Projects Building My First Roadster in San Francisco

The sun’s out in SF, so I’m painting!

Very excited about this!

 

The painted parts pile is growing!

 

Yes! Such as blast. David and I went for a quick trip to the post office in a '29 Tudor a few months ago. I love Model A's in all forms. You're welcome to take my car for a drive next time you're in San Francisco!

 

As the paint dried, I put on some presentable clothes and hit the road for Mel's Drive-In on Geary. A friend of mine invited me to the Road Wolves car show, and they said they would save me a spot up front. Mel's is 0.8 miles from my house (I just checked), so the drive took all of five minutes, even with the afternoon traffic.

There was a great turnout of cars from the late-'20s through early-'70s, and I was able to meet some new friends and catch up with old ones too. The sun was out, the air was warm, and I enjoyed talking projects with Zane, the owner of the DeSoto and the Kaiser, underneath the "Mel's" neon.

Soon thereafter, I was on the road again! This time, I set my sights on Mill Valley for dinner with some friends. As luck would have it, I was able to cross the Golden Gate Bridge during golden hour. Hard to beat that feeling.

Just beyond the bridge, I stopped to check out a sea plane that I admire every time I drive by. This shot is for you, Dennis (@41 GMC K-18)!

 

Since I was running a few minutes early, I stopped by the 2 a.m. Club for a quick photo op.

Locally, it's known as the Deuce, and it's been around since the 1920s. Originally dubbed the Brown Jug, it became the 2 a.m. Club in 1939.

Next, I made my way over to my all-time favorite: the Mill Valley Public Library.

Okay, so this concludes the Mill Valley tour portion of the thread.

 

Not too far from home, but feeling like a world away. I love it up here, and I'd say the car does too.

 

After dinner, I threw on another jacket, pulled my hood over my head and backed down the driveway. There's something special about driving a car like this at night, especially when the world around me is very much alive. It's Saturday, 9:39 p.m., and I'm in third gear clipping across the Golden Gate Bridge back into the city. I can see the lights of the Bay Bridge to my left and the expanse that is the Pacific on the right. I crane my neck to look at bridge's towers. One. Two. I slow as I approach the toll plaza, rolling through and heading towards home.

During my drive last night, I was thinking a lot about these old cars. As the owners, we have two options: either drive them or don't. The former sounds way more fun, don't you think?

 

I didn't do a whole lot on the car today other than paint all four of my grease shields, throw some bolts in the chem-dip bucket, and massage the backing plates to fit the spindles. They still need a little bit of persuasion, but they're heading in the right direction.

All I have is this loosely mocked up photo (where nothing aligns) for now. Can't wait to get some miles on the spindles so they match the axle. If all goes to plan, I'll be installing the spindles, kingpins, steering stops, etc. this week. I have the Iron Trap video on my "to watch" list and my Van Pelt book in hand. Does anyone have any other good advice or resources?

 

Good call. Like these? And that's what I've heard about the locks.

Yes!! I'll be driving in style for sure!

Another good call! Do you know the thread of the Zerk off the top of your head?

Thank you! We're going all out in 2024. I still love every minute with the 'banger car. It's such a bonus that it's still on the road.

I haven't dug too deep into the body swap logistics. I have mocked up the Steadfast subrail kit, and I can't wait for the day that I can weld it all together. I'm hoping that'll be around May/June this year.

How cool is that? Such an iconic spot!