Projects Building My First Roadster in San Francisco

Hi all, just wanted to jump on and wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving weekend. I don't have any new material to post, but as I was on my flight I was thinking back to a video I made for Thanksgiving in 2020. I had just gotten Version 1.0 on the road, and I was feeling extremely grateful to have a "complete" car sitting in the cul-de-sac.

Everything was new, and I had no idea how much fun I was about to have with my first roadster. Well, we're on the cusp of Version 2.0, and I can sense that there are some great times ahead. Although my hair's a little shorter and the car is a lot lower and slightly more powerful, much of the sentiment still remains.



Sending warm wishes from Michigan—we'll be back at it next week!

 

Tonight’s update takes the form of new parts arrival. Bronze bushings will replace the plastic ones on the rear spring and hangers, and bump stops will be installed once the frame is all painted. Tag is from Norm Rapp’s garage sale, included because I re-discovered it in a stack of books.
Also, mild custom shoebox sighting in Detroit!

 

Thanks! They came from Roadster Supply, but they're stamped SO-CAL on the bottom. They're pretty low profile and should be good for my application.

Hahahhahahah

 

This weekend, I'm teaming up with Yama to dive into the finish welding for the frame. I'm hoping to do a Lowe's run to get some extra flap discs for the metal and appliance paint for the spring and axle on Friday.

Stuff is super busy with work for the end of the year, so I'm not sure how much more progress I'll be able to make before we roll into 2025. Oh, and I did just hit send on a new piece of magazine writing that will be showing up in mailboxes early next year.


This picture has nothing to do with anything, but I'm sharing just because I like it. The car, of course, was the subject of my Jalopy Journal column before Thanksgiving.

 

I've been working on this car for quite some time now, but yesterday was one of the best days of the build. It started with me waking up early as the sunlight made its way into my sunroom-turned-bedroom. I peeked out the curtains: blue skies, green trees, and a big day on the horizon.

First stop, Petaluma.
Although I was there to visit and drop off David's heavy-duty engine stand, Ted was hard at work on his A-V8. This was my first time seeing it with the body on, and man was I blown away. David and Ted have been cookin' on this one, and I was excited to see how similar our stances are. Ted has a deluxe rearend setup: highlights include chrome axle bells and a magnesium quickchange by @Bass.

Parking lot scene, featuring David's roadster (note the carb tops), Jerry's Deuce pickup, Ted's three-window, and the 120lb. engine stand that I lifted into my truck earlier in the day (my physical therapist would not approve). To get it out, me, Ted, and David used an engine hoist. Superintendent Jerry supervised.

 

After a fun morning, I said my goodbyes and headed home. Back on the terrace, my roommates Michael and Aneesh helped me load my frame into the truck.
A scene from outside Arguello Market, featuring a hot rod frame and lots of bay windows.
Rolling up to the shop, Yama greeted me with a smile. We laid out our game plan over world-famous turkey sandwiches, rotated one of his fabrication tables, and hoisted the frame into position. And that's when the fun began.
Bzzzzzzzzzzzpttttp. Bzzzzzzzptttt. Metal melted and sparks flew. Dream-pop echoed through the 947 Works shop as Panheads, Shovelheads, a dog named Mazi and a kitten named Harley looked on.
Right from the start, we wasted little time. Yama hooked up a power strip, allowing one of us to cut while the other was grinding. One could weld as another fabricated. With the frame on the table, we had a 360 degree workspace.
As Yama welded the K-member, I ground out the old rivets and popped off the ultra-crispy bump stop brackets.
And as welds cooled, Yama and I grabbed drills with wire wheels and cleaned the crossmember. The era-correct dirt is for sale if anyone is interested.

 

For the welding, Yama and I tag-teamed. I haven't welded in awhile, but it didn't take long for me to jump right back in. Sitting in an old office chair with frame on all four-sides, I felt at ease. "This is the most comfortable I've been while welding in a long time," I told Yama.
And when the dust settled, the frame was sturdier than ever. We notched, reinforced, and finalized the K-member, front body mounts, master-cylinder mount, and rear crossmember. It will all be painted black soon.
We also used the O/A to fine-tune the front F-1 shock mounts. Here's Mazi and Harley both looking somewhat uninterested in hot rod fabrication.

 

It's getting late here, so I'll share my closing thoughts on the day tomorrow after work. There are plenty more updates on their way, including driveway fun, sidewalk finds, and project projections. Thanks for sticking with me!

 

Full replies to come. Just winding down here for the night and want to get things up to speed.

Sidebar 947: A little help from my friends

Days like Saturday remind me why I'm building this car. At David's and Yama's, I didn't have a care in the world. We were joking, goofing around, and laughing the whole time—all while simultaneously getting down to business. I couldn't be more excited about David, Ted, and Yama's projects, and they feel the same way about mine. I'm lucky to have such great friends. With their help, we're going to get this thing back on the road in 2025.

 

Since Yama and I knocked out two days of work in less than one, I was able to use Sunday to get moving on the frame prep. In the morning, I made my way to ACE to pick up me and @BigJoeArt's favorite white appliance paint. Back at the house, I dragged the frame into the driveway and perched it on a quartet of jackstands. Then, the sanding began.

The consensus on the cul-de-sac? Confusion. Two friends came by and asked: "Wasn't this just a complete car? Why does it look like this?"

What a difference a few weeks can make (Hi, mom!) I assured them that it would be back together again one day soon, but I warned them that they may have to help.

 

Once I had done enough sanding for the day, I moseyed on over to the paint booth to spray the rear leaves.
This is just the first coat. I sprayed the rest of the spring tonight in the dark.

While I was driving yesterday, I also spotted a pair of era-correct saw horses near the trash heap at a neighbor's house. Since I was in my truck, I scooped them right up. The leaves are currently resting on them, looking much like a Halloween skeleton, as they dry in the warmth of the garage.

That concludes tonight's update. Maybe more tomorrow?

 

Oh, and remember when I had a top on the car? I'm going to learn to sew one day and get it all set up. Maybe around the time that I re-upholster my seat. Pardon the low-resolution.

 

I'm still inspired by my trip to Missouri. We're making this happen!

Thanks, Tim! It's hot rod season.

@Scooterfish nailed it. Yama's shop is known as 947 Works (formerly Mazi Moto). @RodStRace brought up a good point about Detroit, which is my hometown. The true meaning of 947? We'll cover that at a later date. Longtime readers will remember the big orange splot paint job from T.R.O.G. in 2022.
Yama is one of my best friends. He's one of the most positive people I know, and he's an incredible builder. If you're on YouTube, you should check out his channel.

Some videos of his that tie back to this project to various degrees:

• Project Intro
• Harvest Drags
• T.R.O.G. Flabob
• "Astro" XLCH

He and I will be working together to finish my car, so there's a lot more where this came from.

 

Love that strategy. And thanks! We'll have to see how it goes with the windshield angle, but I'm thinking the rear portion needs a little tuck behind the doors so it snaps to the tack strip rather than the body? But maybe not?

 

Tonight's update: more spring painting, plus the arrival of some raw materials and hardware. I also ordered my master cylinder parts from Van Pelt, so those should be getting here next week.

 

I won't be able to work on the car this weekend, but I've been busy hunting down odds and ends. My rear shackles, complete with castle nuts, arrived yesterday, and my Slip Plate No. 1 is en route.

 

Thank you! It's certainly a team effort on this thing.