Projects Giant speedster project

Check out the giant three wheeled speedster.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU-GyskPViY&feature=related

 

Very "Dr. Suess-ish"- I like it!

 

Shifter bracket

Progress! But not much. I welded some ends on the shifter bracket, then bondoed it up to give it a more vintage look. Just one more detail that has to be done so I can reassemble the beast.

Jerry

 

Por-15 Alchemy

I finished bondoing the shifter housing and I got out my trusty Por-15 but as all of you have probably experienced at one time or another the can top was glued to the can. After prying and cursing I got it off. Well, the contents were like treacle so I added some special Por-15 solvent and painted my parts. I poured the goop into a new can so maybe it'll be good for a little while. Hell, the stuff I used may be no good. I'll find out tomorrow. There was still a little stuff left in the old can and rather than use my precious Por-15 solvent I poured in some acetone. Then I went around painting rusty metal. Time will tell if the stuff has any more rust proof qualities left.

Jerry

 

More painting

Well, I guess the Por-15 was okay because it was as hard as a rock this morning. While I was painting the shifter stuff I figured it would be good to paint the body sills. That took a lot of sanding because they'd been sitting around, but finally by 3:00 I was ready to apply a few coats of primer. Tomorrow, I've got to clean out the the door maker's rental unit. He sold his business to the local welding company and got enough money to finish his house. Good for him. Except I lost a tenant. Now, a food trailer maker and a tee-shirt company are looking at the spot. But that's another story. The good news is I get to put all my body stuff in the door maker's paint booth which means my paint quality should go way up.

 

In the paint booth.

We got doorman moved out and I commandeered the paint booth. Not a high dollar booth but adequate. I started sanding the wheels. Got two done. More tomorrow and maybe paint.

Jerry

 

looking good.

 

wow even left some doors for work benches gogogogo

 

My wife hauled me off to the Georgia State Fair in Perry GA for a day with the kids. 7 hours round trip to see cows and swine and ride carnival rides--not me, the kids. My son got to drive the kind of cars we all started with. Must work on speedster tomorrow or go insane.

Jerry

 

Doors, who wants some doors?

Yes, doorman left me a bunch of doors. I put some on craigslist. Sold a pair for a $100. But I haven't got the check yet.

So I got my regulator/water trap installed and I cleaned up my bench then I sanded the wheels some more. If they come out crappy tomorrow, I'm taking them to the body shop.

Jerry

 

Wheels

Well I finally painted the wheels. The paint went on smooth with no pits but I seem to have a lot of microscopic dust in them. Too Bad!! They're going on the car. Don, my Morgan buddy says I should have turned off the exhaust fan when I was painting. I'll try that next time. At least this means I can install the wheels and tires and everything else. Damn, that took along time.

Jerry

 

Yes but they look nice! Pinstripes??

 

yes stiill air promotes less dust
glad you have everything finished now ..

 

Never open acan of POR. If you do, you inevitably face the 'top won't come off' problem next time around, plus the can sitting open reduces the pot time of the POR since there is a large surface area exposed to the ambient air.

Instead, poke a hole in the center of the paint can and dribble out as much as you need. If you want, you can poke two holes at opposite sides of the lid to make it easier to pour. Then, seal the holes with tape. Next time, punch holes in the tape - repeat until the can is empty. I have cans of POR that are years old and the paint inside has not cured.

 

Finally

Lately I've been going crazy trying to get find new tenants and get the ones I've found settled in but today I decided to devote myself to the Seagrave. I got the rims on. YAH! Tomorrow maybe I can find a few minutes to put on the tires.

Jerry

 

Assembly

I've been trying to get a rental unit ready for a new tenant which actually means building a wall. In between that, I managed to paint one wheel. Since I'm not going to be able to afford tires any time soon I'm just going to paint up the old rims and tires and slap them on. I also dug out the shifter and clutch parts. Looking at all the pieces I realised it would be better to have a picture of the whole thing so I could avoid a trial and error assembly. Tonight I printed out some pictures.

Jerry

 

i see the stud spacing is per spec in that wall just enough so the paper/plastic stays tight ...


what no gold on the rims ?
gogogoogoogoogo

 

Those walls will be all metal--that way I don't have to wear my tin foil hat indoors.

Reassembly

Those pictures really helped me remember where things went. I put the pedal assembly together in no time. Luckily I remembered where the transmission went without a picture. Jon the electrician/culinary expert/machinist helped me put it in. The shifter and brake assemblies have to wait until I paint them. They're hanging in the paint booth along with some other stuff. Hope to paint tomorrow.

Jerry

 

The Wall!

That's for the tee shirt people who are moving in. Maybe I'll replace the worn out knit shirts I've been wearing for the last 12 years with some Giant Speedster shirts. Hell, maybe I can sell them to help finance the project.

The Paint!

I might be getting the hang of this painting thing. I put up a deflector for the fan then wet down the floor. I only turn on the fan when the booth resembles a foggy night. The paint I mix by feel until it drips off the stick like milk. I was so proud of the result I brought in the kids to admire my work. The color reminds me of a trailer slut's lip stick--maybe that's why I like it so much. (No offense to any trailer sluts out there.)

Jerry

 

none taken.

 

Jerry,

Don't know if anyone posted this Hudson- I think it's been on Espay:

 

I think that's a Gary Wales construction that was never finished. Hey, here's another '23 Seagrave that's finally been started after a long rebuild.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=2158168237226&notif_t=video_comment_tagged

 

your right about that color red .. it gets on everything and will be found in places that will be considered sinning in other times

 

those appear to be tractor fenders ????

 

Apology accepted Ha ha.
Davo,150 miles east of Melbourne. (Nearly in the drink)

 

Not a member of the Feral Sports Car Club by chance, are you?

If you end up in the drink. have one for me!

Been reading up a bit on their site about the early motoring adventures of Francis Birtles.

http://feralsportscarclub.net/FrancisBirtles.html

 

I missing a part I made to space down the shifter assembly and it's holding me up! I'm also finishing up on the tee shirt people's space. But I came across this. If you're contemplating a lake speedster I don't think you'll find any cheaper. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aircraft-wi...067?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cbd0cd323

Jerry

 

No! Not a member; but they seem to know how to enjoy themselves. They are a couple of hundred miles northwest of here.
I hope "The Seagrave Saga" continues at a good pace now; I shall be twitchy, waiting for each development. This has to be the most rivetting,(pun intended!), thread that I have followed; truly spectacular work! Go Jerry!

 

When the project is finished I'm going to find some sponsors for a Giant Speedster down under journey.

Jerry

 

Found it!

The spacer for the shifter assembly was lying on the floor beside the band saw. I had to make some ends and weld them into place. After a good grinding I wiped on a little bondo. Next primer and red paint. All that work and a week behind.

Jerry