Projects Building My First Roadster in San Francisco

Next, I focused my attention to the coil bracket. Longtime readers may recall my killer, old chrome dual coil setup. Well, when I got it mounted, I realized that it would simply be too flimsy with the weight of the coils. That said, I loved the look.

With that out of the question, I went back to the drawing board. While I was considering this configuration, I splurged for a pair of El Cheapo coil mounts mainly for the chrome canister wraps. When they arrived, the wheels started to turn.

The end result is painfully simple—take a stock 1940 Ford coil bracket, elongate one of the holes, trim the trailing edge of the bracket and find some vintage hardware to tie in with the modern pieces.

 

Bolts in the stock location, and is very sturdy. With the success of that mini-project, I proceeded to install the PowerGen, belts, and fan. More details to share, but that's where we'll call it for the night. Thanks again for following along!

 

Thanks, Trevor. I'm doing everything I can to do things as correctly as possible. We'll see how it does out on the street soon.

Thank you, guys! I've been having a ton of fun wrapping up these little tasks that will transform this thing from a mockup into a functional vehicle. I do wonder what summer of 2020 me would think of this chassis.

Nice sheers there, Dennis. I'd say they're a cut above!

 

Thank you to everyone who reached out about the bolts. I have a set on their way, but I'll reach out if they fall through. I've said it many times and I'll say it again—without you guys, this car wouldn't be happening.

 

A few small updates. First, the coil setup was bugging me for a couple of reasons. I probably could have lived with it, but the fixes were easy enough.

The cheap mount was looking too cheap, so I went ahead and painted the mounting tabs black to match the modified 1940 Ford bracket. I also ditched the Phillips clamp screw and replaced it with a flathead brass one. Oh, and see the coil? I subbed in a chrome one because I am an aspiring street rodder.

Next, I tried my luck at installing my first flathead starter Bendix. The original Bendix on this starter ended up on the Hartley's A-V8 after theirs broke on the mean streets of San Francisco.
Being the class act that he is, Jeremy sent me an NOS 1938 Ford starter Bendix assembly.

 

The whole process was very straightforward. Once it was back together, I tightened the anti-chatter rods and put the cotter pins into play. Having the starter in position will allow me to finally put on the passenger side header.

 

Other Items Worth Sharing

First, I almost bought this Crosley-powered Model T roadster for $2,500 on Sunday.

It's one of the neatest survivors I've seen in a long time.

It's an amazing source of inspiration for my car, from the fit and finish to the detailing. I'll share more about it in my Friday Jalopy Journal column.

I also appreciated this A-V8 from @NealinCA's thread. It looks like it was scanned from Griffith Borgeson's Best Hot Rods. I'll have to unearth my copy to take a closer look.

 

I have a fun but busy week ahead of me preparing for out-of-town company and my birthday, so I don't think I'll have too many things to report. That said, I may be able to sneak down to the garage and turn some wrenches. And if I do, you know I'll share updates on here.

Thank you all for following along on this sometimes crazy ride. Day by day, we're getting closer to having a running car again!

 

Thank you for the kind words. Although I never got to know Gray, I always looked up to Pat. He's the best there ever was in our genre, and I'm lucky that I got to work with him at TRJ. I still remember one of the first times we spoke, he mentioned that he enjoyed my piece of writing I did about moving across the country. I had been reading his work since I was 10—so it really meant a lot.

How cool is that? Post some pictures if you have some!

 

Too kind my friend, too kind.

It may come as a surprise that this thread—all 154 pages of it—is actually just the prologue to the story of this car. I have some very big ideas cooking, but right now I'm just focusing on getting this thing on the road.

 

Today, I was able to order a whole lot of odds'n ends for the car, from hardware and electrical components to pieces to fix my swap meet horn. I was also able to check one small box between the hours of 11 and 11:25 p.m.

The good news is that the starter on this car was rebuilt at some point by Metroplex Rebuilders in Texas. The bad news is that the terminal post had been chewed up in a past life, and someone had placed this over the original threads. Well, after spending more than $20 on hardware that didn't fit, I was perplexed. I measured, counted, and measured again, only to realize that it was indeed 3/8-24.

Back in the backyard, I broke out the die again. I panicked for a second that it wasn't the right thread but, after a few rotations, I knew it was going to work just fine.

I don't know the last time this had a nut on it. (And don't worry, a brass nut is en route to the Terrace.) So, that concludes tonight's task. No update is too small!

 

Two questions for the group to close out the night:
Do you guys have a preferred rubber fuel line? This kinks pretty badly going to the fuel pump.

Also, I know it's been discussed here before, but do you have any good resources for fuel fittings?