I figured it was about time to do an update on my car. I've had quite a few people bugging me to post some new pictures, but i kept wanting to hold off till more was done. Well, I came to the conlcusion that if I keep holding off, the whole car will be done before I do another post. So here she is, installment nuber three of my track roadster project. As you'll see in the pictures, the hood, hoodsides and belly pan still arent finished. They need to play into ALOT of different odds and ends so I've been leary of taking them too far and having to go back and change them later. So the parts on there now are just mock-up's. I did make some dies so that I could punch my own louvers and you can see them on these test hood sides. I made the drivers side hairpin as a test to compare to the wishbone on the other side, and I think it looks kinda cool so I'll most likely make a 2nd and go with them. The seat is a copy of a stainless WWII aircraft seat. I made a few changes to the shape and size and used aluminum with a whole bunch of hand buck rivets. It still needs a twin and some sort of an edge to finish it off. I just had to get it this far so i could locate the steering and pedals. The mount for the seat is a tube and angle structure that slips onto studs on the frame so that it came be removed in one unit in order to remove the body. This was necissary because of the height that the motor sits in the car, making the torque tube run right through where a seat mount would need to be. The steering box is now located in the chassis. Its a 35-46 ford box rotated 90° so the pitman arm points upward. The pitman arm will get set into a recess in the side of the nose similar to how Eddie Dye's roadster is. Since i had the seat and steering in place i started working on a design for the pedals. What I came up with is a cantilevered post pressed into a tube on the frame that will be supported by a bolt on bracket that will attach to the trans. The pedals are just reworked 40-48 units. Alright now the most important part and the one thats taken the most time. The nose! I sure had alot of ideas go through my head and wasted alot of aluminum trying out different ideas. This is what i settled on. I am Drawing alot of influence from Eddie Dye's car that Whitey Clayton did the aluminum work on. I tried to capture the same idea but not copy the nose really at all. I also tried to get a bit more angular shape to draw in a bit more art deco look. I guess thats about it?.....for now atleast.
If you're not careful you're going to become the "go to guy" for hoods & track noses. What you're doing with those is so far above & beyond the standard track nose & hood treatment it isn't even funny. The car is looking great. JH
Zach I love the nose. You should do a tech post showing the shaping process and the bucks/tools you use as you are forming it.
thanks guys, Larry....don't laugh, but heres what i used. No real bucks or anything like that, I just kinda kept working till I liked it. I have a couple harbor freight dollies that i reshaped a bit, 2 wooden hammers I made out of tree limbs, a stump of a limb from a walnut tree (its broke in half, hence the duct tape) one Snap-On hammer and a file for shrinking the little lumps out. I folded the long tapers with a piece of pipe clamped to the bench.
very nice, everything...humble, modest and straight forward. Hand made and gorgeous...thanks for the update
Awesome work! I can't wait to see it take some laps on the track this spring....It will be done right????
Dude, that's just knock-down, flat-out awesome! You seriously rule... I gotta see this thing in person!
the HAMB got the update BEFORE ME..are we still friends?..haha, sorry I haven't been in otuch man..poor excuse, but I've been a bit busy.. The car is looking killer..I'll be in touch the next few days...Got some questions you need to answer...
That is going to be one slick roadster. I'm jonesin to do one myself now since I've seen this one and the one you drive now. Keep up the good work, your gonna be one of the greats. later shawn
The Jalopy Journal
