Hot Rods 29 RPU- "Street/Strip" B/SR Build - Marty Strode

Marty, that front mount turned out mega nice (as has the rest of the project). You should stamp STRODE where Hurst would be if it were one.

 

Mike that's a good idea, perhaps I can have it done with a ball mill, as I am terrible with stamps. Sorry I missed you, looks like you painted the Victoria, did you get it sold ? I will see you at an alley soon. Thanks.

 

I am using a Speedway column with a quick disconnect on the wheel, and have mocked it up with 2 different wheels. It can be shortened to suit, once the seat is in place. The good part is, only one u-joint is needed.

 

No, my Vicky is still Green and Silver resting in the Shop. I was there to sell working out of my closed trailer parked in the same spot on the street by the gate. The B 4-cyl with the Drake head drew quite a collection of comments. I was hoping to make a sale so I never had a chance to walk around inside. Pete came inside and stood next to his little sweetheart for a while. Several asked me why I didn't just bolt it in the 29 Sedan I had on the ramp door for sale. We had some good Chuckles. Sorry I missed you also.

 

With the steering temporarily in place, I decided to see what my options were for a seat. I pulled one of the Speedway seats out of the track roadster to get a baseline. As many of you know, the cabs on '29 roadster pickups are quite small, and sitting lower also cramps the issue. Since it will only be a race truck this year, and not on the street, I think I can use a Speedway seat. I had to remove a section of the cross channel, to make room for the shifter. I haven't shifted this 4 speed with a Hurst Super Shifter, since 1975. I had to molest the shift handle back then, to work in my Altered Roadster, with the Boss 302 and center steering. After sitting in the seat today, and reaching for the shifter, it couldn't have been a better fit, even the angle of the "T" handle was set perfect ! I was thinking about buying some plywood for the floor sections, and remembered I had kept the ones out of it. Since the truck was an amateur restoration from 1970, I couldn't believe the quality of the plywood. So, a little t******* around the trans and shifter, and most of the hole is closed.

 

That's one ugly shift handle Marty............I love it!

 

It looks like me !

 

In my haste, I didn't take time to wash the boards, so I went out in the dark and cleaned them up. Perfect patina, like the rest of the truck.

 

It would be hard to find new plywood like that today!

 

I had to pull off the RPU to help a friend with his project. It's an AJ Watson styled machine, for the street. He needed me to mount the nose. It required some tube bending and rolling along with some sheet metal punching, bending, and shrinking. Should be wild to drive !

 

Totally cool.....unHAMB friendly. I love it.

 

Oh, My!!!!!

 

Marty, it's been a few years since I actually seen Doug Nicoli's project. Is that his? If not a close twin. Doug was building a 2-seater and I think it has individual roll bars at each seat. Can't see that part with the Exhaust there. Maybe 2 guys with similar thoughts in the same neighborhood?

 

Looks like you can get burned getting in either side . . . but sure might be worth it!

 

Mike, it is Doug's project, that he sold to Lonnie, who has been getting it ready for a body. Tom Phillips built the headers, and John Keller did the pipes, with mufflers inside. I think Bill Jwayde and Doug built the ch***is.

 

Apart from the modern white letter tires it has an early to mid sixties Indy feel to it.

 

So does the blue contraption punch and dimple holes for the DZUS fastener and spring all in one shot?

 

Yes it does, very handy.

 

I see Doug often but hadn't heard he sold it off. Your right about Bill being elbow deep in the ch***is. Good to see it moving forward and in very good hands all the way around.

 

Thanks, now I am jealous! You build it?

 

You could do that on a louver press...all you'd need is dies and clearance to install them...

@Marty Strode, does that actually punch the holes and dimple as well...or do you pre-drill 3 holes then use the dimple die?

 

It belonged to my old friend Jerry Hill, who ran a race car shop in Newberg,Or. He specialized in sheet metal, but built many completes with ch***is, like Dragsters and Funny Cars. When he p***ed back in 07, I bought his Louver press and this Whitney-Jenson kick punch, with the Dzus die. It does it in one strike, and is very handy lapping panels, it got a real workout when I built this Lakester .....

 

Hmmm, maybe not, that machine has some serious strength built into it...I was ***uming...Louver presses punch through similar gage metal though...I'm still curious...

 

Stogy, any louver press would do the job with ease, it's having the die set, and having to set it up between both operations. My louver press is 3" solid steel, with hydraulic cylinder from a Republic Aircraft, would do it just fine.

 

Some other good news, when I did the job above, for my friend Lonnie, he gave me this Hilborn -0 fuel pump to serve as a primary or spare for the Roadster Pickup. It's newer than my existing one, so I will ship it to Spud Miller at FIE, to have it checked, and or rebuilt. Nothing like having spare parts.

 

Thanks Marty, for anyone punching Louvers that might be something they could invest in to diversify there offerings to those looking for such details...

Pretty cool that that punches 3 holes and dimples all in one...

My experience in dimpling involved drilling the center hole full size and using a pinned two hole jig to drill the anchor nut rivet holes...then dimpling those rivet holes...it was generally an operation require in thin gauge materials that if countersunk would knife edge and enlarge the rivet bore.

 

I don't see any voids in that plywood, Marty. Is that marine grade?

 

Alan, I am not up on grades of plywood, but it is better than anything I have seen.

 

Marty you had your hand in some really cool projects...that's one I mean two bad boys...but knowing the times helping out at the farm or shop in the dirty thirties, forties and even the 50s being a kid many times was cut short...

 

Today I got a house call from a machinist friend, who did the machine work on a 283 for my '40 pickup. He got started on ***embly, got the rotating ***y installed along with the Erson camshaft, now I need a tighter timing chain. It's a simple 65-283, bored .060, with power pack heads, and will get the Edelbrock Tri Power, that is on the engine in the ch***is. That should make a great little package, with the Saginaw 3 speed and column shift.