Hi This is my first message. I'm at the beginning-of-the-end of an 11 year effort to construct a 50s style track roadster. Since there's lots to describe on any rod, I'll try not to go on and on. It's all metal 29 on 32 rails, blueprinted D500 Dodge Hemi, Hilborns (hidden efi); Vertex Mag (distributor); manual*******; tube axle; torsion bars (ft parallel, hidden in frame rails)+ transverse rear bars; small window, Culver City, Halibrand 16in wheels and a vintage Halibrand V8 QC; a hand-formed nose/grill based on the Boyle's Special Masaerati in which Wilbur Shaw won Indy in 39 and 40; Mopar center plane drum brakes; custom-made alum ft drums (circumferential fins-similar to the Shaw Car). There will be no chrome on the car. I scanned the instrument face of a late 20s Dodge Bros 7in speedo, then used the fonts and needle shapes to design a matching set of gauges faces; which I had printed on refurbished gauges. I also cloned the Dodge Bros "eagle" for use as a logo on the gauge faces. The 7in DB speedo is now a BIG tach. Why the Ford-Dodge********ization? Did you know that until the early 20s except for the wheels and a few odds and ends, all Fords were built by the John and Horace Dodge; who, at that time, owned 25% of FoMoCo? A great deal of effort has been spent trying to construct a robust rod that will be reliable for extened cross country rides...so as to avoid problems with cold morning starts, overheating, brake fade and so forth. Before too long I hope to grab the TR by the scruff of the neck and drive the hell out of her... charlie little
Welcome, Charlie ! You must have a sprint car background like me. I'm working on a similar project....track roadster/modified with nose, T-bars, etc.
JohnnyFast Unlike you, I cannot lay claim to real sprint car experience no such luck for me. I have, however, always admired the between-the-World-Wars sprint cars. My favorite cars are the Miller Indy cars, especially the FWD 91s. If I was worth a billion dollars . When I decided to do a track roadster I wanted a clean elegant front suspension like the RWD Miller More or less by accident I stumbled across a TR with just such a suspension. The designer/builder, Greg Peek, has become a good friend. If you would like to see Gregs TR go to: www.atrackroadster.com/ My car is an adaptation of Gregs design, which by the way has been stolen by other rod builders. If you send me a regular email address I will send along a photo of the nose/grill. The image I posted is my rendering of the car from photos I merged in PhotoShop. Everything is real except for the exhaust pipes, which I drew just to be complete. The craftsman who is fabricating the body and chassis is Jack Presse and old hand at this kind of work. Can you identify why the 29 Ford sheet metal looks so sleek in profile? Cheers charlie
It looks like your body has a wedge-shaped section removed. Here's the preliminary CAD side view of my project. I'm keeping the rake effect by having the bellypan level and a 2 1/2 degree rake to the tubular birdcage frame and everything else.
The Jalopy Journal
