I'm digging the thread, even if I haven't posted. Good stuff! You've got great fabrication skills, very creative, doing things your way is cool.
Engine got installed, setup for engine break in. It ran like a champ. So cool to hear the new heart beat. Made an alternator bracket, seems to be working so far. I added a lot of adjustment to get the belt perfect. It’s actually part of the rear frame rails that I had cut off. I'm using a powergen alternator.
After break in I installed a Mcleod clutch. Trying to make a homemade fan shroud. Its not the prettiest, but does the trick. I added this old "bob's soda" bottle that was brewed locally in the 40s and 50s. I had found it one day out walking the dogs, kinda neat artifact. Slave cylinder mount made up. I boxed the arm in and used a heim joint. It looks closer to the exhaust than it is. Also the exhaust is wrapped now from the ram horns to crossmember.
I really like your thinking here and you did some real good. My favorite engine too... well next to a Banger and that is really more money for less HP I'm hanging on everything you are saying especially that you wanted a car to drive the wheels off. Keep it coming especially the ending...just saying Larry
A little closer view of the setup from today. I also kept the original canister type oil filter and got a replacement from one of the corvette web sites. I also tucked my plug wires under the manifolds and hid them away.
Great job @Fry...Your a great fabricator and we all get in our grooves and go...Sometimes I feel it's kind of like Discovery Channel around here...There's tons of stuff I miss and stumble into...Thanks for taking the time...Hey I post many fantastic historic pics and even if a few enjoy I feel my work has been done. We all bring something to the table... Its interesting that you are already out on the road with this breaking it in...but I was out today and it may be the last of the year as there is snow in the forecast...But you got a taste anyways...actually maybe a whole meal......so thanks for sharing your skills and look forward to the rest of the 9 Yards.
I was going to post that and forgot. I used a ac delco in-line PCV to manifold vaccum. Combined with the intake breather I think it should be sufficient for breathing. I really didn’t want breathers in the valve covers.
Fry keep posting man. Theres a lot of lookers on this site who most of the time don't leave comments, but their still looking!
I apologize these are out of order. I had modified the engine stand to fit the body. Going through the doors and attaching it to the seat frame and roll bar gave me the more access. This is the picture from test fitting the body and realizing the nice firewall recess was too small. Also I had toyed around with painting the firewall white for a contrast but later changed my mind on that. I had built a quick chain hoist to lift and lower the body safely. It was getting tough with all the extra weight and had some near misses doing it solo. This is finishing the floor underneath. This made it so easy. The failed headlight bucket firewall recess... Body sitting on the hokey looking rotisserie The mostly finished floor
A little body work. I had patch panels for the cowl that came with the body. They didn't fit well and weren't large enough to cover the rusted areas. Not knowing how to fix that I ordered full cowl panels made for a roadster. I cut at the upper bead and welded it there as there'd be less chance of warping and less welding needed. Turned out ok. Finishing the floor and coated in bedliner. I also finished the rear quarter patches. I don't have tools to make curves so I just used flat steel to repair the rusted areas of the wheel wells.
Not shown in the other pictures was the driver side rear patch that I screwed up early on. Had a blow through with the welder and really mess it up. So I ordered a taller brookville panel but the bead didn't match at all. I made up a little form from some plywood and hammered the bead to match. Before this it was roughly twice the width. Floor seam sealed and primed. Also started some body work. The plan here was to keep the body from rusting over winter has its been a battle cleaning it every year. One day I will like to tear it all apart, blast it (which no one does around here), have a pro fix up some of my mistakes and stuff I can't do. For now I just want to get it into presentable driver status and try to separate myself from the rat rod crowd, since it keeps getting called one...
CLIFFHANGER Don't worry we are following along with your progress. You do yourself a disservice doubting your skills everything looks pretty well done from here.
Thanks man, I appreciate that. I’m trying to not just show the glamour pictures, I also want to show the mistakes and progress before everything gets covered up.
I had some guys stop by, or I’d be selling stuff and have a guy see my car and say “now I know what that is..., that’s a RAT ROD!!”, and “sweet rat rod”, or the “man I love these rat rods”, etc. Too many people watching tv. I’m sure it’ll still get called one even in one colour.
This is an outstanding build thread, Fry. Infact, one of the better threads in a while. Your work is amazing and brings back so many memories from when I was building my A. I love the Model A frame horns and I couldn't agree more with their athstetics, they look great. This is an awesome build!!
And don't sweat the "rat rod" comments from the general public. Most of them think all old cars are rat rods
What was the specifics on your coil overs...make and spring rate? You might have said, but I don't think so. I also hate when people call my coupe a rat rod, but that's when you bore them to death with the difference.
I went with QA1 12” coilovers 721485 and 200lb springs. From my first mock-up to current I’ve had to crank them up over an 1” for the added weight. I just finished adjusting them to get the ride height figured out again and really haven’t driven it enough to advise it the spring rate is good, bad or other wise. I’m also thinking the coilovers in front of the axle may make things different as well, compared to normal behind axle configurations.
Thanks for the info, great build so far. I also know how hard it is to do with kids around and using up every spare 10 minutes you get here and there.
Hokey My Ass......you have employed a number of innovative ideas...and shared them...again great journey your taking us on here.
Once the body was mated I got a few more parts in and started on interior and wiring. The shifter is a hurst comp plus, I really like the looks of it, but its pretty tight to the leg. I made homemade brake and clutch pedal and I'm using a lokar throttle pedal with solid linkage with heim joints. The column is a speedway along with the wheel.
I'm using Classic instrument moal bomber gauges and fender amp jeweled indicator lights. I really wanted an all business look for the interior. I ordered this cheap sound deadener on amazon. It was thick enough to fill the pockets between the rails. It was crappy to work with and I wouldn't recommend it.. I also decided to install a line lock for fun before i finished the brake line installation.
I add these now as theres not much glamour here. Its an american autowire highway 15 kit, I enjoy wiring so it was pretty easy. The kit is great though. Probably one day figuring routing and stringing wires back and forth so they would be neat then a day to wire it all in. The boss telling me what to do... I made supports across the cowl at the top out of 1/8" round stock. and tied the harness to keep it up out of the way and hidden. Crappy picture, I'm using LED dome lights just tied to the harness to be discreet. I wasn't sure what to use on the outside wires so I wrapped them in this tesa rot proof tape. It hides the wires and gives in a nice look..
A few years back the wife bought me these never issued 1930 plates that came in the original packaging. I followed our local rules and got in registered and got the plates approved. I was pretty ecstatic that I am able to run them. Figuring out tail light mounting.. Eventually I went with tucked underneath. I think it looks ok. I didn't want tail lights and license plates in the lower panel so I hung them that way instead. Later on you'll see the finished product.
Good work, I like the idea if tucking the tail lights under the car... When I get that far along on my project I think I will do the same.
I think it looks cool that way. Around this time I was out of town going down the highway and came upon a 32 ford street rod. He had old taillights with regular incadensent bulbs and you could barely see him at dusk. For that reason I ordered LEDs. Combined with tucking them under the body I needed to be seen. These look stock when off, but pretty modern when on. It’s one of those trade offs. Plus I went with led signals for the headlights and an LED flasher made sense over resistors.
The Jalopy Journal
