. So before work could begin on the Model A, I had to finish insulating and paneling the garage.

Let me apologize here for something I will probably do in this build thread and get very confused on tense. Since I’m writing the beginning of this thread almost 2 years after the fact, I will likely get my tenses confused may times. Especially when talking about what I wanted to do versus what I actually ended up doing.

So let’s get the garage ready to start work.

 

Big load of insulation and OSB where the Model A is supposed to go. (Yes, that’s my wife’s Mini Cooper next to it).


Six weeks later, it is all insulated, paneled, and mostly all painted.


Managed to get the Model A in with both cars and the MH. A bit tight, but everything out of the elements.


First step was to cleanup the inside. Interior full of acorns and squirrel droppings. Smelled real good. Here are the results of the Archeological Dig. Adjustable wrench and half dollar only things of any value. Half dollar is a Walking Liberty half dollar worth $11-15.

Other pictures of the cleanup can be found in the thread I posted looking for suggestions on restoring the pickup back to a coupe. I won’t repeat them here.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/help-converting-31-coupe-back-from-a-pickup.941820/

So what are my plans for this build. Well get out the flame throwers guys!

I intend it to be a chopped, channeled, and fenderless hotrod of the late 1950’s early 1960’s period. It will have a severely Z’ed frame and be 4-5 inches off the ground. It will have a mild chop, thinking 3 – 4 inches. I’m 5’ 7.5” and shrinking, so head room should not be too much of a problem.

Drive train is still not finalized. I am open to anything I can afford. A flathead, early Olds V8, or a SBC. Would like a manual 4, 5, 6 speed trans, but here I would be going off the traditional bandwagon

My youngest daughter (I am 73 years old by the way) has offered me the engine and transmission from her 1980 Vette they plan to part out. This could seriously influence the direction since I’m trying to complete this build on a very tight budget.

Ok, so off to work.

 

That's pretty cool!........probably gonna have to change your name to match the car though.....just sayin!

 

First thing was removing the pickup bed and fenders.





I interrupted direct work on the “A” at this point since I bought a new welder for this project and had to build a cart for it. I also had to get back up to speed welding as I had not done much in the last 40 years. I could not believe how easy the Miller 211 was to use with gas. I previously had a Century flux shield wire feed and 50 years ago did stick and gas welding.

Turns out welding is sort of like riding a bicycle, it comes back to you quickly.


Next step was to pull the body off the frame. For this I needed a body cart to place it on.

I had most of the lumber hanging around the garage. I think I bought 1 2x6 for some of the top boards. Now for a shock, the price of nuts and bolts. It cost almost $100 for the carriage bolts, nuts, washers, and casters.


Body lifted off the frame and lowered on the body cart.


Getting a bit cool in the garage in November, even in TN. So there has to be some heat.

More to come in next post.

 

Built a homemade spring spreader to remove the rear spring safely.



Frame stripped bare except for rear spring.


Frame cleaned up a bit with wire brush.



Got some steel and built a frame table. A bit excessive for only one build, but I want it straight.


Got steel (2 x 4 x .125) for new frame rails and started fitting for rear Z.


Fitting new frame rails on frame table with some jigs. Note the frame table got painted as well.


That was Feb 11, 2015. All worked stopped for a year while my wife had a hip replaced, recovery, rehab, and then foot surgery. Funny how life seems to get in the way of build progress.

A good break point in this narrative. About halfway thru getting to where I am today. More tomorrow.

 

I'm in.

Send the 80 vette motor to China...please.

You waited this long, why take a shortcut with a free motor... LOL

...an Olds Rocket will pull a highway gear just ducky with a 3 or 4 speed stick..

.

 

I'm in!! Subd. Gary

 

Nice and kudos.Fine garage also.

 

I'm in also. 2nd the Olds power plant. Envious of the garage!

 

[Jethro, F&J, Gnichols, Texas Webb, and VTWHead, thnks for the comments.

I would really like an Olds engine with a Lasalle transmission, but I just don't see it in my budget right now.

When I was about 14, a guy in the neighborhood about 5-6 years older had a model A roadster. I began hanging around and learned a lot, and became his friend. The roadster was finished and on the road when I first got involved. It was z’d and channeled and sat about 4 inches off the ground. It was powered by an early Olds rocket V8 with a Lasalle transmission. The body had the doors welded shut, but was completely finished with a bright red paint job. It was so low it was not difficult to step over the doors to get in.

In 1957, I remember hopping in his father’s construction company pickup and driving to Hoover Motors in Wernerville, PA and picking up a new 1957 J2 engine in a crate. We installed it and took it for a shakedown spin. Got pulled over by a local yokel, but talked our way out of it. He drove home, did a big burnout in the concrete driveway, and pulled it into the garage.

We then tore it completely apart to upgrade a lot. To my knowledge, it never left the garage again under its own power.

Yes, I would like a Olds engine in my model A coupe.

 

Finally back to work in Feb 2016. Rear Z fitted and tack welded in place.


First pinch of the frame rails.


Fitting front Z.



Front Z all fitted and tack welded in place.


Picked up a S10 4x4 rear axel****embly from 96 Blazer.


Front wishbones split and bungs tack welded in place.


More to come ...

 

Began work on rear spring mount.


Rear spring mount completed and rear cross member tacked in place and spring mounted.


Frame completely welded, ground, and gibbs’d. Still need to cut, fit, and weld boxing plates in front section.


New spring hangers tack welded on S10 rear end. O, something is wrong here. I got them upside-down.


OK, that’s better right side up.



Front end****embled temporarily. Need new spindles, hubs, and maybe a dropped axel. With a 7 inch front Z, I need to see how low it sits when I get an engine installed.



Rear spring and rear end installed.


Standby, more coming.

 

Now on to the body.
Temp braces on body before cutting the sub rails for channeling.


Cowl/firewall removed. Sure a lot of spot welds to cut.


Sub rails cutout for channel.


Body sitting on frame for the first time in a year and a half.


I thought it would be interesting to put some wheels on it and drop it on the floor and have a look. I bought the junk wheels and tires that were on the blazer I got the rear end from just to use to make a roller.

Unfortunately, they would not fit. I found they had about a 5 inch offset, and would not clear the new spring hangers. Something I never thought about. Wheels with a 3 inch offset should fit fine.

I was going to use a couple of the original 16 inch wire wheels that came on it to make it a roller. Four out of 5 (it had a spare) are still holding air.

Tack weld new body mount to door sills. 2 x 2 x 1/8 angle.


Firewall notched to fit over frame rails and in place.


There’s where I sit going into June 2016. A month in MN seeing doctors, children and grandchildren followed by my wife having her shoulder replaced (yes, she is trying to become the 2nd bionic woman) and hopefully I will be back to work on the build in Sept.

 

Straight axle will give you a bit more turning radius. You are going to loose a lot of that firewall for sure to the tunnel. Now.....there are a lot of 303/324's that pop up on the net and many are in the 400-600 range FWIW. Lasalle would be nice for sure. Sold mine to Dave50 and am running a 37 Buick with a 57 Olds gut like F&J is in his 32. Getting hard to source parts now for the Lasalle, something to consider. Be nice to have a full synchro*******, maybe a Ford top loader with a Jeep shifter or have you considered a 5 spd OD unit like the T5. Pretty popular unless you are a mad man on the clutch!
Lots to plan for.........like the build. You are doing a great job. Do you plan on fish plating those frame welds by the Z's???

 

they are out there

http://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/pts/5687223480.html

 

Hell yeah!!

 

Let's find him a good, sound Olds mill. Eyes and ears, brothers! He's certainly paid his dues.

 

vtwhead >>>> You are doing a great job. Do you plan on fish plating those frame welds by the Z's?

I'm considering it. I guess my welds may not be super strong after being ground smooth. By the way, anyone have any idea where the term “fish plate” comes from?

vtwhead >>>> Thanks for the link to the Olds engine on CL. I have been watching the H.A.M.B classifieds and occasionally searching Ebay, but have not done a global search on CL for a long while. I always seem to come up with mostly dead listings.

One other consideration on an Olds versus the free vette engine/trans. For all of you out there that have daughters, when they offer to give you something, it is not good policy to turn them down. I also think what she really wants is for me to part out the vette for her.

 

Broke down and bought myself a birthday gift (July 30th). Smoothie wheels and baby moons. 5 x 15 for the front and 6 x 15 for the rear. Now if the humidity would ever drop I can get some paint on them and mount my junk tires to make a roller. The dew point has been over 70 now for over a month.


Had to at least mount one bare wheel to check the look.

By the way, my ultimate goal is to paint the coupe bright blue, late 60’s GM Lemans blue, similar to the frame table and have a white roof insert. But for now I’m going to****ume the coupe will be black for the near future so plan to paint the wheels black.

 

By the way, my ultimate goal is to paint the coupe bright blue, late 60’s GM Lemans blue, similar to the frame table and have a white roof insert. But for now I’m going to****ume the coupe will be black for the near future so plan to paint the wheels black.[/QUOTE]
black s a good choice

 

Nice build ..... I'll follow along with ya.

 

HMM, wonder where you got those nice fresh rims? I need two 5 inchers for my Buick brake installation with Buick hubs.

 

Speedway 91001550-PLN

 

http://www.shoppok.com/portland/a,43,118647,1954-Oldsmobile-Rocket-324-engine-and-trans----1200.htm
here is a complete Olds running with a stick Cad box. Bolt it to a pallet and let Fastenal carry it to TN.
Just another idea. Maybe the seller will work with you.

 

Well the weather has finally changed for a few days and the dew point has dropped from over 70 everyday to 55 yesterday afternoon. I got my new wheels cleaned up and the insides painted. I figured I would practice on the insides and then paint the outsides the next day.


Don’t look bad to me for a rattle can.

So what did I use? Rust-Oleum Self Etching Primer and Rust-Oleum Automotive Enamel Gloss Black. I bought 4 cans of each, but looks like it will only need 2 cans each.

 

Well the weather cooperated for the 2nd straight day and I got the outside of my wheels painted. I’m going to let them cure for about a week before trying to mount tires.


Weather has now gone back to 90's and over 70 degree dew points, so no telling how soon I will get more work done. My old body just does not like high humidity.

 

Here is another Olds waiting for your project

http://www.reachoo.com/ads/79531029

I had found another and it was in TN but I will be darned if I can find the add now!!!

The wheels look great. Did you spin them up on a balancer to see how true they were before painting?
I used one of those new Hunter Road Force machines this week to check a set of Torque Thrusts for run out. It is an amazing machine compared to those old balancers we had available years ago. This one is laser guided.

 

vtwhead Thanks for the reference. A bit shy on description.

No, I did not check the wheels for run out. I can set a dial indicator up and turn them on the rear axel to check. I'm going to mount a set of junk tires just to use to mockup and make a roller. Not planning on even balancing them since they will never go over .5 mph.

 

Right now, I'm trying to figure out ladder bars for the rear. It appears 7/8 OD DOM .156 wall tube using 5/8 clevis's (sp?) is a popular way to go. However, this tube has an ID of .562 which is about 1/64 smaller than the recommenced drill size for a 5/8-18 tap (.578). How do you drill a 4 foot tube? I have a floor standing drill press, but no lathe.
Or do you ignore the extra 1/64?

 

You're going to put the pickup bed back in, right?