Hey I have been on here a while but havent posted alot. Well this has been a long time coming this build. I am 24 and this is my first hotrod. There is a bit of a story to this one, I had allways wanted a hotrod and hotrodding is a huge part of my life but had never been in a position to build one. I was helping out in a engineering shop a few years back and a local hotrodder walked in and made the comment that I should build a t-bucket, that got me thinking about it. I didn't have a permanent job at the time and money was tight. I did not like the look of most of the t-buckets as I liked more traditional 30's 40's 50's and 60's era styled hotrods. I eventually came across the rodders journal article with Von Franco's lightning bug replica in it and thought there we go theres the style, so initially planned to build a car in that style and thanks to some great mates of mine I managed to accumulate some bits and pieces for it. That project never worked out my money dried up and I couldn't afford to build it how I wanted to build it. Eventually nothing really happened and a couple of years went past and every week I had guys asking me "What have you done on the hotrod" "why arent you working on the hotrod" "whats taking so long on the hotrod". Having no money and minimal gear kind of burned me out on that project before it even started. A year ago I got a full time permanent job as a trainee in a local tool and die shop. Here I was 23 and steady income and could finally do my project. I started buying tools and equipment and welders and even rented a little lockup locally to work on it. Hold on part 2 soon.
Anyway just before christmas I decided it was time to work on my hotrod again and decided to start from scratch and ditch all thoughts of building a t-bucket. I got the set of mad fabricators dvds before christmas and it really opened my eyes to what I really want to build. Seeing the Merkt 32 roadster, The Koller 29 roadster, The lazy 8 and other car featured in the series I realised "I want a roadster!!!" as those cars are way cool. So I over the last few months have started on my project and will post pictures. I can't afford a model A or anything like that but I think I will go with a 27 roadster as while they are hard to find they are more affordable then their younger brothers. I still get asked every week why the builds taking so long and im doing things a bit different then normal which makes people think I am crazy and making it hard on myself but I am building it and it will be my car and how I want it.
I started with some 2x4 box section and I am kind of building the frame to be like an original frame, not exactly but similar. Heres my car loaded up after using the saw at work to cut up my bits. Heres me doing something way untraditional but I could do it so I did. Here I am using a mill at work to alter some 3x2 pieces to fit my front crossmember which is a so-cal item.
I have a 350 pontiac that I got off of a mate of mine. We aren't intirely sure of its condition as he got it with a project of his. The crossmember wasn't sitting square but now it does.
Heres why I used 3x2 for the front, eventually it will look like a tapered frame like the factory ones.
It look$ like a lot of work but the best part after all is, it is your work. I would remain positive, motivated, and busy balancing the build and other interests (for example driving or maybe driving your kids to school), that would keep me coming back one project to the next, no matter the time. Regards,
Haha I have no other interest well beside drag racing but I don't have a car for that. I don't have kids. So besides work its all hotrods. I just do things as I can. My boss has been great allowing me to use the equipment at work after hours.
Well I won't be able to update this everyday but as far as gear goes, since I got my job I saved up some money and got myself a 200 amp mig welder and a little 185amp inverter dc tig welder. So will be doing the welding with those machines.
Yeah thats kind of deliberate, I new I wanted to do this stuff but never had any money so couldn't buy the equipment or pay someone to do it. So I did an engineering course and found a job in a trade that allowed me access to the equipment and the people who can teach me to use it, I don't advise that as a way to get a job though, it took me 4 years to get someone to say yes to hiring me. I am very lucky and my boss is suprisingly supportive of me working on my own stuff. I have often asked nicely if I can finish early to fit a personal job in using the gear and he has never said no. I am just very lucky. I also have to give credit to my friends who are also involved in the hobby. I have anoyed them to know end but they have been very supportive.
Sounds and looks like you enjoy what you are doing. The nice work so far shows you got some real talent. Good luck on your build and enjoy it.
Thanks for the compliments on my work so far, its a different way of doing it to the typical home build thing which has gotten me some interesting oppinions on my build and I am sure people think im nuts but I am just doing it in a way that makes sense to me.
The tricky thing is going to be finding a 27 roadster. I am a very nostalgic person and I braught alot of things as I got older that were things I really really wanted when I was a kid but could never afford well some of those things I just don't use, so I have put a few things up for sale to raise money for the body.
You guys who drive traditional styled cars with drums all round. How do you find the braking? I like the look of drums all round but just worried about stopping with my driving style.
Just wondering...why did you decide to make a frame splice and go from 2x4 to 2x3 at the front to enable a taper to be added? Wouldn't it have been easier to use full length 2x4 and just taper that at the front? No additional weight and no critical splice to reinforce for passing road inspection. Also...did you consider frame angle at finished ride height etc when you milled the slots for the crossmember?
Yip. I don't plan to have any rake in the frame. I want the car to sit pretty flat. As for the join in the front I did that for a couple of reasons, one being that the crossmember just happens to allmost fit inside that size box section with not alot of relieving needed to be done and the added weight wont really be that much, infact with using a stamped repro front crossmember instead of say a suicide front end or something along those lines I am saving weight anyway as the wall thickness required for using a tube crossmember is HEAVY!. Um what else oh the reinforcing, down here in NZ we have to plate any join in a frame but you only need it on one side of the frame so if you want the outside of the frame smooth you can put the reinforcing plates on the inside. I actually got the idea for doing it this way from an old Bob Bleed thread on here when he did the front kickup on Jonny Cola's coupe frame.
I have actually tapered a part of a bit of 4x2 by using the pie cut method in the past when I first attempted to build a frame, not sure why I didn't do it with attempt two which is this. Once I figured out that by choosing a specific wall thickness on the 3x2 will fit the crossmember nice I just went with doing it this way. It is different but will still get the same result.
My dad was into hotrods back in the 60's but had sold his cars and got out of the hobby way way way way way before I was even a thought, but he must have talked about it while I was growing up as I somehow got interested in this crazy hobby. Anyway here is some stuff for your viewing pleasure, my dad used to race these cars back in the 60's and we just happened to get given a disk with some footage on it so happy viewing. Excuse the music http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBw_h8qvfeA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAIA9m7M3a4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq-dW6dk6i0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCb_z4SnGtI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfK6IOl5b2k http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqvfbvW53jI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td8b-Bl_Tto http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JHReFUKq6U
Good on you, I too had a very generous boss when I was your age that allowed me to machine parts for my race cars after hours. Even though you want a flat, horizontal chassis your front crossmember should be tilted back about 7° to give your axle the desired castor otherwise you will need adjustable perches. Keep up the good work, I'm looking forward to your progress. GB.
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