Projects BRIAN MADE ME DO IT: 34 Roadster Build

A little bit of boost should clear the plugs

Don’t be afraid to push the go pedal a little bit

 

I had my choice of surface streets or the freeway on my way in to work. I was tired of the traffic so I opted for a short blast down the freeway and opened up all 3 carbs on her way into 4th. It is exhilarating under boost with all the carbs sucking air!

I'm going to try to leave early and do the same this afternoon. Right foot tune up!

 

Also better to be rich than poor.

 

Direct alcohol injection, no not as in Crown Royal intravenously!

 

https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/646826ef-31fa-44d5-bb4f-2ddad0b802cb

 

Good on you, Billy! Get out there and have fun!

 

^^^^My wife said I could leave work if I write three more mortgages today. Any takers?

 

Already have one mortgage and wifey and I just bought the salon she's worked at for the past 6 yrs...enough debt!

 

It has been just over a year since my last update on this thread. Driving the car has been a lot of fun but not without an issue or three to iron out. The most major of which is the fuel capacity of my nifty 32 fuel tank. To make it fit the 34 frame I widened the brackets, moved the filler lower on the tank to clear the body and of course I had to notch the tank for the QC. The result was about 8 gallons of gas, 5 if you didn't want it to leak when you took right hand corners or belted it off the light.

The blue line represents maximum capacity., as you can see I lost half the tank

Even more when you consider the QC notch in the back.

So it was back to the drawing board. After weighing my options it was clear the tank was going to be going inside the trunk so I had Rock Valley Custom tanks build a SS 17 gallon tank. It used my old in tank pump i just had to have their pickup assembly and a tube style sending unit.

Building a car is easy, working on a finished car is nerve racking. Disassembly was not hard and the new tank slid right in to place. The wiring was already in the trunk so i just had to build a longer harness, the fuel on the other hand required drilling. I chose this location, as close to the bulkhead as possible for both the pickup and return lines.

90 degree bulkhead fittings were installed

I removed and cut the existing -6AN lines, and put a couple of new 37 degree flares in them, ferrules and line nuts.
They fit very well.

And I took a moment to refresh the polish job on them.

Back inside the trunk I made these lines to connect to the new tank.

This will all get re-upholstered but I kept it neat and tidy regardless.
Both the pump and the sender got trailer plugs so they can be serviced easily in the future. Then the harness joins the rest of the rear end wiring in the left quarter panel.

I stuck the battery back in, added a few gallons of go juice and energized the pump for a leak check, I must have flared those ends well as no leaks were detected.
I replaced the side panels and it will be ready for a trip back to the upholstery shop but for now it looks ok.

Oh, and for those of you that were worried about my golf clubs not fitting...
fear not, plenty of room for sticks below the rag top behind the seat.

Now we have three times the fuel capacity for three times the fun. My buddies were getting tired of gas station stops! Bring on summer!
But there are still a few things to do first.

 

Very nice! (As usual)

 

I started a new thread asking for pictures of 34 highboys so i could see what people did with bobbing frames, adding a plate and hanging the pipes. That is where we are now in the process. One thing at a time, i started with the number plate.
I used the old spreader bar since I had already modified the plate brackets to fit it. I cut it off at 13" and bolted it to the left rail where the boxing plate started.

I ordered a 1.75" pipe plug on line the other day that will finish that cutoff.
You can see from the rear the backing plate i made to hold the Lucas plate lamp/reverse light and the plate brackets.
The engine turning is a nice add if you happen to be under my car looking about. The wiring leaves the backing plate and enters the trunk through the hole where the sending unit used to run.

And the "end" result

I like the plate mount as it appears to float below the trunk floor, plus it was a no cost add since it was all repurposed.
I am thinking the frame bob will happen right at that spot where the boxing plate begins. I am thinking about building a couple of fill plates to paint and finish the bobbed ends.

Now, what to do with the exhaust. If you have ideas, feel free. Below the axle? It is a tight squeeze above but i kind of like the idea of them being on the same plane as the tail lights, just below the body.

Definitely has a bit more attitude now and a hell of lot more drivable! I need to wrap this up and get back to my PU's paint job!

 

The exhaust pipes below the axle would seem too low to my minds eye.

 

Haha yeah I immediately thought “where does the golf bag go?”

That plate mount is genius, very clean and over all clever. Float is just the right word.

it does look way more aggressive, love it. I agree the pipes should go up high. Time to mock some pipe up and stand back?

 

Amazon brought me a piece I was waiting for today A 1/4" barbed bulkhead fitting, chrome of course. I drilled the trunk jamb and plumbed it to the roll over valve that came with the tank.

It fits nicely in the rain gutter
Venting to the atmosphere easily

Need some leather back here, but check this off the list.

 

Remember that scene from Field of Dreams when the voice says "go the distance"? Well I had my buddy @Pist-n-Broke over today to lay eyes on the roadster and all I head was shoeless Joe Jackson telling me what I already knew but was trying to avoid...Go the distance! Ergo...

Out comes the rear suspension

and some frame surgery is in store. The Wizzard is right, to make the rear end look like this was not an afterthought the rear frame rails need to be cut off and welded back on parallel with the body after the C notch. Not bobbed off like an appendage in a Civil War field hospital. So I removed the rear suspension and prepared to start cutting, welding and painting in the rear frame area.

This project will include removing the shock cross member, adding ample area for the exhaust. Reusing the spreader bar as a rear bumper. Changing the exhaust pipes as they exit over the rear axle. Moving the license plate yet again and a bit of repainting.

Beware the Ides of March! Let's hope I have better fortune than Julius Caesar!

 

Waaaaait just a minute! What happened to the pickup? I needed that to keep me going. You trying for a twofer?

 

They're never done......but can't wait to see the new look...interesting changes some that might even make for better handling...

 

I dread the thought of having my toys all torn down but that is the reality at the moment. I have to stop work on the truck to get the 34 back together. Never fear, I am on the job! [cape billowing in the breeze]

 

For your reading & viewing pleasure, have you checked out the rear frame treatment on Dale's coupe? Check out the first 20 posts.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/index.php?threads/542263/

Sent from my SM-G973U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Yes, and thank you for the reminder. It is easy to just lob off the frame rails and call it done and perhaps that is the correct answer for many. Not so much for this car. I'll make it the best I possibly can with my talent set.

 

I got off work early to have some stiches removed from my finger so i figured i would head home and spend some quality time with my cut off wheel.
Gone are the rear frame rails and the upper shock crossmember.

It would be pretty easy to put exhaust on it now!
I peeled back the boxing plate a bit where i need to weld the frame back together

I still need to strip all of the boxing plates from the rear frame horns but that is a project for tonight. I skinned up the floor a little but i have to repaint a bit anyway and hope to have the color back on by the end of the weekend. I want the tan painted before i replace the frame.
Next up was to raise her skirt! The frame will be parallel to the trunk floor when I am finished so those inner fenders need trimming or they would be lower than the frame. And I needed to get to the frame for cutting, welding and painting.

So I marked it up and cut it off

Repeat when necessary

They came off pretty clean, very little paint work required here, basically just the exposed edge needs color and clear. It will test your metal (pun intended) to take a wheel to a well painted car.
Tonight i get to strip the boxing plates off the frame horns and begin the task of cutting them to fit. I will need to flatten the tops a bit. I took them off right at the C notch so that will remain although hardly necessary now.
The upper shock mounts will be independent so no crosstube to make things cleaner and more room for pipes over the axle. @Pist-n-Broke (aka the Wizzard (a nick name I fully understand after watching him work) came up with a 4X2 box steel that will make pretty cool shock mounts. I will weld them in prior to replacing the frame sections.

Paint and clear the frame rails, a bit of polishing and clean up and I can stick the rear end back in and build the tail pipes. I am still unclear of how far back the frame rails will come, the car has a say in all of this and I have to listen to her. The plan is to re-use the spreader bar as a rear bumper like before so it has a traditional look. Of course I already cut that damn thing in half to make the plate mount I am not going to use...so now I get to weld it back up!!

 

Man testing your metal is right! Dang!

 

Thanks @Tim it can be nerve racking but the end result...right?
Last night I strippd the boxing plates, these are more fun to add rather then subtract BTW.

That's the ever growing pile of steel (granular and larger pieces).
Don't need gas tank mounting holes any longer since the tank is inside the trunk so...

Gone

Then it was on to flattening the tops of the rails so they can go back on. That is a lot more wedge than I expected.
I will have to trim the bottom up about a quarter or 3/8ths of an inch to meet the rail under the car.

You can see there is quite a hump on them. I cut them off at the apex in the top of the frame so the rest of the curve has to go away. I used the sacrificial steel from the box plating to fill the gap. I didnt fill it to the end since i have to trim a lot of that off to fit the rails back on.

I was tired of cutting and welding for one after work session so that means I still have the other side to do. Then on to cutting the rails to fit and making those upper shock brackets.

 

Billy I finally figured out why I can't carry my golf clubs! I built the wrong year hot rod! A rumble lid on a 31 A leaves NO room for my sticks. That's it I am just going to have to build another "larger" hot rod! Sure is one thing to build a car from scratch entirely something else to do some rework on a car finished as nice as yours. Doing a good job!

 

A lot of work..but well worth the effort, will "look" right.
I can't imagine you being satisfied with anything less.

 

One of the guys i used to golf with drove a purple prowler and he bought the matching teardrop trailer to carry his sticks. That just wasn't right, sorry Bubba. If I were you I'd send the clubs with an Uber driver and hot rod it to the course.

You got me there. I learned it from my father who never did anything "just okay". My mom never understood the time and money I spent on cars. My dad though, I believe is watching and proud.

 

Saturday. I didn't get it all in because:
A. I got tired
B. I had to watch Gonzaga beat UCLA.
Both are factual but here is a recap of what I got done prior to game time...
I started by cutting the frame rails to fit

They are tight and very right

And inside

I have yet to v the joint in anticipation of welding the seam up. But it is tight. You can see the C notch remains and you can see the flat upper rail from previous posts. I welded in studs at the rear to mount the body to the frame.
This helps with both body/frame rigidity and the task of re-assembling all of this. I will add a frame pad between the body and frame on that new rear mount.

These are the upper shock mounts I cut out of a piece of steel 2X4 as previously mentioned

This is them welded into the frame, right side

and left

and from the rear. Looking tidy with no crossmember and ample exhaust room.

So far so good.
The last thing before tip off was to shorten the frame horns a bit. I tried the spreader bar in the original holes and it was too long visually. The shortest holes were a no go as I didn't have room to mount the license plate. Like Goldilocks', the middle hole was the money shot. So I used one rail as a pattern to plasma cut the other.

Picture perfect cuts just a bit shorter and matched side to side

Now the rear hole used to be the center hole, it was a bit larger to allow for wire passage when the tail lights used to be frame mounted. They are well covered by the outer ribbed plates that will once again adorn the frame rails.

Next up, other than the Championship game Monday night featuring Gonzaga and Baylor, is to paint the floor in the morning both base and clear and then work on welding in the rails. Then finish painting of the frame and reinstallation of the rear end.
This is going to look like it was planned from the start. Only my hairdresser (and the HAMB) will know for sure.

 

Looks like a giant shake and bake bag. But that should keep he clean during the painting.

Floor tan color is on and clear coated.

I stripped what was left of the paint form the frame horns in preparation of painting them. I have to paint the top of the rail because once on the car I won't be able to do so. I will leave the weld area bare on top and airbrush that spot back in. The inside, faces and bottoms will get paint after they are welded back on.

I didn't get a photo but i did add a fish tail to the end of the boxing plate so it wasnt so abrupt. Looks nicer.
Go Zags! Game time is 6:20 locally. No car work tonight.

 

A little color, clear and frame webbing where I cannot reach once reattached then onto the car for welding . .

Gaps as tight as as I am able, beveled and clean

And stitched back in place.. Note new cuts to the boxing plates, an improvement over just a straight cut.
k
Welded both back and front

Now, doesn't that look better?

Frame bobbed and tucked, now to finish and paint then reassemble. Looks like it was meant to me like this all along, right?

 

Great solution, and as always, meticulous work. As it happens, and by coincidence, I'm using the tank that was originally in the trunk of the '34 in it's original incarnation in the trunk of my Model A. I think it's a late '40's Ford tank. The frame horns on my '32 style frame were bobbed already, so my job was much easier than yours! The exhaust is Duesenberg inspired. I’ve always liked duals that are tucked tight together, asymmetrical placement.