Hot Rods 31 Model A Victoria Build w/Pics - Miss Vicky

All weather ready. Nice job.

 

Great work Dave, very nice.

 

Thanks for the detail in this thread Dave- it's a great resource especially for someone thinking about building a Vicky. The car looks great. Did you get to run it down the strip yet?

 

Well, I got a good quote for my interior so I need to ****on up a few things before I'm ready for upholstery. I'm going to have the seats and panels done first. Headllner and carpet will come later. The shop I'm working with is letting me make the panels to save a little money and I have to modify my seats so they tilt all the way forward to allow access to the back seat.

Welp, I finally finished the seat modifications. I cut the backs off the bottoms and then made some L brackets out of 1/4 inch stock, then welded them to the backs. Next, I welded a small piece of round tubing to the top tube in the seat bottoms and inserted a bronze bushing. Now I had the pivot point completed and bolted the backs onto the bottoms.








While I was at it, I thought I'd redo the seat bottoms. Originally they had elastic webbing under the foam but they stretched too much. So I cut some inserts out of plywood and stretched canvas webbing across the hole. I also had to weld on tabs to the bottom frame to support the wood inserts.








Then I had to figure out a latch mechanism to hold the backs in an upright position. A trip to Lowe's landed these little devices – spring-loaded hold downs. They would be the foundation for my latches.




After studying the problem for a while and taking lots of measurements, I made a couple of these little doohickies.




I cut the hooks off the tie downs and welded them to the seat backs. Then I welded the doohickies to the hold downs. After a bit more studying and some trial and error, I welded a small square of 1/8 s**** to each of the seat bottoms at the appropriate angle and notched the doohickies so they caught the squares.






Here's how they work.

 

Cool- using old factory parts, metal stock and hardware store mechanisms to solve problems.

Will your front seats be hinged at the front of their bases so the bottoms tilt forward as well? (like stock Model A seats)

As always, brilliant work, Dave!

Click. Save.

 

Very creative, getting doohickies to meet squares is always a challange! I doff my hat to you.

 

Those are some of the best hickiedoo's I've ever seen!

 

Those are great!!! Nice work whipping those up!

 

Cool! Very useful for the rest of us too!!

 

Very nice, Dave!

 

Thanks for the updates. I haven't kept as good an eye on it as I should have because I somehow missed the gl*** install when you did it but I think I was out on my boat then.

 

lookin good....

 

Very ingenious doohickies, great fab work!

 

We are neighbors, I'm on old gun!! You on Queens Park?

 

It's on the 9th, isn't it? Saturday?

 

I have an older Navy truck, an M-37, 1.25 ton troop carrier right now not running. I have been thru the neighborhood a few times.
My farm ****s up to Reeds Bluff, some kidz from your hood do some laps on my old neighbors drive way, kinda freaks the horses, but they're skidish anyway.
I tried to make a Va Hamber Breakfast a while back, I had the wrong weekend and was the only one there? I have a few heaps in the woods behind my barn, a 56 Ford and a 57 Buick, both purty far gone.
I'll make this one for sure...

 

You can count on it, I'll be there fer sure

 

There's a show in Richmond on the 9th ? Hot Rods ? Where ?

 

http://www.asphaltangels.net/home/home.html

The Showplace Exibition Center
3000 Mechanicsville Turnpike,
Richmond, Va. 23223

 

It's going down. I sold the mouse and I'm making room for the elephant.

I'm pulling the 283 this weekend and the new owner is picking it up the following weekend. Then I'll begin stuffing the 354 in. I borrowed a mock up block from buddy DJM.

I've sourced a new (old) firewall and motor mounts. I still need to buy an adapter.





While I'm doing the motor mounts and fitting the hemi, the upholstery is being done. I'm going to cut the roof at the C-pillars and lean the rear window section forward a skosh. I'm also going to weld the rear frame horns back on and make a spreader bar. I'll fire the motor and get it running good, then I'm going to blow the whole thing apart for shiny paint. Then I'll stick a fork in it and call it done.

 

Awesome!!! This is pretty incredible stuff!!! Can't wait to see that thing wedged in there.

Any idea on final color?

 

Sounds like a plan, can I show up Friday afternoon?

 

GREAT! Another HEMI in '32 rails with a 30-31 body to take notes from. Do you really need to modify the firewall? Bob

 

What? No pictures? What the hell is 'Ocean Blue' with or without a shade or two of grey? Jeez. Must be a Virginia thing.

 

Great post with a lot of information! Subscribed.

 

Remember when you are mocking up with a P-AYR block, it is a 392 style with higher deck height than a 354/331. The heads will be wider, and taller than your 354. If not done already, you will have to trim the motor mount lugs on the mock-up block to the correct thickness.

 

Small shoe horn, and it will drop right in! Can't wait to see it. It will look right at home in that Vicky!

 

Bad***!

 

Can do!

 

Cool Beans Dave! Will it be done in time for Heavy Rebel Weekend this year?