Dad's Last Ride Under Construction!!!

I have always had a passion for hot rods but never knew how to build til I met my dad at 27. He passed 10/5/2010 and left me his "A" project he started from the ground up so I'm new and any advice will help since he's gone... ;( My Dad asked me to do just one thing for him with this '30 and that is name it Dad's Last Ride.... So true to form thats where my username came from..... Like I said, any advice to my noobie ass is AWESOME advice!!

I am going to keep you all posted on how much (or little) progress I make on this baby!!

Hopefully I won't be needing the HAMBulance too much!! lol

 

He may not be with you anymore ... but somehow I doubt you will be building it alone !!!

 

You are in the right place for help encouragement and advice. Post up some pics so we can see what you are starting with. Good luck.

 

You asked for advice so if you haven't boxed the frame yet or thinking about getting a new frame here is what I do for frames under my model A's.

I box girder them.

Like many new bridges the box girder is very strong and ridged.

First I make sure the frame is straight. There are threads in here as to how to straighten a frame so I won't go into that.

I then put the frame on jack stands and shim it up so that it is level in both directions. Use a good level.

I use 1 1/2" X 1/8" strap steel cut into 6" to 8" lengths.

The reason for the various lengths is that I have to work around the existing holes that I use for the running boards and fenders and any other things that I will have to attach later.

I weld in threaded nuts in almost all of the holes even though I might not use them all. That way if I change the body configuration later I don't have to thru drill the frame to attach any thing.

Welding in the nuts also determines the location and length of the girders.

This is important because if later you decide to thru drill the frame where you need to install the running boards or fenders you won't run into a girder.

When welding in the nuts and girders I run short bolts into the nuts to hold them in place and also so that welding splatter won't get into the threads.

Use washers if necessary to prevent the bolts from comming thru too far and a little grease on the threads also helps.

I then weld the straps into the frame starting at the cross members and going from top to bottom and then bottom to top.

I weld them bottom and top and about 1 1/2" on both sides on the inside of the frame.

I then place the boxing plate against the frame and mark the top and bottom junctions of the girders.

I draw a line connecting each junction with the next.

I then grind a groove into the center of each line to allow me to weld the plate to the center of each girder.

I also grind the area of the junction to allow a weld there.

Then when I am sure that I can weld all of the girders thru the plate I clamp the plate to the frame and weld it up making sure that the frame is still level in both directions.

I then grind and clean up the welds and paint the frames. I am not trying to build show cars but just a fun cars so I don't worry about making the frame look perfect.

When I am thru I end up with a frame that is very straight and ridged.

Of course if you want to Z the frame you will have to do the same for the Z'ed sections.

"Do not build your house on sinking sand." The frame is the most important part of any hot rod.

Dick
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Ok.... Heres a few pics of where it has come from.

When Dad bought it, he obviously had BIG plans for it. He always wanted a 5 window but he decided to make somethin like no other.....

 

Good advise!! He had already built a frame from scratch so I'm gonna stick with that one but I will DEFINITELY take this advise on my next one!!

 

As you can tell it is no longer as long as it was... My Dad got it this far and then found out he had lung and bone cancer which took it's toll VERY quickly...

 

Soooo I ended up makin a trip to Iowa to get Dads Last Ride and the ride home turned out to be a NIGHTMARE!!!

We loaded down our Mountaineer with an ass ton of tools and equipment from Dads garage, and strapped a car hauler on the back of it with the beast ridin high!!

We got about 100 miles from Dads and I noticed the trailer lights werent working so we pulled over and found that the body had come loose. At 3am in BFE, all we had to secure it down with was..... you guessed it..... DUCT TAPE!!!!

 

So Dad wanted the windshield chopped and the side where the windows were trimmed down... This is what I came up with.

Please keep in mind this IS my first rodeo.. Be gentle with the comments lol

 

It's always special to have something of your Dad's. Take it one step at a time, but put your own vision into it as well... kinda like a father-son joint effort. I have my dad's car and he died of cancer too.

Sorry to hear about your dad... you're embarking on a great Hot Rod adventure!

 

So Dad wanted to go with flat black on the body and green highlights....

Well I went to a swap meet in Jefferson Wi, some of you may have heard of it, and I picked up a bad ass shift knob. I had to paint it though cause it was just plain white. I fell in love with the green that I did on the helmet so I took it from there....

 

October 5th 2010 Robert Rines went to Hot Rod Heaven...

Miss you Dad......

 

So I found a grill for DLR.... I know, it coulda waited til the end of the build but I found a bargain so I had to get it. I'm sure a lot of you know how that goes.

Yeah, its a nice stainless grill, but I had to keep true to the green theme.

 

You will have a great ride when you are done, and the memories will always be there riding with you in the passenger seat. Glad to see you are carrying on his last wishes.

 

Keep up the good work... Im sure your Dad is Proud!

 

Sorry about your dad. i'm sure he will be proud,

 

Thanks for the kind words... I can't wait to get it finished, but half the pleasure of having it is knowing it's for my Dad.

 

Very lucky to have your dad's car!. My dad is gone too and I think about him every day. He never saw our roadster but he would have liked it. Not as fast as the P-38 he flew in WWII but probably a lot easier to manage!
This is the right place for plenty of help/advise. Keep the pics coming....

 

that frame looks sick

 

You are doing your Dad proud his memory will stay alive with that car and inside you.Rob.

 

I can't give much in the line of build advice, but I can give this advice. If you ever get hard up for money, or if the city comes and tells you that car can't be sitting where it is, whatever you do, DO NOT EVER SELL THAT CAR. Trust me I've been sick and driven to tears many times over the last 20 years after having sold my father's car. He bought a 1953 Mercury Monterey 2dr hardtop new and gave it to me in 1973 and I just about throw up every time I think about it now. NEVER SELL IT!!!!!!!!!!

 

Oh someone would have to pry my cold dead hands from the steering wheel in order to ever get this car from me....

Heres a few cars my Dad did in his time here......

 

D.L.R., You are getting some pretty good advice for the build of your dad's car. Keep working away on it. Don't ever get rushed or flustered.If you do, take a small break and reconsider what you are doing. Then press on to that final goal. Your first ride in Dad's Last Ride !

 

Good luck with the 30, and keep us up to date. Pretty sure he will be there with you all the way

 

Great to see you following up on his dream . You have come to a board that has tradition specialists here and the info for this could not be found in it's vastness any where else .

 

Ok so as I'm sure you all know, an axle from the 40's can be pretty rusty. But under all that corrosion is some AWESOME metal!!!

Any ideas on what I should do with this now??? Besides hookin up the brakes?? lol

 

Bump

 

flattened clear coat

 

Sorry for your loss Bro. My best advice, take your time and enjoy the building process. Building them to me is almost more fun than driving them. Almost... You've come to the right place for ideas and questions. And it looks like your Pop's gotten you off to an awesome start.

 

Yeah I think the hardest part for me is gonna be the floors.....