Hot Rods My Project....1938 Fiat Topolino.....Lil Beast...........

Marky boy, any updates? Haven't heard from you in a coon's age. I got a spot at the Adrian swap on the 17th, you comin?

 

don't know yet....things in cincy are main focus...just got back from there this weekend....might be going back down this weekend..i'll decide by the end of the week.....

had a good visit from Randy and Jocko couple weekends back...thinking i might have to kidnap Jocko and chain him up in my garage,,,think i could get the last of my body issues done then....

Randy, i still haven't gotten around to marrying the head lite to the shock mounts,,,that is still giving me a headache...

on a better note, i walked into one of the "good" part stores down home and picked up the self adjusting springs for my topo's old housing...had to order the 2 springs for the e brake upper bar..10 on a saturday...guy says can have them from the warehouse by 2..on a saturday...makes me miss home..got nothing like it here in monroe........

spent sunday afternoon cleaning the last few peices and installing the right side...now i have to pull the axels and finish painting and install the axel gaskets themselves..

 

Have you tried the NAPA over in Temperance? Starts? Good place.

 

Im going to try and make that swap meet, sold some stuff already on here, so the load has been lightened.

the head light mounts..MMmmmmm need to get back over there and have a look see.
sure we could come up with something.

That NAPA (the one Dan is talking about) is real close to me..next time yer over, Mark I'll show you where its at.

 

well i think i know of that NAPA....been by there before....but at the same time, i've been running to cincy enough that i know where to go to get the hard to find stuff...IOK where i picked up the last brake stuff, they stock everything..how many places stock the brake system from master all the way thru to the shoes..i mean everything...right on the shelf..for a 1948 CJ 2A???tonite i'm hopefull to pull some axels and paint a few last peices..if i don't run out of go juice, maybe even install the left side brakes...hey, i'm 54 now..all this running to cincy is really wearing me down...not to mention the work i been doing there...alone

on another note, i posted over at Hot Heads for a center dump manifold to throw on the drivers side..might clear the steering...temp setup to save on headers...guy sends me one, no shipping or cost...been buggin him as to what he wants for it, but..says he ain't out to make a bunch of cash off it...go figure.......

 

I keep on check'in but it has been really quiet here. Any updates Mark?

 

54 eh?..fuckin Kid
Topolino Kid that is.
Sup bro?..still makin the run down to OhiO?

 

You still around or in the Cincy jail?

 

naw, quite stayin there..beds are too hard

yeah still jumpin back and forth..will be well into springtime, i think

a few minor updates...new tach



new heater



and i picked up an unfinished teardrop camper...no pics yet, but it is built to a Lil Guy's trailer specs...this kinda was a suprise...but too good of a deal to pass on...

also bought a set of slots for the front, might be magnesium...coloring and reaction to polishing leads me to wonder...

been working on the column drop/tach mount...ordering longer studs for the front to hang the slots...

on another note, the quarter midget parts finally got here..thanks to Too Many Fords...here on the hamb...

the radiator mockup is at Radiator Works for them to put together a quote..they only make brass and copper rads, so i'm sure it will be a bit steeper in cost then an aluminum..we'll see...same mockup in aluminum is $400, so...

 

............not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse...........

merry christmas...........

 

Merry Christmas Mark. Hope Santa treats you really good this year.

 

Your Fiat is Killer -- I love it

Here is a picture of my '60 600

 

Thanks Bob..but the ole fat guy has kinda forgotten about me over the years...or as the wife says, i make christmas for myself when i can afford to hahha.....

thanks, that's a
very nice looking fiat ya got there...hopefully this new year will finally see Lil Beast making it to the road...longest and most diffilcult project i've taken on in my 54 years....warm weather here in michigan this weekend, so i'm hopeful to get things cranked back up in the garage....

 

Getting anywhere yet, Mark?

 

not as far as it'ld like to be Danny...hell i'm just now getting ready to head out for the first time today....way too much life stuff going on ....

i finally got the brakes together on BOTH SIDES of the olds housing...steering column drop/tach mount is is formed and just needs a bit more cosmetic work...the steering will be done once this is finished and instsalled,,

focus is on the rear body tail repairs and the marrying of the lower front floors and tiein them to the upper rear deck...

but i'm workin on it..........

 

Well i spent the weekend tweaking the rear end into place..will need a final pinion angle adjustment when the driveshaft is installed...now it can be figured and built...finished the last bit of triming the angles on the floor lower to upper frame work and got them welded in...this is a tricky area for tieing the stock wheel wells to the new lower floor to the upper rear flooring pan...it all comes together in this area...making me remember how small a topo is ....

tomorrow i'm cutting some 2 by 3 peices for the tail framing at work..i want something back there besides body tin ...also going to build in a receiver for towing the teardrop camper... then the lower tail metal work...hopefully it will go as well as the roof welding and fab work went..this making sections and metal working it all together is fairly new stuff for me...never thought i could butt weld and metal finish a roof into a car without a totally warping the hell out of it....but it's in there so............

 

friday i started tack welding in the dash center filler panel i made ,,no gauges in it yet....

today Justin came by and we swaped out the rear sifter located tail shaft for a forward shifter hole tail with mechanical speedo set-up..was easy swap with the second pair of hands , fighting the spring and ball bearing into place////.bolted in the short throw shifter and laid out where it needs to be bent a tad and going to strech it out a 1/2" longer....has a really tight throw to it...

i screwed up when i had Kirk weld in the motor trans mounts,,
the new tail shaft does not have the rotated mount like the one that was in it then...its out of plane the same as what the rotated bell housing is,,..so going to have to add a wedge pad to the cross member to sit the mount into........

but i'm workin on it...........

 

It was supposed to have a tight throw in it! That's how Vance made it for his car.

The reason it doesn't have the rotation is one was Camaro and one was S10 from what I recall. You'll have to just keep at it or bend stuff.

 

Dan, the short throw is cool as all hell..i wasn't complaining...it'll be an easy adjustment once i get some oxy for the torches...it works great!!!!!
no soup bowl stirnin here!!!love it!!!!!!damn thing just makes ya want to bang some gears....

the really cool part is it don't fall off when ya bump it now....

now i got to figure out how to get some pics,,my puter died, (with a ton of pics in it), and i'm using a girl from works daughters puter that i had to fix to be here today on the hamb....need to get all my paperwork in the mail tomorrow for Rudy....he says i still got time...

 

At least SOMEONE is sporting their Topo!

 

Actually, VRF, that was what I called and asked him. He said he thought I was mad at him. Must think the whole world is mad at him!!! See you boys at Monroe Swap on Sunday? Lunch at Michigan Bar afterwards?

 

I know he is having computer problems..cant post, but can read.
i plan on making it. lunch sounds good

 

I know he can't follow directions but didn't know he can't read. Oh wait...that isn't what you said.

 

shit disturber

when you going to be there?

 

Hope to get there around 9 (lots of babies on the farm so we have morning chores). MAY drag over Court's 41 Chevy to put in the sale corral, depending on the ambition level.

I do not disturb shit. I let it just lie there and smell funny.

 

slow poke, It will be over by than

 

Hold on to your butt......i'm back!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Now things can get back to normal around here.!!!! Welcome back Mark, now lets have some updates on Lil Beast.

 

not alot of updates to post, sorry to say....the cincy house has been consuming most of my time.....and cash...but i did this past week get the original driver's side exhaust manifold removed...talk about some old worn bolt heads..and then the way they go into the water jacket on the bottom 4...2nd from front of motor looks like it has been snapped off for eons...got a 1/4" of it above surface, figure it shouldn;t hopefully be too big of a pain to get out..weld a nut to it probably...

just too poor to get headers fabbed...but this will clear the steering so...still working of the last bit of the rear of the frame...need to shove the Beast outside and bring the tear drop camper around to check the receiver placement..looks like it should be able to tuck up out of site fairly well when not in use...lots going on today, but maybe i can get some pics up.....

 

Glad to hear your back at it, I know you been busy with the place in Cinci, hope that works out well for you too.

If you get a chance , drop on by. If you need an extra set of hands , call me.