Thread: American Graffiti Coupe, My Version

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Being from Illinois, I have seen your '32, graffitifreak. Nice car!

Hey Rumrumm, Where did you see the car?

I think it was at the GoodGuys show in Des Moines.

No, wasn't me. There are a few tribute cars and clones around but I haven't taken the car out of Illinois yet. I've been at a lot of local shows. I will venture a bit further with it next year I'm sure. Look forward to seeing yours as well. Car looks great!

Heck yeah, that is a sweet car Sir.

Thanks Guys!

Graffitifreak, I sure like your car. When did you purchase it from Timeless? How much did you have them do? Did you finish it yourself? Do you have pictures of the build as you went along? I know I'm asking a lot of questions, but it great to have someone who built the same car I'm building. I'm not a fabricator, but I can build things when I see how it's done, so I'm sure I will have a lot more questions for you.

I ordered it at the end of 2011. I took delivery in Sept. of 2012. Like you, I ordered a roller. Because they took so long to deliver, they ended up painting the car for me. I have my issues with them but the product I got was very nice. I did finish it my self. I have some pictures posted in my gallery on here of the build. I am not a fabricator either but have been in the auto parts business for some 35 years. I had a lot of help form some great friends as well. I'm pretty handy and did the assembly myself in my 2 car garage. I would be happy to answer any questions that I can. Mine is at the interior shop for the winter and I'm itching to work on something else. Looks like you got a great start on yours as well. Happy Building!!

graffitifreak
Did Timeless give you the information on the pain they used on your car? I have been trying to get the code and brand from them for months now but can't get anyone to respond to my calls or emails.

They did not. I did get some touch up paint when they shipped the car. I requested a certain paint code but I don't believe that's whats on the car. If the time comes that I need some repainting done, I will probably just have to have it matched. TRC was never very good about any details. If you find out what the code is, please let me know.

I'm also very happy with the product that I got from Timeless and have ordered additional items from them since I picked up my car. I have a few questions to start out with.
1. What steering column did you use? Did you use the offst box that Rickey recommeded?
2. How did you mount your seats, did you use metal strips under the car?
3. What brand and size are the front tires.

1. I used a Flaming river tilt column and I did not use the offset box. I will admit, it would have made it a bit easier to locate the column but I was able to make it work. I used a ididit floor mount to get the right angle so everything cleared. I covered the mount with a leather boot as well.

2. My seats are mounted directly to the fiberglass floor with large body washers. Running 2 metal strips is a good idea and I may still do that. You would have to weld or bolt to the side supports and either tap the holes in the frame or drill all the way through and bolt in. Seat belts are bolted to the rear support behind the seat. Not sure how the BeBops body is set up here but the Downs body had a large metal and wood support behind the seat. Figured that would hold me in in the event of a accident.

3. My front tires are 14 in. I forget the exact size. I will check when I stop by the interior shop as the car is there for the winter.

I can get you exact numbers on the parts for the steering if you need them. Just be sure you have enough clearance for the headers and spark plugs. Mine is close but everything clears.

Hope this helps.

1. I'm going to mount mine the same way you did. The pictures help a lot.. I have the information on the Ididit unit that I'm going to use. I have a lot more clearance with the Ford motor.

3. When you get a chance I would like the manufacture and size of the front tire, do not make a trip there just for that. I'm trying to find a tire about the same size in a 15 in.

Front tires are 175-70R14, Name Brand on tires are Goodride radial sp 06. These are the tires that Timeless shipped on the car. I will eventually change them to something else of better quality.

You didn't comment on "2", but I'll offer that you need to have all of your seat and seat belt anchors tied to the same component, meaning that you don't want to anchor your seats to the frame and your belts to the body, or vice versa. In the event of an incident where the body might pull loose from the frame you want your seats & belts to be with one piece or the other, or your body will be the peanut butter squeezed out of the cracker sandwich. OEM's choose to anchor to the body, and don't underestimate the force that's put on those seat & seat belt attachment bolts by your body mass in a crash. If you choose to anchor to the frame then you need to build a basic roll cage for all of your anchor points.

Here's a handy reference that gives you the OD of most available tires, for the look you want - Tire Sizes It came from Ryan (40FordDeluxe) and I've used it often.