Projects Building My First Roadster in San Francisco

It worked great—when it stayed open. It still doesn't have a spring or a handle, so it would slam shut when I hit a big bump. While I was at David's shop, I borrowed a hose clamp and temporarily fixed the issue and it's been perfect ever since.

 

I've been really busy as of late and I'd like to get the conversation going about my pre-RPM Nationals "To Do" list. In the meantime, here's an awesome action shot from Jason Roth from the Roadster Run, plus a static one he took at the lunch stop.

 

The exhaust turned out better than I had envisioned. Carlos at Sanderson nailed all the bends, and he installed three-bolt flanges for easy dis***embly. They sound great, don't leak, and make the car feel even more finished.

As far as I know, Sanderson has advertised in every issue of The Rodder's Journal. There was no doubt in my mind that they were the right people for the job. I haven't outsourced much on this car, but I would say this was money well spent.

 

I'm back in Michigan this week and I'm sitting in my favorite chair long after everyone else has gone to sleep. I can hear the crickets' song through the open sliding gl*** door. The air is cool, and I can feel that summer is almost over.

It's here that I've written many updates to this thread. So, with that in mind, here's where we sit on the project.

The car is running, driving, and steering better than ever. I have 0.039 jets in the carbs, #69 power valves, and 3.48 gears in the quickchange. It's smoking less out of the road draft tube, although it did go through quite a bit of 30 weight oil in its first 500 miles. I plan to switch to 20W-50 and keep an eye on things. It has a smooth idle, no flat spots, and is a real joy to drive around town or on the open road.

I've been pretty busy with other fun and exciting things in my life, but I'm getting ready for a big road trip next month. The plan? Drive the car to the RPM Nationals in Santa Margarita. It's a long haul—over 600 miles in a weekend—but that's what this project was (theoretically) built to do.

Oh, and the best part? @A.Ukrop will be riding shotgun. I'm planning the route, and I've already booked some prime lodging.
Before we leave, I have some work to do. Here's what I would like to accomplish.

1. Oil change
2. Re-shim body to fix p***enger side door fittment
3. Re-balance/replace left-front wheel. The current one causes vibration north of 70mph, but is fine at 69. I have a spare in the garage that I'm going to paint, mount, and balance, and see how it fares.

I don't have a lot of garage time, but if I do accomplish those tasks, here are the bonus items.

1. Install Dixco tach from @richard noble. The mount is in the mail, and @Hitchhiker is helping me find the perfect hose clamp to strap it to the column.
2. Fix amp gauge. I didn't wire it right the first time, and it's the only non-functional instrument on the car.
3. Hood lacing. I bought everything I needed like three months ago and haven't had the time. It's a low priority, but could help make things look a little more finished.

 

Man this is too good. The exhaust looks a little like @chlsnk's incredible B. Ross Roadster.

 

Proper updates are in order, but I’m back on the bus and figured it’s a good time for a sidebar. So here we go.

Sidebar 415.5: Engines & Engines

One of the things that you don’t really think about while building your first roadster is that—one day—you aren’t going to be building the car full-time. With that comes two other realizations. First, you have to start selling off and giving away your stash of extra parts. Second, you sometimes get to drop them off in your roadster.

Down near the western end of Geary Boulevard sits a cl***ic firehouse. With its red brick, gabled roof, and tall roll-up doors, it has been active since 1928. I admire it whenever I drive by.

Last month, I listed my spare whitewall for free on Marketplace. It was an old 16-incher from David, and it’s been used to hold many a flathead or Harley big-twin in the bed of my truck. Since I’m downsizing, it was time to let it go.

Well, a few days later, a gentleman named Gene contact me about the tire. He told me he was a SF firefighter, and he was based out of Station 34–the aforementioned landmark station at the end of Geary. Although he offered to pick it up, I was having none of it. “I’m happy to drop it off,” I said.

And that’s exactly what I did. I soon discovered that Gene was also into old cars, and he daily drives a 1980s Blazer. “What’s the tire for?” I asked, curious if he had any vintage tin. “I’m just going to hold on to it,” he said. “It’s too cool to throw away!”

I wonder what Ron Dunn would have thought?

 

Thanks! And great progress on your machine!

Amen to that! Driving old tin makes just about anything more fun.

Thank you, Tim!

Sure is hahaha and good eye—I hadn't notice the tire around there.

 

This weekend, I carved out a few hours to work on the car. My task was one that I've taken on before and, as I could recall, a rewarding one. So, on Saturday afternoon, I headed over to my new/old garage and started addressing my ill-fitting p***enger door.

And all I can say is this—that door kicked my ***. It took three hours of messing with shims, loosening, tightening, drilling, grinding, and modifying to get pretty much nowhere. The best I could get was it closing and latching, but when I pulled hard on it the door would click open. One of the cracks on near tack strip is becoming more prominent, too.

All I have to show for it is this picture of me carrying my toolbox on one of my three bus trips between my garage and home. By the time the sun set on Saturday, I wired the door shut again and decided that, this time around, the car had won. That's just the way it goes sometimes.

Anyone have any good door alignment—and latching—tips for a Model A roadster?

 

Thank you everyone for the sage door advice. I'll dive into my path to a solution here soon!

 

Soon after posting about the door, David texted me that he could help me fix it. I know that if there's anyone who could do it, it would be him. In the meantime, I drove the car to the dentist on Monday morning.

Although hot rodding is always fun, I will say that it was a little damp behind the wheel as I slinked down 19th Avenue.

Stopping to take a selfie with clean teeth.

 

After work on Monday, I stopped by the garage just to take a look at the state of the door. I'm sure all of us have been there before. I stood there in my nice work clothes thinking about what it would take to make the door latch. Next thing I knew, my sweater was off and I was shimming, prying, loosening, tightening, grinding, and filing all over again. As I did, the words of my friend Michael echoed in my head. "If the other door closes so well, pay close attention to that."

After about an hour, I closed the p***enger door and it almost latched. I adjusted the striker plate and boom. Click. Rattle. Nothing. Pulling with my body weight—still latched. Success?

I tested it out in the best way possible: with a night drive from the Inner Richmond to the Haight. Through bumps, dips, and construction, the door stayed closed. I'd say that one is solved for now!