Projects Building My First Roadster in San Francisco

I'm all in. I'll keep you posted!

 

It's Sunday night and I'm exhausted! On Friday, I was able to pick up my rear wheels, which is a step in the right direction. Then, on Saturday, Yama and I went vintage motorcycle hunting.

An old hot rodder/motorcycle racer in San Jose had passed away, and Yama was helping the family get some of the machines ready to sell. In addition to the two-wheelers, he had a T-bucket and a pair of 1928 Model A pickups. From the stories we heard from his wife and son, he was a talented builder and mechanic who loved to take on projects.
Like this one, for instance. He also had a twin-engined drag bike that was featured in Hot Rod Magazine in the early-'60s. It was residing in their living room until about a week ago.

In their effort to clear space, they offered to sell Yama and I a few bikes. Yama knew I have always wanted a Pre-Unit Triumph. So, with a little bit of convincing, he and I now have a pair of TR6s. His is the desert sled pictured above, and mine is a hot rodded 1957 nicknamed "Ol' Yeller." The paint matched the previous owner's RPU perfectly. In retrospect, I should have taken a picture.
Here's an image from one of my 2015 Jalopy Journal posts to keep things on-topic. Maybe I'll start a little build thread in The Antiquated once the car is finished?

 

While sifting through treasure, I came across this old horn. When I brought it home, I was pleasantly surprised that it works and it's LOUD. Now I need to figure out where on the car to mount it.

I don't have too much to show for my afternoon worth of work in the garage today. I managed to torque, Loc-tite, and cotter pin the rear portion of the car as methodically as I possibly could.
Neon glow, chrome acorns, and a floor very much in need of a sweep.

 

Next garage session will include torquing the front suspension hardware and bellhousing bolts, then greasing and cottering the pedals. After that, I need to make some phone calls, because it'll be time to put the body back on (!!!)

 

Thank you guys. Me too! Maybe next week?

Right? What a nightmare. But imagine the sound of all six cylinders cackling. And thank you, we're getting there!

 

I only had a couple hours out in the garage tonight, but I ended up getting more done than I had originally planned. For my first order of business, I finally installed my battery box. That meant drilling one hole in the frame and tightening all the hardware.

Next, I focused my attention on the clamshell. It came to my attention that I had forgotten to install this gasket.
I wasn't looking forward to taking things apart to get it on there, but I made it happen. Hi-tack gasket sealer should hopefully seal the deal. Once that was completed, I torqued everything to spec and installed cotter pins.

Speaking of torque, I bought my birthday present from my parents over the weekend—a Craftsman torque wrench to supplement my vintage beam-style unit. I was excited to use it tonight; I couldn't believe how nice it was. Click. Click. Click.

 

All that's left on the chassis, for now, is torquing the front suspension. Steering will go back on after the body. I located my body welting from All Ford, so that's how you know we're getting close.

 

Thank you! It seems as if "a few minutes" or "one quick thing" there ends up being a full night of wrenching. These days, that's not such a bad thing.

The gasket seals against the rear transmission mount. I think it's 1932 specific, but don't quote me on that.

Thank you!! No rushing happening here.

 

Brief post for tonight. Went down to the garage and was greeted by my three-year-old and one-year-old neighbors from their upstairs windows. I waved and smiled and thanked them for cheering me on. We're approaching the longest day of the year, so I figured I'd make good use of the daylight and roll the chassis out in the driveway.

Nice light tonight.

"No Parking..."

"...Any Time."

You'll notice that I finally scrubbed the blue off the whitewalls. What a difference it makes!

 

Longtime readers will recall that we were here not so long ago.

 

I took a step back to look back on how far we've come—and then I got straight to work. Tonight's task was super straightforward and much like ones I've discussed here before.

Torque, cotter, repeat. These are the steps that nobody ever talks about but are necessary pieces of a project like this.

That's all for now. More updates happening soon!

 

Thank you! And wow, that is next level. Impeccable detailing and a blast to ride, I’m sure.

I snapped this picture last night because I thought it was fun that both projects appear to be in a similar state. Maybe I’ll look back on this one day and say, “Wow, remember that?”

 

A very fun, very full day in the sun today in San Francisco. I'm exhausted, but I wanted to post this up for the morning crowd. Ten-year-old me wouldn't believe it. Thirty-two year old me almost doesn't believe it either. I have a ton to share, but I'll try to do that tomorrow in between painting the firewall and installing the steering.