Present !! I tap the like button every day I'm on here. My way not to ruin a thread with my poser hogwash. Don't have anything else valuable to add .... but I dig your efforts here, sir. Great f#k'n' ride, Fry !!!
The interior is super simple. Once again cheap amazon rubber flooring, lokar e brake, and I used this old stainless trim I had laying around from my old 75 K5 blazer. It has a cool filigree design in it that I always adored. The daughter joins me every now and then in the garage at nights to do her home work while I'm working. Yes, more cheap stuff from amazon. I know but honestly being in Canada shipping and US market stuff just kills me. With their free shipping it just makes it too easy. This is some knock off, wannabe dynamat sound deadener. It was super easy to work with and nonscientific tests that I've done show that it makes a huge difference. Added the left over mat and trim to the trunk as well. It isn't perfect but I'm not concerned. Edit, I never talked about the fuel cell. Its a RCI unit, 15 gallons, and I custom made dimple die brackets to hold it in. Also, a close up of the filigree trim. I like this kind of stuff Heres another picture of the fuel cell. I modified the neck to fit tuck in the way I have it.
Another picture I've dug up of the wiring and supports I made. Also I made stainless lines up to complete the brake and clutch system. Bled them and somehow had no leaks. I lightly polished the lines, I used summit racing stainless annealed lines. I double flared them with my summit/k tools/eastwood brake flaring tool. It went like butter. I would highly recommend one. This is the new signals, the old glass was a bit broken so I needed something new. Found these "replacement" leds. They worked ok but required modifying to fit. Also made up rad support rods, just hardware store 3/8" zinc plated rods that I threaded and polished. The grill insert was painted a cast iron gray to tone down the bling factor. I mounted the steering column permanently here as well. Made up a snout to keep the plug wires from getting caught in the u joint.
That pretty much takes it up to being a runner. Goal for the year reached. I'll post those pictures up tomorrow and try to find a way to attach videos. I tried not to, but I've skipped a lot of stuff in here, it isn't as easy as it seems.. Its tough to go back a remember all the little items. Some things at the time that seemed like mountains now seem like mole hills, trying to figure out every step, engineer every part, do everything in the right order so you don't do things two, or three or four times... Try and save money for 6 months, make huge parts list and dwindle them down to fit the budget, make that one big order from the states only to get half way through installing the parts to find out you need some bracket, or line, or adapter from the states again that stalls your whole progress until you do another US order in 4 months time, or pay three times what the item is worth through duty, brokerage, shipping and custom fees... Hard to see those frustrations through the pictures.. Also hard to see the joy of accomplishing tough goals that you set for yourself, seeing the frame you built, the tire sitting in the wheel well perfectly, rolling the car out of the garage for the first time, all thanks to an understanding wife and encouraging kids. Thanks for following along so far guys!
Fry...THANK YOU for taking us along on this journey...You vision of the completed look of your car has been achieved ...Excellent look & fabrication work ...Having your kids involved will add memories for both you & more importantly, THEM.....
Very cool build! Thanks for doing all the work to share, especially the success and learning curve both. Looking forward to more!
Thanks for sharing this build, as has been said, you do some very nice fab work. You are to hard on yourself, you don't need for anybody to go back over your work.
So this is pretty much the end result. This is the body on the frame after painting First day out of the garage under its own power. The kids came with me for my first drive. Stopped for a photo op.. Walking in the garage and catching a glimpse almost gives me goose bumps..
I'm still playing around with the stance, I cranked up the rear coil overs as mentioned to get a little higher and may remove a leaf to drop the front a bit. I'll probably see if I get any settling up there first. I wouldn't mind a bit more rake, but the rear a little high helps. Taking my kids on their first ever hot rod drive the same time I had my first ever hot rod drive is something special and a memory I hope they keep forever as I will. Where the magic happens.. haha. After this project I'm glad I didn't pick a bigger car to build as I ran out of room quickly a few times. This is basically how its sitting now with the coilovers higher. Its always hard to get a feel for stance on these roller skates. I'll recap the what i'm currently working on and add some videos here in the future.
A couple more from enjoying its first day under its own power in probably 70 years. I've since massaged the door latches and have the door fitting better. The passenger door is still a work in progress, which is why the only photos are from the drivers side haha..
Great build!! Lots of neat details, good luck making the Duece days show next year, that was also my goal but I discovered building a hot rod takes a lot of time I'm now shooting for a 2022 show.
Thanks a lot. Hopefully they have a 2022 show, sounded like a lot of arm twisting to get him to do a 2019 show.
Heres a little street dyno video after I was fiddling with the carb. I was so tempted to go with a sniper efi and a larger air cleaner to hide it. It’s still up in the air if I made the right choice with the carb. (Legal disclaimer, shot on a closed course by a professional. Honest... that isn’t my son videoing his cowboy boots and giggling)
Just went through the whole thread. Love it. Great build, great thread! I know what you mean about sometimes just staring at the car. I do that, too. You should be proud.
Re the stance, I think you've got the rear height correct, with the wheel well line just above the tire. For more stance now you'd need to drop the front. JMO, but that's how I'd approach it. Actually, looking at the pictures again, that's just about right. I think I'd let it go and see how the front spring settles.
Yeah I think the same. I’ll see how it settles out and see it in various positions out in the real world. I had to crank the rears up as hard turning gave a little body roll and the tires just touched the wheel well bead. I think I’d need an anti roll bar if I wanted to keep it as low as it was in the rear in the first pics. I’ll have to wait to get more seat time to know how it really feels handling before I do any of that. I think it sits perfect in this picture, but the ground under the front tires is lower so it makes the rake look greater.
Two videos from a little test and tune. Nothing special. I had screwed up the shifter linkage and couldn’t find 1st and 2nd on my first drive. Did some YouTube mechanicing and found I put the rods on wrong so this is just test drive after that. Such a fun little car to drive. Don’t mind my granny shifting I’m trying to stay somewhat civil. It lights those little bias plies pretty easily, the video is only ok with the sound on. I’m even wearing a hamb shirt in this one.
The last thing I’ve done on it is fill the hole for the trunk. Original rumble seat car and the deck lid that came with it was rough. It also turned out to be a 28/29. I really wanted a replacement brookville but it’s just out of the budget for now. I didn’t have anything to make a new skin so I patched the original inner structure and had a guy punch louvers on a flat sheet for me. I just bent it over and welded it on. It’s not perfect but will work for awhile until I get a better setup.
Picture of the battery mount. I wanted to put the fuse box beside it but was easier and cleaner under the dash. I used a oydessy pc925 and just moroso bulkheads through the floor.