Those tires look comically huge lol. have you tried ripping your windshield out? Seems it would work better than opening the doors?
Hey Randy! I'm living in Mineral Wells & working in Weatherford. This car lives at my shop in Wford right now, along with my AA. Stop by if you're in town!
Lol they really do. Looks like monster truck tires but they are stock size on my 2011. The windshield keeps my hat from blowing off...
Blew the head gasket but Autozone had a Best composite gasket in stock so we're back in business. Way back when I first did it, I don't believe I ever re torqued it and several head nuts were loose. Woops!
At least it's not a big "woops" just a learning experience. Awesome that you were able to get at it and get it back on the road. I love seeing young men like yourself getting your hands dirty and keeping this hobby going!
I retorqued it today after a couple heat cycles and got like a quarter to half a turn on all of them before the torque wrench clicked. It definitely matters! Shitty weather was no deterrent to hot rodding.
Mildly disastrous shakedown run but we survived. We had to order a hose for a modern Volkswagen, which was only available at the VW dealer nearby. This is about a 10 mile highway run so I figured it would be a great opportunity to verify the head gasket took. I made the common Model A rookie error of forgetting to put the timing pin back in and about halfway there I suddenly had a windshield covered in oil. As I pulled over to a local 1950s diner to evaluate my options (how traditional!) I suddenly had the left rear brake lock up. Skidded to a dramatic stop and had to make some roadside repairs. Plugged the hole with a stick and moved on to the brake. We could not get the car to roll for shit. The service brake was hung up and won't retract, but I was able to dial the adjuster all the way back to get it freed up. It still doesn't work but I was able to complete the trip at highway speeds. Unfortunately while at the dealership, this happened! My boss slipped trying to get in the car and grabbed the windshield in a panic. We'll get that taken care of, but I'll probably need to beg @BigJoeArt for a new club plaque... Anyway, the head gasket took.
I said it before, your boss is a gem. Letting you work on and store your projects at the shop. Gotta take the windshield in stride. I'll bet they were a help on the side of the road, too. I've had a fair share of good and bad. This stuff may not gain sainthood, but it is a net positive.
Loving the T -RPU and the coupe build...But driving em is the best GET OFF YOUR OLD ASS and get driving motivation i get!!! Now back to work for those 8 of us still working fulltime...(Saw that somewhere on here)...LOL good job trevor...
Figured out why the brake locked on the way to Hudson Oaks. E-brake carrier exploded. Yikes. It's blown out enough that it contacts the drum even with the e brake shoes removed. Very very lucky we made it back to the shop. Before I pulled the drum off I used it to run to Autozone and back across the street. I figured since we completed the earlier trip without issue I'd be OK and could mess with it later. It locked on me at about 20 mph and spun me out. Imagine that happening at 60...
Nice! Be sure to grab a few 2x4s and check which way they are most comfortable. I like them a bit higher in front to support my butt, keep me from sliding forward and lean back a bit.
I think they are gonna need a riser as well as a tilt back. Might get some under seat storage out of the deal.
Thanks! I almost missed your previous post. This is Ultra Shield's rawhide buckskin (medium brown). I was going to get them in red but the red doesn't have a leather texture and I felt the bright red, 50s diner seat look didn't suit the car. They are really nicely put together and weigh literally nothing. The two of them with the upholstered inserts weigh less than the bare bench spring frames I had in the car. Probably added 50 horsepower right there!!!
I’ve had a couple of handbrake carriers crack and tip the shoe into the drum. Had the hub puller with me the first time. Reversed home the second time…
Here's those solid mounted. Can't really see the brackets which is good. They had to be "toed" slightly inward to fit but that's fine - it's very comfortable.
I have known for a little while I was going to have to replace the wheel studs on this thing, but I was hoping with care I could prolong them. Last time I put the rear driver wheel back on, one lug nut wouldn't tighten fully, and something just felt a little funny with the others but it seemed OK. While pulling in to the shop a couple days ago I noticed the tell tale rattle of a lug nut trapped in the hub on a tumble dry cycle. Only two nuts are still tight; the one that wouldn't tighten up is off, and two others free spin with finger pressure. I figured I would just swap the drums with some from my stash but realized I only have a bunch of front drums. However, I do have plenty of backing plates... like 12 sets? Anyway, looks like I need at least a 25 ton press and some kind of special swaging tool to remove & replace the wheel studs on these. Ugh! I just want to cruise with my new seats hahaha
Ya gotta use a cutter that's sorta like a hole saw to cut the swage off the stud, then press it out, otherwise you will destroy the drum. Dave
IMHO I'd search for another drum. I tried to find a shop to swedge in some new studs on my 'banger roadster and nobody would touch it. I called semi-truck repair shops, machine shops, etc. Maybe you'll have better luck than I did!
The Jalopy Journal
