Hot Rods My 1927 roadster hot rod build

[] I don't think I've posted anything about my roadster before but here it is. Still have more work to do but it has been a true HAMB project. Just about all of the parts came from vendors and sellers on the HAMB over the years. Each part has it's own story but I'll keep it brief.

I've forgotten most of the HAMB names of who I bought what parts from but will give credit where credit is due. I think it started with a body shell for sale here from GMC Bubba in Indianapolis. Too good to p*** up so I had it freighted to me in Portland, OR. Still had bits of wood in the cowl from the factory and was very solid and straight.

I've never been a real fan of '27 roadsters on 32 rails as the 7" depth seems to over power the proportions of the body. I decided to custom build a 4" x 2" rectangular tube frame with a 9" Z in back and custom upswept front rails ending in Model A frame horns.

I laid out the basics in CAD to get the basic design going but it has been mostly built in full mock up to get the proportions and feel just right.

 

Nice job.

 

Cool, never enough 26-27 roadsters. can you post more pics of it please? Im following ! JW

 

I ground bevels for all the joint welds and backed them up with internal fish plates held in place with rosette welds for added strength. The front crossmember I bought from someone on the HAMB and the fabrication is outstanding. Tubes perforate the front of the beam and the spring perch has beveled holes. Some of the best TIG work I've ever seen. I pierced the ends of my front rails and welded it inside and outside.

Picture does not do it justice.

 

Here is the mostly completed frame. The wishbone ball joint tabs and shock mounts will be added when it is all set up. I am using split bones up front with relocated spring perches as shock mounts. The back is So Cal ladder bars to locate the '38 rear banjo axle. It will be a spring behind design to get the stance just right. I used an original Model A rear crossmember for that.

Braced up the rear Z by extending the tube past and building a support from the underside. The rear crossmember extends through the rails and is fully welded inside. Cutouts for the spring leafs just in case.

 

Cool so far, looking forward to more.

 

All looks very nice. JW

 

Thanks for the supportive comments.

I had some C section sheet metal bent up for the inner crossmember and cut some holes in them and notched them for the bends. I pierced the tubular crossmember for the ladder bar and transmission mount and welded them to the frame rails.

 

Here is the completed ***embly - nice and square. We had it well strapped down for the final welds and nothing moved.

Hats off to Brian Angus here on the HAMB for some sage advice on the ch***is and my friend Dave for using his table and talents.

Clamped up the rear spring to check clearances. Also, ladder bars were test fitted to a 3" tube to simulate the rear axle.

 

It all looks great. What engine/trans are you going to run?

 

Something exotic like a small block Chevy. For a number of reasons but I don't have a problem with a well detailed SBC. Great size, weight and power options as well as price. Owned other motors and they all have their issues and a Chevy was a very popular choice when the became available. How you dress it is the trick. More of a challenge to create some interesting headers that aren't the same old thing.
I bought a beautiful 10.5" fully polished Chevy truck bell housing and a Saginaw 4-speed from Bobby Socks here on the HAMB and it looks great. I have some old chrome accessories to go with it and an Offenhauser tri carb set up along with old Cal Custom ribbed valve covers. That should make a great driver that also looks the part. Flatty was the original choice but it didn't happen. Nice to have a car that you don't have to listen to wondering what's going wrong now.

 

I'll graft on an old tapered Ford shifter and get it positioned where I want. Can't beat that elegant curve.

Old chrome fan and pulley are from "Live Wire"- bought here on the HAMB. I love the look of old chrome. I also have a chrome water pump and an old chrome generator. Just enough dress up.

 

That all looks the business, I like it a whole lot more, this is real cool !!! JW

 

I bought most of my new front end parts from Riley Automotive and Eric is a great guy to deal with. Even called me and talked over my choices for parts. I bought the dropped steering arms, spindles and forged dropped axle from him. I have not drilled hole in the front axle yet as I wanted to see how the whole set up looks to get a feel for what is appropriate. I drilled the Hurst front engine mount and welded in some extra gussets for strength. I will need to make some bracket supports for the flathead biscuit mounts.

I also found an old chrome front spring that goes well with the look. I have several wishbones to choose from and may use the ones seen in place. The spring perch has been cut off and relocated back for a shock mount. One Model A frame horn tacked in for check fit.

To me a great hot rod build is all about balance. I can really appreciate the amazing work done by HAMBers like B*** and try to make pieces that are interesting and work well with the overall look of the vehicle. I like to put things together and then see what it needs to achieve a cohesive look. That's why I just don't go drilling holes in everything just because I can. OK for real purposeful race cars where weight reduction is key but for a hot rod it is about how the parts work together for the right balance. I've seen too many cars that are overdone one way or another and it's lost me. Eye fatigue, if you know what I mean. Vintage Miller race cars are a great mix of design and finishes.

 

That's some nice fab work,watching.

 

For the rear axle I bought a 1939 Ford ***embly from a Southern California HAMBer. This gives me hydraulic brakes and I just love the look of a banjo rear. I'll also use the driveshaft tube for the side exhaust collector and probably the rear spring as well. Reduce the number of leafs and cut down a few for the center stack. Here is the whole ***embly as it arrived.

 

An added bonus that I didn't expect was that it was painted bright red some time ago and I loved the look so I just cleaned off the grease and dirt and will probably coat it Gibbs oil and keep it as is. Nice little surprise when you look under the back.
Since I'm using ladder bars to locate the axle I'll have to modify the supplied brackets. A little grinding was required to align the brackets with the bars.
Lots of clamps and care was taken to dis***emble the spring pack. Lots of energy waiting to be released so I took it slow and safe.

 

Looking cool. Its not a 38 rear end as the 38 had wide 5s and it would have mechanical brakes, unless that stuff has been changed. Keep up the good work, digging it. JW

 

Ah, yes. 1939, I stand corrected and changed it. Thanks for the correction.

 

1939's had a wide 5 bolt pattern, so they aren't 39 either, not that it really matters.

That torque tube is pretty heavy for a collector. It was a 35/6 tubular drive shaft that was used for collectors, just sayin.

 

I do have one 1935 one. Thanks for mentioning that. I guess I need another 35/36 if I go that route. I guess I can compare the 2 weights and see what the difference is.

 

Detail shot of the front crossmember and spring perch. Beautiful work from Hamber Motormaniac from Seattle. Holes in the tube are sleeved and bored.

 

Erik, the drive shaft is inside the torque tube. 35/6 ones were tubular and tapered either end, so you only need one to cut in half to get two cones.

 

Hey dude. Looks good. Good eye for sure. This one is gonna' be a nice one.

 

Thanks everyone.
I was thinking about using this Ross steering gear but it just doesn't quite fit. So I have a F-1 Gemmer box that I'm going with and mount it on top of the frame. Making a bracket to hold it in place. Length is good for both pedal placement and steering wheel location. I'm probably going with a Ford Banjo wheel- great authentic looks and nice large diameter. Good for resting the elbow on the door top cruising.

 

The F-1 Gemmer has the right length and hangs the pitman arm nicely off to the side. Bracket is just started and will beef it up more. Box drops down and bolts on. Original 1939 pedal set is also being used and will be making a bracket for that. Not a whole lot of room so getting everything placed in comfortable positions is important.

 

I have an F-1 box and Banjo wheel on mine also. JW

 

Cool.