Projects Building My First Roadster in San Francisco

I'm on my flight home from a very fun Fourth of July weekend in Michigan. I don't really have any updates, except that I've ordered a handful of parts—including a pair of original rear axle nuts and washers from All Ford and some detail pieces for the grille shell. I meant to sketch out my wiring diagram while I was at my parents', but I didn't get around to it. That's on the agenda for this week.

Here's an old rod for inspiration.

 

There's no denying that the "To-Do" list is shrinking, but you'd be mistaken to think that this car is almost ready for the road. This week, I plan to sketch/start laying out the wiring diagram, as well as ordering any components I need to make that happen. I'm also going to bolt in the gas tank, order straps, and begin routing the fuel line. This weekend, I'm bleeding brakes.

A-V8, with driver for scale.

Random shot of roadster and waste receptacles.
Justin modeling the correct driving footwear. Superrrrr long shot, but does anyone have a chrome 1930-'31 Model A roadster dash rail?

There you have it—we're all caught up. Looking forward to being back in the garage to keep making progress on this project!

 

Thanks for the wheelcover advice, guys! No big updates from the 5R bus this morning, but here’s a little comparison between the reproduction axle nuts and the original Ford components.

 

Woah, I didn't know Eelco made nuts. I've been an Eelco fan ever since learning about them in TRJ #23. Thanks for the additional history!

Wow, now that is perfect. They look great in chrome!

 

Thank you! I never intended to use so many vintage parts, but it seems like they just so happen to be the best ones.

 

It's Sunday night here in San Francisco and the fog has rolled in, blanketing the city in a cool, gray mist. Off in the distance, the fog horn echoes out into the darkness. I've shut down the garage for the night, so it's time for a recap.

On Thursday, I broke out my new stepped bit and got to work on the dash panel.

After much thought, I found the perfect spot for my NOS chrome starter button compliments of @Hitchhiker. I have a new headlight switch on the way, so I'll share the photo of the full panel once I have it installed.

 

On Saturday morning, my alarm sounded at 5 a.m. and I made my way up to Petaluma for the Northern California Roadster Run. I can't believe it has already been a year since the last one. Where does the time go?

I didn't shoot too much, but it was great to see everyone at Twin Oaks prior to the run.

As much as I wanted to tag along as a navigator this year, I knew I had a car to build. Before I returned to the city, I spent the morning at David's hanging out and asking many questions about everything from bleeding brakes to fuel line specs. It felt great to be back at my favorite hot rod shop in the world.

 

Two more stops in Petaluma.

First, breakfast feat. TRJ.

Second, I picked up my essential oils at the local auto parts store.

 

Last photo for the night. I'll share more about brakes, neighbors, and other happenings tomorrow

 

I went to Petaluma Brunch Station. All that hot roddin' was making me hungry for some flapjacks.

I've said "next year" for the past two years. Next year is our year.

I need to check when I go back down to the garage, but I went with Royal Purple for the QC and Sta-Lube for the transmission. Exact weights and measures to follow.

 

Just got in from the garage and have enough time for a quick update.

On Sunday, I dedicated much of the morning to the roadster project. During my time at the shop, David gave me some great advice about order of operations as far as the brakes were concerned. Before I could even think about bleeding them, I had to install all the drums and torque everything to spec.

As I have mentioned on this thread, that last part made me anxious. By this stage of the game, many of you on here know me, either through this thread or out in the real world. I'm not a nervous person by nature, but I knew I had to be extra careful with these axle nuts. David showed me some tips for cleaning up the threads, and Justin lent me his high-torque torque wrench. "Nothing left but to do it," I said, carefully applying pressure to the wrench. Click. Increase torque. Click. Increase. I began to sweat. Off came the sweatshirt. Increase. Click. Castle almost aligned. Click. We're in. Cotter pin set. Aaand exhale.

To say I was relieved was an understatement. I took a step back and prepared to approach the other side.
And as I pulled the drum off, I was greeted by this unsavory sight. My new, made in the U.S.A. dust boot had cracked. Upon further inspection, it was only on the outside. But still, I rebuilt the brakes last March. A fresh one is en route and should be arriving tomorrow. I'm hoping I can pull off the swap without too much disassembly. I guess we'll see!

 

Over the weekend, I also torqued and cottered all of my front spindle hardware. I wanted to grease the bearings and finalize the spindle nuts, but I realized I'm missing the seals. All Ford hooked it up, and I have a trio of them en route too.
Not tightened or cotter pinned, but yes, I did install chrome castle nuts on the tie rod. If you can't have fun, why even build a car?

Speaking of fun, a new neighbor's parents saw me wrenching and came over to see what was going on. Her mom loved the car, and I told her to try it out. She said she'll be coming back to check on progress!

 

Other Odds'n Ends

Enjoying the view as I prepped the rear seat mount.

Tonight, I dedicated 30 minutes to the starter solenoid installation and battery cable measurements. Vintage hardware from my recent estate sale haul was used.

That's all for tonight. Who remembers when I made that stainless heater block off plate? And does anyone know what the "Z" stands for?