Projects Building My First Roadster in San Francisco

First thing's first: I love everybody's pan puns. Some of you may know this, but I actually competed at the Bay Area Pun Off (BAPO), presented by Worldwide Puns, a few years back. I can't recommend it enough.

So, this weekend was supposed to be one filled with progress. Brakes! Paint! Assembly! Hot rods! But, unfortunately, the world had other plans. I've been feeling under the weather lately, and when Saturday rolled around, my body said, "Enough's enough. You need to rest." So that's what I've been doing all weekend. Lots of fluids, lots of rest, and a whole lot of reading. Oh, and I did post a handful of parts for sale here in the H.A.M.B. classifieds (thank you everyone who has bought them!)

During my downtime, I did re-read two of my favorite articles of all time. Both appear in Rod & Custom's Street Rod Quarterlies. The first, "The Summer Saga of the J-Kamp Roadster" from Fall 1971, may very well be the best piece of writing our genre has ever seen. Penned by the late Tom Senter, it's an in-depth look at Jim "Jake" Jacobs, Bud Bryan and Ron Week's cross-country trip to the second Street Rod Nationals in Memphis in their flathead-powered roadsters. Back when I was working at TRJ, Steve Coonan handed me a copy of the magazine and suggested that I read it. I'm so grateful he did. It's certainly inspired my writing and, in many ways, this project. Reading it again was like revisiting an old friend.

The next article, "Old Roadsters Never Die," was written by Jake for the Winter 1971 issue. I didn't find out about this piece until much later, but it provides a step-by-step look at the restoration of the NieKamp roadster. I've always looked up to Jake, but now that I know him a little bit through my TRJ writings, it made his efforts on the NieKamp car even more impressive. I won't spoil the article for those of you who have not read it, but the last page captures the feeling of driving a hot rod unlike anything else I've ever read.

 

As I sat around the house this weekend, I was thinking about the earliest days of this project. It's funny, actually, that this part of it was so early that it pre-dated the thread.
Even with the poor quality cell phone photo, I'm glad that I have a record of my earliest attempts to start all of this. Several people did bite on the ad. One woman had a "roadster that might have been modified" that she just wanted to get rid of. I asked her for weeks to send photos and, when she did, it ended up being a 1930 Model A sedan. The next person had garage full of Model T speedster stuff, including spare engines, rods, cranks and all sorts of treasure.

I've had some luck in the past with Craigslist ads, but not for this car. Now I can say that's for the best. I couldn't be happier with how far we've come, and I'm really looking forward to what's next.

 

Last I heard he's still making it happen! And I do too. I still revisit old issues all the time.

Thank you! Not the best time ever, but certainly not the worst either.

 

We're back with a quick update for tonight. The sun was out this afternoon, so I was able to lay some paint on the latest oil pan. Before I did, I made sure there would be no crank/pan interference.
Next, I turned my attention to the front end. When I assembled everything two weeks ago, I wasn't satisfied with the perch pin fit. So, I went back with some sandpaper and my wire wheel on my drill to clean up both the pins and the threads. It didn't take long, but when I was finished the wishbone, perch pins and axle went together seamlessly.

You know how it is!

Everything is really coming together.

I wrestled with the front spring for a few minutes, but then I realized it's best just to take it apart to install it.

I'm including this last picture not because it contains anything super groundbreaking. Instead, I'm posting it to give a look at where the project sits on a macro level. And, perhaps more importantly, it'll be fun to look back on the chaos when the car is on the road.

In one more home garage session, I'll have the front end finished. Then, once the oil pan is painted, I'll be able to install it and wrap up the engine. From there, we'll focus on brakes and pedals.

 

Yes! It's getting there!

That's a fact!

Thank you! I'm looking for both the overtube as well as the shaft itself. I'm going to be running that Hudson steering wheel, so I'll see how big I need the end cup to be to create a smooth transition.

 

I should be sleeping, but here's a super quick update.

First, I finally found this mid-century apartment complex that I had been trying to find for the past six months or so. A perfect spring photo op!

A snapshot from the paint booth.

I'm really building a stockpile of pans. The one on the right is for sale in the classifieds.

When I pulled up to the garage, I noticed a whole lot of commotion on my usually quiet corner. It wasn't long before I discovered that they were shooting a movie right then and there. We're talking full production set, 40+ people, walkie-talkies, the works. Well, as I wrenched away, a gentleman with a gray goatee strolled up to the open door. He didn't introduce himself by name, but he did say he was a teamster out of Hayward. He was on the tail end of a 20+ hour day, and he was interested in my car. I enjoyed talking to him about Model A's and flatheads, and he was happy to share the finer points about working in the movie industry. By the time the director announced "That's a wrap," the engine was back together. I left the garage feeling good about the progress—and optimistic about whatever I'm taking on next.

 

Such a fun day in Petaluma! Updates and replies to come tomorrow.

 

Good thinking!

Hahah as a matter of fact, I did that right before I left the garage. Next time I'm over there, I'm going to pull the plugs and do it again for good measure.

That's exactly!

Glad you got it! I've ridden my motorcycle through some fairly deep snow. I'm sure driving the roadster would be a different kind of sketchy. At least 2.0's engine and suspension would be camouflaged in those conditions!

 

Two days later, I'm still feeling great about my Saturday working on the car. Driving up north, it rained the hardest it had in weeks. As soon as I arrived at the shop, I made my way to the back to see my drums and shoes in person for the first time. "They're here," I said to myself. I couldn't help but smile.

With the garage door open and the sun peeking through the clouds, I swept the shop prior to us starting our day. As I did, I looked at all the cars, all the tools, and all the pictures, posters, and artifacts that lined the walls. There was no place in the world I would have rather been.

With that, I laid out my parts. David brought out a series of 1940s and '50s service manuals and gave me some helpful tips. To make things even better, he sent over a picture of a finished backing plate on a customer's car from years ago.

If you're reading this thread, there's a very good chance that you've loaded early Ford backing plates. I had taken at least six apart, but I had never put any back together. Having clean parts, the right tools, and the best instructor made the process pretty simple. By lunchtime, I had the fronts all sorted out.

At lunch, David and I hopped in the roadster and headed to a part of Petaluma I've never seen. "This feels like Ireland," I said, thinking back to a trip I had taken there last spring. The weather, the sun, and the green rolling hills made for the perfect backdrop.
On the way back into town, we stopped at Art Mossi's. Art has been restoring cars since the mid-'60s, and his shop—and his lot—are filled with trucks of every era. I was drawn to this '56 Chevy, complete with a camper shell that has been on it for more than half a century.

A classic scene.

 

From there, I spent the rest of the afternoon assembling, disassembling, and figuring out the rear backing plates. It took a couple of tries, but in the end I figured it out. Right before it was time to clean up, I greased the rear bearings and David showed me the proper way to install seals and snap-rings.

I can now say that all four backing plates are loaded. Thanks to Jeff at Moose Motors, the drums are turned and the shoes have been re-lined and arced. We have new bearings, some new races and new seals. Next, it's time to paint the drums, put everything together and focus on the next part of the project.

It's hard to explain how good it feels to have these brakes assembled. It's taken 12 drums, tons of searching and even more help to get to this point. I can't wait to see how they stop.

There are a couple more updates, but it's getting late. Thank you everyone for joining in on the fun. More excitement happening soon!