Hot Rods # 10 Track Roadster Build- Marty Strode

Good to see you posting on here Dan, when this thing blows over, we will have to make up for lost time. Without the swap meet and Portland Transmission Show, things will be a little dull ! Folks, the Ernie, Dan mentioned is my Pal Ernie Martin. For the last nearly 40 years Ern and I have been building, racing, and having fun with our cars. He is a top notch mechanic, who handles the assembly of our engines, transmissions, and rear ends of all descriptions. He is also an excellent fabricator, with an eye for detail, and a stuntman to boot ! He has raised the quality of my work, by example.

 

Marty....Thanks for the reply, info and photo. The Don Turner car looks awesome with the short wheelbase, but wow, is that ever a short hood! I always liked the looks and increased practicality of the '27 with more of a trunk area, but so often they end up looking really long, and I like short wheelbase cars. One of the best proportioned '27 Ts in my book is Pete Chapouris' roadster. I've included a photo of it for those who may not be familiar with it. I think it has a 103" wheelbase, but somehow it doesn't look quite so long like many '27s do.

I'd love to build another T but I'm really torn between a '23 with turtledeck and a '27 roadster. I think I saw early in the thread that the body you're using is from Speedway. Are you satisfied with it (them)? I saw that the '27 roadster body trunk area (maybe a lakes car?) actually has somewhat of a "rain channel" built around the trunk opening, or was that on a '23 turtledeck? I'll have to go back to look.

Thanks again.

Lynn

 

I have been very happy with Speedway bodies.

 

Here is the rough steering box install. I weld a wedge plate on the inside of the rail, to tip the column inboard at the wheel. After clamping the mounting bracket , with the plate sandwiched between, I tack the plate to the frame. After transfer punching the hole pattern, I drill 5/32 pilot holes, followed with a 1/4" drill. The drill guide with the angled foot, allows drilling through the rail, using a long bit. I enlarged the holes to 3/8" and bolted on the bracket. Next will come, drilling the holes to 1/2" all the way through, to install sleeves, to prevent squeezing the rail, when fully tight. There will also be a bung welded in the bottom rail, for an additional 3/8" bolt. The neat aspect of this box and bracket arrangement is the dual pinch bolt, to pivot the box, changing the angle of the mast, before installing the mount under the dash.

 

Marty, how much roomier does the unchanneled Ernie Martin Modified feel than your channeled Modified? I would imagine everything else in the cockpit is pretty much the same. They say every inch helps.....unchanneled would give 3 or 4 inches of extra (height), room!

 

Boner, I only channel mine 2", Ernie is a good sized guy, and it does have a roomy feel to it. He didn't want to be sticking any higher out of the body. I have a video we shot off of Ern's roll bar being edited right now. It gives a great perspective of how it feels from the cockpit, along with being a picturesque drive.

 

Cool!

 

To finish the steering mount install, it required a few extra steps. The VW mount had .430 dia holes, and needed to be sleeved down for 3/8 bolts. So I drilled the mount out to 31/64" and turned down some 1/2" tube, and tacked the sleeves with silicone bronze, and ground both sides flush. Using a step drill, the frame holes were enlarged to 1/2" and sleeves were fully welded through the frame. I used a .010 over reamer to get a final fit on the holes. Notice the slot I milled in the lower mount, it allows for a 3/8" Allen bolt to secure the mount from the bottom. Back to the front end, for caster correction on the bones, and cap the bull noses on the rails tomorrow.

 

More detail work. Got the caps for the frame rails fit in place, I will weld them in the morning, when I am rested. Should get the caster corrected on the front bones, tomorrow and have it sitting on the floor Saturday.

 

Got all of the welding on the front of the chassis done. When welding the caps, I leave the front inside weld until the rest is ground and finished. When doing the caster correction on the front bones, I saw from the bottom up, leaving around 1/2" uncut. That way I can bend to the proper angle (2 degree change) and weld the bottom. Once the car is on the ground, if I need to make changes, I can saw the lower weld and change the angle. Looking across the shackles, I think it's pretty close. A little more welding in the morning, and I will pull it out of the jig, reinstall the engine, and body.

 

Love your work!!

 

Pulled it from the jig, it rolls !!!!

 

Very nice, thanks for taking us on the ride.

 

@Marty Strode every time I see your cuts/welds I want to take up needlepoint or perhaps the piano. I'd have a better chance catching up with Mozart than with you. Thank you for my inferiority complex today.
Signed, Not worthy

 

Marty .... Thankyou for all your posts/info ‼️ Damn it man your build tech are an absolute inspiration for me and I’m sure others ‼️

 

Man, that looks so simple.........but it's Not!

 

It's beautiful!

 

Oh, come now Billy, the quality of your cars, is a testament of what you can do.

 

For you shut ins, it's movie time ! My Nephew Ken, edited some footage we shot a few years back.

 

That's it! Everything is for sale. I have to have a track roadster

 

Wonderful thread Marty, thank you. Great video with Don Rich on guitar! You sir are a craftsman.

 

Wasn't Don from Tacoma ? A real loss to Buck and "Real Country Music".

 

Great video Marty, loved the ride along, that roadster sure sounds sweet. What is that read sports car?

 

My friend built it from scratch, starting with gluing foam together, and shaving it into the desired shape. Being a master with fiberglass, he laid the body up from there. He wanted something between a Testarossa and a Maserati. Powered by a SBC and 4 speed, quite a car !

 

Is the hook on the dash to keep it in 2nd gear??

 

You are correct sir ! When we ran small quarter miles, 4.11s and second, we used the hook. On tracks a little larger, we would plug in a 6.30 gear and run high.

 

Olympia. Quite the musician.

 

Wow.....talk about the good ole days......I remember the coupes and sedans on the dirt in the 1950-60's (as a kid).....would have a hook shaped piece of threaded rod on the cross tube between the two front roll bar downtubes.....shift up into second gear......flex the long shift lever just enough to get it in the hook.......green flag !!

 

A bent carriage bolt with the the head still on, double nutted to the lower dash rail was employed quite often.

 

Well, the weather permitted rolling it outside, for some longer distance shots, with the turtle hull attached.