Hot Rods The car I've been waiting for

Had a club meeting in the hideout the other night. A dozen gear heads at my place was pretty cool. Lots of ideas and input from experienced builders and friends.

 

Today

 

You guys need some young blood in there!

 

so now that you're building another model 40, does that mean the coupe is staying channeled?

I hope so, it has such a neat look channeled/ kicked rear with that chrome hood top would be awesome!

 

Like many older clubs throughout the United States the members are aging and the younger guys don't seem to be interested in the older cars & trucks, Tri-City Rod & Custom is coming up on 53 years in existence, we recently lost our last original founder.

We have tried to open the doors to younger guys but one 28 year old told me we are a bunch of cool guys but we are not active enough, granted we have slowed down, we were hosting shows when no one else was around to do so, today we are more of a social club. HRP

 

@RodStRace and @HOTRODPRIMER we face the reality every day. There are 2 guys younger than me in our club. We have several guys in their 80s, most of the rest in their 70s. . . . Then me and 2 in our 50s. I have reached out to younger guys including sons of members. . . . . Still waiting

 

@BigJoeArt yes, the 5 window will remain channeled but not as heavy as it is now, likely bottom of the frame only

 

The cowl has got to be one of the best looking, connecting the lines of the hood and doors, beautiful lines of their own.

 

Body shuffle so I can tackle rear suspension

 

BOP rear, huh? Those are strong 10 bolt units. Also, it's fun to look at the background in the pictures!

 

Thanks Steve, been collecting for some time and have no space. I believe that rear to be 80s GM Monte SS or similar. It has limited slip so that’s cool.

 

HARPS Helps!

 

@hfh messaged me about an old coupe that looked similar to mine. It's in NH.
I immediately thought hey this may be my car. . . . . This is eerily similar with aluminum slots, same color paint, channeled, etc. But it's a 34. Great inspiration
Thanks Howard

 

I cut the crossmember out, it was a little crooked and too far forward. 33-34 wheelbase is 112" not 109.5".
Brackets tacked on the rear need to be clocked up a little so the bars are more adjustable and pinion angle can be correct.

 

I think all this stuff will need to be hacked off

 

I did hack off the ladder bar brackets and the coil spring seats from the axle. The cross member was welded and welded again so I decided that most needs to be cut off. Still in measuring and planning stage but making forward progress.
Ross came over to 'help'

 

These kids, always staring at their phones, uh, these geezers, always got their nose in a book.
Having someone out in the shop with you is not a bad thing, even if they aren't getting as sweaty and dirty as you.

 

Ross found the stash of Playboys

 

He was reading the articles!

 

There are some seriously awesome active build threads goin on right now and this is no exception! Love it!

 

Well, after measuring a hundred times I welded the cross member in. Wheelbase will be correct now and crossmember has 6inches of ground clearance instead of 3inches. Oh, it's not crooked anymore either

 

Fabbed up a simple transmission mount using the ladder bar crossmember. Got the transmission down to the proper angle- measure a million times, make pieces from plate and C-channel. Bolted it together and tacked it in.

 

Never thought I'd be able to afford a grill part 2.
Rusty but solid. These are getting hard to find and when you do, they're going for insane money. I had to jump on this 34

 

Planning for cowl feet, sub rails, and floor so I can get the body mounted back
on this chassis. I found a home made passengers side cowl foot that almost fits in the clobbered yellow car. I made a driver's side one today at the shop- we have a big metal brake there
you can see that there was some trial and error but oh well

 

New trans mount looks good, and should give you some room for adjustment if needed in the future.

Please, please, PLEASE get rid of the carpet and cardboard underneath the frame. One stray spark, hidden underneath or between either one can slowly smolder and eventually turn into something far worse. DAMHIK.

 

The junkyard Cadillac 500 fired up with a little persuasion today! Cleaned the crispy distributor cap and terminals, wire wheeled the plugs, new brushes and solenoid on the starter, a little fuel and
BOOM!

 

Those 500s are amazing torque monsters!