Projects Building My First Roadster in San Francisco

Also! I drove the car for the first time with the wood structure partially in place. It is indeed way better. I can't wait to get the rest of that sorted out. Soon!

 

I bet it looks great!

 

Not much time to work on the car today. I did apply some spar urethane to the floor, and I'll be doing the same tomorrow. There's no doubt that one of the biggest highlights was sending @Tribalmonkey his windsheild frame for his up-and-coming roadster project. In that same batch, I shipped a Stromberg to @nickthebandit for a little parts-swap.
Power parking at the Post Office in a pre-war Ford. That's my update for tonight. More soon.

 

I'll have one of those next time I'm in Maryland!

The paint scheme was a collaboration! Don't worry, I've done a lot of shipping both personally and professionally over the past six years. On a big item like this, I use a similar approach to my roadster project. Rough on the outside, well-built on the inside. Besides, having a rougher exterior helps dissuade the porch pirates.

 

I have a whole lot of updates to post later today, but since it's 68 degrees and sunny I'm about to head outside. Earlier this morning, I drove the car downtown to take a picture for a San Francisco Heritage photo contest.
I wonder if this car has been parked here before? Tommy's Joynt has been a San Francisco institution since 1947.

 

Thank you for bringing us all back to a different place and time. I (obviously) wasn't around for the golden age of neon, but this post made me feel like I was.

During my Missouri journalism days, I dug up the history of the Arrow Head Motel for my first full-length feature. Through my reporting, I learned a whole lot about both writing and mid-century Americana. I figure you might get a kick out of the article, which can be found here.

(All my photos of the place are on my old computer—this one came from the Internet).

There's a sub-story about this sign that ties back to this very Model A project, but we'll dive into that another day.

 

As promised, we have progress. First and foremost, I've been driving this car a lot. It seems as if every day there's somewhere new to go or a friend to take for a ride through the Richmond, down Clement, up Arguello, through the Presidio, out on Marina Boulevard, etc. etc. Little adjustments have been made here and there, but I'm feeling much more comfortable behind the wheel. Even in traffic, believe it or not.

On Friday afternoon, I got to live my dream—drive the car to an estate sale. My destination? The Sunset. The plan? Rummage through a bunch of old stuff. What could be better than that?!
After the sale, I set up an Instagram live-stream of my drive home. (Thank you everyone who tuned in.) I was very happy that I had the correct hat for the weather conditions. That being said, I need to add some good sunblock to the tool kit!

I picked up a few new (old) twigs for street hockey. One was even a homemade CCM! Other treasures included a sheet of polished stainless steel, some vintage tools and a Stewart-Warner grease gun. The seller said he used it on his dad's 1955 Buick back in the day.
I'm going to clean it up and put it back into service ASAP.

Back at Home

I've taken advantage of these sunny days by finishing the floor. I'm very happy with how it turned out. And, best of all, it makes the car far more functional. I even picked up an era-correct toolbox to keep back there. My plan is to bolt it to the floor (position not finalized yet) and keep a tool roll inside. That way it will be one less thing rattling around.

The floor was made in three pieces; I cut holes to easily access the junction block and chassis ground while on the go. In the not-so-distant future I'm going to build the lower rumble seat/crossmember cover.

 

My roommate Michael was leaving for a work camping trip on Saturday morning, and he asked if we could take the roadster to his office. He hasn't ridden in it since the day I got it running back in August. With the sun out and the air warm, we made our way into the big city.

After a little while on Fulton, we eventually moved West on McAllister. No matter where we went, people laughed, smiled and pointed. While idling at a stoplight in the Fillmore, a woman waiting at the bus stop looked at us and started singing. "Loooord won't you buy me, a Mercedes-Benzzzzzz," she belted with big gospel energy. We clapped and cheered as we rumbled towards the forest of concrete and glass. The car performed great in town. As a matter of fact, we even arrived early. All smiles.

I can't tell you how good it feels to have this car out on the streets on a sunny San Francisco day. Hearing the rap of the 'banger echo off the big buildings was definitely something I've dreamed of since the day I started this project.

 

Other weekend highlights included running into a fellow hot rodder during my Saturday evening drive through the Presidio. I was bombing up a hill when I noticed a familiar shape parked in a driveway. Skrrrrrt.
The owner, Sean, lives down the peninsula. The blown smallbock sounded mean and the piecrust slicks were a nice touch. As I was parking, I heard a terrible *thunk* from my driveline I was convinced that something bad had happened. After a moment of panic, he told me not to worry—it just popped out of reverse. After a quick hot lap of the parking lot, I was super relieved that he was right. Talk about having the right person there at the right time!

I spent a few minutes tonight shaping the missing piece of the wood bracing. It's getting close. Once I finalize it, it'll be ready for stain and varnish. Soon!

 

Yep, you nailed it! Baffle set #3 really did the trick. Sweet banger staccato. 1243...1243...1243...

Don't you worry about the IG Live. I'm actually planning on doing a one-year roadster anniversary live event on YouTube later this summer. It's still in the early stages, but you guys will be the first to know when/if it comes together.

Great ideas with the toolbox. It's funny that you guys mention this. I fully intended to build a spreader bar for the front of the car until I realized that if I did, it would no longer fit in the garage. How so? Well, the way it tucks in there, the Gopher Motor actually sits partially between the front frame rails. It makes for one snug garage! Maybe if I move I'll switch things up.

Mmmmm I'll have to give the stew a shot. I'm sure it's delicious. There's talk of getting oysters with some friends on Thursday. I'll have to add Swan to the list.

Good call on the not bolting it down. I'm going to take everyone's ideas into consideration and we'll make something work.

I'm sure SF was a wild place back in the '70s, and I can only imagine the traffic. Probably lots of smog too.

Hah, that is a great question. All I can say is that I learned from the best. Lindsey (who you may remember from about 10 pages back) is the best parallel parker I've ever met. She can sniff out a spot in any neighborhood during any time of day or night. Although she drove a Subaru, I've implemented the same techniques and I've had some pretty good luck thus far. You should see the crowd this thing brings when I parallel park it—especially on a hill!

Velcro is a great idea!

Also a great idea. I do have some 1940s leather belts that I plan to use for my door check straps...

I like these ideas too!

Great memories of an incredible era. I remember seeing the El Vado pre-restoration on a family trip to New Mexico in 2010. During my TRJ cross-country blast in 2019, I was able to enjoy the revamped signage. I am going to make it a goal to stay there on one of my next visits.

I just watched that. So neat!

 

After considering all of your excellent suggestions, I think I've come up with a toolbox mounting solution. Remember the old "Tank-Traps" that I got at a Michigan garage sale early in this thread? Well, it looks like I'm going to put them into play. I'll notch the sides of the toolbox so that they can grip it from either side. Quick, easy, sturdy and era-correct.

 

Today I was able to pick up a piece of the puzzle that has been missing since day one: the stainless cowl band. After posting a want-ad on Facebook, 'banger guru Todd Benston hit me up saying he had a bunch of them. Best of all, he's located about an hour and a half away in the Santa Cruz mountains. This morning, I paid him a visit.

Todd was gracious to show me his incredible collection of early Ford treasure, which includes everything from his 'banger-powered Model A roadsters to an in-progress Deuce that his dad pulled out of a San Francisco basement in 1973. Best of all, Todd took the time to answer all of my 'banger questions, which ranged from high-compression head inquires to transmission specs. One thing is for sure—I'll be back.

When I got home, I discovered that my first tack strip had arrived safely. I got a great deal from a fellow Ford Barn member. I'll share the full story at a later date.