Projects NOT THE TYPICAL '30 ROADSTER BUILD

I've been staring at these trunk panels sitting on the shelf long enough...The trunk area is almost done so maybe is time to start trying my skills at some of the upholstery



Picking up where I left off back in May 29, 2020...
...Starting to foam the panels and adding velcro to them. The idea is for the panels to be pressure fitted and hold them in place with velcro.



One more panel to foam and then I can start shaping and cutting the groves for the seams.

 

Got the trunk panels a little closer to get them covered.
Never done this before but I think it will work, based on the videos I watched. If you have experience and see anything wrong feel free to call it out. My feeling won't be hurt, I promise.
Plan is to do a top s***ch seam on the horizontal lines and french seams on the vertical ones.



Thus far, the fit is tight, as plan; hence, the straps to pull it off the velcro. Once I add the leather it will be very nice tight fit.
Use plastic zip lock bags, for lack of thicker clear plastic, to make a template to keep both sides symmetrical.
Plan to buy thicker plastic when time comes to make patterns to cut the leather.



Tomorrow I might do the underside panel for the trunk...

 

Looking good!! I love your attention to detail and your fearlessness to tackle tasks you've never done before.

Well done!!

Keep the updates coming as many of us are watching and enjoying your build thread.

Brian B

 

Thank you Brian! It means a lot coming from you. The work in roadster is amazing!
I don't know about fearlessness but as the saying goes, Stop being afraid of what could go wrong, and start being excited about what could go right. That's the motto that keeps me going.

 

That looks good! You reminded me that I need to spend a little time on the trunk in my roadster!

 

Got her going again Alternator is doing what alternators do
Time to connect the throttle and give it a few adjustments and hopefully give it a first ride.
Temperature seems to be good, fuel pressure is holding...happy dance!

 

I like your battery location! Wish I would have though that.

 

And now all the trunk panels are covered with foam and ready for finishing.
If all goes well, all the lines on the side panels and rear panel should match the underside of the trunk, fingers crossed.
I am going to run some test pieces of s**** leather to make sure my sewing lines are straight....better yet, my Pops will, since he decided he will help me doing the upholstery.

Between my bad back and his bad eyesight we should be able to come up with something good. He has more experience than me at sewing



But before I can move forward, I found another distressed leather line that caught my eye and making me second guess the idea of going with Relicate's saddle bag leather.

...Mainly price, Relicate is about $11.38/SQ FT + Shipping. This new leather, Cl***ico Distressed leather, is about $5/SQ FT and can pick it up locally. A big $$$ difference when I am planning on buying 5-6 hides.


This CLA-5624 peaked my interest and at $5/SQ FT I could feel my wallet smiling
It gives that "well worn baseball glove" look that I am after.


The darker brown and Oxblood are very nice too.
Biggest problem, I can't find a way to get samples to compare against the car to make a decision. Even the supplier can't get me samples, pictures don't do justice, and material is non-returnable.

 

Roll of the dices what is up with your fan? It looks kind of wonkity in the video? That battery location was great unfortunately that battery wouldn't hold a charge for very long and I had to convert to a conventional battery so I took that out.

 

Your roadster is as cool as a cool thing! It's a lovely car & a real credit to you.

 

I noticed that in the video too. I will take a closer look at it later this week.
I am leaning to believe that it has to do with the way I painted the tips of the fan blades and the way the sun was hitting yesterday.

 

Thank you! I appreciate the comment

 

If you want really low budget leather...look for a leather couch to harvest.

 

I have a leather couch, it lasted three years with kids and a dog just sitting on it. Now its all ripped up. I have seen 60 year old vintage leather car seats look better than my couch did at two years. Car upholstery leather has to be seriously thick or from a special breed or something different to handle the stress of a person moving up and down constantly with all the road undulations, even if just a little bit on foam or a lot on springs. I'd make sure that cheap stuff is durable enough and recommended for car upholstery and not intended for a side chair. Would not want to have to do it again in three years due to being worn out.

 

I'm in the middle of a very similar build and have been looking into leather for my Roadster. The products he is looking into are the same companies that I have researched.
This leather is suitable for automotive use at 1.1-1.3mm thickness, some of it has UV protection. I actually have access to a 20 year old Oxblood leather couch that I may use. So far, it has survived dogs and three grandchildren that treat it like a trampoline.

 

That's what I am using for my test and practice pieces. I found an old leather couch and cut away all the larger pieces for it.

Trying to get to lines as straight as possible and finding out how the leather folds and what takes for wrinkles to come out.

 

Totally agree. noticed Chinese leather is super thin and lasts about 1 or 2 years even when label "italian leather"
Both the Relicate and the Cl***ico Distressed that I am considering are 1.1-1.3mm thick, which I read is the right thickness for auto upholstery. Not too thick or too thin.
The biggest difference that I found between the two is that Relicate's is UV protected and the Cl***ico Distressed is not.
UV protection might be a deal breaker for the cheaper leather, living in sunny California and being a roadster it might be worth having the UV protection for long lasting effect.

 

I wonder if there are products that will help with the UV & still keep the budget?

 

I've seen a few online but most are temporary applications that needs to be re-applied. Most non-UV protected leathers are recommended to keep away from the sun or cover during peak times of sun exposure.

 

Got the engine fired up again and glad to report no issues with the fan, just the way the paint and lighting makes it look in the video.

Spent sometime putting the fuses in and checking that all the electrical is working.
After all, for a 1st time from-scratch electrical harness, everything is working well, thus far.
Gauges seem to be working well



Floor going in...keep getting closer to that 1st test drive


Steering column/Wheel, turn signals and tach are next on the list.

 

Looking good!! Sounds really throaty!! I love it!! Keep it going!! Enjoying the journey with you and thanks for sharing.

Brian

 

Is it just the angle or is your voltmeter reading 15+ volts? If it is that is too much unless your battery was almost dead.

 

Just a bad angle for the video. It is charging fine.

 

Mounted the steering column so I can finish connecting the turn signals and tach. Been waiting for so long to see this tach and signal switch mounted and working.
Looking forward to this weekend to hopefully see them finally working.




Plan is to have the "front signals" working as the left turn signal and "rear signals" as the right turn signals.



Sun Tach D1 was fully rebuild by Williamson's Instruments back in 2017. Yes, it has been patiently waiting in storage for 6 years to make it here.
I like the idea of he original light, it looks like pilot's oxygen mask. It will light up with the rest of the gauges.



Thinking of a way of attaching the wiring loom to the column...and making look good....Any ideas?

 

I s***ched up with this mickey mouse -because of the ears- looking strap to hold the wire looms in place. It attaches with velcro to the column and each of the looms run through the loops on the side.



I am using two of these straps, one in front, and one behind the column drop.

Today, I finished connecting/wiring the turn signals and tach and very glad to see them working as they should.
A huge thanks to RICH B! His diagram for the turn signals was spot on.

A couple shots in the dark to see how bright the gauge lights are...


The 5 gauges look good but the tach is so dim that it can barely be seen.
Ran out of time but will be looking at the possibility of brighter bulb for it.

 

All the electrical seems to be fully done. All I got left is connecting headlights and front running light.
I revisited the tach and got it to shine brighter.
There is a diffuser inside the light pod which blocks most of the light. The bottom opening is to clear the light bulb base and the top cut out at an angle is the opening for the light.




Not sure the purpose of it is but didn't wanted to remove it completely so I made one of hard thin clear plastic and the tach is now bright and visible in the dark.


Next on the list is connecting the steering, and throttle to gas pedal.

 

Got the pedal and throttle figured out...well, almost.
I am using Speedway's linkage rods and carb linkages but after playing with all the adjust these offer I am still not satisfied.




I think the pedal is too high, the main linkage rod needs to be longer, the ball pivot would be better farther forward and I need a return spring.
It should be an easy fix so hopefully tomorrow I will get it done.

 

Good progress! You'll get it figured out.

 

Figured out the return spring and proper length of the linkage rod. Looks and it feels better.
I might relocate the spring hold down later, and instead might add a bracket to the intake manifold.
For now, it works very good




The gas pedal now seats lower and at much better angle.



This frog mouths look good! Other than adding the temp gauges to the heads, the engine is done.



Installed the fuel tank itop n place and finally got to see air vent working. All the electrical is now completely done, tucked and secured underneath the tank. Dash filler piece mounted.
Dash is now done...now, I should have cleaned it before taking the the picture



The piping I made hugs the tank top nicely and it should keep it squeak free. Color of vinyl matches well.
Thinking if adding some of the same piping around he lower stanchions, instead of the back rubber seal....,maybe a bit thinner.



I had my first round (1st time) of Cortisone shots for my back, two days ago, and it seems to be working really good, thus far. I wouldn't had been able to install that fuel tank top and filler piece otherwise. That was a PITA to install...adding that '32 style dash and vent makes it difficult to access the hold down bolts, while pushing/pulling on the parts for the bolts to align, and all while bending like pretzel underneath it...So glad it is done!

 

Very nice work, car is beautiful. Might consider having a second spring for the carb return, just in case
Throttle Return Spring NOE 7321113 | Buy Online - NAPA Auto Parts (napaonline.com)