Hot Rods The (mis) Adventures of a Compulsive Tinkerer

Some of you who have followed my threads know that I have way too many projects. Especially when you consider that I’m 74 years old and of modest working class means. Like some others on here, stuff seems to find me and my nature is to never look a gift horse in the mouth. I retired 10+ years ago with three nice projects, a mild custom ‘55 F100 as my daily driver and a lifelong stash of stuff to help me complete them. I eventually ended up with six projects to attend to.
I have always jumped around a lot from project to project with the result that each one moved forward little by little until they reached the point where I focused on the one that was closest to running/driving. I’m still that way but with age comes wisdom (hopefully) and I see now that it can be like treading water. That lead me to realize that I really do enjoy the build more than the driving. Day by day, little accomplishments, surrounded by neat old stuff makes me pretty happy.
I did a thread on my roadster and my Stude pickup and there have been no updates in a while, not that I haven’t been doing anything, I just don’t know where to post about it.
So I thought that it might be better to have one thread that just covers what I have been doing in case anyone is interested. I know I enjoy the adventures of other HAMB members who have posted mainly on one thread, like Brian and his nitro coupe, the bucket of ugly, Lloyd and his adventures and many others. So I’ll try this approach.

 

Looking foward to your post Bob, you build some nice stuff...

 

I would say to start a thread for each project and update as needed.....could be months or years between but that's fine, people who missed the thread/car will get to read it all.

You can click on the link under my signature and see various vehicles, various start dates and posts of whenever...some have more posts then others.

Progress is progress

 

I guess I should introduce the projects.
First the Stude pickup, the latest addition. It’s an ex-Pisano Bros project that sat for years in one of their warehouses. It has a ‘59 Pontiac engine and StratoFlight trans and is currently running fine as my parts chaser after a 50+ year nap. There’s a separate thread on its resurrection.


Then there’s the red coupe. I bought it from a local guy running and driving. He got tired of the hassle of trying to sell it and made me an offer that I couldn’t refuse. (I was the only one to actually show up to look at it when I said I would). I took time out to fix some stuff and make it more my style. It also runs fine and goes to local events when the urge strikes. With a 450 hp 383 SBC it’s fun….


There’s the Austin gasser that I took in trade when I sold my ‘31 Tudor. It replaced the Willys pickup that I built and intended to finish in retirement. I always liked Austin gassers and I fit better in it. I replaced the mild SBC with a blown 355 and fixed some very shaky previous modifications. It’s licensed and insured and has gone to our local cruises as well as Bakersfield and Eagle field. Joey U found it interesting enough to put in Rodders Journal. Built around 1964, no history has been found.


Walking through the Turlock Swap Meet with my wife we spotted a clean ‘62 Corvair for sale. I’ve always liked Corvairs so we stopped and checked it out. She fell in love. For the rest of the day she talked about it, so we went back and made a deal for her first hot rod. My other projects waited while I went through it and made it safe and reliable for her. We splurged on some real English Minilites and the appropriate tires. Later I installed a fresh ‘65 110 hp engine that a friend donated. It’s a blast and it’s always ready to cruise whenever my junk is down.


That is the running part of my menagerie. They all get regular maintenance and repairs, not to mention cleaning and little upgrades. Of course, I have unrealistic plans for each of them that I may or may not ever get around to.
Next up, the major projects….

 

Here’s the long term, major projects, in order of…. Hell, I don’t know, I like them all.

The first is my roadster, a ‘29 on ‘32 rails with a 345” Olds and a B&M Hydro. Previously owned by Dale Velzy, a legendary surfboard shaper and surfer, as his 283 Chevy powered beater. I have been using it as the base to create a tribute to the Sam Conrad roadster that roamed my neighborhood as a kid. The engine, trans, and chassis are finished. It’s awaiting its turn for body and paint work. I could finish the exhaust, order pushrods and start it up, but the Stude pulled me away. Yeah, lots of chrome, I’ve always wanted to do that. I need to take a more current photo.


Next is my ‘33 Ford Pickup. It was crudely (and crookedly) chopped and the bed shortened when I bought it but the price was right and it had a clear, up to date California title. It belonged to a guy in the Bay Area named Tom who was an active NSRA member. It was silver. I think he took it to a shop for upgrades and they botched it. It sat and was eventually bought by a neighbor who eventually decided that it was too much for him, so I got it. I’m a sucker for hot rod trucks! I had a 425 Buick nailhead with a switch pitch turbo that I figured was perfect for it. I rechopped it, channeled it 2 1/2”, mounted the Buick and installed some pedals. I need to pull it apart and finish the chassis.


Finally the oddball in the herd. The wife and I saw a really bitchin Morris Minor woody while on our honeymoon in Ventura. Knowing that they aren’t very usable in California traffic with the stock engine and brakes, I never really thought about buying one. But this one appeared in the HAMB classifieds as an unfinished project. With new wood, a new frame with Art Morrison suspension and a cool little 215 Buick for power, it was perfect. The wife said hell yes and I pulled the trigger on it. I again went through everything, wired it, and got it running and driving. It’s way cool! We took it to a couple cruise nights in bare metal after I stripped the paint off. I started painting it a dark metallic green as a tribute to its British roots but my wife didn’t like the color. We just couldn’t seem to agree so once again it got mothballed while I went back to work on the other cars. (it doesn’t take much to put me off body work and paint!)
We finally have a color, and it’s all apart for paint. I pulled the windshield and stripped the green off but the wet weather set in. So hopefully, when the weather cooperates, I’ll finally get to paint it and get it on the road. I can’t wait to have it done and ready to go again.

 

Super cool stuff Bob...keep the updates coming!

 

Good stuff Bob!!

 

Lately I have been doing some upgrades on the Austin with the idea of selling it this year. I rewelded and added some additional support to the rear clip, making it safe and strong.
The master cylinder failed so I had to either replace it or upgrade to a new dual system. I never liked the pedal position or the single M/C so I bit the bullet and built a new pedal assembly with a Mustang master cylinder. Of course this left a huge hole in the floor and required a new hole for M/C access. Hmm.
The old trans tunnel was made from O-toothin aluminum and had scars from a previous transmission explosion. It was also way bigger than it needed to be leaving little foot room. so I built a new floor and tunnel. I also incorporated a footwell to allow me to move the pedal to a more natural position.
As with everything on this car, I had to pay attention to the details and not make the new floor look too “out of era” with the rest of the car. So no fancy bead rolling or step rolling. Just the basics. Easy, since I have virtually no sheet metal equipment.
The frame before….


The frame now…. With gussets and end cap/fish plates.


The floor now…. (I’ll have to find the pix of the old floor)



It’s not finished, I have a few more pieces to weld in and a piece to close out around the brake pedal to make. I’m working outside on my hoist and it’s been raining on and off, slowing the progress.
I’m still trying to decide what to do about the firewall. Ugh.

 

It was raining all day today so I turned to my latest brain fart, an M90 Eaton blower for the Corvair.
My buddy asked me to come along to the Turlock Swap and share his space. The guy next to us had this little blower sitting there calling to me. At the end of the day, the price dropped significantly, $60.
It seems to be in perfect shape.


Of course I had to mock it up as soon as I got home….. It looks like it’ll work. It even spins the right way.


I bought two outlet castings off of eBay and did a Siamese twin job on them. Rainy day progress.

I guess I shouldn’t have sold my mill, I’m going to have to grind the fins off since they don’t match.

I have another Corvair engine that I will put on a stand and do the buildup on. The fuel pump and oil filter will have to be relocated.
The question burning in my head at the moment: Is there a problem with running California shitty gas through a blower that was meant to pump only air??

 

Thanks for posting Cool stuff
Dan

 

Oops, forgot the master cylinder photo.

 

After some cleanup….

 

Great projects!
Excellent tinkering.
Tinker away.

 

You do more in your sleep than I do awake! Cool rides!

 

You have excellent pieces to tinker on and a very tolerant Wife. That combo is hard to beat, then add the other cool stuff you get to drive, WoW!! Partial to this one, though.

 

Good stuff, Bob. I followed the Stude thing, very cool. Keep going!

 

you're doing a great job on everything, good taste in cars/trucks, ...keep the updates coming,
thanks for posting.

 

Bob, I believe I have read that the Eaton blowers have some sort of coating on the rotors that the gas will peel off, I’m not 100% but I have looked at using one of the bigger ones on something.

 

Following along Bob. All very interesting stuff! And motivational.
Good post here with info on the Eaton application
Eaton Supercharger (landracing.com)

 

I love that Stude truck!

 

I knew you were messing with several projects, but this brings that even more to light. I like the format of having them all in one thread like this. I will be following along.

 

Bob your “tinkering” really hits home for me. Staying active is the best thing for us retirees. The other is to use (our cars) what we have while we can as I hope you will continue to do.
Living in SoCal means every weekend to me…get out and go. Monday thru Friday means a little progress everyday even 15 minutes at 80 makes you feel good and 2-3 hours means a good nights sleep.
I’m starting to selling off some things…for me it’s parts that will get used at a good home for you it might be thinning the herd over time.
The “working” life was good to me like you and I’m sure I will run out of time before all my dreams are fulfilled.
Your thread is an inspiration to us all.

 

Keep it coming Bob.........really enjoying this.

 

Thanks for the kind words guys. I’m very thankful for my many blessings and especially my supportive wife, Becky.
I have to admit that the last year or so my enthusiasm and productivity have been dampened as my sister and I have tended to my 94 year old mother. As her care requirements increased beyond our capabilities, we found a very nice assisted living facility. One or the other of us visited almost every day along with other family members and friends. She passed away peacefully a couple weeks ago and I’m just now starting to get back to normal. She rode in the red coupe, the Morris and the Corvair. The Corvair was her favorite. She even had a couple rides on my ‘37 knucklehead chopper back in my wanna-be biker days. Always there, always supportive. I’m sure gonna miss her but she’s with my Dad in the Good Lord’s care now. It sure does tend to make you wonder how much longer you’ll ride this conveyor belt though. Gotta get busy, gotta get my hot rod Mojo back up to speed.
Sorry for the deviation from the car stuff.

 

Really nice collection, sir. I'm with Catdad, the red coupe stopped me in my tracks. Soooooooooo bitchin. So very sorry for your loss.

 

I went to the link Walt provided (thanks Walt) and did a little more research on the blower application. I’ll take a look at mine and see if it has a coating on the rotors. If not, then I will proceed with finding a suitable carburetor and build an intake adapter. It’s just a stock 110 hp engine, I’ll probably add some headers and a better exhaust system to it along with the blower. The car just needs a little more oomph on the low end being a Powerglide. The highway cruise rpm is pretty good so I don’t want to change rear end gears.

 

One of the best posts on here in a long long time Every ones of your cars and projects are fine pieces of the hot rod craft .. Love them all.

Reading your posts made my day. I was beginning to feel I had to much stuff and between them and helping out other folks with there projects I thought I was starting to get a bit overwhelmed . Seems we all get a bit like that , but its refreshing to know were not alone . ( especially the ageing parent/s care and responsibilities)

The mojo always comes and goes more weather related than anything else as the old bones don't like the cold
Im uplifted by your posts , its great to know that we are all afflicted with the same defective gene LOL..

Thanks again. Looking forward to your updates on each and everyone of your projects

 

^^^^ Amen brother. I suspect that most of us are susceptible to the ebb and flow of life but for us the old car hobby always seems to float back to the top. I went to my local cruise night Friday and reconnected with some hot rod buddies. I came home rejuvenated and ready hit the projects hard, and catch up on some HAMB stuff.