So ive been working on this old roadster I picked up off a buddy. I kinda paid alot for it, but it was more to help him out financially than anything. I sat on it for about 8 months and even posted it for sale locally. No luck so I decided might as well throw it together and make a fun little hotrod with mostly **** from my friends or my barn. I really tried to limit the amount of new parts purchased. The frame had been step notched, 36 ford rearend, and split bones with a superbell drop axle.
First plan was to throw a stock a rearend and torque tube under it and make a banger powred jalopy. Those plans vanished when I found out the motor was plum worn out. I have a few other motors laying around so that turned into future mes problem. Started working on the body instead. Man. It was rough. Pretty sure it had been flopped on its top and been in a fire. Both windshield castings were broken. The cowl panels were junk. The doors are junk. The wheel wells are junk.
Decided I needed beach front property. Did a little sand blasting... Started fitting the new cowl panels from brookville. They fit ok.
Got another stock a frame from my buddy Eric. At the point im at right now he might as well own the damn car, with how much **** of his is on the car. I dont like the way frames look with flush boxing plates, so I recessed em. Also went shopping in the parts car lineup.
Decided to put a small block in the car. Grabbed a junk block i keep for mockup. Also grabbed a Saginaw 3 speed and bellhousing. All from the barn stash. More progress on the frame.
Took a break and decided to build a motor for the car. I had a 57' 283 i got in a trade years ago. Cracked it open and it was decent. Washed the block, polished the crank on my lathe, and dug back into the parts stash for a duntov 097 cam, solid lifters, rebuilt set of 283 fi heads (no clue where they came from) finned corvette valve covers, corvette dual point, corvette rams horns, and a finned pan. At first I was gonna complete the early vette look with a weiand wc327 dual quad and carter 500s, but Eric sent me a link to a bucket list intake on marketplace... did some horse trading and took a drive.
Started working on the little things like steering. Grabbed a box and colum out of a junk 46' nash I have out in the woods. Had to shorten it, but it currently have working steering.
Started pricing out a stock windshield and...Just no. The lower stantions are not available, and used ones are just ridiculous. Not to mention by the time you buy the uppers, a frame, and gl***. I was content to drive with goggles, but came across this windshield from an international truck at an estate Sale. It has a curve like a duvall, takes flat gl***, and is the perfect width. Ended up cutting 3 inches out of it.
It's so refreshing to see a Hot Rod built like we did 70 years ago. Well done, I look forward to following your journey.
The Jalopy Journal
