Hot Rods Started spec'ing out parts

Time to go all Frankenstein on this tank so I can get the gauges, switches and wiring done. Cut out the bottom so I can tack in a flat piece, so as long as it's accessible, it's a good time to cap the old filler neck from the inside. Still looks stock, but now nobody can pour anything inside (I don't put it past some people).

 

Fun with sheetmetal.....
Fitted the bottom patch first. Want to get it tacked in place before I cut out the front for that patch. Don't need to cut out too much and have it twist.

 

Things are speeding up a bit. I don't want switches on the dash, and after laying them out it was obvious I didn't have the space to mount them all in the center patch panel.
Decided to mount the ignition and headlight switch on the bottom of the tank by the left kick panel.

 

I didn't want the (purists stop reading now) power window switches exposed either and had just enough room behind the ends of the dash rail to mount them. weld up one hole, cut another. Easy access and out of sight......

 

Had a day locked in the garage figuring stuff out. Power windows will be on their way tomorrow, but had to figure out how to get the power to them.
Can't get conduit in to the door because the window tracks are tack welded where they would need to go. After trying a few alternatives wound up using the Painless JamTac. Not too obvious or street roddy......




Painless designed it for the flange to bolt on the outside of the pillar

Not quite enough gap between the door and the pillar (and it looked kind of "off-the-shelf" too), so inside it went

Opened up the back of the pillar to get it in from the backside, adjust the contact height and it was good to go

 

You are building a one of a kind killer machine. Not that you need motivation, but there's several of us soaking this shit up. Deliver the goods brother.

 

I Agree ^^^^ I really like your attention to details ....

 

I appreciate the interest in my project. Motivation comes and goes depending upon what hurdles I'm hitting, so the good words definitely help. Probably doesn't help I deviate from traditional, but is what it is.
The wiring really is the easy part as I'm kind of stalled on re-doing the firewall recess. I enjoy doing metal work, but am just a novice. Some days I create more scrap than finished product. If I could just get the ideas from my head onto the car easier this thing would be on the road........

 

She wakes up opening one eye at a time

 

Don't bother her until he has had her first cup of coffee.

 

Really great ideas on this build, I really enjoy following your build!

 

Thanks, I appreciate it! What I do may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if it helps someone else think a little further out of the box it's worth it.

 

I don't know if every builder has the same inner struggles during a build, but the anal retentive part of me wants to take every detail that little bit further. Case in point..... I want these contacts to blend in (even though the old school dome switch is supposed to be prominent) and what sticks out more than screws? Well, the answer is simple.... countersink it and use flathead allens. Later on I may put a dab of black on them to hide them or polish them to accent them.
What's the inner struggle? I am REALLY tempted to paint this car, but I KNOW if I do I'll be too paranoid to drive the wheels off it. That creates the contradiction between detail and patina. My brain is a muddled place sometimes.....

 

Paint it and drive the wheels off it. I do and I consider every ding or scratch a badge of honor. I do usually put a fresh car in an ISCA show to get that out of my system and then go from there. After all, it is a Hot Rod and meant to be driven. For the record, I have way more fun building and driving them, then showing them. Nice build , nice car.

 

You are going to love that Odyssey battery. Have one in my 32 for 6 years. Great battery

 

PAINT IT!!

 

Awesome build- thanks for sharing!

I do have one question:
Why are you filling in the bottom of the gas tank with new sheetmetal? Why not leave it open for access to gauges & wiring?

Yeah- that was two questions...

 

Oh, I wish I could. When this is done I'll be tossing the keys to the wife and starting the next one. I did this a few decades ago with an extremely low mileage '67 Mustang and the chips and dings mysteriously showing up drove me crazy and wasn't advantageous to my marriage. She'll drive this in patina or painted, so yes, I'm taking the easy way out.

 

The new filler metal is just flattening the original recess in the tank. Gauge access is from the back as well as the dropdown access panel where the relay and fuse blocks are mounted. If I removed the bottom, I would have to locate those blocks elsewhere as well as the headlight and ignition switches. That, and apparently I can't do anything the easy way.....

 

Brush paint it.

 

It already is (from the '60's), just has a little surface rust mixed in.

 

P/W's won't be in until Tuesday and got bored. Opened up the trunk, had the exhaust bends staring me in the face, so...
I'll be running dumps and couldn't find ones I liked so bought a SS "U" and went at it. Anyone notice there's no thought of a sound system? Kooks race mufflers with dumps just in front of the axle..... 'nuff said.

 

Yes, it's a left braker. It'll come in handy for burnouts

 

Today was epic in an obscure way. I have been wrestling since I bought this car on how the firewall recess, steering column and brake pedal would fit. It was always the plan to have a column shift for a couple reasons. First, (and not particularly HAMB friendly) is to have a flat floor so the cupholders were usable. Second, was so it was truly turnkey for the wife.
This morning I was staring at it (as I spend too much time doing) and had an epiphany..... where the column was to go through the floor was where the recess and floor came together (at an angle). How it would go through this angle has driven me crazy until I realized it didn't HAVE to be at an angle if the column had it's OWN recess. This will mean a little more welding and trimming when I fit up the firewall recess, but is really rather a simple solution. Everything fell in place after considering a little trimming of the column bezel is required and I accept this will be a left brake car.
I'm 6'2 and have spent a lot of time on ergonomics to make this a really comfortable car to drive. With the only real concession being the brake on the left, I can drive the wheels off this. It has a LOT of legroom, and with it being un-chopped there's a lot of headroom as well. This really is the last speed bump. Time to knock this out.....

 

Well looky what Brown brought. With the switches hidden and the only outward sign something's up is the jamb contacts, let's see how long it takes people to notice there's no window cranks. Super easy to install and I feel a lot better about a lever type lift than a cable setup.

 

Trying to fit 2 lbs in a 1 lb bag. The brake lever comes up RIGHT next to the lower column mount, so a little trimming was required. First time the pedal arm, steering column and floor have been in the same place at the same time. A little more trimming is required as well as truing the pedal arm so it go thru the floor centered in the hole.

 

I guess everyone's definition is different, but I'm going to officially call it a car tonight. It's not just a collection of parts sitting on 4 wheels..... it actually steers and if it had brake fluid in it would stop, too !
If I can just get this damn firewall done.....

 

More time in the garage knocking out remaining items one by one. Steering is done and finished the brakes. The brake lever will need to be removable in case some servicing is required in the future, so that meant no welding the pedal on.
I had some 1/4" steel strap around, so grabbed the torch, bent it in a 90 and started grinding. Got the pedal mounting bracket how I wanted it so next was countersink the pedal arm and drill and tap the bracket.
Brakes done, now back onto the firewall.

 

Can't really do anything on the firewall until the weekend, so I can kill a couple evenings building the mount for the tank. With the rake of the car it needs to be angled back (relative to the floor) to be level. This also buys a little room behind the seat back for a bulkhead.
Angle iron will make up the base and it'll have foam cushion between the angle and the tank to keep the abrasion down (learned this lesson on the roadster!).

 

Go man go!