This won't be a build thread to start with, because I've already done a lot. Kind of a catch up that might turn into a build thread. I am new to hot-rodding, but not new to messing with cars and building stuff. Got bit by this site, and wanted to try it out on the cheap, so I decided to try to build a speedster. Not a faithful reproduction, just something to bomb around in. I bought this old 28 Model A chassis and drug it home.
First thing was getting it running. Changed all of the fluids, pulled the plugs and freed up a couple of stuck valves, blew the dead roaches out of the distributor, that kind of thing. Piddled around with it a bit more and got it to fire and sputter along. Checked and found water in my new oil. Time for a new head gasket. I was real pleased with the look of the cylinders.
Great project, I hope all goes well and stays in budget. My comment to would be, probably the biggest improvement you can make to a Model A, especially something that is going to be light weight, is to upgrade your tranny. While you are in the mode that I see, if you consider my comment it would be a good time to really workout a better choice. Searches will show you a few things other guys have done from an old Volvo style 4 speed to newer 4 and 5 speed versions. Some can be made to match the torque tube while others will require a open drive shaft which ain't that hard as kits are available. It will just go so much better and you will enjoy driving it even more.
It ran better after that. Had a deep knock from down low, so I pulled the oil pan and used the tinfoil trick to adjust the bearing shims. Babbit looked good, but I was too greasy to take any pictures of that. Had to braze up some holes in the splash tray. Other than that, the internals looked clean. Endplay is in spec, too. I clamped an old Model T firewall on it to give me something to hold a temporary gas tank and the coil, stuck an old WWII surplus Jeep back seat on it and pooted around the yard. What fun. Sorry the picture is so bad, I like it like that, though. Gives an accurate impression.
Great start! If you had water in the oil look carefully for cracks running from the valve seats like this.Not unusual and can be fixed but it sucks to miss them.
Figured it was time for a better gas tank. The temporary one only held about a gallon, and was zip-tied onto that old firewall, and that was c-clamped to the frame. Jacklegged is the term for that down here in GA. I bought an auxiliary air tank from a pawn shop for $10. It had about 50 feet of good hose with it, so I figure I actually came out ahead. Welded a pipe neck in it to take a flip-lid cap from a Triumph Spitfire, hit Lowes up for some plumbing supplies, slapped together a wooden platform to hold it and a copper gas line, and called it a job. (Y'all aint going to start fussing about safety, are you?)
Don't worry, I worked out a way to hold that tank down. It'll show up in subsequent pictures. After some more spirited yard driving, it was time to do something about a body. My background is in wooden boatbuilding, so I stuck with what I know. I'm not much for plans and diagrams, so I just kind of mocked it up on the car. I used a method called strip planking. Those little planks have one concave and one convex edge, so you can lay them in a curved shape. I hope the pictures are self-explanatory.
Trimmed it up, added some laminated frames to (hopefully) keep it together, sanded it a bit (not trying to make a silk purse, here) painted it, and bolted it on. My grandmother and her siblings used to have an old cut-down they called the "Grey Ghost" back in the 30's, so I went with grey. You can see my floorboards in the body construction pictures. Made those out of 3/4" tongue and groove longleaf pine flooring scraps. The back wheels, water pump, headlights, and carburetor are from my father's old leftover stash from his Model A days. That's been one of the coolest things about this, using his old stuff. He would have liked this rig. The lights are on a modified stock Model A bracket, but nothing is wired yet except for an ignition toggle. I took 3 leaves out of the front spring, haven't messed with the back one yet. It's stiff as hell, I'll bet that Jeep seat feels right at home. The brakes give an illusion of stopping it, and the body is strictly for looks, because it doesn't block wind or mud or anything else. I can't wait to get it on the road.
That'll have to do, for now. My last picture is of the garage I keep it in. That "shade tree" in the title isn't just a cliche'. Every bit of this business has been done outside.
Man, you guys are fast. Here I was typing and uploading away, had no idea anybody had responded. Wasn't trying to be rude. The water in the oil didn't do any damage, only ran that way for a few minutes, but thank you for the heads up. I am a big fan of old Volvo stuff. One of my lingering projects is putting an old b18 and od transmission into a Spitfire, but I want to keep this project simple and cheap. If I upgrade anything, I'll do the brakes first. I'll try new pads and internals first, though. The mechanicals ought to stop fine, light as it is. Anyway, thank you all for the attention and comments.
I really like your body! I am dealing with a similar problem right now-An A speedster that I dont have a body for-and never thought of that.
I M O.... How about a shortened model A running board bracket on each side with a model A rumble seat step pad bolted to it to help getting in and out... '28-'29 are square... '30-'31 are round... H I H ...
It would look a little more "finished " and be more practical too if you built a little wooden pickup box on the back...have fun,be safe!
Time for a hood. Same construction method. The different shape of the radiator shell and body makes this a little trickier. Eyballed it again.
Are those garage door windows in the background of the photo, or reflective signs? They are windows. Oz
Thank you. This is an end view of the strips, showing the beads and coves that allow you to plank curved shapes without having gaps on the outside, or having to painstakingly bevel the edges. I tack the seams with superglue, then coat with epoxy. Capillary action draws the epoxy in, which effectively bonds the joint. The superglue/epoxy business is something my father came up with. It's not period correct technology. In the old days, each strip would have been individually glued and temporarily nailed or screwed to a form. It took longer, but the results were pretty similar. This is during the first coat of epoxy, so it's not soaking through yet.
All of this since I started the hood is in real time, all caught up on the past progress, so updates will be coming at a slower pace. I'm adding some framing at each end of the hood encourage it to hold it's shape, and to stiffen it up some.
The Jalopy Journal
