Projects 27 roadster build journal

Ok, this is both my first time on H.A.M.B. and my first experience with building, fabrication, wrenching in general. I've been watching and learning for 10 years or so now, and its time to jump in and start screwing up. We all have to learn somehow and I welcome your help on this journey.

So lets get started. My goal is a 27 roadster, i would like to build it for 5,000 or less. I started this week by buying the first part for it, a 8.8 ford rearedn out of an explorer. It has 3.73 gears and posi from the factory. I got it for $300 from a local shop.

My roommate is a certified GM mechanic and helped me tear it down and look at it. There are no metal filings, pitting on the gears, blown bearings, etc... For the moment we are cleaning it with the plethora of tools in the garage, wire brushes, wire wheels, sanders, etc...

Wish me luck!

 

Spent the afternoon with the cutting wheel grinding off the old suspension mounts. I plan on turning the old leaf spring rearend into a coilover setup. I'm gonna weld the mounts from speedway motors onto the rearend. Unless of course somebody has a better idea? They're like 14$ a piece. I'm still not sure whether or not to use oxy/acytlene or wire feed, or just pay someone else to do it. I'd like to say that most of the labor on this project is my own, plus it'll keep cost down. I've done some wire feed, it seems like a monkey could do it. I can always lay down a heavy bead and grind and polish it down smooth later? thoughts anybody?

 

OOOOHHHH AAAHHH EEERRRR, Not quite ANY monkey. I would tell you to take the welding to someone else for right now, and get some help to properly learn how to use the MIG that you have. It won't take long, this is somewhat true. but I'd hate to see you risk your life, and those unlucky enough to share the road with you on bad welds on something as critical as what holds the car up. And "lay down a heavy bead and polish it down" isn't going to help if you have no penetration to that weld. Find someone who knows what they are doing to give you some help, so you can practice and get proficient now, and do more of the fab and welding later.

 

That makes senses. Thanks louvers.

 

i took louvers advice and had some help with the welding. First step has been the front end from welders series. plans are for mustang 2 double wishbone setup with coilovers, with a track width of 60". heres the pic...

 

You really should contact Eric at Riley Automotive there in Denver before you buy anymore parts or do much work on the frontend. He's VAPHEAD here on the Hamb and could be a big help in preventing you from fucking this car up but good. It looks like you're on your way in that direction right now.

 

You have all the right parts...for something completely different.

 

First things first. Dropped axle front end. Second - Sell the mustang II front end and invest the money in a mig welder of your own. You can learn how to weld and you will save a TON of money.

Mustang front ends handle well but they look terrible on an open wheel car.

 

jeez, you guys are quick.
thanks for all the input, i'll get a hold of vaphead. Also, i'm stubborn, so don't be suprised if i decide to go ahead and "fuck it up" anyways... beauty is in the eye of the beer holder
jon

 

Mig welding appears very easy and it is but it does not have a lot of penetration so one must be sure they are really melting both parts together with the welding and not just laying some wire on the surface of the parts. You need to be sure you are getting the metals to flow, otherwise the really nice looking weld will simply let both parts separate. Get a good experienced welder to work with you for a while and you will be great!.
Allan -- Want pics of my 27 T that I built in the 60s - email me atclarke@shaw.ca

 

OOf! no MustangII on a T! Bad idea all the way around... Sell the Mustang stuff to a guy with a later full fendered car tat can use it and get a dropped axle and appropriate spring and radius rods and go that way. It's one thing experimenting and "fucking it up" when you know what you are doing. Then you can say "that was a bad idea and I knew better". Your peers can say, He tried so hard to make that work... But to screw up your first go round, now that's a completely different deal!

 

Hey... put your wallet DOWN and read these three threads: Paul, BloodyJack and NitroFlattie.

 

I'm glad you're trying something new and to each their own, but remember, this is a traditional forum and you will get a lot of sh*t for using completely untraditional parts.

 

I agree. Not trying to be an ass, just hoping to point you in the 'right' direction. Nobody likes being told that what they are doing is going to suck, but I think you'll be a lot happier with the end result! You are a member of the best hot rod board on the internet, the amount of information and help available to you is dumbfounding to say the least, so although some people are going to post in, er, 'rude' way...they know what they are talking about and they will help you. A lot.

Best of luck! Ditch the Mustang setup!!!

-Graham

 

I'm not bitterly clinging to bias-ply tires and flat black primer but the other guys are giving you the straight poop. A fenderless car with a MII front end just looks like death. A dropped axle, reverse eye springs etc is easier to deal with for a first timer and just looks right on a fenderless T.

 

Well, there is stubborn, and then there is stupid. If you keep going with the stuff like the MII front end then you are doing more than just screwing up, you are putting together something that will look exactly like it is.

A bastardized cobbled together piece of crap.

Making further posts on that kind of build here will be a waste of time.

 

maybe you should go to killbillet.com or ratrodsrule.com your project sounds perfect for those websites! dont listen to these guys on here...they just been building hot rods all there life, and dont worry about all the legends on here that made impacts on the rodding world and everything your trying to do but 50 yrs ago. and specially dont listen to the hundreds of dudes on here thats had there cars in mags and DVDs....
we are not worthy of your ideas here...your over our heads. red wheels look great on all cars and flat black rattle can paint jobs look awesome on every car from the saturn ion you have to this bad ass MSII front end rat rod your building.

 

my bad, i guess if i'm guilty of anything its joining the wrong website. I have no doubt that this is the best website out there, thats why i posted this here. I'm just trying to do something different on a limited budget. I won't bother y'all with anymore of this.
peace,
jon

 

Jeez some of you guys are nasty. Here's an opportunity to try and guide a young dude in the right direction. Of course he's gonna be stubborn about this at first because maybe he's ignorant of the other options available. Instead of encouraging him to stick around and learn you just chase him off with sarcasm and your own block head attitudes. Real nice.

 

You can still build it one a limited budget...

just sayin'

 

Instead of leaving... take the contructive criticism. Read those threads. PM me, I've got a ton bookmarked at home and I'd love to share with you. You're interested in building a T inexpensively, GREAT! I'm in the process of doing it and have another (a 26/27 roadster on the back burner) that I'll have less money invested in than this and it'll be a B motor car with a quickchange... this is a RUST FREE body, btw.

Stick around and you'll get a hot rod bachelor's degree and like someone else mentioned, you'll have a vehicle worth more than the some of your parts, not less.

None of the comments are a knock on you personally, I can assure you that. And, while I'm not against you going to other places to share your work and learn, I really think you can get a lot of terrific knowledge from this site. I know I have (and continue to do so).

 

everyone's just giving you a hard time man....heres how it works if your new. read all the correct "read this first" parts and understand what this site is all about. we all had to do it and caught hell not doing it. take your time and read through all the stuff, stories, techs on here. you will find out that this is a "traditional hot rod and custom site" which means we use all vintage stuff, cars, parts, exct....no newer then about 1964-65. its ok if your not into traditional stuff ...just means this site is not for you. so before you start throwing up "build journals" make sure your building it in a way that is traditional if its on here. truth be told alot of guys including myself dont run everything traditional but there is alot of rule bending and wiggle room on here. but theres things you just dont do like run mustang2 suspensions on a open wheel roadster thats just spitting in our faces and besides it looks stupid and you will catch hell for it. point is....READ!!!!! have a look around and enjoy it before you start posting some bullshit like you did. thats why this site is the best.....the dudes on here will check your ass real quick.

 

I guess there is another way you can look at this. As I said stubborn is one thing, then theres the other. A lot of young guys just don't care to listen ,look and learn.

A limited budget does no mean cobbling together a piece of crap butt ugly unsafe car.

You can build on a budget and do a nice job. Might take longer or require making some adaptations of different parts.

Maybe even hanging around some local car guys and learning or asking for help.

Or just go ahead with no knowledge or the slightest idea of what will work or what won't and bubblegum together a (shudder ) rat rod.

 

Can we talk?

Help comes in many disguises, and forms of communication: some blunt and to the point and some with chocolate icing. It's sorta like the rest of life. Sometimes it takes some abrasion to get calloused enough to profit from it all, good and bad.

Since you're new, have you tried a search of 27's to see what is, and has been, considered a traditional 27? I've know I've gleaned dozens of pictures for my '27 roadster when I can get around to it. In case you haven't here are a couple for inspiration.

Yes, you CAN build a traditional car for $5K! You scrounge parts, work your ass off, get burned and cut and scraped, and most importantly, YOU LEARN SOMETHING. Hopefully the right things, like traditional cars have solid axle front ends.

There are folks on this board that are a lot younger than me (64 today) who have more knowledge and abilities already than I can ever hope to accumulate before I pass on.

"Those who have ears, let them hear." That's you. Take a breath, lower your defensive shields and discern what these folks are telling you, even without the chocolate icing. It's the HAMB, not Sunday school.

Enough of the old man and his philosophy; I'm going back to being a curmudgeon.

Oh, and GOOD LUCK!

 

Ok, so me from two years ago is an idiot, can we all agree on that and move on? Excellent. So i really do want to build a traditional 1927 ford. I've managed get my hands on a mostly straight and clean steel body. It will have a traditional front end.
I want to thank those of you who were nice to me, sent me messages, etc. Some of you guys can be real jerks! You are jerks who know what you are talking about though, so i guess thanks for the advice. More questions and pics to come, i'm not giving up on this project.

 

Good luck, keep us posted.

 

Welcome back! Let us know how the build is coming and post plenty of pics!

 

some people take the traditional thing real serious, welcome back...

 

When it comes to traditional hot rodding some people dont get it until they get it...hang in there and keep looking around, your taste and ideas wl change a million times, and then BAM! you get it!

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