Thanks for all the encouragement, I’m still working away at it. The updates are still slightly behind so will work on putting another post together, its all being pushed for the beach races at pendine sands next year that we are booked into, unlike the other beach races around the world this is a land speed run so pretty much our version of el mirage/bonneville albeit on a lot shorter course, we have got a couple records we’ve got our eye on although just getting to run/see it doing what it’s meant for is gonna be the biggest win.
Pendine looks like it'd be about the most fun you can have in a hot rod, and still be legal . I've spectated at el Mirage and Bonneville, pendine is on my bucket list. Great build too - showing us that with a few great parts and lots of ingenuity and hard work, you can achieve your dreams
Another little update brings us pretty much up to the present day, bar some work on the body that I’ll add into a separate update of its own. So with the need to run a cage that was the last big thing on the list to make up, with the previous re chopping of the roof this was always gonna be abit of a worry for space inside to fit within the rule book, no amount of sitting in the car holding bits of tube above my head was making it more reassuring so I had to just bite the bullet and get some tubes bent. I first got some goal posts ordered one for the main hoop and then one as the back bar/shoulder bar. As the roof is not exactly a conventional shape the front bars and rear bends were made up with the aid of a dodgy card template then a run over to a mates we got them pretty bang on. So we’ve got a full 6 point cage in the confines of a silly roof and it’s got a surprising amount of space around you aided by how low the seat is, I count that as a win. Next up I got the fuel tank and battery box mounted, the tank was a purchase Clark nabbed off marketplace which turns out is the tank from an old U.K. hemi powered top fuel rail named ShoeString. As much as I think hemi’s are shit, I won’t hold it against it as it worked out really well in the car and even vaguely mimics the shape of the WW2 de icer tank used in the so cal coupe. That’s what I’m telling myself to make me feel better anyway… talking of the So Cal car the battery box is the same one used in that and is an early version of the American 50 caliber ammo tin which are different and rarer than the later ones so I was chuffed finding it for a fiver at a military fair earlier in the year. With that i did a quick run round the car trying to think of what to else needed making and the list was pretty short, the rear shocks got mounted and I forgot to take photos the same for the front link bars between the front roll bars and the rad/grille shell hoop. These weren’t really necessary but I had the tube/clevis and they work quite well to tie it all together. So the time came to strip the body work off and get it all welded up, we had a full house of people in the garage charging into it, Louis got involved tig welding all the cage, Clark was busy on the lathe working on the rear axle (which is another thing I need to make a post on but that is abit more special). We got a ton done which was a great help and is a good moral boost mates chipping in to help out the way it should be. The last week I’ve been on it & I got it stripped down to a bare frame, all the underside finished welded and all the straggling bits done, and then my Boxing Day was spent chucking primer on it, I also got it half into colour but ran out of paint! And because the world has stopped I’m still waiting on it to arrive. So that can wait till the next instalment.
Just found this thread, what a great read it is, good skills and what a result! Reckon it's gonna look just perfect.
I understand and approve...very cool and can't wait to see it out and about. This Coupe really echoes the big picture in so many ways. You're doing an incredible job of it as well. I commonly reference it as across the pond excellence...
Glad I found this thread, being an Aussie & working on pre-war English/Euro cars causes me to take particular interest in the cars you guys are building over there. Will follow along with interest
Great start to the new year! It looks like entry and exit from the car will be fairly easy even with the full cage. I look forward to seeing the body work.
it’s still pretty severe but I spent a long time studying photos to see how far to go plus with needing the fit the cage in there it was pretty tough, my biggest thing was the screen angle and to have that kick in the post I know a lot of people opt for the smooth post and cut along the cowl to rake everything back which I agree is a neater way of doing it, but you Rarely see it in period cars.
thanks had that in my mind too, it’s still around somewhere waiting to resurface. If people don’t know it this car was built mid to late 80’s in England amongst the other cars in the club that helped a lot to kick start this whole resurgence off in my opinion.
It’s a been a while for an update but we can actually bring this up to the present day I think. So the last thing was it hanging up for paint over the Christmas period. Well as per usual that didn’t go exactly to plan. With the paint ordered we got going. Grey fergie enamel went on. With a major under estimation of quantity left me with painted rails and a primered cage. This was the days between Christmas and new year where most people tend to relax and I seem to want to get everything done. Ordered some more paint only for it to be the wrong shade! With a hope of It’ll dry off in the morning and change colour.. but to no avail. So there’s a two tone chassis and a distinct feeling of disappointment. But sod it. It’s getting bolted together. It was set up as a roller with everything painted patiently waiting for a rear axle and the motor to be finished up, so it was pushed outside and sheeted up until mid March with nothing touched on it. Then came engine delivery day in usual Clark style. That went in and looked right at home and it give us the kick in the ass we needed, it’s not the easiest of partnerships with Clark living a good hour away and me only getting small amounts of time to get the space to have the car in and touched so progress is hindered a lot by that but still we persevered. With atleast 1 day or so a week with us on it running fuel lines. Wiring. Brake lines etc. Finalising pieces leading up to the 18th of April. It all came round abit quick the morning I was working on a customers car whilst Clark fiddled around with the car. The next minute it’s off its stands and running and I’m getting the look of who’s gonna be the first test pilot. I hopped in thinking this is all my fault so if anything was to happen it best be me. A lack of doors, floors, vision and brains all resulted in a big fuck off smile as I went belting up and down my test track. “The very very public road” back in the drive a few tweeks and time for Clark’s run. With a new long list of jobs we need to do. That was that it moves!
So left with it being a barely driving thing but still with a long list of necessary jobs and the meltdown in 2 and a half weeks we weren’t exactly hopeful. To be honest it was more of a goal to kick us up the ass rather than an actual reality. But still it was looming. The body got pulled off. A few tweeks to the chassis/running gear got it where we wanted and the niggles out of the way. At this point We still hadn’t booked the tickets to race that happened the Sunday before.. with the thought of taking it as just a driving chassis as the body was still mega rough. But I then decided it needed the body and not only that it needed painting too.. nothing like making hard work for yourself so I had 4 days of actual time to touch it so a lot of 2am finishes which had become standard on the week previous we got it done. The doors hung. The roof glassed in. A new Rear sail panel fitted. All the old decals graphics removed, the body sanded and painted. Friday morning came, I still had one door needing filler and paint.. A frame mounts to make. A few wiring gremlins a starter that didn’t want to start and then a truck to pack and a journey with a car I don’t have a clue how Will react being towed. A locked rear end and a front axle with huge castor I have to say it towed like a dream and i forgot it was even there within 10 minutes! We arrived at 9pm and cider cans were promptly opened and anything from here was a win…. Or so we thought!
So the racing came round. Un hook the A frame and Quick Look over and we’re good to go straight into the fire up lane to join the RWYBer’s the first run was a just a tester first time to really let it wind out. Aswell as getting used to it. 15.5 at 89. And then hot lapping to run another 15.5. It’s okay, abit off the pace of what I’m used too but then it’s a flathead and my yellow coupe was running low 11’s all day long so it’s abit of a change! Not having a clue where to Rev anything to and being cautious because it’s not my motor! I got the green light to go for it from Clark and an idea of where it’s still making power. So first round of qualifying came round at 12 for the meltdown we lined up right after the altereds on a very very sticky track. We lined up let the clutch out to a rather spectacular noise and then to see a gearbox case split from asshole to earhole! The good thing with this car you can see everything. We get it back to the pits feeling deflated and thinking that’s fucked after weeks of smashing it. But not one to ever give up in the face of adversity I knew I had a box at home we had got at the swap meet for parts. I only live 45 minutes away a quick chat and the consensus between the two of us was if you’re stupid enough to wanna do it then I am too. So that was it, Clark was tasked with stripping it out whilst I flew home to grab the spare box.. or so I thought. The spare box was a top loader but without a stick we had got and had no real clue if it was any good just that it has all its gears inside it.., I had a motor and box in my 34 roadster project but that was all early stuff so I thought possibly I could rob the stick for that to put into this box.. that did’nt fit so the next minute the motor is out of my roadster and chucked into the garden. The box is out and into the back of the truck. And we’re back on the road. A huge thrash and we got it all back together again in time for the last qualifying run of the day. Speaking to people the plan was to try leaving in second.. well we tried that but with a diaphragm clutch that just kicks in and an engine that’s like an on and off switch I got filled up with clutch smoke and by the time that had bitten I had lost a good amount of seconds. I wound it out in the gears and that felt better but we had all but lost it with an 17 at 86.. Sunday came around the day was feeling like abit of a write off anyway. We got turned away after a huge crash and ended up waiting a good few hours and then we managed to get the first run in at around 1/2pm, pulled up to the line and clutch out to a massive wheel hop and then another bang.. numero duo in the bin. The always helpful start line crew must have thought I was mental to just be sat in the car laughing my head off.. back to the pits and that was that hooked it up the to the truck and said our goodbyes it was time to sleep! So conclusion… not a fucking clue. No I think it’s a mix of a car that really grips like hell. We realised we still had 40 psi in the rear tyres for the first run and it still didn’t spin., a strong motor, a really sticky track and a heavy right foot from the hit and the Cinderella slipper of gearboxes just wasn’t a goer. We will not have this issue for pendine which the whole point of this car so plan is to stick with the 3 speed for then and have a re assess over the winter. But all in all we had a brilliant weekend despite everything.
The thrash any racers knows, the heartbreak and rethinking, the officials shaking their heads at you and your car. You brought us along without the sleepless nights and busted skin. Thank you!
Thanks for the update. You get a lot done in a short period of time. If you had not mentioned it as a mistake, I would have thought the two shades of gray were intended as it looks good that way.
The Jalopy Journal
