I know a lady in Spanish Fork Utah that has a 19" wheel for yard art, I might ask her if I can take it down to the tire shop and see if it is square and balances out.
Dan, the 25 and 26 have the same hood rap. The horn hole is for sure 25. Th 27 and 28 have a belt line bead starting on the cowl. The 28 goes to two beads as it goes back, maybe on the cowl, 27 do not know. (will have to chop blackberries) Also do not know about the rap.
I think you told me what I needed. Based on some other info and what you have told me 25 and 26 are really close to the same. I have a lead on some body parts that still have some of the wood (patterns). Pictures show 25-26 which is what I want. However I am not in a position to be real picky. My frame, fenders, and hood are 26 so I want to stay with that theme. Once I get a place cleaned in the barn (might be quicker/easier to build a new barn or add on), I am gonna start assembling the chassis.
'25-'26 Chevys are my favorite roadsters of the time. The problem is too many people Fordicate them and try to make Ts out of them. Save sa much of the wood as you can. I'm still trying to redo the wood in my '26. If there are any pieces GG2 and I don't have you might have them.
I'm not against Fordicating the Chey as long as it is period correct, early, mid, or late 1930s. I love the quirkiness of the chevy banger, and that the chassis is almost complete. I have parts available to put a T roaster body on it. The but Chevy quarter panels on ebay are making me think Chevy Roaster?? Speedster???
Craig, that is a roadster body. You can tell because of 1. Mounting hole for the top pivot. 2. The open car dash and holes for the windshield stanchions. Also, the coup had a shorter trunk.
Yes, a '25 and the early version still had Chevy front suspension. That top picture of #87B is one of my favorite cars. The Ford reared and spring mad it a 3 springer. There were a lot of them in the early days.
Drove a little ways and went to see a 25 touring sitting in a barn. Came home with a partial body, seat springs, hood, rear fenders, vacuum tank, speedometer, gauges, e-brake handle, another gas tank and windshield assembly. I have started a list of what I don't have so I can start tracking things down. The wood in the body is bad but I think there is enough there for patterns. Not building a touring, but all the bits, pieces, brackets and patterns will come in handy. Still building a speedster ... I know Chevy didn't make a 4 cylinder roadster pickup ... But building one has crossed my mind. The gentleman had a restored 1925 touring that had been in his family since the early 60s. He purchased the unrestored touring to get the correct engine for his restored car.
Yes, along with the remains of the touring body, two back doors, sides, seat springs etc. Front doors were missing. Gonna look at converting the rear doors to front doors, or try to make some front doors the same way the rear doors are made. I did Not get the chassis as I don't need it and no matter what he was keeping the engine. The 3 hour drive home was really hard on the body, broke about every joint in it.
The design and manufacturer of the Ford's vs the Chevys is really interesting. I have grown up around Model A and Model T Ford's. I find the construction of the later 20s Chevys to be innovative from a technical perspective. I think Ford used better steel, but the 4 cylinder Chevy engine as you all know is more advanced. The construction of the 25 open car body is also interesting. I think the whole thing could be recreated by a good sheet metal person using fairly simple tools. I also have some model Ts and the Chevy sheet metal is much thinner. I am not saying it is inferior but it is definitely lighter. The body I purchased does have some minor rust through that will need to be repaired and light surface rust all over. I was evaluating it as I unloaded it and I would be afraid to sandblast it, I am afraid it would warp it and ruin it. I have a question about the wood. It doesn't look like oak. Looks more like poplar or something similar. I have heard folks recommend ash. There seems to be more than one kind of wood. The tack strip around the seats looks different from the body framing. Some of the body framing is very fine grained like a softwood. The sills look like a hardwood. Does anyone know what they actually used? I have some maple that was cut years ago, but a big poplar fell in the woods back in the spring and it is starting to look like speedster parts.
Dan, I do not know about being thinner sheet (mine are 18 ga.) You probably know that the Chevy open car bodies were not made by Fisher. Some of the open car bodies were made at the Chevrolet plants where the car was assembled. Two of mine were assembled in Okland, Cal. I believe that @Six Ball's body also came from Oakland. Years ago I had a chance to borrow Ray Hollands old wood from his 25 roadster for patterns. The plants used some kind of templet system because the nail holes and screw holes were identical size and location in all the wood from that plant. From what I have heard was that each plant accessed locale wood. (Rumors that some even used cottonwood, but there are over 100 types of cottonwoods, so must not have been like the ones growing in our creek-fall down for no apparent reason!) I had bought plenty of alder to use, but found out how bad that it rots, so have lots of inside home projects. (makes excellent quilt racks) I had found, like you, that they used more than one type of wood. I am using white oak for sills because I already had it. Ash for "A" and "B" pillars and any other place that needs high strength. (top prop mounting block) For the other wood I found matched up closest to yellow poplar (tulip wood) It is suppose to be strong for its weight. (doors, seat, and seat base) What are you supposed to use? Happy hunting !
I have only made a few cuts & glued up the pieces for the sills but I am using Baltic Birch. It is a very tight & strong ply wood used in furniture. I know nit right but It looks great. My cabinet maker friend recommended it for it's strength and uniform workability. We may be able to use his CNC machine to make some parts. With a good set of patterns we could turn out kits or individual pieces. I just need to get back to it. If the BB doesn't work out he can get white ash or what ever else I'd want.
@Six Ball The next time that you get back to doing body wood, would you get me the measurements of #5, #6L or 6R, and the offset for the floor to set on? Please!
Today I found the phone number and info where I bought wheels and axles 10-12 years ago. I need a better flywheel and a generator and some other items so I tried the number, it was still good. When I bought the wheels and axles, he had given the engine and transmission to his neighbor and at the time it wasn't for sale. I went over today and bought the complete engine (27) with starter and generator. An extra flywheel housing, two more water pump cores, carb, and a couple of 28 side covers. I am supposed to get the transmission as part of the deal, but he has to move some things to get to it. I didn't need the engine, but I wanted the parts. Is there any advantage to a 27 camshaft and lifters over a 28?
The primered flywheel housing is a 28 with the slot and pointer for timing off of the flywheel. (Make sure you index the flywheel correctly to your crank. It can go on 6 different ways!) I do not know of any advantage to the 27 cam and lifters------If using a 28 block, they will not fit! Just side note, the 26/27 water pump and the 28 truck water pump are the same. 28 car is what your cores are. two piece pully/fan mount. If using 28 head there are two different thermostat housings. (28 first to have thermostat) Car, outlet not as vertical as truck. Using the truck housing and water pump, the engine will fit the earlier frames and radiators.
Thank you for that info. That is useful. Are all flywheels marked with timing marks or just the 28s? I am hoping that when he finds the transmission, the rear crossmember is attached to it. He told me that the engine ran and when he first got the car it pulled itself into the building under its own power. So now I have another spare engine. But more importantly a generator, starter (mine had been outside more than 50 years), extra distributor, a better flywheel, maybe a pressure plate, and a carburator. (Not ideal carb for a speedster but a start)
Dan, Another good find! GG2, I'll try to dig those out. It could cause me to make some progress in the shop. So much going on here none of it project related.
I looked at the carb I got yesterday, it is a Carter RJH 08 which according to google is for the 29-31 6 cylinder. Someone cut off and rebrazed the manifold flange back on at an angle to use it but it looks like a good job. I will probably start with that.
Well, Google is at least partially correct. Carter built 22 different carbs which were marked RJH-08. In addition to 1929~1931 Chevrolet, they were also used on Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth, Federal Truck, and.....................Opel. By far the most common of these would be the 1931 Chevrolet tag number 150s, which is internally 46 percent larger than the RAKX-0 for the 1928. As these were the service replacement carb for 1929 and 1930 Chevrolet; would GUESS one will find maybe 10 of these for 1 of all the others combined. Good luck on finding one with a tag, as pre-1932 red cardboard was used for the tags (I have only seen a couple). Beginning in 1932, tags were brass. A carb that is 46 percent too large will run very lean. The RJH-08 is technologically advanced compared to the RAKX-0. Remember that the idle circuit is an inverse circuit. Rotate the idle mixture screw IN to RICHEN, OUT to LEAN. I would start with the idle mixture screw lightly seated. I would want to know exactly which RJH-08 I had, or I would be looking for another intake / carburetor. Jon
Wow, thanks for that info. Right now I have two intakes. Both have been modified and have non 4 cylinder carbs. One is the carb you just commented on (no tag), the other is an old cast iron Marvel that is very similar to the one on my International tractor. I will keep my eye out for another carb, but if I get the chassis together before I find one, I will use what works. That is probably one of my lesser worries right now. I would like to find info on what, if any, accessory carbs were offered for the 4 cylinder Chevys so I can be on the look out for those as well.
I knew someone who flipped the intake over and bolted a Carter WO downdraft from an early Jeep on it.
There are good things to someone asking questions! Looking for my parts manuals and other information, I ran across this in different places and consolidated: And Who said that they did not make speed equipment for the C-4! Well at least a little!
From the 1929 Frontenac catalog. Sure looks like a 3 port Oldsmobile head. Does say 1.5 to 1 rockers though. Are there any vintage side draft carbs that would work well? ... That I could find and afford to buy?
One of the things that started this project is a 3 port Oldsmobile head that I found in the pig shed on my grandfather's place about 20 years ago when we were cleaning it out to sell. My uncle had told me about a Chevrolet dirt track car he and a friend built after he got back from the war (WW2, his last action was D-Day Normandy beach). They ditched the four cylinder and went to a straight six after they had problems. All that was left of the car was the very rusty, cracked, "yes someone laced the cracked valve seat with brass screws and tried to braze it as well" and "no it didn't work" Oldsmobile three port head. I will post pics some time. I hold out hope it can be fixed. The wall of the pig shed was patched with a porcelain sign advertising some unknown oil brand from the 20s that will be the name of the speedster. When I find it again (in the barn somewhere) I will post a picture.
I have one of those I got from a friend. It came with a set of custom 2 to 1 aluminum rockers and custom pushrods. He said the 2 to 1 rockers were banned by a group he used to race with.
The Jalopy Journal
