Last Hemi Model A Coupe update for now....Made it to the Lonestar Roundup!

Really nice work . . . on the whole dang car! It's nice to see another guy going down the custom header path. I'm finishing up a blown 392 with Donovan 417 D-Port heads for my 34 coupe -- am planning on making my headers as well (don't really have much choice). I'd love to chat with you about your project, learn what you learned the hard way -- get some pointers. I've always found that I'd do things different the 2nd time around - maybe I can benefit from your experiences. Also, I'll share everything I can with the HAMB . . . we're all in these projects together!

Drop me a PM if you have a chance.

 

Looks like we have another "gas welder" in our midst
As usual, nice work that you are posting for others to see and follow suit!!!
Skot

 

Brian,
You did a great job on the headers.

 

Did your purtified wheels show up today?

Could you use an understudy?

 

I wanna see a grudge match at the HAMb drags between BASS and ROLF
Hemi vs Nailhead,how cool would that be!!?

 

nice work! looks great! what shocks are you running?

 

The radius rods on my 39 are bolted to the bottom of my frame. Not like yours, I know. Not a good idea. I spent most of the day yesterday repairing the broken frame.

 

Bring it on!

I'll spot him the extra 70 or so cubic inches.

I just got my new kevlar McLeod clutch and 31 spline Moser axles in the mail today...should be able to drop the hammer at 5 grand or so off the line and see if the ladder bars hold.

peanut...they are Delco Lovejoy (Gm) lever shocks.

 

Wow!! great looking headers man!!!

First time too...damn, nice job so far....looks like you have come to the area that is "Most Fun",hahaha good luck, I'm sure it'll be cherry!

Wish I could go to Texas and see it up close....

Take care,
HRD

 

The headers are really nice, but man, I'm blown away by those motor mounts! I'm gonna have to re-think mine.

 

you do nice work.

39

 

Here is a couple of pics I took with Bass in action on his headers, along with a few others pics of the build up. Watching the build of this car on a daily basis has been awesome.

 

It seams everywhere I go I here your name pop up in others conversations. Ralph and Rob were talking about you earlier in the week. Stephen over at Suffer City brought you up in a conversation with a customer when was down there on Saturday. Hell, you've just about hit a celebrity status around Dallas. I've seen you around, but never talked with you. Great fuckin' work man. If you're putting in 14 hours a day in the shop and coming up with the quality of work that you do, just imagine what 30 hours a day will get ya!
Seriously. Great job.

 

Bass, Very nice work! Clean. Like it should be. If ya don't make the Round Up there always is the HOTROD-A-RAMA. You've been. You know. Hope ya can make it someday.n Those motor mounts are a work of art in my opinion. Keep it up.

 

Thanks Dale...I really would like to bring the car up there this year...I just might do it. The ol' lady definitely wants to go back this year (most of her family lives in Seattle). The A should be painted and upholstered by then also.


I rolled it outside and took some pics yesterday to show how the headers look in relation to the rest of the car (well, sans body). I kind of like the Halibrands and slicks on the back.



I also found a date stamped on the upper firewall as I was prepping it to fill the unneeded holes and notching the flange for distributor clearance. I was unaware that Ford stamped a build date on the car...do all '29s have this?



Looks like my body was stamped on August 3, 1929....or at least the gas tank/firewall was.

 

Have you finished the brake ducts yet,
I want to see the brake ducts.

Show us the brake ducts.
please.

 

Not yet unfortunately...I worked on the steering today. I can now turn the steering wheel and both wheels turn. Yay!!

Bob cut the ball off of my pitman arm (btw, thanks for the arm phat rat!) and drilled and reamed it for a normal tie rod end. I also bent the steering arms down today so the tie rod clears the bottom of the wishbones now. I was going to run the tie rod on top of the wishbones, but I was worried about drag link clearance. The way it is now looks like it'll work.

Brake scoops will be done shortly I hope.

 

Bass...this car is already incredible!!

 

Ditto!! What size wheel and tire combo are you running? I really dig the overall stance and apperance of this car. I am really looking forward to this one being complete. The headers look killer too.... - Dustin

 

Thanks!

The wheels currently on it are 16x13 Halibrands with 13.00x16 Goodyear slicks, and 15x6 Americans on 5.60-15 Cokers. I really like the Halibrands, but the Americans are destined for another project, and I need to find a pair of front runners that match the magnesium Hal's better.

For the drags this year..the rear Halibrands will get new 12.00-16 M&H Racemasters, and the front will get either matching 15" or 16" Halibrands with blackwall bias-plys, or 18" American 12 spoke spindle mounts with Avons.

The wheels and tires that will be on the car most of the time are 4.50/4.75-16 Firestones on 16x4.5 wheels on the front, and 7.50-16 Firestones on 16x5 wheels on the rear. Here's an earlier chassis pic with these wheels and tires:

 

bass! you keep out doing yerself. you make it look as if you have done this a time or two! i'll keep my eyes and ears open at the round-up!

 

wholly mole!

 

Very awesome fantastic craftsmanship.

 

A wise man once told me: "Chrome don't getcha home, brother....but it will get you laid."

I was out of town almost all last week, so not a whole lot of progress has been made since my last update...but much to my surprise, my friend the 'Mexican chrome fairy' visited while I was away.

It seems that when most people think of chrome wheels and blackwalls, they instantly focus on early sixties style cars and "American Graffiti." However, if you look at the Don Montgomery books, you'll see that there were actually a good number of cars that ran chrome 16" early ford disc wheels in the late '40s and early '50s. I like the look, and since I'm trying to build my car as if it could have been built in the mid 50's, I thought chroming the 16 inchers might work.



The fronts are '42-48 Ford 16x4.5" with 4.50/4.75-16 Firestones, the rears are early '50s Ford pickup 16x5" with 7.50-16 Firestones.



I'm going to be running open faced chrome lugnuts, and I plan on painting the rear axle flanges and the front hubs kind of a magnesium/ charcoal color. I might run chrome dust caps.



I also got the steering all hooked up and working. I took a Speedway steering arm, bent it downward slightly, and plated the top as well as drilled it out. The pitman arm for the dump truck box had a massive ball end on it for the captive ball style tie-rod, and I had Bob Wilson cut it off and machine it for a regular Ford tie-rod end...after I bent it outward and down to clear the wishbone. I can turn the wheel with one finger with the car sitting stationary as of right now, so I think the steering effort will still be minimal after the body and everything else is all together.

I also heated and bent the spindle arms downward to clear the wishbones. The tie rod and drag link will get stock Ford clamps around the tie-rod ends.



I also got started on the pedal assembly. One of the advantages of using the '40 crossmember is that I can use the original '40 pedals and m/c mount. I mounted that up and made a plate to adapt a '67 Mustang dual m/c and a Wilwood style clutch master. I'll just need to add an arm to the bottom of the clutch lever, and make sure the linkage is giving the brake and clutch masters the proper throw.



This will be the last 'chassis update'. Tomorrow I'm pulling the motor to take it to the machinist, and I'll be starting on mounting the body as soon as the brake and fuel lines are run.

Thanks for looking...and remember, "Chrome don't getcha home..."



-Brian

 

Looking good!!!!!!


Mike

 

With some chrome baby moons... you'll rule the WORLD!

Reminds me of the CRA roadster of the 50's...

BTW, who did the chrome work? They got in between the triangles good! I've been looking for someone who can actually do that, most guys say they can't...
Sam.

 

whooo hoooo you're gettin laid, but you gotta change your signature

 

Great work as always, BRIAN.. can't wait to see this thing in person. Keep the updates coming!

 

You cannot park there, I can keep it!

 

did Pulidos do those??