Projects A Speedster Comes Out of the Weeds—Build Thread

Merry Christmas to you and your's @ClarkH. Sorry about the misfortune but the Speedster is intact and you and your bro are uninjured...both big bonuses. That said I understand the frustration...may 24 be a much better year with it...

 

Great story @ClarkH
Always appreciate your photo's and content contributions.
Thanks from Dennis.

 

Thanks for the update & Merry Xmas!

 

Thanks for the update & Merry Christmas

 

What a Great old car adventure, more of us Need to do this with our rides. Hopefully, you got some goodies for Christmas to put the you back on the road. Merry Christmas!!





11

 

Its not x-m*** without a Clementine update. Here's to a roaring 2024

 

Im digging it!!!

Bruce STL MO
Mercury Speedster body #204 (the Bob Shirley speedster body)

 

Well here it is, Christmas 2024. This marks the anniversary of my build thread, meaning time again for my holiday Speedster update.

I’ll admit, it’s kind of a bummer that I post so infrequently to this thread. But this was a weird year. Most of my energy went into my ’29 pickup project, and what time I had left over for the speedster was mostly consumed in a multi-month search for a new engine.

Here’s a look at the truck, not really ready for its close-up, but you get the idea.


Back to the speedster: As a refresher, my original speedster engine suc***bed to a scored cylinder and failed babbit in one of the connecting rods. My temporary replacement engine subsequently gave up at mile 200 of a 600-mile endurance run (eh, whadda ya expect for $100?). I had a nice B block core candidate all ready for building, but it turned out the extent of parts and machine work it required rendered it impractical for my application.

So for winter and spring of 2024 the hunt was on for a good B engine. Having mentally jumped to the idea of a B engine, there was no going back to an A. I found many B engines out there, all of them thousands of miles away (what I get for living in what we jokingly refer to as “South Alaska”). Such long distance would have added shipping cost and logistics that I didn’t want to deal with. More importantly, it would mean I couldn’t inspect the engine. Many of the B engines for sale were early (meaning no counter-balanced crank). And people selling an engine generally don’t open it up for inspection, so they can’t answer questions like “How’s the babbit?” and “How many shims are left?” They will tell you in all honesty it runs well, but what’s that worth? I mean, both of my A engines ran really well… until they suddenly didn’t.

So I wanted something local, something I could inspect. Here in “South Alaska” that means Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia.

As an aside, my brother has been inspired by this whole speedster thing and was also searching for something “local.” In early February the two of us made a two-day run to Boise, Idaho to pick up this:


It’s a Chevy, 1928 Ch***is and engine (overhead valves), custom body and interior with super-cool Whippet radiator and shell. Here’s another shot from when we stopped at the Teapot Dome gas station on the way home.


OK, enough of the asides, which were really just an excuse to get some fun photos into the post. Back to my B engine search.

Eventually I found what seemed to be a great candidate in central Oregon; an old rebuild that had never been run, loaded with high-dollar speed equipment. It had come out of a show car, and was now on an engine stand, ready for inspection. I put down a deposit and @Hitchhiker and I killed a day to go get it. But on inspection, it turned out to be a race-prepped motor—no shims on the con rod babbit. And it was an early crank (no counter balance). Not what I wanted for this old tourer.

But in a twist of fate, the trip inadvertently led me to an engine. It seems several weeks later, Hitchhiker was telling a mutual friend about my hunt for an engine, and related the story of our 700-mile wasted day. Well, it turned out this friend had a B engine he’d taken in trade 15 years ago, and had been saving it for a “maybe someday” project.

The engine was local and mine if I wanted it, but it had some obvious issues (notably a cracked head), so we both agreed it needed a full inspection. What we found was a mixed bag. On the bottom end, the engine was clearly a fresh build, with excellent babbit that was still in tolerance and had all of its shims. The oil pan and dipper tray had signs of ancient rust-through that had been fixed with JB weld. When we removed the cracked head we found a long-blown head gasket and a goopy mix of what we took to be gelled up stop-leak of some kind. We also found that it had been pinned in the usual crack zones, which our friend didn’t like but I took to be a good thing, since it looked like a professional repair. Some of the valves had been replaced, others not, and a couple of the “nots” could be wiggled more than we liked.

In the end, I decided to go for it. I suggested lowering the price $500 in recognition of all the issues we’d found. Our friend said no, he was going to do one better and drop it by $1000. You’ve got to love dealing with genuine car guys.

I got the engine home and got to work. First cleaned all the crud out of the water p***ages with a drill and section of cable. Then drilled, tapped and plugged the steam holes so I could run my Winfield head.


Replaced and lapped all the valves.


And painted it Ford blue. I deemed this the best choice to go with car’s color scheme and the Winfield Yellow-head. Any other color risked getting into Easter-egg territory. (Ignore the head and timing cover, they are just old parts for masking.)


In the end, a new problem emerged. The deck has been taken down .012. I’m guessing either this was part of the pinning process, or an old-school means of upping compression. Not great, because those B decks are thin enough as it is. But now I discovered this meant there wasn’t enough clearance for my super-cool Winfield head. Nor, it turned out, was there enough clearance for my almost-as-cool Speed Head. However, thankfully, there was enough clearance from my cool-enough Police Head. I guess my obsessive hoarding of period speed parts finally paid off. I painted the head and water pump dark red, which still works with the blue block and more-or-less matches the wheels.

After eight months of abject clutter in my garage, I finally got the engine installed and everything hooked up.


Then a couple weeks ago, my brother came over for the big day. We installed the distributor, unstuck a float that dumped gas all over the place when the electric pump primed the carb, and finally fired it up.

It runs great, as shown this video, which I call Six Seconds of Fury.


So that was my year, as far as the speedster is concerned. As always, my thanks and appreciation to all of you following my exploits in this thread. The Hamb has been a huge inspiration. Merry Christmas to you all!

Lastly, if anybody wants a longer start-up video for their holiday viewing pleasure, here’s another. My darling wife calls this Clementine's New Heart. I call it Two Dufuses Who Can’t Believe the Engine Started so Easily.

 

Thanks for the update & Merry Christmas!

 

No truck update?

 

Merry Christmas! Thanks for the update. Best Wishes for 2025!

Bob

 

Happy 2025 Clark, too you and your's...I really like that your brother got the Speedster bug...at first I thought you painted yours...Glad you have got Clementines heart better than it ever was...sounds real ready for the spring...



I did this for you...no pressure to change anything, just an inspiration. The other rides are friends up my way here...and of course me too!!...just a gathering at a dusty landmark that's seen plenty of action over the years...

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Hey ClarkH, sorry for going silent on you… I hope you and Clementine and the Mrs. Are all doing well

Your brothers speedster looks way cool, I really like the Whippet radiator & shell nose

 

Merry Christmas everyone! Gosh, it’s been ten years to the day since I started this thread. Ten years! My sincere thanks to anyone who still bothers following the thing. Most of the build in this build thread is done, but I still enjoy writing an annual Christmas/anniversary update. I hope you still enjoy reading it.

In 2024 I installed a new B motor into this A-based speedster (with period aftermarket T body), so 2025 was devoted primarily to driving the thing and getting all the little details dialed in. None of this was very photogenic. But I did make one visual change this year, which was to install a stainless mesh cover to protect the radiator.

I got some nice-looking mesh out of an outfit in California. With the radiator shell already painted, I had no good way of attaching the mesh to it, so I made some brackets and mounted it to the radiator itself.



I wasted a bit of time trying to get the mesh to fit perfectly into the shell. Then it dawned on me to measure the opening. Sure enough, it’s more of a t****zoid than rectangle, so I gave up on perfection and chose to embrace its wabi sabi-ness. I don’t really notice anymore.




I did this partially for looks, and partially out of caution. My radiator consists of original A tanks with a new modern core in between. You know, the kind with the super thin and efficient fins. It works great, but doesn’t really look period correct. On top of that, those fins will bend if you just look at them funny. It is amazing how many people want to run their fingers over the fins at shows. It’s like they’ve never seen a radiator in their life. I figured it was only a matter of time before some kid wrote his name into it, or worse. I sure don’t need a ****-and-balls inscribed into my radiator.

The car’s big test of 2025 came in my speedster club’s big driving event called the Hot 100. It’s a 2-day event, with a 100-mile fun-run on day 1, and a 100-mile timed challenge on day 2. This year’s event took place on Whidbey Island, which is a 55-mile-long island in Puget Sound. It’s about an hour from Seattle if you take a ferry, or 2 hours if you drive north and cross the bridge over Deception P*** towing your speedster on a trailer.

Whidbey Island holds a soft spot in my heart. My dad built a cabin on a 30-acre plot in the middle of the island when I was a kid, and my family spent most summer weekends there. Long before I was eligible for a permit, I learned to drive on the abandoned logging roads crisscrossing the property. When dad retired, he moved to the island full time, puttering to church and Lions Club events in his Model A coupe.

My brother and I did the fun run portion together on day 1. Here we are in front of his 1928 Chevy.



My wife joined me as navigator for day 2. An important job, since you only learn the route at the driver’s meeting minutes before the start, when they hand you a stack of the fuzziest map photocopies you’ll ever see and wish you luck.

Here we are getting ready to stage ourselves. My speedster (Clementine) is the foreground. Those two cut-down A jalopies in the background belong to a couple of teenagers, so don’t tell me young people aren’t into these cars anymore. Their great uncle is also in the club, deftly cruising a Buick speedster at age 94.



Weather-wise, it was not good. Instead of nice hot August temperatures we were mired in a Pacific Northwest cold snap with off-and-on rain. I guess the p***es were worse, which kept a lot of Eastern Washington members at home. Nevertheless, at 9:00 sharp, 15 intrepid speedsters took off in pursuit of Hot-100 glory along Highway 525.

And then there was the 16th compe***or. That was my wife and I. We were not in pursuit of glory. I was still getting the new engine sorted, so for me this was a shake-down cruise. After 10 freezing minutes on the highway, I decided to go off route, to the delight of my wife who was absolutely hating 60mph in an open car in heavy traffic and rain but didn’t want to say anything.

We exited the highway and made our way toward the first so-called checkpoint via far more serene back roads. (I say so-called because the club had dispensed with checkpoints at the last minute, not wanted to make a bunch of volunteers sit for 3 hours in the rain.) About half an hour later we both waved as the pack roared by us going the other way.

And that pretty much set the tone for the day: A bunch of speedsters on a whirlwind dash around the island, and us on a leisurely backroad tour punctuated by the occasion brief dash along the highway. Here’s a video clip from the adventure, with me wearing a ridiculous looking flight helmet liner that I keep in the trunk for emergencies.

https://youtube.com/shorts/9_K58jJmQ4c?feature=share

About two-thirds of the way down the island I decided to turn around, figuring that would get us to the start/finish more-or-less at the same time as the others. On way back we made a stop at the historic graveyard at Eby’s Landing so I could pay my respects to my father. I solemnly wiped some leaked gear oil off the bottom of the car’s transmission and smeared it on the side of dad’s headstone; as a lifelong Model A lover, it was a gesture he would have appreciated.



When we got to the finish line there was only one car there. I checked in and informed the club president that we should be disqualified, because instead of running the Hot 100 we had run something more like the Luke-Warm 75. Nevertheless, when the winners were announced, my car was awarded second place. I protested, but apparently I had broken no rules and in the absence of manned checkpoints the order of finish was the only deciding factor.

So here’s the finish, with Clementine in the second position and my brother in fourth. Which I will not let him forget for a while. (Mental note to self: Be sure to bring this up at Christmas dinner later today).



I’m sure you’re all delighted to learn that Clementine has been showered with honor and glory. The magnitude of this achievement is exemplified by the fabulous second-place trophy we received.



I was congratulated profusely on my achievement. You know how they say second place just means you are the first loser? That’s not the case here. The club has an unwritten rule that the winner of the Hot 100 will organize the next year’s event, which is a ***** of a job. So in the eyes of many, taking second in this event makes you the real winner.

So that’s my 2025 summary, and I hope you found it entertaining. Again, Merry Christmas to all, and I’ll leave you with the following Christmas Cards from Clark. (The second credited to @Stogy )

 

Bravo Clark and Lisa for braving the elements and enjoying the pleasure of an old unique vehicle, that is truly a functioning time machine!
Enjoy the Holidays from Dennis!

 

A trophy worthy of heirloom status!

How did the teen-agers in the cutdown cars do?

 

One finished middle of the pack, the other was a DNF. Ran out of gas. But we relayed some fuel and he was back in time for post-drive hamburgers.

 

Hi @ClarkH. High fives on all the things that matter. While the weather could have been better the Speedster looks fantastic, treated you all with good times and even helped bailing out those in need...some heartfelt moments in between to boot. Happy New Year to you and yours including the all your car buds...