Projects Project Mattitude: the Beginning

Glad to see ya back at it as well. I was watching this in the begining but lost it after awhile.

 

Good to see man. & that reminds me I need to get tanks for my new torch @TexasSpeed

 

Sorry about not updating this thread as much as I could be.. I've just been keeping my head down and working. It's nice to finally be completely and totally focused on this project again since last summer. It had been 10 months since I worked on this thing.



Today, I sat down at work and made a cardboard poster with a list of what needed to be done so I could mark it off as I went as well as remind me that there are tasks at hand other than the ones that I'm focused on. The list wasn't short by any means, but it wasn't as long as I expected. Of course, I'm sure I'll think of new things to add as I go, but in the mean time, things will be getting crossed off.

Soon, the frame will be getting sandblasted then I can box it and get to work on making the engine mounts, finish welding the frame, then the rest of it is smaller things like shock mounts and panhard bar mounts. The steering linkage is almost done too. I'm using a left over tie rod and drag link from a couple of the complete early Ford front suspension set-ups I parted out years ago. I've been kind of stuck with making the pitman linkage and splicing the Packard shaft onto the Ford shaft. A shout-out to Flat-Top Bob for hooking me up with the splined Packard steering shaft for my steering wheel. I'm really going to enjoy glancing at that wheel. A lathe would make quick work of these, but I don't have access to one, and the chuck in my drill is too small to serve as a makeshift lathe. No worries, I'll figure out a way..

I did heat and bend the steering hoop so that the tie rod clears everything lock-to-lock. I'll have to notch the bottom of the frame so the spring doesn't bang against it, but I'll add one more leaf and see what kind of improvement it has. The pitman arm clears the bone but only because the spring prevents the arm from hitting. I suppose a notch was inevitable with flattening the crossmember. Right now, the bottom of the frame rail at the front of the cowl is 7.5" off the ground. It looks great and I would love to keep it down there, but if it compromises drivability too much, then I suppose it could come up a little.

.. Just a little.

I've been working on the headlight bar too. I started with a 1931 Chevy bar, but I made a rookie mistake and didn't mock it up with the Guide 682-Cs (thanks Joe!), so I'm kind of winging this one at this point but it's coming along just fine now.






I also have a couple other things going on that has been contributing greatly to this build. I don't want to jinx anything, but it looks like this thing might be on the road sooner than later. It depends on how badly I want it, but some people have really been coming through for me. I have some of the best friends ever.. Every time I work on this thing, at the end of the night, I sit down somewhere in the garage and stare at this thing thinking "I'm actually going to be driving this thing?"

Kind of surreal, remembering I started with just a body and sat around day-dreaming of it just a couple years ago. So much has changed since then in my personal life, but nothing's affected my passion for cars in general.

Viva la hot rods..

 

Glad to see this coming together again! Looks great!!!

 

So glad to see this build happening again!

 

Looking great Matt!


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It's been a while,I'm glad to see this hot rod back on the front burner. HRP

 

Ditto

 

Hey man lookin GREAT!

 

Slow and sure will get you there,with fewer mistakes too.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

Get on it man, lookin' good!

 

Thanks, everyone.. The boxing plates came in from Wolfe today. So I'm disassembling the roadster right now so I can send the frame off to get blasted.

.. Baby steps, right?




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Are you sure you're going to be able to fit inside that car...?

 

The doors and the quarters may bow out a little, but yup..


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Miss seeing progress!! Can't wait for that day I see you roll up to the roundup!

 

LSRU 2015, come hell or high water..


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Great progress, Matt --- keep it going!

Malcolm

 

Fridge in the garage and everything! Fill it full of red bull and by the time it's empty you'll have a finished roadster!... Or a diabetic condition... I'm pulling for the roadster option though haha


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Or both!...

Keep at it Matt!

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good to see the progress, subscribed

 

Things are looking good man! Keep up the work. It's going to be an awesome little roadster when you get it done.

hahah this was the first thought I had when I read the above…

 

Looking good Matt. Any updates?

 

X2 Matt, dont set a deadline, take your time, ect. but at the same time...GO MAN GO!! Seriously, looking good kid! just work methodically, keep putting one foot in front of the other, and it'll be done quicker than you think.

 

In between everything that's going on outside of cars, I've been slowly boxing the frame. I'm taking my time with this stage to avoid warping the frame. (Okay.. maybe I've been procrastinating a little). At some point this week, I should be flipping the frame over to weld up the bottom side. I also scored some old Hedman headers for the 283 from a local HAMBer. Other than that.. Just work, work, work. There's no deadline in sight, but as long as progress is made, then that's good.

 

Glad to see you picked up the torch once more it's looking good.

 

Looks good nice to see you back on it.

 

Those Hedmans are awesome, seems like I've seen those for sale before.

 

Those headers are a great compliment to the Man-a-fre. Looking good Matt!


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What intake is that exactly? I love it! looks awesome!

 

Thanks! They were on that auction site. When I saw it, I sent him a message asking if he would consider a lower price. He told me to get back to him after the auction ended if there weren't any bids. I ended up getting them for less than the opening bid.

They have great patina but there's rust inside the headers and some surface rust so I've been leaning towards coating them white. I need to see if that's something they would have done in 1959.. That seems like more of a '60's thing.

Thanks! I'm stoked I got a set. Seems like every time I found a set, it was right after someone got to them before I did.

And it's a Weiand WC4D.

Weiand WC4D. I love the look of staggered 4x2 set-ups. It took me a while before I found this one.




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