Projects 31 Roadster Racer build…from leftovers.

Kiwi
look after your health, get well soon
I had that op 18 years ago, there is life afterwards
Aussie

 

Thanks hot rod buddies for the well wishes!

To mount the body I welded some 2” flat bar tabs to the bottom of the frame sticking out a few inches. The 1” tubing along the sides/ bottom of the body landed on the tabs, it was drilled and bolted. With the body mounted and the hood in place There was a 1 1/4” gap between the frame and the hood. I kicked up the front of the frame 1 1/4”. Lucky I enjoy doing this stuff because the endless hours cannot really be justified. Weekend after weekend after weekend of spare time!

 

My good friend Tony McDonald hooked me up with a 39 Ford rear end assembly. I added a kick up and simple crossmember to the back of the frame. I used some ladder bars I had (swap meet) to locate the rearend. If new owner uses the banjo rearend it will need an open conversion. I didn’t fully weld the brackets to the housing and I have more spring mounts so any rearend could be installed. I made some simple inner fender panels and riveted them in place. I made a grill block off panel, mini windshield, trunk hinges and installed a simple latch. Car was now a roller to push outside, stand back and see what the hell I’ve got.

 

That $50 front sheetmetal was quite a score and all those other odds/ends swap meet finds over the years did actually have a place, you just didn't know it at the time (maybe you did), coming together whether it wants to or not eh.
Soul, this car will have it in spades!
Good health to you Kev.

 

Shaping up!

 

Looking great, but we need a pic of you sitting in it…is the seat mounted low enough for you to look through the windshield?

 

If this car was a book, it would be Quite a read. Thanks to the Author!!

 

Fantastic. Welcome back!

 

Good vision with what began with a hood!

 

10lbs of cool for the price of a 5lb bag!

 

I will take a picture of me in the driver seat and post it sometime soon, good idea!

Here a a couple of pics of my good friend Fermin removing the gas filler to smooth out the cowl….

 

After a lot of welding holes and cracks, a few patch panels, beating on dents, heat shrinking some high spots etc it was time for the real body work to begin. I called in the help of another friend from work, Tony. There was filler dust flying for a few weekends.

 

You make it look so easy as if it were some AMT model kits parts from the spares box.
Looks great.

 

One part I paid full price for was a door skin for the driver door. I made a 1” square tubing frame on the inside. I used a generic latch/handle I had from who knows where. I was worried there would be flex in the door and jamb but everything is rock solid. You can grab the door and shake the whole car, slam it or just push it, click!

 

It’s coming together nicely. It reminds me of the competition roadster that Wheeltramp Brian had a couple years ago with the Olds engine. It needs an Olds with 6-2s and a Cad-LaSalle trans.

 

Some nice work there.

 

Next the body came off and I finished up the radius rod brackets, body mount tabs etc and fully welded the frame. There was a lot of sanding and wire wheeling before the black paint went on.

 

You need to drop a flatty and 39 box in there.....

Looks great!

 

Assembled the chassis and pushed it outside for a few photos….

 

Looks like a keeper to me!

 

I've seen this on your Instagram and liked it from day one, but its even better with more info and pictures!

keep on with the updates!

my vote would be a hot SBC with an old 4 speed.
(could even run a set of ugly aluminum heads and a boring 4 barrel, seeing that its got a full hood!)

 

Thank you for sharing with us here on the HAMB. Great to see another Kiwi Kev build thread.
I hope you heal up quickly!

 

Really like the look of the smooth quarter panel…
I’m thinking a good panel beater could make a whole steel body, dry lakes style, using your body as inspiration!

 

You are moving fast on Your recovery project. Good to see Your posting , building and on this side of the dirt .

 

I think the film has been in the can already and we are just now getting the editors cut???

 

BAM!!

 

Kool Kool Kool !!!!
Get well soon

 

Now was time to paint the body my fleet color, Rustoleum brown rusty metal primer. The inside was painted black.

 

I had a fiberglass roadster dash so I fit it to the cowl and made an aluminum panel with 2 big Stewart Warners.

 

I had a steering shaft and 40 wheel. No point putting in a steering box until engine is located so I made a column drop and mounted a piece of shaft for a starting point. Column drop is mounted to a piece of tubing that runs across the cowl behind the dash.