Projects Building My First Roadster in San Francisco

I came home from work yesterday and, not surprisingly, you guys were right! No clearance at all. Although I do believe the engine was stuck from sitting, I think this has been our main problem since the initial fire-up attempt in November. It's hard to read the numbers, but I'm pretty sure the trans in the car is a 1935 case with 1939 internals.

I then walked to the back of the garage and inspected my second transmission that I got from Flip in Watsonville. The numbers on the back start with 78-, which makes me believe that it should work with the current clutch setup. If so, David and I will be rebuilding this one. It already has a double-detent top, which is a bonus.

 

Greetings from the train from Chicago to Ann Arbor, Michigan. As I take a quick break from my writing assignments, I got to thinking about the pressure plate/transmission case interference. Last week, I was 90% sure that I was experiencing the same problem on the November and May fire up attempts.
Then I pulled up this photo from when I disassembled the old pressure plate. See the scuffs on the edges? There's no doubt about it—it was hitting the case, just like the new one. Now I know, and now I have a plan of attack to finally get this engine fired up. Lots to learn, but I'm glad I'm making progress.

 

Sidebar 33: The Summer

Thank you everyone for your replies about the transmission/clutch/pressure plate situation. As of right now, my plan is to:

1) Pull the motor and trans
2) Bolt up my 78-case trans and see if the assembly turns over (if it does, then we'll re-build that one. If it doesn't, I'll go with the smaller clutch and pressure plate).
3) Rebuild the transmission with David
4) Bolt it all back together and try to fire it up

Much like last summer, I'm spending much of this one on the move. It's been awhile since I've posted a sidebar, so let's dive right in.

Last month, we kicked things off with our friends' wedding in Ben Lomond, which is near Santa Cruz, California. As we were driving through the towering Redwood groves, I couldn't help but think about coming back with my roadster. Soon!

Next, I hopped on a plane and woke up in Michigan. It's hard to beat driving in an old truck on a Midwestern summer day. My mom's '61 GMC, "Daisy," has never been better.

Soon thereafter, I made my way to Chicago. Red brick and original neon signage—a match made in heaven!

While in Oak Park, I was able to check out some Frank Lloyd Wright gems.

And it was great to see this '59 Ford street parked by my friends' place.

When I came home, I had a big box waiting for me. What was inside? Aluminum wheel discs from @The37Kid. I plan to see how they look on 1.5, but I couldn't help but mock them up on 2.0.

After a quick 12 hours back at home in San Francisco, I hit the road for Big Sur.

Stopped for a great lunch at the Coast Gallery and Cafe, which is constructed out of old water tanks made from Redwood trees. As luck would have it, this GMC Suburban pulled up right as we were sitting down to eat.

 

Now we're up to date. Thank you everyone for sticking with me here. Lots of fun times ahead!

 

Eventually! I've always loved this mismatch.

 

Yes sir! I have the Mac Van Pelt book, and David and I will be rebuilding transmissions at the same time. Sounds like my kind of day.

 

This just in: I'm back in San Francisco after my stay in L.A. I had a great month relaxing, dog sitting and exploring. Oh, and I also tried surfing and absolutely loved it. Now, for few notes from the road.

On my way out of town yesterday, I swung by Elco Welding in Venice.

As luck would have it, I was able to chat with Bob, the owner. I told him that I remembered reading about the place in an early issue of TRJ, and we reminisced about Pat Ganahl and his writing. Bob was excited to hear about my car; he has a Model A roadster, too.

I told him I would swing by once Version 2.0 is finished!

Earlier in the trip, I spotted this great Chevy in Hermosa Beach.

I was feeling extra-inspired by all the homemade shirts and jackets at Mister Freedom in L.A.

 

Even though I wasn't able to work on the roadster while I was there, I did put in some serious hours building my new website, joeyukrop.com

This is the first time I've had samples of all my work in one place: writing, photography, design, hot rods and more.

I'm really happy with how it turned out!

 

Before I could even finish unpacking my bags, I was down in the garage tearing into the roadster. Today's goals? Remove the engine and transmission and then bolt on the 78- trans to see if it will clear the clutch.

It didn't take long to get everything taken apart.

Looking like a swap meet over here. No, it's all NFS!

With the engine and old trans out, I was able to perform the swap. I didn't take a picture, but it became immediately clear that the new case had much more room than the earlier case. Rather than trying to turn it by hand, I hooked the battery up to the starter. RRRRR....RRRRR. It turned over! The pressure plate clears, and this is the first time I've ever turned it over with the starter. I’d chalk that up as a big win!