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

My louver press no problem. Like Marty said "it's having the die set". Cant imagine to many of that particular die set was made commercially, pretty specialized. Guys that do a lot of aero/race car panel stuff or the guys that supply the guys that do a lot of aero/race car panel stuff would most likely have this set up.

 

True. There are also two common sizes of spring retention clips - one with 1 3/8" spacing and a smaller one with 1" spacing. Dies are needed for each.

 

Since I will be hauling the RPU in my COE, I am going to work back and forth on both projects. I have been needing to build some mirror brackets, that utilize the slot in the door, on Ford trucks from 53 to 66. I didn't want commercial "Ape Hanger" mirrors, so this is what I built, after sourcing the mirror heads. The tube is 7/8" .065 4130, and the rest is just some machining and welding. I even had a buddy, a professional Truck Driver, sit in the seat, and give me instructions on placement and angles. I am going to mount some 3" convex, blind spots as well. I had hoped to get away without adding another strut, to stop the vibration, but I will add a 1/2" tube for that reason.

 

Nice. Guessing you did the flanged step pads and fender anti scuff pad too? The stamp made me chuckle, as I've gotten older, I tend do that a lot more myself.

 

If I had been able to buy original rubber for the steps, I certainly would have, but I made the aluminum guards. I am going to have those pieces, along with some inside scuff moldings clear anodized, to preserve the aluminum. As far as the stamping of parts, I do it out of habit, and in most cases, to help the guy down the road to figure out what pieces go where.

 

You done really nice work but I have driven truck and I can’t imagine those single posts holding a mirror stable enough to be useable. Road vibration combined with wind are tough elements to deal with.

 

In my post, I stated that an additional strut would be required to deal with the vibration, it will be done when the blind spots are added. I just didn't want West Coast style mirrors.

 

Nice job on those mirrors Marty. This is my buddy's COE, when he wrestled with the mrror issue, he found his solution on a cast away wheelchair. They were part of the leg supports I believe. I don't have the best photo of them, but you get the idea. Solutions can be anywhere with a bit of imagineering.

 

Thanks, I see your buddie kept the Signal Stat lights on top of the fenders on his 54. We were able to find NOS amber lenses for mine, they are original to the truck.

 

Marty, how long is the steering arm on your 525 steering box? I am looking for a longer one for my 525 in my '33 Plymouth w/Hemi as currently the steering is way too slow, albeit very easy steering. Mine is a stock arm.

Dave

 

Dave, the one on the RP is 7".

 

@Marty Strode , Thanks! I ***ume that is center to center?

Dave

 

Yes.

 

The aluminum seats I ordered from Speedway are supposed to be here tomorrow, so I spent part of 2 days this weekend building the frame to carry them. I used 3/4" -.065 wall tube and 10 ga plate for the bases. The next thing is to make some mounting tabs to weld to the frame. The base mountings bolt directly to the frame rails. I used one of seats out of my Track Roadster project for setup, same seat.

 

The seats came yesterday, I got the mounting tabs tacked on, and the seats bolted in place. I am going to retain the wood molding around the back of the cab, but it will require bandsaw work. Also, I am using a Sweet MFG stainless u-joint, great looking piece.

 

Boy Marty, that shifter does look like it was made for that combination. I've never had one that fit in that well.
Couldn't find one in my old Hurst catalog that was for a, "Model A pickup with SBC and Ford top loader".
Those Sweet u-joints are sweet aren't they. Randy was quite the character.

 

I got the wood coved out, to match the curve in the back of the seats. Nice Black Walnut.

 

Today, I started on one of the only jobs I have promised to do, for @fgnailhead34 , a roll cage for his 554 Coupe inspired 34. We looked at different ways of doing it and making it certify, and I convinced him that an Altered/Funny Car cage would be the safest, and the easiest to do the interior sheet metal. I did one in the Bizio Truck in the 90's, that still p***es tech today. So, we started by laying out and bending the front hoop, and getting it tacked in place. More to come tomorrow.

 

I like how tight your tube miters fit.

 

Make sure to leave room for the blower.

 

We got the shoulder hoop and rear uprights in today. Tomorrow we will work on the front cage loop, and the bent L's over the top of the driver's head. I am waiting for a call from the local inspector, to make sure all of the uprights and diagonal bracing we have planed, meet his approval.

 

I see a Quickchange back there Oh Boy, Oh Boy!

 

Oh, and the roll cage looks good too!

Is your coping jig something you made or is it commercially available?

 

Bruce, it's a Pro Tools, works great. I have an old Speedway unit, that is used in the drill press, but this is far handier !

 

More on this car. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...p-race-car-build.1221270/page-3#post-14446430

 

My long awaited right front fender got back from the paint shop today, and it got installed, along with tweaking the braces on both sides. Next on this one is making an aluminum front valance to work with the mounting of the Moon Tank.

 

We did also get the front hoop on the cage in Derrick's 34. With the width of the shoulder hoop, I was concerned the about how clunky a front hoop with 2 bends and a small flat area would look. So, we experimented with a single bend with a 6-5/8" radius, and a pointy center, giving it a 60's look. Coping a hoop with the angles, and holding center widths can be tough, but 8 years ago, I devised a method that works well for me. I bend a hoop, using exhaust tubing, and cut and cope to the rough angle on a couple 6" stubs of exhaust tubing as well. The thin pipe is pliable and easy to spread, or pull together for a test fit, and with the stubs, you can rotate the ends to make the copes fit the shoulder bar. With it held in place, I use radiator clamps to hold the stubs in the correct rotation, until I can tack weld them on. Once you have a sample hoop that fits, you can bend the real one to the proper angle, and trim the ends to the length to match the sample. Once that is done, you install the sample in the fixture, do a fine adjustment, making the cope hug tightly around the hole saw, and record the angle of the pipe with a digital level. Install the real hoop in the fixture, setting it at the same angle, and run the hole saw. Repeat on the other side of the hoop, and presto, you have a hoop the fits very well.

 

@Marty Strode , play day at Madras Speedway is April 16th 12-4pm. Gonna bring something over?

Dave

 

Dave, I don't have anything to race, except my old buddy Ernie Martin's Roadster, and the vintage races for this type of car have petered out.

 

Marty it is test and tune/play day so I would ***ume you could probably run it, at least solo.

Dave