Lakster or Dirt Track ???

no update

 

Here is a couple shots that show some of the progress... a lot more work went into the changes than meet the eyes... please post if more step-by-step modifications would be of any interest or help on your own projects...




Overview... added another decklid section to match footprint of an old bomber cushion... hand brake... reworked pedals



The 39 pedals were reworked for minimum travel and the curve to was modified to not interfer with the firewall (pedal worked with body off but the position wasn't optimum... and, I didn't want to slot the firewall for clearance)



As mentioned before... right leg doesn't pass easily under the steering whell in the confined area... left foot will do most of the driving duty but working the clutch & brake together with left foot isn't practical so a right hand brake now resolves the problem (this is not an locking emergency brake)... a 37 Rolls Royce brake handle allowed positioning of the handle low enough to clear rear radius rods and work modified Model A mechanical brake components... pretty wild set-up

Again... if there is an interest I will post more info

 

That Rolls Royce handle is purdy. That seat treatment is also interesting with the longer seat pan for the driver. Top-notch work as usual.

 

Hand brake is SWEET.

 

very nice

 

The Rolls Royce handle is fixed on a 1/2" rod that extends past the frame rails on both sides... It rides in a ball socket & brackets from Model A mechanical brake set-up... The shaft exits through the belly pan & has the Model A arms for mechanical brakes which works a clevis... The clevis is designed for a threaded rod (mechanical brake rods)... Carey devised a threaded shaft that retains a standard emergency brake cable... Brake cables are adjustable on each side... I'll post photo soon...

 

Shot from below the floor

 

This is a better photo of the Model A mechanical brake bracket with brass replacement ball socket (this was taken during set-up before it was relocated inboard to clear belly pan)



This is threaded shaft componets designed to retain a standard emergency brake cable (after being welded)

 

Brake end is standard 39 Ford emergency brake assembly



The first photo shows test retainer welded up & retainer/sleeve to be used in final assembly... sleeve has beveled edges and is recessed in the center for weld penetration... Second photo shows cable/sleeve/beveled bolt prior to welding

 

I plan on showing details of the cable to a threaded connection... This step may prove helpful to anyone doing a set-up without enough clearance to allow the standard loop through a yoke... Adjustability is essential

Lots of views & no comment? Is this helpful for any future project?

 

yes it is ;-)

 

I thought I'd post a better view of the 37 Rolls Royce emergency brake handle being used in this application... left side photo show the drivers side... the center & right side shows the handle from the passengers side... an odd part that fits the application and was vintage correct... 40's bomber cushion is the background

 

Don't comment much, but I love the details and design work you have done.

 

I hope I can present the details of the cable to a threaded connection clearly... first, a sleeve was machined to allow the cable to pass through... both ends were recessed for maximum weld/braze penitration... one end was beveled to the outside to provide a gap to fill when welding it to the treaded end...



Right side of photo shows one completed & the before... Left side shows cable being welded in (end will be ground flat prior to next step...

 

Once cable has been welded in and end has been ground it is placed in a fixture were it can be welded to the bolt (end of bolt has been belveled)



The fixture allows one side to be welded and the be rotated until all sides are done



Close-up demonstrates the simple but effective jig

 

After the one end is welded the opposite end is brazed which sweats into any void for maximum penitration and seals the cable from moisture in the sleeve... insert shows detail from another angle

 

That's pretty nifty.

 

This shows the final assembly... with insert showing detail of the brazed end...

 

good ;-)

 

The good, the bad, & the ugly... I'm going to digress and give you a little history on this build before I detail another area of rework... the basis of this project was a body that I picked up in the 80's that I didn't have a use for but was intrigued by the extensive work done to it... It didn't take up much space so it just got shuffled around for a couple of decades... my son was driving the beans out of my 33 and had no concept of what it took to build it... my solution was -sweat equity in his own project... I had most of the parts that were planned to upgrade the 33 since when it was built (pre-eBay) I couldn't locate 39 Lincoln trans & 36 Ford rear... I liked the way my 33 handled so I looked at the same chassis builder - Bill Metz

Bill's Rod & Custom built a lot of quality rides back in the 70's and he was well versed in closed drive old school type builds... fast forward - Bill's reputation was less that stellar... but, Pete Eastwood & Dave Gail were the only other chassis builders that I had concidered... P'wood liked the concept until I mentioned Y-block & he was wasn't close enough for me to be directly involved with the build... Dave said that he felt Bill was the best choice for that type of build but ensured me that if I got stuck - he would finish it... Essex frame rails and drivetrain components were delivered and Bill whittled away at the frame... I visited every other week and revised the concept as it progressed... I like a longer wheelbase and despite every mod I made he found a way to shorten it back up to 95" (now I kinda like the look)... I was upset with the clutch & brake assembly and Bill's only response was - it works... after bringing the car home I worked with Dan Hensel to modify the rear cross member and retro other mods Bill had made... I was still not happy with the whole center crossmember and pedal brackets... Carey reworked the trans mounts and the square tube (which I didn't want) worked out fine with the floor in place... but, the clutch & brake was a major project I kept putting off... the offenses were - pedals to close to the body... brackets looked street roddish... pedals hit firewall & I didn't want to slot the firewall... a lot of work for something that worked and most folks didn't understand why they bothered me... Ya can't change the fact that it was the only part of the build I felt I lost control of the design and I didn't like the results...

Now "I'm a happy camper" and I'll try to show the changes as well as the final result... photos to follow

 

As I keep looking thru my shots and I'm finding it harder than normal to document the changes... I started out with a nice gennie 39 assembly



This is what I had when Bill's Rod & Custom finished the set-up

 

Carey changed the trans mounts early on... again, Bill's engineering was right on but the asthetics & lack of 50's style required re-work since the flat plate risers off the center square tube drove me nuts...

 

The assembly was moved towards the transmission so the pedal could be clear in a vertical position removing the offset Bill had created and remove the arm extention... the postion was raised to improve the angle of the linkage...



The arms were bent forward and the upper portion was shortened... this allowed the same travel but provided the distance required to clear the firewall...



With the body off you see how the geometry remained the same but provided a more comfortable positioning...

 

I posted this earlier but it helps illustrate the changes

 

Just like it was made that way.

 

Thom, Car is looking great. You are getting down to the mechanical details now. Shouldn't be too long before it will be a driver. Keep us informed. Will be looking for a video of the first drive.

Dave

 

Thanks Dave... I plan on taking it to Detroit Autorama in February... Realistically it should be running by Spring/Summer... Depending on progress... It may end up being displayed without the body so I can use the body to photograph kids again to raise funds for "Save the Salt"

 

I thought I would show how the pedals cleaned up and the initial welds

 

Close-up shows alignment of the rod (direct throw after the assembly location was changed) and the return spring

 

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