Projects BRIAN MADE ME DO IT: 34 Roadster Build

Awesome! That Flatty sounds as mean as it looks! Congrats, we're all proud of ya!

 

Got a bit of work done today. Here is the blow by blow action.
I hate the design of the SoCal hidden disc brake system, you cant bleed the bakes without loosening the backing plates on the 4 piston calipers. I changed that with an air file. I cut semi circles in the stainless plates just inside the area that the finned covers will hide.

You can just barely make one out here...if you know where to look

I also packed the front bearings and installed the brake pads so now just a brake bleed away.
Curious note, the instructions that came with the calipers said to use DOT 3, DOT 4 or Dot 5.1 only. I had planned on DOT 5, looks like I need to make a call to Wilwood next week.

I installed the dash. Note: next time you wire a 15 pin connector and diagram the wires, flip it on the other connector. I had to take all of the pins out of one of the connectors and reverse them while lying on my back under the dash. What a fun time.

Wiper knob/fan override/choke/glove box . The switch panel is set back so I could attach the lower dash retainer.

The glove box is an item I made out of aluminum and screws to the opening. The box itself is detailed in the 100 Yd Dash thread in my signature. My defroster vents route around it, to be connected the heater in the next step.

But that is another days work.
My daughter, quite the seamstress, made me a leather liner for the box, it fits perfect and she sewed it suede side out so the contents don't rattle about.

Looks nice installed, enough room for my JJ notebook

and my ray bans and pin set lug key

I also hooked up the choke to the center carb utilizing this neat little Edmonds bracket. You can also see the new OTC air cleaners I installed to clear my piano hinged hood.

Nifty! Below is my shift plate. My daughters next job is to make the leather boots that will rest in the area I milled into the aluminum plate, that way the leather will not show when the trim plates are added. I will polish and do some engine turning to match the gauge insert.

Small details that will this a one of a kind hot rod. All in a days work. My wife just made me a New York steak for dinner so I gotta go. Later HAMBers.

 

Mmmmm, steak!

 

Looking good, I don’t know if I already asked you this, but where did you get the different multi wire connector plugs and other connectors you’re using?

 

Update time

 

Badddddddaasssssss!!!!!! Someday my hooptie will be that far

 

The 15 pin dash harness connector is a Painless Wiring product. Handled the gauges, indicator lights, power and ground. Pretty handy. I used a Pico 4 wire connector for the column mounted tach. Both took the cloth covered wiring I used though it was tight.

Sorry for the slow update, I started a project that I had to wrap up. I re-branded my rolling stock.

 

Tire tech here
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/trust-everyone-but-re-brand-your-cattle.1105616/

 

So if you hav been following along, you know I forgot to weld the front panhard bracket to the frame prior to paint. I fabricated up a bracket and had it chromed (not a big surprise) and I found time today to get it mounted up.

Due to the location I had to wait to bleed my brakes as I had to remove the lines to drill the holes necessary to mount it. For structural reasons I drilled the frame all the way through both sides and bolted the bracket in secure.

I spent the rest of the day on miscellaneous stuff and while I was cleaning up the storage shelf I found my HAMB plate topper. I did some surgery and polishing and found a unique place for it.

Right in the middle of my axle. I knew there was a reason I didn't drill holes in it!

 

You know some day in the far distant future somebody is going to discover your car in an old barn. They will be thinking "this guy must have been a Zillionaire. I wonder how much he had to pay for all that polishing?"

 

I finally got around to installing the tach. It is ion a cup (that I bought off another HAMBer) that I had to mmodify a bit to fit my SW tach. I had to machine an outer lip that inserts into the front of the cup to secure the tach (press fit).
I built the harness out of cloth covers wire and attached it with a 4 wire disconnect form Painless.

The tach sits at about 10:00 on the column so it clears the wiper knob above it and still very visible.

My Halon extinguisher is attached below the tach on the column. Nice close of up of that beautiful Juliano's banjo wheel. Tonight I will finish the wiring under the dash (radio lead and ground) and button up the wiring project.

On those SW wings, I read a lot of crap on their quality but I cant say anything bad yet. I fired up the flatty last night to test my connections on the tach, it reads reflect, the fuel gauge snaps to attention when the key come on, the 2 temp gauges may be reading 5 to 10 degrees hotter than the block but close enough. When they hit 190 i heard the thermostat turn on the fan, it ran for 30 or 40 seconds and turned off. I heard it cycle back on and off once more before shutting her down. The oil pressure matches the mechanical one in the block perfectly. The speedo is up in the air, it is electronic and the car has to drive one lime to calibrate the speedo so I have no idea of it works yet or not. Time will tell.

 

Sounds like a Hot Rod.

 

Not to burst your bubble on the SW gauges, but I found the needles two of the ones in my Diamond T laying in the bottom of the glass last spring. Other than that, they're great.

 

I saw how hard you revved it, no wonder

 

I have been working on a leaky throw out bearing so I have been away from my thread temporarily. I had an issue with my tricky little electric heater I built. It seems I should not try to rewire a switch when I don't know what the hell I am doing. I made such a mess of it that I had to send the heater back to the manufacturer for a rewire which they did for free since I owned up to what I had done (it pays to be honest...embarrassing but it pays).

I got it back yesterday and I reinstalled it in the vintage heater, hooked up the wiring and bolted it under the dash.
Here is a look see of the dash nearly complete and assembled.

The heater controls on the front of the heater are 2 speed fan, temp control and defroster.
Controls under the dash are fog light, MSD retard, starter button, fuel pump override and ignition switch.
dash controls are intermittent wipers, headlights, fan override and choke.
Indicators in the cluster are turn signals left and right, high beam and fog light.
I added an on/off toggle to the volume knob on the side of the radio box that you can see barely in the photo.
2 water temps gauges, oil, fuel, speedo and tach.
That is a lot of stuff going on in a small space but I liked how it turned out. I think it kept that "hot rod dash" look.

Sorry for that open area where the gear stick and e brake are supposed to be. I'll fix that this weekend.

 

Very nice! That dash is going to be a driving hazard because every time you drive it you'll want to stare at it instead of the road! LOL!

 

Long day yesterday, re-installing the running gear but all is good. Clutch TOB is bled and done. Brakes also are bled. No leaks at all! Firm pedal, one more task done. That meant I could re-install the front hubs and wheels and put her back on the floor.

The M/C is a CPP product I stuck under the floor.

I counter sunk the aluminum cover plate into the sound deadening so you wont feel it or see it under the carpet.
Tomorrow after work I need to pick up some antifreeze and water wetter and get the radiator filled...again. Then it is safety check time, cotter pins in the castle nuts, triple check a couple hundred chrome bolts and nuts, etc.

I might just bolt the seat in, throw a blanket over it and see if this crate moves under her own power.

I picked out 3 leather swatches that my upholsterer is ordering larger sample of, so I can make a final decision for the interior. This is going to happen...finally!

 

Ah, the first ride! Nothing more exciting, well, almost nothing!

 

It would be more traditional to throw a 5 gallon bucket in for that first ride.

 

A wooden milk crate works for me, Bordens to be exact.

 

I grabbed a few supplies on the way to work today, its gonna be 80 today, nice afternoon for a top down drive...

 

And..............

 

As promised, I got this think to move under its own power for the first time. I was scared spit less. Here is a picture of her in the light of day for the first time ever.

I bolted the seat in and grabbed a couple of cushions off the patio for comfort.

Stylish yes?
I made a couple of laps around the subdivision. The TOB was right on and I got it up to third for a second. The SW Wing speedo calibrated to the electronic tranny sending unit just like they said. I know a lot of folks on here have had difficulties with the new gauges but I am happy to report I am not amongst them.
I didn't take any videos of the initial round about nut here she is back in the corral,


No leaks, heard the fan cycle on once. Ran great for an 80 degree afternoon idling around.
Not bad since a week ago she got her drive train torn out to fix a leaky throw out bearing.
The second pass I added the shift knob to make the process easier.

Here is a shot of her ass in the sun

Like I promised, she's a runner.

 

Yeah buddy! That’s a great feeling!

 

What a beauty. Congrats on the shakedown run.

 

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Whoaaaa that's a big milestone there!!!
Nothing like that feeling either, never gets old.
It's nice to catch the event on camera but it almost never happens. There's too much going on, the whirlwind of thoughts and feelings sometimes don't include " wait - stop what you're doing and get someone to video this"