*MrModelT and Powerwagonmaniac build a T speedster in 6 months!*

Here are a few I shot last night of Chris's progress on the Hood.

The edges on the hood sides and top were not quite perfect, so Chris spent about an hour hand filing then straight..





...and the finished product..



More to come!

 

Let's see nothing happened Thursday!!

No I ended up working most of the day and when Jim and I met we spent more time visiting and catching up then we did looking at the hood. Jim kinda told me I had some work to do before we can start riveting.

Right now I am laying the hinges out on where I need to drill the holes (1"from each end and a rivet @ 2"on center about 30 rivet per hinge for a total of 90 rivets) .Started that today, but ended up helping Melissa tear apart another pedal car and did some body work on it with a good friend of ours. So didn't get too much done.

Clayton's lady had some health problems last week so he decided to stay home today. We're going to get together tomorrow morning do some preliminary work for the rear on both cars then I have to go down south and pick up a couple of good starters a rebuilt Bendix assembly and custom built reversed eye T front spring to replace the hokey one we built from leftovers.

 

Chris, Any update on Clayton's Lady ? Hope this finds all is well with her.

How was your road trip the other nite ?

Dave

 

Julia is doing just fine, the temporary medication just hit her kinda hard. She is feeling much better today.

Thanks for the concern and best wishes Dave

 

Clayton, Great to hear that Julia is doing just fine. Might be a good time to hit her up with a bouqet of flowers . . . . Just was thinking . . . .

Dave

 

Awe Dave, I can tell you are a well seasoned/experienced husband with a big heart I am so glad to be feeling better, Clayton was kind enough to switch days going to the shop last weekend so that I could get some help with the kids while I was feeling under the weather. Was very appreciated

 

Julia, Thanks so much for the kind words. Bernice and I will be celebrating our 32nd Anniversary on 19 March. I was the rookie in this marriage. Bernice had been married twice before we took our vows. The first was a gambler and the second an alcoholic. As Bernice says they are both six foot under. Each of the first two marriages only lasted 12 1/2 years. If we made it past that we were good for the duration.

Hope to talk to you more on the HAMB.

Dave

 

*UPDATE*
A new spring has been "sprung"

It has been far to long since I posted an update here....so I thought I would chime in

Not a whole lot of progress was made, but Chris and I did make some. The front spring that we had made up from a few different parts spring packs found in the shop had always made Chris a little uneasy and just wasn't what it should have been, so he searched out a good original front spring pack.

After reversing the main leaf with the press, we mounted it up in the car and here is what he got...





The new spring does give the "Special" some added ride height up front which does give us some extra clearance under the pan and in a few more key places



The over all profile still looks great too

New:


Old:


More to come!
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Clayton and Chris, Now that is going to be one neat Speedster. Getting real close to some shiny stuff. Is the rear axle going to be different than the one in Clayton's Roadster ? I need to check around for simple mods for the "A" rear axle I have. It is an AR and has no emergency brake provision.

Dave

 

Hi Dave,

My axle set up will be just like Clayton's. When we start fabing his up will be doing one for the Special so we can just swap it out. Personally i didn't trust the front spring so i am glad I got it switched with a good stock one.

I got your PM, I don't have time during the day to look at stuff much so evenings are when I can.

I got a bunch of parts painted Sunday... Monocle windshield frame, front and rear license plate holders, spot light bracket, sprayed with gloss black machinery enamel. If I don't work tomorrow I will get some pictures when I mount the parts on the car. got the radiator all lined up better so the hood fits nicely now just have to trim the hood a little and some fine tuning...

 

Chris, Thanks so much for the update. Will be looking forward to your photo update as the shiny parts are installed on the Speedster. Going to be lookin' very very SWEET !

Dave

 

Dave here you go.....

A nice shiny spotlight bracket.

Monocle windsheild

front mount for license plate and I cut off the front valence which is next on the modifying block

tailight and license plate mount for rear

did a little brass polishing on the windshield mount..


Still working on the hood. When I remounted the radiator on springs it raised it a half inch higher then the shelf on the fire wall. I'll get that fixed soon but my lengths are within a 1/16th of an inch so I am happy there .

 

Chris, You shocked me with the valence panel. I was imaginging that you had a wreck . . . But, Not the case - you took it off. Looking forward to the mods you will be doing.

Dave

 

Well whatever you are doing you sound like you are doing it well! Congratulations on 32 years, that is wonderful, and something to be very proud of. I didn't do so great in my first marriage either, but I finally found my (as I like to put it as) "Unicorn" aka, mythical last amazing wonderful man that was left single on the planet. Couldn't be happier this time around.

Look foward to talking to you more too! Unfortunately I am just learning about all of this so I don't chime in too much yet, except for words of encouragement. (I can be a board cheerleader? ) I might not know much yet, but I know Chris and Clayton are enormously talented and it's been a honor for me to watch them power through these two projects.

Maybe I will get to make my own project car someday!

 

Julia, You have the right spirit for hanging around Clayton and Chris. I can fully imagine the car you would build. Going to be one hot roadster I bet !

Dave

 

Very cool

 

*UPDATE*
..A few more things crossed off the "to do" list..

Chris made some more healthy progress on the "Special" this weekend in the form of a new starter, the electric fuel pump hooked back up and that car started and running again:

The starter that we had in the car had failed some months back: the main shaft had cracked and broke just before the bendix drive. So Chris carefully welded the shaft back together and did a great job getting it straight and an arrow. Sadly it was off by only a few thousands of an inch and had begun to not sound quite right. He was very concerned about damaging something, so he hunted down a few extra starters and got it all switched in out....it makes a world of difference:



He also got the electric fuel pump hooked back up with a cut off switch:



...and a much needed spacer to the hood former to make everything true and perfect before the hood is completed:



More to come!
​

 

bump...

 

Great progress man. She's looking sweet.

 

Awe! I'm glad I make you that happy

..You will know plenty very soon...just keep watchin' and "cheering" and hopefully I will be able to get you out to the shop more.

..we'll get you started on something good and just your style!

 

Thanks BOP-Nut! We are making great progress...though I am more preoccupied with the rebuild on my '26 T now (to get it ready for Bonneville in August) that most of the recent progress has been all Chris's hard work.

It does have a great look, stance and feel....I'm satisfied

 

man, this is coming along nicely; glad to see it! in the time you've gotten this far, my projects have done little than gain an impressive amount of dust

 

Thanks! Chris and I are quite pleased at the progress we've made. I know that feeling though...have a project that is sitting like that collecting dust right now too, while I'm working away on this and my roadster.

 

Clayton and Julia, Sounds like you two are having fun. Wish you both all the best !

Dave and Bernice

 

Clayton, you have know idea about projects sitting and collecting dust!! Just look at the 1913 White, man almost 40 years since it came off the road!!! Next year I get to finish her up!!

Hey, I got it started and ran it around the building with out Clayton in the passenger seat and put it away again without a freakin' hiccup!!! Still need to raise the ass end up as it still hits the diff housing on bumps.

I got the hood tops finalized tonight. Tomorrow will get the hood sides done. After Mr. Jim gets back from Idaho next week, we will Cleeco the hood together and see how it works. Still need to figure out what we are going to do with that front valence....Clayton....Clayton....Clayton....

Thanks guys for the encouragement hope to get this thing in paint very soon!! I know dad is watching the progress from up above and grinnin'....

 

It's been a while since I said anything on this thread, but I wanted to pipe up and let you know I've been following your hard work. It really is looking great.

Can't wait to see it through to the end!

-Dave

 

Dave,
Nice to hear from you. I can't wait to see it done. I just put another couple of hours into it again.

Chris

 

Chris, Is that you and your lovely wife all decked out like a happy couple ready for a Sunday Cruise in their Merry Oldsmobile. Looks like a cool way to have fun.

Dave

 

Dave,

Those pictures are of my Mom and Dad in 1975 before they were married at LLoyd Center Car Show, which dad was chairmen for several years. The Car is his 1913 White G.A.F 30 that he just got that summer. The White cars was the Hot Rod of their day for production cars which could exceed 70 mph with no sweat.

After the "Special" is done I'll be finishing the restoration of our White which dad started in 1977.

 

*UPDATE*
More progress made...

Chris made some more good progress on the "Special". The hood is almost finished. He decided to use the ones he made as patterns and have a new hood made from the right gauge material to insure the best fit and feel:



He also got the lower valence for the radiator shell welded up and adjusted up a little higher:











More to come!
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