1930s Era Champ Car - new project

I have had a nagging fear that joining the fuel filler cap to the fuel tank was going to be problematic. It looks like with the current standpipe stubs on the tank and the filler cap that the connecting hose was going to have to run uphill to the tank. No Bueno. Not good for five-second pit stop refuelings LOL.
To make it better I cut and welded the filler tube coming out of the tank with a right angle bend. That helps, but still not enough for me to be comfortable. I cannot lower the bustle down onto the frame completely to complete the routing - the bodywork is still standing proud of the frame because of interferrence with the rotisserie, preventing accurate placement of the filler tube. I am going to have to cut-n-weld a bend into the cap filler tube also. I will wait until the frame is off the jig to do this.

On to ssomething else...

 

Well, I stared at the gas tank filler cap for a few days and finally said "Screw it. Its getting installed." I welded it into the bustle. The standpipe will probably get a bend added to it like I did with the tank filler pipe. I will wait to finish that when everything is installed so I can get the alignment close. Note the overfill drain pipe; keeps fire risk to a minimum. I wish I had ordered the full size cap, not the scaled down cap, but I didn't want to take up lots of body panel space better left for the car number. Plus I'm in no rush for fast pit refueling stops LOL.




I added filler to the headlight stanchions. They are now near to net shape.

 

But, without the giant size filler how are we going to pit you fast enough to win at Altoona on the boards?

 

I thought of that. I'll win it on fuel economy!

 

But if you need more power and we add a little pop to the mix, you might not get the mileage…

 

Then I'll put big(ger) tires on the rear so I'll always be going downhill.

 

Like the fuel filler cap, here's another WELL-I-SHOULDA-DONE-THIS-THING-SOONER thing.
I need to add a means of supporting / stabilizing the nosepiece. I decided to add an attachment point to the nose.
From the gitgo I had intended to produce a racer that may have been built in the late '30s and survived racing into the late '50s. That enables me to add "update" features like a roll bar that were eventually mandated. So I thought I would add another feature - a hole for a starter motor. Earlier cars were push- (or pull-) started and then aircraft starters became the norm. So I decided I'd put in a starter hole that could conceal a mounting point for the front clip.
First I hammered out a stainless steel escutcheon plate, similar to the rusty plumbing escutcheon, but more substantial.
Then I made a recessed well from 1.5" thin walled tubing to contain and hide a 3/8" bolt and welded it into a hole in the nose. It's now ready for some filler mud.
I will fab a stainless bracket that attaches to the front spring mounting bolts and joins up to the nose.

 

I finished the starter hole and the accompanying attachment bracket. Now on to filler and primer / paint.

 

Since its been a week since I last posted an update and all I really have to show for this week's work is a pile of sanding dust and Bondo shavings, I thought I'd share a little tip.
The starter hole cover is held on with three sheetmetal screws. The holes are too close to weld beads to use Rivnut inserts. Hence the need for sheet metal screws.
I inherited an Ingersol piercing air tool. I put pierced holes in the nosepiece. Pierced holes offer twice the holding power of a sheet metal screw run down through a drilled hole. They have roughly 1.5 times as much screw engagement.
I may use sheet metal screws to fasten the grill shell to the body too, with pierced holes.

 

I remember doing that with a hammer and a nail. Okay so it was crude, it was cheap!

 

That reminds me - it helps to back up the hole location. Even a piece of tubing or a wooden block will minimize unwanted distortion around the hole.