Hot Rods # 10 Track Roadster Build- Marty Strode

Postwar, many were accustomed to confined spaces...turrets for example so those that took on these confined cockpits probably were well seasoned for it...this wasn't limited to Belly tanks either...some of those chopped coupes, many rear engined were also extremely tight with faces near planted into the windshield...I'd be a little gun shy myself...

 

Wow, Marty! Another great piece…..it will show the kids how it Really was.

 

Plus for the most part us boomers have tended to be larger than that Greatest Generation was. They were tough, tho.

 

I'm a boomer from 1946, I could easily fit into that tanker at 5'3" and 135 or so lbs, Were do I go for drivers meeting?

 

I'm a 54 boomer, currently just under 6 ft, and 255. They stood me in the cow pasture too long as a kid!

 

I am a boomer from 48, and I fit @ 5'10" and 175, but the owner's son (as pictured) fits just great ! However, I am the designated driver for the shakedown in a couple of weeks !

 

I haven't seen 175 since 7th grade. And that was at the beginning of the school year...By hs it was 230 and the wrestling teams only heavy weight! And I lost lots of matches. Most heavy weight wrestlers went well over 275 most over 300. Oh well at least I didn't have to run much...

We're all looking forward to much more about the tank. Marty you have way too many projects. I don't have the energy for more than one at a time...

 

Now that the Belly Tank is finished and out of the shop, I am going to get back on my other open projects, like the #10, my B/SR '29, my '40 pickup, along with my COE. Of all the projects I have going, the most asked question is "when are you going to finish the COE". Several years ago when I was modifying the Grumman box to match the cab, I trimmed, fit, and drilled all of the holes to mount the new roof skin. Being 14-1/2' long, the roof skin can be an unwieldy piece to handle, and needed to be removed, cleaned and replaced. The trick, was going to be using double sticky back foam tape on all of the roof bows and perimeter to seal it, and rivet it down. Well the solution came in the form of a friend, Chris Kopp, a master metal man, a member on here, and fun guy to work with. It took us a few hours, getting it fully riveted, using blind pop rivets, that will not leak. I can always install the caps to match all of the bucked rivets in the rest of the box, but on top they are not visible. There is no replacement for capable friends, willing to help. Thanks Chris !

 

As it worked out, Ed the owner, fit in the car just fine, so I spent the day running the wheels off Jim Lindsay's 32, at the Alvord Desert.

 

That's impressive! That is one large sheet of aluminum.

 

Today another small detail addressed. A friend gave me a Ford chassis badge, and I was able to purchase a mate to it online. Got them mounted, on both sides. Also, I ordered some steel roof vents this morning.

 

Looking real good Marty. Out of all the vehicles I've built, my COE is the one that has gotten the most attention. Hope all is well with you and your family.

 

And you have some cool cars ! It's funny, I too have noticed the popularity of trucks in general. I also acquired an Airstream to pull behind. With one of the roadsters in the box, it will be travel time !

 

The perfect set up to do a little traveling. Now it's just a matter of finding the time (or making it) to do so. I'm hoping to go to a three day work week after the first of the year. We'll see how that goes. I had the same thoughts when I went to a 4 day week 20 years ago, and everything worked out fine.

 

So Marty, lots of surface area in aluminum. Paint or polish?

 

The truck or the trailer ? The truck box will be painted white, with the exception of the top skin, it will be bare aluminum. I am going to try to get a low sheen, finish on the trailer, full polish is a lot of maintenance.

 

I have a couple of friend/customer cars left to finish. I started the restoration of this one some time back, and it has been on hold for a couple years. We pulled it out of the trailer today, and now it's job # 1 for me. It would have fit in perfect at our Alvord Desert meet a couple of week ago. It was in Hot Rod in '55, and the owner and I have been doing our best to get it close to magazine form.

 

That car sits so low. It's going to look great once done. So how's the aluminum polishing going? Wax on, wax off?

 

Do you have Kinmonts for the Puritan?

 

Lots of Diverse Hotrod Ions coming out of this locale and Martys part of those periods of excellence...Yaaaaaay! another survivor being brought back in style...

 

Yes he does, an NOS set of four, they weren't cheap !

 

Another cool aspect of this car is, the original engine builder, was Bill Schnell, (who also cast and machined the 4 carb intake). Bill has passed, but his son Tim, just happened to have one of the intakes left, also built the new engine. This is the kind of stuff that I enjoy about this job/hobby.

 

The Roots of the past still being motioned forward with the Torchbearers in the Historical Wave of the Yesteryear...

 

That is such a cool restoration of one of the quirkiest cars ever! Love that thing

 

Some of you might remember this car, that my friend Ernie Martin gave me before he passed away last year. It has been sitting in my spare room for the last year. I had thought about taking it to Alvord, but I was so worn out from the long hours getting the Belly Tank finished, I left it home. Charlie Hascall had his yearly Dirt Drags, at a farm near his place yesterday. I decided to take Ern's roadster on Friday morning, so I got up early and started stripping it for racing, removing the windshield, lights and upholstery liner. After installing the windscreen, and lakes tarp, I changed the quickchange gears from 3.48 to a 6.30. I screwed in set of Champion H-10C plugs, and got it started, boy does it sound good, the Isky 400 jr has a nice pulse ! I arrived at the race after driving in the fog, and in all, the previous days of rain, made the track conditions very muddy. There was a car count of around 30, mostly A's and T's with a couple of 32's. Many of the cars, went out to wheel pack the track, and some made some runs. If the conditions would have been better, I would have made some runs. ED brought the Belly Tank with intensions running it as well. It was still a fun event, catching up with old friends and meeting new ones, made it worth the trip.

 

Ernie’s old track roadster is very slick! Nice to see it again.

 

Back on the Puritan, got the fuel tank built, and nearly mounted. We are also starting on the covers for the torque tube and trans. Waiting on the master cyl, to complete the brake linkage.

 

I am liking that shift lever. This build is looking nice.

 

Joey Ukrop's sidekick Yama, captured these shots at the Harvest Drags. Brent McMullin's black one, shows what attention to detail can do.

 

Thanks for posting all that Marty, those are some cool cars. Those are Hot Rods !