Projects Tommy R Attempts to Build a Hot Rod Model A

Damn good points, Josh!

By the way, since finding a good donor T-5 is turning into a big ol' pain in the ass, I decided to just run the Saginaw 4 speed I've got instead. Later on, if I decide to put an O/D trans in, I'll just have to re-work the crossmember and maybe shifter hole location in the body. Not a big deal.

So now instead of a 4.11 gear and a T-5, I'll run a 3.50 gear and the 4 speed. Highway cruising should still be okay.

 

If anyone is in town for the Round Up, shoot me a PM. South Congress is the place to be tonight!

 

Shouldn't you be getting yer crap ready for Montana???? Haha....

 

I love reading through these builds, nice work!

 

LOL!! I'm working on those rigs, too! I need more time and a hell of a lot more money!!

Thanks! Hopefully I'll have some good updates within the month....

 

Well, this year's Round Up is done and gone now. A few observations and thoughts about it...

• All post 1970 models should have to cruise South Congress in the inside lane. Pre-1970 can use the outside lane. "No, we don't care about your late model Mustang/Vette/etc." And Harleys should be banned if they can't keep their throttle in check. "No, we don't care how loud your f___'n Harley is."
• I'm growing from a mild indifference to rat rods to a distinct hate of them.
• Saw some old friends and met some new ones over the course of the weekend!
• And I now have a shit ton of motivation to finish my car!! The new goal is to drive it to the '12 Round Up!

Here's some pics I took:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=6407570#post6407570

Already looking forward to next year!

 

Ok now..its been a month...BACK TO work..!!!

 

LOL! I'm still a couple weeks out, but before the end of the month I should have regular updates kicking back in. I've got an unrelated project and vacation coming up soon to get ready for.

 

Haha.....

 

What're YOU laughin' at??

 

Whats a vacation..??

 

Do you have a goal in mind, Like revolution or round up next year? My goal was roundup '09, so naturally it barely made it to roundup '10... Capture the dream, Be Inspired!

 

Yes, I do! Round Up 2012! It's going to be a hell of a lot of work in a short period of time while putting a strain on the pocketbook, but I'm going to do my damndest to make it happen. Wanna come down to Austin and turn some wrenches?

 

Well, it may not seem like much, but I'm finally working on the car again! I got the garage cleaned up enough to start working in again and a few friends came by for a few hours to lend a hand. One buddy spent nearly the entire time wirewheeling the rear axle to get the rust off it. It's pretty pitted, but it'll be fine. Meanwhile another friend and I worked on trimming up the boxing plates. We've got 4 of the 6 plates fitted and ready to be welded in place.

I can't recall if I've asked this or not, but I assume it's okay to weld the transmission crossmember and rear crossmember to the boxing plates? Or should I plan on cutting through the boxing plates to the framerail?

BTW, since I took such a long hiatus away from this project, my new goal is to drive it around the block before the end of the year.

 

It should be fine to weld the crossmembers to the boxing plates. Having said that I decided to cut thru my plates with a hole saw for additional support. I cut the crossmembers just short of the outside rail, but thought the additional bearing surface of the boxing plate would be worthwhile...

 

That is one Very Nice "A" body to start with. Great buy. I'll be following your progress.

 

nice build

 

Yeah, I think it'll be okay, too. In fact, the So-Cal rear crossmember I picked up isn't even long enough to reach the main framerails so I guess they intend for it to be attached to the boxing plates?

I also decided that I'm going to inset the boxing plates about 1/4" or so inside the framerails. I like the look and it'll provide a nice recess for the lines and wiring.

Thanks, y'all. Hopefully, I'll be able to do this build justice one of these days.

 

Well it's about damn time, where the hell have you been slacker ?

 

Yeah, I suck. I've got no real excuse, to be honest, other than I've been pretty intimidated about the next couple steps (since they involve crossmember placement) so I've been severely dragging my feet.

 

Hey Tommy!
Good to see you back on it.
Haven't touched mine in ages either,need to finish building the garage first.

 

Thanks, Mark! It feels good to finally be on this thing again. Hopefully you can get your garage finished up soon so you can get back to "fun" work, too!

 

That's easy man, one in front and one in the rear. Now ya know, just get on with it

 

Thanks, Gary. What would I do without ya?

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,working on "toy" shit......

That's ok.......I ain't working on mine either.......

 

Well, I think I need to put out a request for help from any of you in the Austin area. There's a chance I may be moving out of state in the near future for a job. Nothing is set in stone yet, but it's a possibility. Here's my dilemma.... The chassis is still in pieces welded to the frame table. What I would like to do is get to the point where I have a rolling chassis ASAP so that it will be a LOT easier to transport everything. If any folks in the area are willing to help me out, I may be inclined to leave my very nice frame table here for you to enjoy.

I plan to get back on this project pretty heavily over the next few weeks and any and all help from some locals would be MUCH appreciated!! Of course, I'll provide the beer.

 

A good buddy of mine is coming by this Saturday early afternoon to help me work on the hot rod. If any of you slackers are in the area and want to come by, just shoot me a PM for my address. Beer and pizza will be provided for anyone willing to lend a hand....or laugh at me. Your choice.

 

Can I laugh from here????

Get to work holmes......looking forward to progess pics!

 

Dude, I can hear you laughing already!!

Will definitely have some progress to show by the end of the weekend. I finally got some more motivation again for this project. Pretty stoked about it!

 

Round up 2013