Roadster body from scratch

man i am really liking that. i want a roadster pickup but most are out of my range. i have been desgining one to build of of a left over duece and a half cab. it will be cut here and there. but i am liking yours the way you have done the front cowl helpped out alot. and love the recycled road sign. keep the pics coming i want to see the finished product.

 

Make sure and keep updating the pics, you've got a sweet ride there!

 

I think its cool you are building the body.

 

Thanks for the compliments. I've been busy working on the floor and I started cutting out pieces for the cowl. I was on a roll and then my welder ran out of gas an hour after the welding store closed.



The floor is coming along. Its nice to not be able to see the ground. The front of the transmission tunnel is made from 1/4" plate in case of a clutch a explosion, I don't want to walk around on stumps. I've learned a ton from doing this and I'll do it differently the next time.





These pictures show the car as a whole. I ordered rear tires from Coker, 7.00 17 Firestones, they should be here this week some time. I'm going to blast the wheels and then get the tires mounted and push it outside so I can take some profile pictures. Thanks for looking.

 

Looks llike a neat project.

 

looking good Alf! keep it up and post more pics with your progress

 

Like the others have said...Nice Work Alf! I'm enjoying your post.

 

Alf - c'mon man, aren't you gonna mold your own tires??? Jeeze, what a slacker.

Its really looking great man, you should be proud of the work you have so far. Keep it up! You have some serious talent dude.

Mike

 

Well I got my tires super quick from Coker and they are beautiful, but they are just too big. I didn't realize that this tread is really a truck tire, it is a six ply tire instead of the normal four, but it is the only 700 17 they stock in a black wall. After I looked at the tires for three or four days I decided to mount one and throw it on there to see what it looked like, it was the only true way to tell if they looked right. Well its really tough to say no and send them back, but for all of the money that they cost and all the work I've put into this car it's only fair to myself. My plan is to exchange them for 650 17's that are the common "pie crust" Firestones. As promised I have some pictures of the car out side my small shop. Take a look and let me know your input. Even though I think the tires are too big they still look pretty good, the car has a nice early lakes vibe and that's what I'm going for so it's working out.

 

I like the tall rubber...it seems to match the curve of the decklid and gives the car some stance. It looks neat from the side...kinda has a lakes look mixed with a sports car look. I like it.

Neal

 

keep on keepin on
good job!

 

Keep the larger rear tires.

 

The car sure has the "look" the stance is right on. Hang in the. your doing great.

 

I know I'm impressed. Looking GREAT!!!

 

Keep welding dude , it took me two years to finish the roadster posted in my album. Tubing and sheetmetal are your freinds. Your car looks great, like a old sports car barn find maybe, the wires and tall tires look right on. Remember...if you dont have a blueprint, you cant screw up!!!

 

Hey I gotta say that the tall rubber seems to suite the car as well. But if it's not the tread or look you were going for then....

Keep up the good work, it sure has come a long way.
..

 

Lookin' great. The out of the shop shots really help to see what you've been doing.
It looks fast. I personally like tall and skinny for tires. Keeps things looking early years.
Looks pretty comfortable in there too. Long drives, long drives....

 

Definatly gots more balls than I do to build that car from scratch and street signs! Good luck but it looks like you're on the down hill slide

 

Think the rear tires look great, even better than the front tires in my opinion!

 

Great work, keep us posted. I vote to keep the larger tires they look pretty good as high or higher than the body line. How long is your cowl and how tall are you, looks like you got the dimensions figured out.

 

Another vote to keep the rear tires. i think they look right. keep posting those updates. great to watch a hot rod built from scratch.

 

I just reread the entire thread. I am impressed!
I like the rear tires, maybe raise the rear of the car an inch or two.
Way to hang in there!

 

Thanks for all the compliments. I have decided to keep the tires and have since gotten the other one mounted, they look great. I havn't done much to the car lately, it's a love hate relationship, but hopfully I'll get back on it soon.

As for the question about cowl length, I'm pretty sure it's 16". I found a few drawings with measurments when I built this body, It's basically a mix between 27 T and 30 A. I'm 6'1" and the fit is a little on the tight side, but not bad considering how small this thing is. I tried my hardest to make the interior sitting space as large as possible, I had me seats apart three or four times pulling foam out to give me more room. I started building a jig to add some arch to the rear springs to rais it up an inch or so, then I think it will be perfect.

I have a couple pitures to hold you over untill I get more progress done.



I finally welded the cowl panels on, in the other pictures it's just clamped. I'm also adding a cowl vent. The body resembles a 27 T from this angle.

 

I guess there is always one a-hole in the bunch. I just found this thread and have been reading the entire thing. Man, that is some amazing stuff.....I think you have inspired more than a few folks out there. Godspeed with your project.

 

An excellent build and also excellent reports from you. The look, the stance, is perfect. You have every reason to be proud of your efforts.

 

I have seen alot of home made cars that look exactly that.. Home made.

Your car is bad ass and does not look like a home made car at all. Cant wait to see it finished!!!

 

Hey, your roadster looks really awesome , there is nothing I would do different. It just looks right. I came across the picture of it outside severeal month ago, and realy liked it, so when I saw it again I wondered if you finished it yet to see how it looks. So I found this thread, but hasn't been updated in a while.Hope to see some more.

 

Wow, I can't believe it's been over a year since I've updated this, i appologize to everyone that was following along. I want to thank everyone for the possitive comments this thread is insiration to me too. It's been a couple months since I've been on the site and many months since I've made any progress on the car. A lot has happened since the last update. I have since finished college and moved from Kansas back home to New Jersey. Over the summer I did manage to pick up a Fod 2.3 engine and mount it, I even had it running. I also did some work to the steering, but it has a lot of flex in it so it's not done yet. This car has been put on the back burner for a while, but I will update when I get back on it.

 

Here's a similar RPU I did from scratch. The lower edge got crunched in a trailer incident - must repair. All steel body with 'glass fenders.