Well, it's fixing to set in and rain all day here, so this will be it for this weekend. Yesterday afternoon I put the first coat of epoxy on the tail end. That made it stiff enough this morning to trim to shape with a jigsaw. Put the gas tank back on and toodled over to my picture spot, took the tank off (haven't cut a hole for the neck yet, so the new bodywork and tank can't be on at the same time) and slapped the new tail on so I could snap a few. I mainly take these so I can study them during the week, post them up here because why not? That angle between the Poplar and Juniper wood bothers me, but it will be covered by paint. It delineates where the different diameter half-circles start at each end. Running the strips at that angle cut down on the amount of twist each one had to take. The blue tape on the sides is the beginning of my puzzling out how to re-shape them. Anyway, it's all back under the tarp. Here are the pictures. As always, thank you for looking.
Just for my own edification, and because I'm frustrated about the weather, I'm posting a timeline of profile shots. Most of these are re-posts, but I wanted to see them in order, and this is the most convenient format for me.
Thanks for looking? Hell, thanks for letting us look. Really a cool way to build your body and certainly something available to pre and post-war hot rod kids. Might be an illusion, but it appears to me that it runs uphill from the seats back. Is it too late to slope it down an inch or two so it looks level or down slope just a bit? Dunno, maybe this is what you're after. Cool stuff either way, thanks for sharing.
Thank you. The projection behind the seat slopes very slightly down towards the rear, in relation to the frame. In other words, it is highest at the seat back, measured from the frame rails. That diagonal seam between the light and dark colored wood runs the opposite way, and maybe creates that impression in the pictures. I can adjust the final angle by controlling how splayed out the sides are front and rear before I attach it solidly, if that makes sense.
Love this speedster. Now I need to Find a model a frame & copy. Love the wood body also but might try & add some sheet aluminum & a different engine like a storming 6!!!!?
Super looking car. Nice job. Ran that Aussie brake floater kit and new cast iron drums on my plastic bodied A. Almost like power brakes, they would lock the wheels easily. PITA to get right the first time, but worked great. No need for juice brakes.
Well, I did get enough of a break in the rain to dash out and trim the rear part of the main body. I had been staring at the pictures long enough to make up my mind. When it was bob-tailed with the old Jeep seat, I liked the way the body ran out parallel to the frame and rounded off, but with the seats and tail section, it was jarring to me. I like this taper better. Sorry I can't back off enough to get a full shot. I'll get back on the brakes eventually, and maybe some modest engine modifications.
Great now I'm searching for an A chassis. I just needed another project. This is getting better all the time. Keep at it.
Have the day off, spent this morning filling in the empty spaces on either side of my rear body structure. This will all be permanently attached to the seats, so it comes off as a unit. Probably a little picture heavy, but I hope they are pretty self-explanatory. I still have a lot of gluing and sanding and fairing to do on all of this, so don't let the cracks and lines worry you.
Fairing, sanding, painting. This whole body is at a stage kind of equivalent to a metal body in primer. I'll eventually do more fairing, sanding, and painting (maybe?). If the rain holds off today, I should be able to get a couple of pictures of it all the same color and back together. As always, thank you for the looks and comments.
Neat, how about a small curvy sort of toolbox for the leftside and rightside just behind the seats to fill up those flat floor corners.
Paint's still kind of wet, but I think the body construction is pretty much done. Lots of finesse work and detailing, I guess. Plus brakes, wiring, mild engine mods... Anyway, here are some pictures. You'll have to forgive me for getting a little artsy-fartsy at the end. The pear tree is blooming, and it was just too pretty to pass up. Hope we don't have a late freeze this year.
Actually, I'm thinking maybe some saddle bags or panniers slung over in front of that gas cap. Time will tell. Right now, I kind of like the flat spots. I put a little ridge around them so if I leave a wrench there accidentally, maybe it won't rattle off. Ha.
What an awesome thread!! I just went through it from top to bottom and really enjoyed seeing the progress. Thanks for taking the time to post a very interesting build thread.
It's all about putting a smile on ones face and stepping back to period in time and reliving an experience that you can only have if you recreate it as it may have been. I think you are capturing that period. We are feeling it through your detailed adventure in a simpler time...even participting to some degree. The fun continues...Thanks @rwrj
Just found this today. Read the entire thing as I could not quit. Love the build. Notice that you are in SW GA. We have an event every fall at Silver Dollar Raceway in Reynolds GA. Not that far from you. It is a 1 day car show, swap meet and drags with a bunch of guys from GA, FL,Wisconsin, and SC. Do a search for Run what you Brung 13 on FB. Come if you can
Thank you all. I'll have to check that Reynolds business out, sounds interesting. I made a little walk around video. You can hear a ticking in the engine. It actually stands out more in the video than it does in real life. I've used the old broomstick trick to isolate it to the #4 exhaust valve, I'm pretty sure. Any of you banger guys got advice for me on that? Keep on running it, or potential catastrophe? It's definitely coming from the top of the engine. I've already checked and adjusted all of the shims on the rods and mains. That random clanging is from the muffler hanger, nothing to worry about. You can hear the valve tick best starting about 40 seconds in.
I needed a charging system on this thing. The stock short fat 6v generator that came with it was locked up from sitting with no back cover on it. I had slapped on an old defunct generator and its been kind of wobbling around up there, really just serving as an idler pulley. I would put a modern alternator on it, but I think the looks would kind of kill the vibe. Remembered I had a seized Kubota 3 cylinder diesel engine from a boat project, trotted out to see what kind of alternator it had. Turned out to be a tiny little permanent magnet job, all-knowing internet says 14 amps. That'll work, at least to keep the battery charged from starting, and let me run some lights every now and then. Here it is: Re-used one of the brackets I made to hold the generator, in the stock mounting hole. Looks OK to me. Not traditional, but it's kind of indiscreet, and doesn't bother me. I don't even care that my car now has a 12mm bolt in it. Ha. I need a shorter fan belt, and a longer, curved tension bracket. Also have to figure out how to wire it. Those two wires are the exact same size and color. I'm sure I can google that, though. For those of you who want to be sneaky, looks to me like it wouldn't be too much trouble to hide this in the housing of one of the old style 6v generators, once you removed the guts.
Paint that badboy satin-y black, sprinkle some dust on it, & call it a day! No one will be the wiser! Looks like it was made for it to the untrained eye (like mine). Coolest project on here for quite a while, thanks for the ride along!
Ok. I had to order a $20 rectifier for this. Basically does the same job as an old voltage regulator, converts AC to DC. The reason the output wires are identical is because they are interchangeable. Found a write-up a fellow did using one of these on a Corvair engine converted for home-built aircraft use. I'll let you know.
I like your car inside and out. Sand it back down and show the wood you used and all the screws. Love it.
The Jalopy Journal
