Nice one Kelv, I should be OK if things look like they're going pear shaped I'll be on the phone straight away
Here's another couple of updates from Pete... "Nathans coupe certainly does look nice, and quite happy with the way it's turned out. Now all he has to do is the final bits and drive the fuck out of it. Pete" <!-- google_ad_section_end -->
and here's the latest as of monday Caught napping?! For the last couple of weeks both myself and Pete have ben putting the hours in after work, weekends and the whole of this bank holiday (the girlfriend's stopped talking to me ) Front and rear brake lines are now run and clipped in (still have the flexi to go in and bleed). The wiring is almost there, rear lights/flashers work lovely and for some reason the rad fan comes on when you put the right hand indicator on luckily Pete sorted the spaghetti out! Hopefully all the visible wires are now sleeved in black cotton overbraid from Synders. Oil lines are all plumbed and hopefully all leak proof. Fuel lines have been run in a mixture of 8mm copper and rubber fuel hose. We're running the electric fuel pump and filters on the inside of the bulkhead to keep the underside of the car and the enginebay tidy. Radiator is all plumbed in and at the moment it appears as we only have a small leak where the temp probe is routed through the top hose, so with any luck a little silicon sealant. We've mounted a tiny gel battery under the seat to help keep the boot space free and to keep things neat aswell. A little more fettling was required when we found that my fat ass bouncing on the springs meant there wasn't as much clearance as we hoped, so we just cut a dirty great hole in the wooden floor! Talking of seats here's a sneaky peek at the one I'm using. It's been covered by a friend of mine that swore blind he'd never touch another Mexican blanket! Don't whatever you do cut one, they just start to fall apart . Well the seat will make do until the winter when if all goes well a leather replacement in a more traditional shape will be the order of the day. Did I forget to mention that she runs!!! The French motor from Jim sounds really strong, just waiting on a dizzy from Bubba in the US and then the motor can be timed. Oil pressure is good. Still a lot more things to finish up, all the tiny annoying jobs that require the patience of a saint and the left hand of Jeremy Beadle. couple of vids to follow <!-- google_ad_section_end -->
here's a video of the motor running, timing not yet set fully as I'm awaiting a dizzy from Bubba, the one on the French motor is vacuum advance only. Carbs also need balancing and jetting http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SKF5h1ijtE
Congrats on getting it running.Great work,looks the dogs bollocks! Looking forward to seeing it in the flesh.
PLEASE think twice about having any fuel parts (pump etc) inside the car. (Did I read that right?) Its way to close to the electrical connectors under the dash and possible fume issues. I love the look of this build and the Orange car in the other thread. Craftsmanship is insane.
0ne of the best threads on the h.a.m.b always look forward to some pictures,and a story......great job Brian
I know what you are saying... but what about guys using stock Model A gas tanks or even worse stock Model As
I understand what you're saying about the gas and electrics, but all the conections are double insulated and the gas tank is fully sealed. The motor is just a temp one at the moment untill the hopped up one is ready. It's a standard french 4" crank flatty running Merc heads and thickston intake with twin 97's. There's lots of differing views on running the original A gas tank. My personal view is as long as it's in good condition and has regular checks for cracks it should be good to use. In reallity these cars are not as safe to drive as the modern stuff, so I guess we have to take educated chances but understand the risks and drive/act accordingly. This is only my view and we, both the owner and myself look at all possibilities before we decide on which route we take. Pete
Thanks guys, it's great to know you're enjoying the build up as much as me. Shouldn't be too long and I should be posting pics of it tearing up the tarmac. With any luck it's first outing will be the Nostalgia Nationals here in the UK, 12 months after the car was first seen at the same event.
Today's the day. Myself and Pete bled the brakes last night and left them under a little pressure overnight to help squeeze any air left in there out. Have to wire up the headlights, fit floor around the column and pedals, throttle linkage to install etc. At the moment a few things are going to have to "make do and mend", as I'm still waiting on a light switch and ignition switch too. We're going to run the old windscreen with perspex temporarily until Pete gets time to cut the new one down and fit the hinge srcews to the pillars. Anyhow wish us luck!
***********News Flash************ The Coupe hit the road today! It's mean, it's nasty (admittedly a little rattly ) but bloody hell it's incredible. After a fair few hours finishing the wiring, tightening a few things, fitting the floor,seat, greasing and filling with fluids, we drove the coupe out into the early evening light. I was anxious as anything when I fired the engine up and put her into gear, expecting a jerky clutch, notchy steering, poor brakes and a lumpy running engine.......how wrong could I be! It really is a testament to the quality and attention to detail of Pete's work. Gearbox is smooth like the Fonz's chat up lines, the steering is surprisingly good (little free play but it's a 50 year old F1 box running on crossplies). Suspension is great and soaks up the Gloucestershire potholes easily. Engine , considering nothing is set up and the dizzy is fixed with 15 degrees advance (vacuum only advance dizzy (not hooked up)at the moment until the one from Bubba turns up), it's strong smooth and has some get up and go. Pete told me to keep the revs down to about 2000 and take her steady and short shift. I hesitently took her out for the first time , slowly slowly catchy monkey. After a change of drivers Pete gives it a try out.... I followed in his Rover powered F1 pickup and even with my foot flat on the floor my car was disappearing over the hill There are still a lot of things to tidy up, but for now I'm going drive it, enjoy it and smile my ass off all the way. None of this would have been possible without Pete who has done an amazing job on this car, stamped his mark on it and woked tirelessly to make it what it is. Thank you Pete, you're a true mate. <!-- google_ad_section_end -->
<!-- google_ad_section_start -->http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erDY95zzIas http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEwRIedAAwY Videos taken today. First time the car's moved under it's own steam for a year. Extremely annoying ticking noise from the fan belt, have a replacement one coming from Miles. Playing the first video back makes me realise what an absolute penis I sound and look like Second video, try to ignore the belt ticking and listen to that Quick Change whine, music to my ears. <!-- google_ad_section_end -->
Thanks Mark, I'm still buzzing now, it's the greatest feeling ever. Your roadster pickup is going to be a real head turner Mark, keep at it mate and keep us updated
The Jalopy Journal
