Projects Building My First Roadster in San Francisco

Your timezone aligns perfectly with many of my posts! I'm getting antsy with all these driveway shots. Can't wait to switch up the background a little bit.

Thanks guys! We're making progress!

 

We're both putting the hours in the garage. Keep up the great work!

Thank you! It's hard to beat the excitement of knowing you have a hot rod in the works, although I am feeling quite a bit older after a few straight days of laying on the ground hahah

Thank you so much! Love the direction your car is heading. You can so do it!

I actually just pulled it out of an old garage somewhere in the Avenues. I think it had been sitting for quite some time.

 

LET'S GOOOO!!!

Smells like vintage tin—and hopefully flathead exhaust soon!

Thank you so much, Richard! Love it. Can't wait to park it next to your roadster one day in the not-so-distant future.

 

Hahahah thank you, Tim. This is what it's all about. I do wonder what Pat would have thought about this project.

IYKYK!

We had to take advantage of the long days. More daylight=more hot rodding.

 

Hahah yeah, 10 years and counting. We've had some close calls, but overall it has been great.

RodStRace nailed it. I'm going to run it as-is, then we'll break out the brushes.

Thank you!!

Don't worry, it'll stay as-is for the foreseeable future. Then, with the help of my friends, we'll be painting it the same orange as the headlights. Body, frame, everything. But that's a long way away.

 

I know neither versions were rocket science (I leave that one up to my roommate, Michael), but the average person may be surprised at how long a project like this takes. That said, it's incredible to see them next to each other for a comparison.

Thank you! It's looking more done with each garage session.

 

Thank you! So many memories wrapped up in this thing—I'm grateful that many of them have been documented on this very thread.

 

It sure is. Wood blocks are used on the front portion up until the front of the quarter panel, then its a frame-welting-subrail sandwich in the rear.

 

I'm wedged against the window in Seat 34F on the tarmac at SFO and I should probably get to sleep. But I have this project on the brain, and I'm going to try to get things back to speed before we take off.

This past week/weekend was one of those where I spent a lot of time on the car and don't have a ton of pictures to show for it.

On Thursday night, I got the dash installed and steering in position. It took a little bit of adjustment, but I was happy to see the pedals cleared the column. Don't worry, I'll be filling all the holes in the firewall and floor using various methods. Note the freshly Herculiner'd surfaces; it really elevates things!

At 10:41 p.m., I plopped back behind the wheel and started making the obligatory engine noises. This thing fits me perfectly.

 

Somewhere along the line, I painted the firewall satin black. I originally gave it a coat of gloss and I really didn’t like it. This, when paired with some road grime, will be just right. To the right of the car, you’ll see Trevor’s chrome backing plates for The Keeper Coupe.

 

Second coats and flathead ghosts.

Later in the day, I assembled and installed the drag link and pitman arm. Longtime readers will notice that I have removed the quest for chrome castle nuts from my signature. That’s because I bought four from Ecklers—two for use on the steering, two for elsewhere.

 

This is what it looks like to work on your first roadster in San Francisco.

And here is a slightly more refined, sunny-day view.

 

On Saturday night, my coworker Blue (different from the other Blue) serendipitously stopped by after a house party across the street. “How can I help?” he said, looking at the car. “Here,” I said. “Have a beer. And let’s put on that header.”

We have headers. We have steering. We’re making progress. With the painted firewall, the car is really coming together.

Unfortunately, the headers are asymmetrical, and I have to do a little massaging to the flange area on the driver’s side to give it some breathing room. I’ll tackle that in the coming weeks.