Projects Building My First Roadster in San Francisco

I like where your head's at, Dennis! I've recently gotten into designing and printing vintage letterhead for extra effect.

Saving the best for page 100!

Thank you, Rocky. Right back atchy! Even when progress is slow, I'm keeping my eye on the prize.

Glad to have you on our side!

Thanks, Nick! That's an interesting hypothesis. I'll check it out tonight and see if I can glean more info.

Thank you. I'm doing everything in my power to keep this thread positive.

So true!

Thank you! I agree. This isn't the easiest hobby to be in, so it's extra important to stick together.

Hahahah might have to take you up on that one!

 

Hahaha I'm going to have to print that one out and hang it in the garage.

Brute force!

I like the way you're thinking. I'm regularly searching for a second body. Gotta love some interchangeability.

 

On Friday, David and I went over our options. We decided that the best plan is to have me clean up and button up the red engine this week. If the weather cooperates, I'll paint it too.

In other news, I recently received a gift from @62pan in the mail. I'm planning to shoot more film this year, and he generously sent me some vintage Fujicolor.
As you may recall, I've had a lot of fun capturing hot rods on expired film in the past.

 

No weather report here, but I do have a much-needed update.

On Saturday, I made my way up to my favorite place: David's shop in Petaluma. It was sunny in the city, but by the time I reached the North Bay, the rain began to fall. That didn't slow us down.

For my first—and most important—order of business, I did the ol' flathead switcharoo.

Note the white pan: a sign of things to come.

After lunch, the sun came out. I rolled the engine out into the driveway and pulled the pressure plate, clutch and flywheel.

Upon closer inspection, we concluded that the entire setup had seen better days. We weighed our options and, after a little bit of research, I ordered a fresh 11-inch clutch and pressure plate from Mac Van Pelt. We'll get the flywheel resurfaced before reassembly.

Next, I scraped the carbon off the pistons, valves and block. For my homework, I'll do the same to the heads.

After a busy month of travel, it felt so good to be back at the shop with David. We had a great time catching up on projects both big and small. Next time I'm there, we'll re-install the heads, the pan and—if the weather cooperates—spray some paint.

 

Coming soon: big news, small news, thank yous, tall tales and a whole lot more. This thread is coming back to life like never before.

In the meantime, here's a video update

 

Sidebar 2.023: Change

When I returned from my trip across the pond in mid-March, David called to let me know that the building where his shop is housed was under new ownership. And with new ownership, change was in the air. Long story short, my car could no longer be there. I was heartbroken. David did everything in his power to change their mind, which means the world to me. They wouldn't budge. I knew I needed to act quickly.

From there, I called Yama and we talked through a plan of attack. We decided the best thing to do would be to rent a garage here in the city to house Version 1.5, and then bring 2.0 back to Loyola Terrace. This was Friday. By Sunday, I had signed my lease for the new space in the Outer Richmond.

First, I parked the car. Then, I hoisted in the second flathead. The following Saturday, David and I wound things down in Petaluma.

Although much of the day was focused on moving, we had a great time finishing up the torque tube.

Note the "Royal Standard" artwork by my talented friend @41 GMC K-18. (More about the backstory in an upcoming post).
When afternoon turned to evening, we cleaned up, packed up and said, "See ya later."

As the shop grew smaller in the rear view mirror, there was an unmistakable sense of melancholy. For a year and a half, I dreamt of driving this car back to Loyola Terrace. I wanted it to work out so badly—maybe even too much. But as I racked up miles, the bigger picture came into focus.

We started with a single Model A rear crossmember and we turned it into a chassis. These old Ford parts fought us every step of the way, but we persisted. I'm grateful for David taking the time to show me the ropes. Fabrication, mechanical work, Petaluma history, Western yodeling—everything. "We didn't just build a car," he said as the sun began to set, "We built a friendship."

 

I haven't been posting on this thread for a couple of reasons. 1) Life has been crazy busy. Between my day job, my freelance jobs, travel and everything else, I haven't been able to sit down and catch up. 2) I've been focusing more on wrenching and less on posting. I was actually planning not to post until the engine was in the chassis—and running—but I figured that would take away some of the fun.

With 2.0 at my house, I've been able to make a lot of progress either before work or at night. Here's what I've accomplished thus far.

Chassis in garage.

Flywheel resurfaced and re-installed with correct safety wire and Loc-tite.

11-inch truck clutch from Mac Van Pelt. Next came the new pressure plate.

Fresh white paint, chrome acorns and a little mock up.

As of yesterday, the engine is fully buttoned up and everything is torqued to spec. When I get some time (maybe this week, maybe early next), I'm going to put the engine back in and try to fire it up.