Projects Building My First Roadster in San Francisco

Thank you everyone for all the kind words. I'll be back with replies soon, but I figured I'd do a quick update before I turn in tonight. Here we go.

Last Thursday night, I asked Michael to help me pick up the body from my other garage.
He said yes! The roadster lived in the bed of my truck for a day or so, which folks found entertaining on the streets of SF.

"You mean you put a car in your truck?" the neighbors asked.

Yes, and I kept everything safe and sound with this era-correct Yale lock.

 

On Saturday morning, I had two assignments:

1. Trim the body to clear the pedals.
2. Install the body welting with the correct bolt holes.

So, I started with the easier one.

A little paper template and a quick trim with the cordless cutoff wheel and I was in business. I kept my fingers crossed that it would clear the clutch pedal.

Okay, that's all for tonight. More soon.

 

Again, lots of replies forthcoming. I'm going to continue with the storyline.
Last June, I had some 1932 Ford body welting express shipped from All Ford Parts. I didn't need it for last summer's body install, but it was nice to have it in stock this time around.

When it was time to punch the holes, I thought back to a trick that I believe I learned from @NealinCA. Take a poker and heat it up until it's red hot. Then slowly push it through the welting and you have a clean hole. I wish I would have gotten a picture, but it generated a whole lot of white smoke and seemed like it may or may not have been pretty toxic. Nonetheless, I was in a well-ventilated area wearing a respirator, and I was very pleased with the results.

Oh, and I may have mentioned this before, but the poker is actually a 1960s knife sharpener that I got at an Inner Richmond estate sale about three months ago. Here was the original owner with her machine.

Everything has a story, doesn't it?

 

With the welting ready to rock, Yama and Blue came over to help with the hoisting. First, we moved the body onto sawhorses so we could paint the underside with Herculiner. The neighbors didn't quite know what to think of our multi-person spray painting display underneath the car. I don't think they were too impressed. We didn't let that slow us down one bit.
As the paint dried, we strolled over to McBaker market for sandwiches. When we returned, we dropped the body into position and took a few steps back. I couldn't believe what I saw.

 

It was a beautiful afternoon on the cul-de-sac. The air was warm, and it just felt like summer. I have a lot more to say about how all this made me feel, but it's getting late here and I have a big day of wrenching ahead of me tomorrow.

So, I'll end tonight with this shot of Yama, me, Blue, and my A-V8. I couldn't be more grateful for these guys and all they've done to help me with the project. These truly are special days.