15 used Champion 7's headed your way...you will have to wire wheel them to recondition them yourself. So, I am at Bonneville, staying at the bend in the road. Above me, camped, is a very rowdy, loud group. He drives a really cool GMC powered Chevy Roadster retired, multiple record holder. I pulled up to their camp in my '29 A Roadster....he came over and said something to the effect..I will talk to you...you haven't put an effing '32 grill on it and ruined a perfectly good looking Model A... "as a matter of fact, I want to go out and buy the best original '32 I can find and put a Model A grill on it" ...." just to piss everybody off" ........"get the idea?" He was a hoot.... It's your car and your vision
@winduptoy Thanks, Larry. I really appreciate the kindness. Wish I had been building something when Samantha and I lived in Hobbs. Visiting you would have been one more reason to get out of that town on the weekends. Just contemplating the ‘32 shell. One popped up that I could actually afford and a lot of Model A cars seem to have moved to them by ‘37. What really has my attention is the Richter ‘29 roadster with the ‘33 shell. Luckily, my poor finances keep me from pursuit of that particular nonsense…
Ryan, I suspect you have been in Hobbs when I was working off and on on a project in Eunice...yes, not much to do in Hobbs, NM except go somewhere else The Richter '29 Roadster is attention getting now and I am sure back in its day. I really like it...along with why and what you are doing in your build. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and reasoning....I was just sharing my encounter with a crusty old racer and his take on things cars...not necessarily my take....I have a '31 A Roadster that has many things '32 on it...and heck, they put flathead V8s in A's too..that's nonsense on steroids...no that would be a Chevy in a Ford and the more I look at the Richter Roadster the less nonsense I see....
Nonsense like a '28 Chevy overhead valve head on a Model T or A Ford banger. They ran very well. There is more to do in Hobbs than in Roy.
More soon, but we lived in Eunice for a while also. Ever meet a good looking woman named Eunice? Town was the same way. Larry… we worked for Urenco for 5 years. Same project? Six… it’s crossed my mind but I don’t have enough info. Found ten minutes at the drill press and had to go back to chores.
Need to tap and saw the other big hole… but a little file work after an hour on the Chinese drill press with horrible head stock… and I think we’ll have good Winfield adapters.
@Six Ball … tell me about a Chevy head on a T or A. @winduptoy … the Roy Richter roadster came to my attention when researching a spare tire cover in a grainy early Muroc photo. Roy ran a Cragar in that car. Winfield head on this car build of mine, but the next project will be built around some cool speed part I track down. If it’s a Miller or Cragar head, the car will likely end up very much like the Richter roadster.
I certainly understand why. It is a looker.... I was down to Eunice off and on for quite a few years on the mechanical side of the house. Not worth going into any details...you were there too. If you are like me..you are glad to have had the experience behind you. Back to your build...I will keep an ear out for an OHV conversion Harry Miller....of the Indy racing fame in the 1920's made the Model A/B conversion at the end of his business career. He sold manufacturing rights to Schofield...they went bust..Crane Gartz...Cragar acquired the rights and left overs and manufactured and marketed the conversion head thru Bell Auto. An outfit repopped the head in the late 60's to mid 70's still available up into the 90's...it was very faithful reproduction cast iron head. It is referred to as the 'Denver Miller'....so the 'Schofield Miller', 'Cragar Miller' and the 'Denver Miller' are actually all the same design/head. Cragar did a change that they called 'the Improved Flow Miller' head...but according to Steve Surr and his flow bench testing the 'Improved Flow' is actually the worst flowing of all the heads. He makes a Surr/Miller Aluminum head and now a four port version. Dan Price also makes a Modern Miller head so the legacy lives on. As I type this...I do know a fellow that has a Schofield Miller head that is cracked...I don't know if he will part with it...he currently has a Surr Miller on a Burtz block and a Dan Price head in a box....I see him routinely and will inquire..too much blabber and back to your Winfield adapters...consider some aluminum Tap Magic...it makes all the world of difference with drilling and hole sawing... you are doing a wonderful job
Here are some links. If you are still interested There is more. It is a cool deal but maybe not worth your time with what you already have. I have one of the Olds 3 port heads and a set of custom 2 to 1 rockers that the speedster club outlawed because the worked too well for the Ford guys. https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2105127 https://thoughtintensivedesign.wordpress.com/overhead-valve-model-a/ This one has a lot of Ford protectors talking of which they do not know but some good info close to the end. Sorry I'm a Chevy guy and I get a kick out of how much hype there is about Fords especially the flathead V8s then a Bonneville they have to run in protected cl***es. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...heads-on-ford-b-blocks-good-bad.177893/page-3
@winduptoy … Miller/Cragar, two port Riley (I don’t have 4-port finances…), Roof/R&R, McDowell… all interesting to me. I especially like the Roof, but that is a rare bird for an A. I’d build a hot T if the right parts showed up - Fronty, RAJO - but I’m more comfortable with the idea of an A drivetrain. Miller head would be great, since… well… I’m thrilled that new OHV heads are still being made… but I’m a vintage parts guy. I’m a little pissed that I need to use new bolts. But… I do have NOS Raybestos brake linings. I’ve been using 3-in-1… will see if my Tap Magic is still in the shop or was lost in the flood…
@Six Ball … OHV would be next car. I’m pumped for the flathead in this car. Have you done any of this… uh… “cross pollination”? I’m about to start researching. I like Chevys, GMCs, Olds… the Ford stuff was a bit more approachable for this venture. “Achievable” is the touchstone, and you’ve been following along so know the challenges I’ve had. Ha.
Pot metal covers a big area. I high school I gas "welded" a generator/fan pulley that allowed a '40 generator to be used on my '38 coupe. I don't really know what it was but not aluminum. My metal shop instructor said it couldn't be done. I used some broken carburetor pieces for filler. The pulley had a big piece of the belt grove broken off (from trying to pry a belt on). It was ugly but held for a year or so until I put an Olds in the coupe. The pully lasted longer than the Olds. If it is the **** they made the great winged radiator caps out of My method doesn't work. I haven't put a Chevy head on a Ford. My current stalled build is a modified 153 Chevy II four cylinder in a '26 Chevy roadster. All parts are here but I'm stalled on building the wooden frame the body parts attach to. I also have a most of what I need to build an early Chevy 4 cylinder that I could swap into the roadster or maybe a speedster. There is also a pile of 1919 Es*** speedster parts including a complete engine & transmission. My friend has recently completed a '24 Chevy racer with an Olds 3 port head. I haven't gotten to see it under power yet. Some more threads here that may be interesting for the next build. I agree you are right on for this one. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1925-model-tchev-banger.1028473/ https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1928-chevy-4cyl-motor.463465/ https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/bob-rufi-the-pursuit-of-speed.1309331/ https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/who-else-out-there-owns-a-chev-roadster.454370/ https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1927-chevrolet-speedster-build.1208451/ https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1919-to-1923-es***-four-cylinder-engines.949126/ There's more other than Ford stuff. We haven't even gotten to the Fast Four Dodge.
Weld it up and do it again. Aluminum is as easy to cut & shape as wood but also allows you to put material back when you screw up.
There are commercially-available brazing rods to use on zamak / zink alloys (aka pot metal), aluminum and other metals. I'm pretty sure you should be able to find some videos showing their use.
the only credible job I have seen was done by a buddy that used to have a business that made $30k jewelry repair lasers. He sold out his manufacturing business...but he experimented with the laser repair in a glovebox that had an inert, nitrogen atmosphere. the repairs were righteous... The Winfield carbs were copper plated....I would be inclined to clean up your carbs and fill with epoxy and shape to profile...there was a gal at an arts and crafts show that did silver and copper applique...I always have wondered about that for a final finish on something like this good luck
Yep. So far I’ve used very few power tools. I drilled two holes in the frame. I ground markings off of bolt heads. I’ve used a sander to get through the extremely durable lettering paint on the body. And I used a cheap drill press to drill holes for this adapter. That is about it. Almost all the tools I’ve used fit in a 2 gallon galvanized pail. The breaker bar and torque wrench stick out a little…
Good for you! Enthusiasm is the most important tool in that bucket. That said, a cheap metal-cutting bandsaw was the first tool i bought. With some good cutting fluid, many things are possible. keep in mind, I'm old and angry. I take shortcuts here and there..
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