Projects My '26 Roadster / Vintage photo search

Your car is a great car. IT sure has go a long way from where the parts came from. the plasma cutter sure comes in handy. also those $1000.00 dollar spray guns work real well. You need to let the guys know where they were built. The special plastic engineered tip never plug up. All cars should be painted this way.Rember how it is done at Becker's DIY shop. Let them know where it was built.

Bill Becker

 

....and those "Fan dip" ones make the paint lay out so nice!

Everyone will know where it was that my ol' T came to be....it wouldn't exist without it .....neither would I, technically.

 

[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]Been a while since I posted an up date...not much to update I guess since the roadster is still in CA. I am currently getting my "To Do" list in order for this coming winters project: Brakes..PERIOD CORRECT hydraulic brakes.


The brakes are Chrysler-Lockheed and they were found those about a year ago....buried in the mud when we were bulldozing/reclaiming the land behind the shop to build a new building. I kept finding pieces of them all over within the few months we were working out there. By the time we were done I had found:

-All 4 baking plates
-All 4 brake bands
-All 4 wheel cylinder units (complete)
-All 4 brake drums
-All misc hardware
-Both front/rear axles w/spindles, hubs and all (for reference during fabrication)

All of this + complete and intact = MAJOR SCORE

Now all I have is the task of adapting them to the T hubs/axles. They are extremely unique and very wild! I believe that they only used this style in '25 and '26 only as Chrysler went to an inside-drum style (like we are used to today) for 1927 if my memory serves me. They are actually a 4-wheel setup, so it would replace the Rocky's in the rear....but I'm gonna try and alter the Rocky's for use as Aux. parking/emergency brakes. [/FONT]

 

I smell a "tech week" winner here!!!

 

External contracting hydraulics on a T Ford! Ya, that ought to win a prize. Beyond cool.

 

...For your viewing pleasure, my latest tech drawing for the Rear Brake retro-fit. I will have to remove the entire end casting and make my own to make adapt the Chrysler backing plates to the axle tubes, relocate the spring perches and radius rods.

 

I'm excited to get them on the car! It's not often that you get a chance to use period correct hydraulic brakes on a 1920's era hot rod!

 

You are a madman!! Those are going to be sooo cool!

 

They are a great design and should work very well!...should give it a good look too!

Got the fronts all pulled apart, now I'm working on the rears and trying to get the pistons out so I can see how bad they are and to try and find kits for them...which should be fun.

I have been trying to research the story behind them and their development, I know they were designed in conjuncture with Lockheed...which is cool

 

Just a brief update, haven't had much else to report on:

The T comes home this weekend!! Tomorrow I make the long drive to Sacramento to pick her up...so anybody who want to see it better do it quick! HaHaHa!

Can't wait to get back behind the wheel again!

 

Clayton,

What’s the status of the R&C and/or Street Rodder feature(s)? I’d love to see this car in print.

-Dave

 

No word yet ... Just a big waiting game now I guess.

I wanna see her in print too!

 

Hey Clayton, here are some pics of the grille, no one seems to know the year or manufactuer. A buddy who does polishing did some antiquing to it for a wall hanger. If i use it for my 22 T coupe project i will paint it and probably have to shorten it abit, it sure has a cool shape and detail.

 

What are all the gauges?

 

Hello H.A.M.B.ers!

Well I am happy to post a new update on the Roadster! I have barely touched it since has been in storage since it's return from California this past July, due to the special T speedster project my Chris (powerwagonmaniac here on the HAMB) and I are building for his father.
(I have a thread on this)

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=486634

I have finally got my T back home (first time since April) and started back in tinkering where I left off. I am currently working on the finishing the seats. I managed to find a set of early VW bucket seat frames in the s**** pile at the shop which will work perfectly. They have a 30's or 40's look to them and they will fit even more when the Rolls-Royce leather is applied to them The only problem I had with them is their legs were too tall, putting them up too high in the car. I shortened them, which also required repositioning the pivot points so that the backs still lean forward...allowing for the addition of Map Pockets for trip "storage". I also acquired an original WW II era "Autopulse" aircraft fuel pump that should dress up the engine compartment. It is currently set up for 6 volts, but I think I can make it work.

I also found a really pretty Nash "Moto-Meter" for the radiator cap...as an alternate for the eagle. I also plan on casting up a Rolls-Royce "Flying Lady" for it too


More to come as the seats and brake conversion come together, so stay tuned!

What gauges are you referring to?

 

I can't imagine being a half mile in the air and having my life depend on a 6V autopulse. I had no idea they were used in aircraft.

 

I believe he's referring to the gauges in your dash, the original set-up you had.

 

I BELIEVE that its aircraft, don't hold me to it though. I say that because it came from a Ranger 6-440C aircraft engine powered race car built in the late 1940's....So I ***ume that is what it came with.

I agree though...that would weird me out a bit too.

 

Ah! The gauges are that appear in the photos in post #314 are as follows:

From left: 1922 Nash Ignition Switch, 1917 Stewart Speedometer (above steering wheel), 1934 Sun Tachometer, 1912 Waltham 8-Day Clock, 1930's Motorola radio, 1934 S-W Amp Meter.

The knob in the center is a early hand fuel pump.

 

117harv-the vintage car wrecks thread post 28 shows a car with that grille.

 

its from a 1927 Oldsmobile, either a Model L or Model E

 

Very cool car!

Any news on the photo shoot?

 

Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! This is absolutely one of my favorite cars on the HAMB!

 

Thanks! No word yet......hoping to hear something soon though.

Thanks!

 

Hey mate. Every now and then I stumble across this car and my jaw just drops to the ground, to me, this is a "proper" hot rod. It's absolutely brilliant, a truly inspirational car, I love it.

I'm only a young guy but I planned to build a vehicle quite similar to this, now that I've seen yours, I most certainly have to!

Thanks Clayton, your an inspiration to us all, keep the good work up.

Thanks

Hayden

 

well im shure glad to see im not the only kid here im 20 from ny thats a verry sweet t i have a 27 frame with a suspencion and a cowl im looking for the pieces to compleet it or even just another body

 

Hello from "The States" and thank you kindly Hayden!

Comments and compliments like this really mean allot to me and it is a real honor to be thought of as an "inspiration"......especially since this was my first build.

I have been turned away, shunned and been told "NO" because of my age many times, so I'm glad that I can offer some positive inspiration to other young people like me trying to get into this hobby and make their own way. That means the most to me.

I'm glad to know the same! When I started building my T, I was sure that I was the ONLY kid my age on the planet that liked T's (and stock ones too), Hot Rods and early "Br*** Era" cars.

 

i loved this roadster the first moment i layed eyes on it you've hit the nail on the head

another young gun here I'm 17 building my 28 roadster the early form of rodding starting with gow jobs up to the mid 40s is what has allways made me tick, cant beat the look of them

Harley

 

Thank you kindly Harley!

That is exactly why I love them too. These early cars are the "granddaddy's" of Hot Rodding...they optimize the birth of this wonderful hobby. There is SO MUCH ingenuity and creativity in every single on of them, as they were built in a time when these methods were not "tried and true" as we know them, and seem to be a bit "forgotten" in a way. I built this car as a tribute so to speak, to the "young guns" of the past with the thinking "what would someone my age have built in 1931 with no money and crude tools in a single car garage"

 

I don't know how I missed this thread, awsome car and a difficult challenge to achieve that period perfect look as well, using appropriate era parts.