Project Update: I've been bangin' away to get this thing back on the road before the Sins of Steel show in June. I've managed to get some floor sections fabricated and welded in, but I'm not quite done with that yet. I created my own set of 3" lowering blocks for the back and finally installed them over the weekend. I still have some work to finish up down there, but I wanted to get it on the ground check the stance. All seems good. The car sits completely level and I don't see any issues with scrub angle. I've had some minor personal setbacks that have been keeping me away from the car more than I want to be, but I still see no issues getting this done on time.
I also wanted to share this picture I took the other day. My three year old son loves to spend time with me in the garage. He's too young to really get down and dirty in there with me becasue it's just too dangerous at times. One of the days, when Mrs. Autojunkie was out at a family function, I stayed home with the kids. I took the time to organize the garage and put some tools away with my AJ Junior by my side in the garage. He kept saying "I want to work on the hot rod, Dad". I promised him that if he was good he could help me on a project. Well, last year my plastic knob, for the windhield wiper switch, turned to dust. One of my side projects was to make a new switch knob, but I had no idea what I was going to yet. WHile cleaning the garage, I came across my old tiki I used as a shift knob from my old truck. I grabbed my son and said "let's work on the hot rod together now". After a little bit of minor fabrication, this was our end result. The work he and I did together, and the final result, makes him extremely happy. Every time he comes into the garage now, he wants to see his work just to admire it. I can't wait. He'll be four in August. I'm thinking I may start teaching him to weld when he's five. While my older daughter loves our projects, she tends to lean more towards riding-in and enjoying the cars on the road rather than working on them. My son, however, may end up with the same horrible affliction as I. It's a good thing I only have one project car in the garage. I'll keep the other space open for his when he's about 13 or 14.
She's almost ready! Floors and suspension are done. I have just a few more odds-and-ends and I'll be ready for Sins od Steel (and the rest of the summer).
Project update: With some "spiritual guidance", friends, and lots of beer I plan to chop the roof. Preliminary start date of the first ceremonial cut will take place at the end of March. The car pictured here is my go-by for inspiration. I'll post pics of my chop as I get started on it . Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
With the weather finally not being near zero degrees for the last few months, I finally managed to get started on the chop. After some thought, and common sense, I decided to do a 4" chop instead if the planned 6". Shown in the pics to this point are the first cuts and the mockup. Measuring and tacking into place will soon be replaced with newly formed sections and final welding. Truth be told, I was scared to death about doing this. Even as I far as lifting the roof off of the car I was still kind of scared and freaked out. My whole mood changed when we set the roof back on the car, for a quick look, and we were able to visualize the new height at the A-pillars. I'm truly excited now to move forward and get this done. My goal is to make its debut, even if its still a work-in-progress, at the Midnight Mass Detroit show in July. I hope you guys enjoy the destructive pics so far. This is, by far, the largest and most complicated project I've ever taken on. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
Prepare it prime it ,then with about 50 block sanding sessions. Paint it shiny BLACK, that's all it needs ,
Shiny black, almost like and old lacquer finish, is what I had in mind too. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
Thanks Matt and thanks for stopping by too. My wife was totally into your Riv when she saw it in the driveway (haha). BTW - To everyone else, I also posted in the classifieds. If anyone knows of a clapped-out parts car (2-ddor or 4-door) then please let me know. I could use some upper sheetmetal sections. Mostly, I'm interested in a set of doors that are rotted out in the bottoms, but I could use other bits and pieces from a complete car too. Keep an eye out for some good leads.
Wow,looks awesome.Brave man regarding chopping the roof! I have a 48 Plymouth that i imported here to the UK last year..i lowered it by flipping the spring plates as mentioned earlier,and welding 3"deeper pads to the 10 bolt axle i fitted. Mark
Thanks Tom..it is a really solid old car.Has a 305 Chevy,already in it when i bought it(US ebay last May)that i have just added an 200r4 to,and i fitted a 3rd gen Camaro 10 bolt with 3.73 gears in it. Had it on the road in the UK 3 days when i got hit head on driving on a narrow country road by a woman not looking where she was going(on the mobile phone i reckon,i stopped a ton and half of 1948 technology,she could not stop her 2 year old Skoda...). Anyway,long story short,i got a new fender and some trim off a fella in New York and she is back on the road.(did the mods to it while i was waiting for the parts to arrive)Its back in the shed at the moment having a few more jobs done to it(not as brave as you!!!) and planning a coat of satin blue paint before the end of the month,before the UK seasons really gets going. Glad i found your story,i`ll now be following it closely. Mark
It's been a while, so here's my latest update. I had to take a break on the car, but have since gone back in full-force. Most of it is mocked up and tacked in place. I have a few section I need to create, but those will come later. I decided, after looking at a few other chops at car shows, to remove the drip rail completely. To be honest, trying to incorporate is a little beyond my skill set so removing and filling was the next best solution. It looked pretty good without it on a 50 Merc I was checking out. The roof panel has some serious low spots, but I'm working on that. I managed to get the C-pillars and backlite laid down. The backlite is tacked in place and the C-pillars are just clamped in place for now. I have to admit that this is a pretty tough job. Frustrating at times and I would question why the hell I did this. But I know exactly why. I'm quite the amateur, but I'm doing this for me and no one else. Call it a midlife crisis or whatever, but I feel alive a accomplished every day I work on it. The more I work on it, the happier I am with the progress. Here's a few pics of the car as of today. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
The Jalopy Journal
