Projects 31 Roadster Racer build…from leftovers.

Hi guys, I haven’t posted anything for a long time. I find myself with plenty of spare time as a couple of weeks ago I had open heart surgery ( aortic root and valve replacement ) so I am down for a while. Over the past ten months I built a channeled roadster to sell using some misc parts that have been laying around my yard for over 30 years. The plan was to build a car suitable for TROG, RPM Nats, Antique Nats type racing. Any kind of nostalgia racing be it blacktop, dirt, beach, hillclimb. You get the picture. I just wanted to build a solid roller and the new owner could add his choice of drivetrain etc.

 

A long time ago I bought this louvered hood at the LA Roadsters Father’s day swap meet. I couldn’t believe the swap meet was half over and the hood sat there with a $50 price tag. It was taken off an old 50’s hot rod that got updated. Louvers on the top are hand punched at various widths. I had no use for it but couldn’t leave it sitting there. It fit a 31 cowl and 32 grill. I already had a fiberglass 32 grill shell laying around.

 

Hope you're feeling better. Hell of a score on the hood. Ya know this build will be cool.

 

Love it, so no headlights, no windshield? That is going to look great.

 

Not long after I got a 31 roadster cowl in some kind of trade. It was in need of patch panels but I stashed it away. I had a pair of 28/29 quarter panels that were as rough as you can imagine. I cut them off a body many years ago when I installed some Brookville quarters for a customer. Years before someone had done a crude job of smoothing out the reveals. You can see one beside the hood in first pic. Not even close to correct for the cowl etc but for this project they would do. I just wanted to build a roadster shell, didn’t need to be stock. It was only going to have one working door and conduit lip behind driver. Over the following years I picked up various panels at different swap meets. First thing I did was have the quarter panels sand blasted so I could at least weld to them.

 

I wasn’t planning on spending much money on this thing. All I had for a frame was an old AA truck frame. I figured I would just modify it until it worked. I saw this project as a get rid of weird stuff project.

 

I had enough front end parts to make a roller. Radius rods were also AA truck that I had drilled years ago and never used. I didn’t end up using the axle in the pic, I wanted to get rid of it on this car but just didn’t have a main leaf that would work.

 

Glad to see you back KK, I hope you’re healing up well and quickly. Strange the things that happen to us as we just keep on doing what we like to do.
I did the same thing years ago with a 26 T coupe body, a Model A frame and a 50 ford truck flathead that I had lying around. I built it thinking it would help clear out some rather unsellable parts. It came out kinda cool. I’ve got pictures of it somewhere.
Looking forward to seeing this one come together….

 

Some pictures of channeled roadsters with hoods for inspiration……]

 

Great to see you back Kevin!

 

Glad to see you on the mend and up and about…looking forward to your thread.

 

Great news that you are the mend, the mind and the body are wonderous things. Happy Building!!

 

This will be good! Glad you are doing well.....

 

Very nice. I wish you good health. Get well soon.

 

I had a pair of 16x4 ‘40 Ford wheels for the front and wasn’t sure about the back yet as I didn’t know what I was going to use for a rear end. These 16x? jeep wheels would be fine if I got a rear end with 5 1/2” pattern.

 

Glad you're posting again. I had a heart transplant in 2020 so I know what it's like to be down. I do like the work you do.

BigMike

 

Work began by connecting the rear panels so I could see what I had and begin mocking up. Turns out the tulip panel was coming up short so I just cut and kept moving forward, add a strip later. The plan all along was to use what I had. Deck lid was a $25 fiberglass swap meet item.

 

Mock up begins. Thanks to all around swell guy Nick Sloatman for donating a pair of worn 16. 7.50 Firestones

 

I love these "I'm gonna build something cool from a pile of junk and cast-offs" threads!

 

Hope you'll be back in the shop soon Kevin, Butch says Hello

 

Had no idea something was up. Just that you were not on any longer (so it seemed on my end). Always good to see your work.

 

I haven’t started a thread for years, been reading here all the time. Got out of my groove and I am a terrible (really good) procrastinator.

 

Great to see you back Kev and best wishes on your health recovery.
Russell.

 

This pic shows the front axle I’m using. It used to be in my A coupe from about 24 years ago. I will have to make some spacers for the gap at the perch bolt.

 

Fun times, 34 coupe gets to wait another year. I need to start a build thread for it. I have made some progress lately but not enough. I feel no rush. I love having it there to look at!

 

Very glad to see you back posting Kev, a lot of us, especially myself have missed you. Can't wait to see some posts and pictures on the 34.

 

AA frame was not going to work as is. I had an old bomber seat I wanted to use, yes, that’s right, swap meet special. The seat needed to sit low in between the frame rails so I modified straight frame to perimeter frame and made a pretty basic center structure that should accommodate most engine/trans combos. To get the seat over as far as possible I cut the inner lip off the frame and added a new one to the outside in the seat area. AA frames are 3/16” thick so no boxing is needed. You can also see the 1” square tubing I curved and added to the bottom of the body on the inside to tie things together and provide a mounting area.

 

I had some roll bar pieces left over from when I did some work on a raunchy Willys coupe for Gil from Hot Rod Ranch in Lompoc. Just the story alone must be good for 10mph, Adding soul.

 

I curved some 1” square tubing and added it to the door jab area the began attaching the pass’ side door skin. I just had to get things kind of lined up and solid. The upper lip was horrible so it got reshaped and 1 1/8” conduit was shaped and welded in place, how’s that for traditional! Nothing was a perfect fit but in the end I was OK with the way it looked.