Thanks for replies As I understand, then anything around 90-100" is aesthetically pleasuring wheelbase. That yellow car on last page is kind of look that I want, it looks really nice.
Here's some numbers from the Art Gerrick car: wheelbase 95" back of door to rear axle CL 24" hood length 30" body narrowed 10" I was given these numbers via email by the curator of the Speedway Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska, and then later had the opportunity to visit the car. I didn't have a tape measure with me, but would guess all to be accurate except the narrowing. To my eye it may be 8, but more like 6 inch narrowing instead of 10. .
k1w1rodder. You are correct! This is the best damn thread ever! It was very inspirational in my build. Just a quick through together, but has been great fun, and very popular.
I got to sit in that car years ago when Rob Miller owned it. It's definately narrowed 10 inches, my old car was 6 inches narrower and still tight...
I've gotta give my lakester nod to Zipper and his rods. I love his proportions of the car and even a tall guy can sit in it comfortably. Especially after working for him building the cars I love the simplicity and detail crammed into them. I think Jeremy, the new owner is still doing a good job building them, but haven't heard much.
"A hot rod with too much modern ****e, loses it's traditional flavor." Been some 10 years since this was written and it still holds. Trouble is that professional perfection in workmanship like a recent AMBR (with mechanical brakes, no less) is not exactly representative of times past. Been some really beautiful roadsters built in the last few years. Even by hobby level builders who have the time and workmanship skills to compete with the professional shops. And the performance, safety and even comfort is a lot better than 70--80 years ago. Trouble is, they are too good to be credible. Mostly. Some are building safe cars that are a bit too "ratty" for the writers and editors. But times are changing. You can now buy a 3 ton electric truck that will out perform most hot rods that are daily driver types. Why "compete" with that when gas costs $4-5 a gallon? Chrome plated engines with induction systems that are bigger than the rest of the engine. The just don't fit in that well any more. 12 second ET cars right out of the showroom if you've got a credit rating or Mom and Pop with the bucks. All they seem to think of is "donuts". I'm seeing early roadster rods with stock iron flatheads and single carbs. Well tuned they can get upwards of 25-30 mpg in a light weight car. Super low roadsters are still much in style for builders. They must all live in cities that spend a lot of tax dollars paving the streets. Where I live most people have 4wd modern cars because the county is flat broke and hardly able to cold patch the chuck holes as fast as the garbage trucks and 3 ton SUV's poke holes in them. Look closely at old roadster pics. Few are low to the ground. There's a reason for that. Don't throw away those undropped bent old Ford beam axles. I have b&w print I look at by my computer for inspiration. It's an old photo of a 27T track roadster with a turtle deck, no roll bar, "16" on the door and five young guys with white suits and black bow ties standing behind it. A lot of you probably have seen it. IMHO it's shape and stance are about as perfect as they come. Front axle just a little forward of the radiator to make more engine compartment room and improve handling at speed. Rear wheels align perfectly with the rear fender mounting edge. The correct wheels and tires for its purpose. And the guy holding the little trophy suggests that the only reason the car looks so good is that it managed to stay ahead of the traffic through most of the race or back behind everyone getting them the best appearing car and crew award. My next project is going to look like that, except with my old racing number instead of the "16". a single hoop roll bar and a short windshield. EdW
My brother gifted me a 31 chevy pickup cowl and doors. I narrowed it 6 inches and used a 40 chevy car hood for the cab's rear corners. Used a door skin from a 49 chevy for the back panel center part. 36 chevy pickup "donated" the front axle and springs. I used a 250 chevy 6 with a T-5 transmission and 50s chevy rear axle. I sold it before it was finished and it ended up with a lengthened cab and a 325 chevy engine/3 speed. The new owner drove the wheels off it.
I've always been a lakester fan. First in 2004 I had Thom Taylor draw me a rendering of my dream 32 Ford lakester. It turned out great. Since then I have started 2 one with a very short pickup bed and one with a trunk. Both with stretched fronts and bobbed rears. The ch***is business got in the way and I sold both of them to Dale Grau in Minn. who finished them. First one was black with a white scallop which made numerous ******* trips to the LARS and elsewhere around the country. The second turned into the Green Hornet which he finished a couple years ago. Unfortunately my dream will never come to fruition with my hands as now that I've retired from the ch***is business funds to build more cars have become scarce. But I still have the Thom Taylor original framed on my office wall to keep the dream alive.
Old thread but timely for me as I keep looking at parts and pieces I have laying around thinking that I could and should build a car out of them. I saw this one at the Vintiques NW nationals a few years ago and it shows that you can have a nice little modified without a lot of cash dumped in it. This modified that I photographed in 2010 at Vintiques nw nats has always been my idea of a real T modified. It just has the look. [/URL]
One of the coolest lake modified being built that to my knowledge that never got finished was being built by my friend Jim Rench in Jerseyville Ill. It had it all with to many hand made parts to count. Sadly Jim p***ed away before it was finished and Jim's widow sold it to Chuck Grey and it disappeared. I can't believe someone didn't pick up the torch and finish it, all the hard work was done?
Interesting thread. Being a relative newb, I have no idea what a “lake modified” is, but I have saved pics over the years in an album I called “T bucket”. If I ever build another “traditional”, it just might be a “lake modified”.
Much as I love the look of the 40's modifieds, the track roadster with a turtle deck and their typical ground clearance seems a lot more practical for a car that get's driven a lot, especially if you have a 4 legged friend who wants to go along. You can fit a gas tank and a battery inside a 27T turtle and still have room for a cooler and a couple of well designed folding chairs. Mine will have a roll bar, more for looks than safety. That way if the windshield is tall enough you have mounting points for sun shade. That will involve some interesting experimenting.
I don't think they were that common on lakes modified but they WERE pretty common on Indy race cars in the 30's ... so the look probably migrated over from there.
rnx69, To be clear there are only 3 pictures so far on this thread of true "Lakes Modifieds" from back in the day. The remainder are modern interpretations. ...which I enjoy too. Now with that said, due to your location in the world it might be best to locate pre-war Ford parts for the build. Like a "T" of model A axle and frame. Most of the pre-war builds could be categorized in to camps. 1) stock width bodies. 2) narrowed bodies. Back then built they were built on a variety of frames that you might not have access to with a variety of engines from those days as well. What other European builders had small narrow frames and bodies you might run into ?? Most of the American builds likely had a wheel base of 100" or less with stock with axles front and rear. Racers searched out narrower axles like the V8 Ford 60 axle, Mopar tube axles and others I'm sure.
I have a pair of crazy narrow axles I'd be willing to donate to someone that's wants to build one of these things. Came from a 1960 datsun. About a 54" track width i believe. Parallel leaf front and rear.
Been looking at these a long time, Building a T coupe now ,why ,not sure, I have a 27 Hudson cowl that might make a good start and go from there.
Dimensions: Find pictures of a modified you really like. Find a part on a side view, like the wheel diameter and use that to scale the needed dimensions like the wheelbase, ect. The rear differential needs to be back far enough to clear the back of the body tub. The distance from the firewall to the radiator needs to be big enough to fit the engine and fan. The front spring and axle needs to be in front of the radiator unless the vehicle height is quite high…you also need to provide room for the tie rod if the vehicle height is quite low! IMHO, they tend to look better if you squeeze all the dimensions as tight as possible…adding an extra inch of clearance here and there and everywhere, (just to be safe), can really screw up the “looks” real fast.
The Jalopy Journal
