Hot Rods # 10 Track Roadster Build- Marty Strode

Marty, thank you so much for sharing your work. You do very detailed work, craftsman's work to say the least. I'm enjoying your build tread and I am also in the process of building a 27 track T. It's people like you that inspire me to pay way more detail to my builds with what I have to work with and that is mostly hand tools.

 

Great build love the cars. Have you ever checked corner weights or just front & back with that engine set back?

 

Good luck with your project, it's coming along nicely.

 

Mike, to tell the truth, I don't remember putting one of these on 4 corner scales, so I don't have any numbers. On a highway truck scale, my #7 weighed between 18 and 19 hundred. Not exact, because it rounded to the next even hundred, I was told. We did weigh the Spalding Car with me in the seat, not totally complete, but pretty close, and no fluids, here are the numbers. Being a 4 torsion bar setup it is very adjustable. Right side heavy in these photos.

 

There is a place in NZ who does make longer T bodies, lots of T buckets were built using these bodies in the past but IMO they look quite ugly when you see an original size one beside it. I will see if I can find some pictures.

 

Looking really good, Marty! You're making me want to build a turtle deck T next LOL

 

If they are made longer but not taller, the proportions will be off! Just saying.

 

There's a company in Oz that makes larger - I believe longer and wider- I bodies. Thought about one a few years ago, but dropped the idea when trying to fit 3 pedals and a steering column in a T proved to be a bigger headache in my mind then I could deal with.

 

Marty,
The RJ Times story by Pat Ganahl talks about Floyd Brown! I knew a Floyd Brown, he lived here in NZ in the 70s , wife named Joan, kids Gary, Chris and Joanne...from Tigard.... same guy?

 

That would be a different Floyd Brown. Our Floyd had to be born around 1910, and lived in North Plains, from the mid-30's on. He ran a wrecking yard next to his house for many years, and fully lived up to his moniker "B.S." Brown !

 

I always thought that this is a very cool piece of workmanship, flawless indeed!

 

Thanks for posting those shots, old #7 never looked better, and has a great home with the Freeman Family ! The proof is in this video !

 

I am started back on the project, fabbed the turtle deck mounts today, using .090- 5052 aluminum. The bonding work will be done by a friend, a master with fiberglass. The mounts will be secured to the frame rails with (3) 1/4" bolts on each side, via nut certs.

 

Yep, we're watching...

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A welcome Sunday AM post!

 

My friend Leighton found the time to laminate the turtle deck mounts to the body. He uses a product called Peel Ply, a release agent he applies to the final coat, leaving an incredibly smooth surface. The exhaust parts for this project and the RPU should be here today, so there will be more progress soon !

 

Off for a while from the truck plant due to parts supply, I'll be watching and getting caught up over the down time. Thanks Marty!



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Got a start on the headers today. First off, I belt sanded the perimeter of the flanges, and ran a long board over the surfaces. When bolting the flanges to the block, I center the middle one on the bolts, since the holes are oversize. On the end flanges, I offset the flanges to the outside, to allow for the shrinkage from the welding of the pipes to the megaphone. The Speedway megaphones are made to fit 1-5/8 " pipe, so 2-1/8" needs to be cut off to slip fit the 1-3/4" pipe, I am using here. Positioning the megaphones for angle, and distance off the body, was a headache, and required 2 people. After the second set of these I built, making some holding fixtures made a lot of sense, so this is what I came up with. With the preliminary work done, I can finish fitting the rest of the pipes tomorrow.

 

Marty, you have so many great ideas you scare me. Of course, I have never made two sets of headers the same so anyway. Keep posting your work, it inspires all of us.

 

@raven body mount photos ^

 

I covered the body mounts in post 198.

 

Marty
I made this aluminum trunk riser for my roadster with plans (still not done) of glassing the flanges to the fiberglass, wasn't real jazzed about it so I called Carl Wescott and asked his thoughts and he said to use a Methacrylate adhesive specifically for bonding dissimilar materials, by my memory he said they use one of these from Devcon/Plexus.

https://itwperformancepolymers.com/products/plexus

 

Doug, that turned out real nice. I took the approach of the way Funny Car bodies were mounted. With the large holes, the bond was fiberglass to fiberglass, with the the metal sandwiched between. It's been working very well. You took the correct route for your application. Take care,old friend.

 

I was just trying to point out the trunk mounts you made and had glassed in to him.He hadn’t commented and liked it yet so thought he may have missed it. Seemed relevant to the questions he’d asked previously

 

Thanks Tim, I get it now.

 

Worked on the rest of the pipes today. Once I get the u-bends sawed, coped, and fit up, the knotted wire wheel does a nice job de-burring the inside. I use lacquer thinner and paper towels, along with the ram rod treatment, to clean the grease from the mandrel bending process. After tack welding the 2 piece tubes together, I mock up the assembly to mark the holes in the megaphones, to rough cut them with a plasma cutter. Now for the final fit on the driver side.

 

Marty - longtime lurker of your build threads here......

I'm past due to compliment you for the great content you're giving us! It's always fascinating and inspiring to follow along. Thanks for sharing so much detail about your fabrication.

 

I noticed you used a SS hose clamp with a couple holes in the strap to line up two tubes with the hole giving access for placing a tack weld. I've used that method too and it's a cool way to line things up and the cost is almost nothing. Maybe you've pointed it out before on other builds, but thought it was worthy of drawing people's attention to it who might have the need to do likewise.

Nice work.

Lynn

 

Lynn, looks like great minds think a like ! On a serious note, this is what I showed on the RPU build, certainly a major assist while building headers.

 

Cory, glad to have you looking over my shoulder ! You being from Detroit, reminds me of a PM I got from Frank Burrell (Fab 32). He had questions about the Track Roadsters and stating he had no business owning one, but wondered if I was interested in building him a chassis. I wish he was still around, to see this one come together. Am I right, he was from Detroit, wasn't he ? As far as the sharing, it's time well spent, if helps or inspires anyone. Thank you !