Also a few more things, I hate the grill shell apron, just hate it. I am going to take it off and start over ( I tend to do that) using the upper part of another T shell. I also got the title for it so she is now legal! Time to get rolling.............
23 T touring wood blue prints A while ago I said I had some prints that I used for doing the wood in my original restoration an a T touring. The prints were done years ago by Mel Miller in oregon. He since passed away but his daughter is now handling the T business. You can google mel miller model t or send a SASE to Jennifer-model T, 620 4 Th Ave SE, Albany, Oregon 97321 </ARTICLE>
I'm really liking this build and it looks like your getting down to the short strokes. Your going to have a ball with this thing over the summer. Kinda make you forget this brutal winter we're FINALLY starting to come out of. Frank
My wood was almost all gone so that is why I went with steel. The wood kits are very pricey for these damn things. Thanks guys for all the kind words, I really appreciate it!
you don't understand .you use plywood strips on the outside to support and define even curves while you build the inner structure. plywood curves nice and even, not like lumber. you can set door gaps . level body lines . I have the exact same pieces you have for a 25 t roadster and I will start with a sheet of plywood for the bottom platform , with a centerline or better yet a grid, and then screw strips of plywood about 3" wide and straight along a body line from the inside to level , square and plumb my panels. what you do to the right side you do to the left. I built my touring like this with only the top half of the car and only the front half of the subframe. like I said .p.m. me . here are some pics of the first time I did it with clamps . the last time I used screws and spaced the 1/2" plwood away from door beads and hinges. I marked the left strip exactly the same as the right one and made the body symmetrical. the 26 /27 is smooth compared to pre 25 so spacer would be needed
Ok, got this in the mail today. I am going to mess around with it a bit and see if I can make the bottom of my existing shell out of the top of this one.
No sweat, I'm loving this build! You planning on pounding out the embossed "Ford" script? It might look better that way.
Yeah that was my initial plan. My wife told me to cut it out and put it back in upside down. Don't know about that, might be too much.
It was 48 today so I hurried home from work and got in the garage to work on the shell. After some mock up and measurements, I decided to make the T shell mount like an A shell does and cut off the feet. Since I am running an A radiator, the brackets are already there to mount to the side of the windlace channel. This is what I came up with and I am very stoked about it. Exactly the look I was envisioning. Thanks Gary for the photoshop! What I cut off each shell. After I welded up the two. On the car.
Aaron "Rogi" suggested that maybe I should put a crank hole in it in case my battery ever fails. I thought about it and I liked the idea too. I had an old crusty 28 A shell so I cut the hole and cover out of it and put it in the T shell.
Thanks for the comments guys, I think the car needs to sit a tad lower the more I look at it. I think I am going to get both front and rear main reversed eye leafs. I think then it will be where I want it. Also got some rear shocks today that I think will work. I had a set of delco's for it but I have some houdailles on the front so I wanted a similar type for the rear. Going to link them to the axle housing.
I was looking in a T speed secrets book and I saw a few that were running knock off's, some looked only like dress up caps. I really liked the look so I searched and searched but found none. I contacted a guy on the fordbarn that used to repop them and he said he used to make them for the late T wheels and model A's but he has long since retired. I found these for 12.00 and thought maybe I could make them work. No idea what they are off of. This is what I did. Took some aftermarket A caps and cut them in half. Cut some slits to open it up. As you can see, the A cap fits tightly and centered in the recess of the knock off. Filled up the recess with epoxy and pushed the A cap in and let sit 24 hours. And this is what they look like on the A wheel, and the mount just like a stock A cap. Think it will give the roadster a racey look.
The Jalopy Journal
