Projects At it once more... '27 T Roadster build

Its been a long while since my last update so i thought id fill you guys in. School has put the roadster at a complete standstill and side work to make some cash has taken over. But my spring break is this week so i took the roadster over to my buddy's shop and I've been working on it there all week getting the turtle deck fit and everything buttoned up on the tub so it can go in the booth this weekend for paint. Today i fixed the radius at the bottom of the bun panels to the rockers now fit and the door closes without rubbing. That was after i shimmed up the body with some oak blocks. And i also fixed the driverside quarter. The original problem was the quarter panel was too long. So we tried shortening it to fit the sub rails but that messed with everything to the point where nothing would fit. So this evening i relengthened the front of the quarter and just tacked it all together. Hopefully it works so i can get started on blocking the whole car out and getting it ready for paint on sunday or monday.

Panel too short...


New panel




New rear sub rail section where it was all caved in

 

that car is so cool!

 

Well i spent most of the day working on the inner structure for the decklid and mounts for hinges. Once i got all the mounts set, the hinges didn't work the way it was set up using a pair from '46 ford coupe. So i need to figure something else out but that'll be next week. I got the body in the booth and ill be finishing up all the odds and ends on the body on the homemade rotisserie just for this body.

 

Well the car went in the booth last night and i spent most of the day finishing up little odds and ends on the car and bondoed the back half of the tub. So I'm hoping to get it in epoxy and high build by the time i go home tomorrow night. Maybe ill have some color on the underside and inside the tub after classes on monday.

 

nice job

 

Great project. A damn shame those reproduction panels can't be made correctly...how hard is that?
You haven't mentioned it but is the windshield going to be a cut down 26-27 using the lower frame only or a taller version mating a bit of the upper frame to the lower for a one piece windshield OR?

 

I think ill go with just a cutdown windshield. Im not really sure what else would look good on it.

 

Fact is, there isn't anything better than a nice cut-down windshield on a 26-27!
But don't just cut the posts and leave them flat. Bring the top retainer stud and pivot down and cap and use it to pivot your frame.

 

This is how i was planning on doing it. I forget who's roadster it is but it is someone off the HAMB. I think this style windshield would look amazing on my car.

 

After a long night of sanding, my car is finally painted! The main tub has paint on it, just waiting for the doors, rockers, and turtle deck. I couldn't find a green that i liked so i ended up going with the same gray i painted the engine. Its almost like a ford 8n gray but it looks amazing. Should have the body back on by friday after i seal and undercoat the bottom side. But its one step closer to being ready for the showdown.

 

Well I'm done with school for the summer so its back onto the roadster. Two weeks to go until the showdown and its looking pretty good so far. I got my rad fixed and all the water lines are hooked up. Couple small fuel leaks so Ill have to fix those tomorrow. Got the floors done today and fired it for the first time! Front carb is acting up so ill have to go through it. This week i should get it all wired and hopefully upholstery next week. It'll be my first try at it so hopefully it turns out good enough.




And yes, it doesn't sound too good right now. I took the video before the valves and timing were adjusted. Now we've got it running pretty well other than the carb issue.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/B6S_x29vPtY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

Well I got a bunch of little things buttoned up yesterday. Made a removable seat back so the whole interior is almost ready for upholstery. Today I have to run over to the school and use the shop to make a tipping die to make the decklid skin and some bushings/sleeves.

 

Did some wiring over the weekend and it took the whole weekend... and then some. But it turned out pretty well. Used the cloth wire kit from sacramento vintage ford. Pretty straight forward to install but some of the runs came up a little short, especially if you try to make things look neat. Then yesterday and today while the car was away getting the exhaust done, I took care of some odds and ends. Sandblasted a bunch of small parts and got back on the turtle deck. Finished welding the patches in and i got the decklid working. While i was at it i tried out the tipping die i made at school. Works pretty well but it looks like i may not need it now for the decklid skin. I finished up the inner pan for the decklid. Just have to make the skin and mount the latch somehow on the inside. Its been a busy couple days but it looks like Ill be on my way to the showdown with a little bit of sleep saturday morning.

 

Nice job on the decklid! Good luck with your deadline.

 

Thanks.. I should be fine but i just may not have the entire car with me haha

 

It was a mad dash friday night to get the car on the trailer but I made some laps around Latimore and it felt great! Had a lot of positive comments and looks. Now i just need to work a few bugs out. Looks like i need a head gasket or replace valves on two of the cylinders. Its still not running right and misses and pops once it gets going. And I may also be having a charging issue. But other than that, everything went well. Now if i could only get the rest of the mud off the car and out of my ears

I made a quickie drag link on thursday and it worked out great. I bent an old f100 tierod i had and turned down the ball end of an f100 drag link, slid it inside of the tierod then welded it.

 

Sweeeeet!!!!!

 

I like the drag link!

 

Well what better way to celebrate 4th of July than by working on my car. Ive been busy as hell working on other peoples stuff the past couple weeks that i haven't even looked at the roadster. So i took today to get the windshield post cut down and welded back up. While i was at it, I had to tweak the windshield frame because it didn't fit at all. Top was good but the curves were all off and the bottom was too wide to fit between the posts. So i little cutting and tacking and i got everything fitting just right. And i cut a template for glass for the windshield. Now this is where i need an opinion because i could go either way... Should i leave the glass at that height or should i take about another inch off of the top?

 

I think the glass template looks good. I have been planning on doing something quite similar on my T.

 

I think the glass height looks proportionate to the of and the rest of the car. Cool car by the way.

 

What an awesome car! That sixxer look so good in there.

I know it isn't very practical but... it looks killer without the windshield.

Ha, what is practical about a roadster?

 

Nice job

 

This car is awesome, so nice to see something built by hand instead of bought out of a catalog. This site is full of awesome cars and people. My new favorite place to be on the internet. Oh ya, your shop is sweet, so nice to see one thats actually worked out of instead of looking like a sterile hospital room.

 

unusual with a L6 chevy, it's really beautiful .

 

Love what you have done,L6, wide 5s and the Model A front bits, a tad like my 26 RPU. All the best with your roadsters new future.JW

 

This is one NICE roadster !!!!!

 

Awesome Roadster! Very Cool!

 

Thanks guys... I guess ill leave it as is. The more I look at it, the better i like it. Ill be off to the big truck junkyard just across the border in NY to snag some 'vintage' vinyl off of some school bus seats to do my interior. May get a little extra just for whatever i do next.