Thread: Project $ 3 K Is Underway

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Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

Love to see some pictures Billy. If you have posted them while I was absent, please let me know the thread. Funny how fast that money adds up, huh? I don't think any of us want to know how much we really spend on these things......I know I don't.


Don

here ya go.

http://www.clubhotrod.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43623

Don - Welcome back! Did you guys move the shop and everything or just your residence? Are there updates on any of your other threads on the '27 or the '48 sedan or Dan's RPU? Just tell us where to look...

Billy zz - I may be a little more obsessive than some of the folks on here, but I can tell you what my cars cost within a few dollars. The coupe in my avatar cost me just over $7600 to build as you see it. Since then I have changed (upgraded) the steering wheel, taillights, and headlights which brings the total to approximately $7800. In my roadster build (http://www.clubhotrod.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30400) I have kept a running total in the text. My goal is to have it on the road for under $4000. It may not be completely finished for that, but should be driveable and street legal. Time will tell...

Billy, thanks for the thread to your hot rod build. I like it, and the Ford engine makes it VERY cool.

Thanks for the welcome home Jim. No, we just moved our residence, the shop is still intact. In fact, now I can tell the story.......the shop was Dan's and my home for the past two months. When he lost his job as property manager he also lost our apartment that was part of his deal. We had 3 weeks to move. We knew he would probably get a new property management job in a short period of time, which also would come with an apartment, so it didn't make sense for us to sign a lease on a new apartment and then have to break it and pay the penalties.

My Son Don offered graciously for us to come with him, but Dan had this crazy idea that we should move into the office of the shop. It is pretty big and we were only using it for storage, so for two weeks Dan and I worked til 2 or 3 am remodeling it. We painted, paneled, laid new carpeting, put in a new A/C unit, new fridge, closets for our clothes, etc. The shop had a bathroom with toilet and sink, so we added a shower stall and water heater and new plumbing. Don and his GF Taylor got us a gas grille and Dan, me, and two of the 3 cats moved into the shop. (My ex-wife took the female cat as she would have been at the mercy of the two male cats, Chewy and Lucky, they like to wrestle too much and Alto is getting up there in years) We added a couple of futons, and settled in to our new home.

Dan did get a new job 3 or 4 weeks ago and also a new apartment, but the funny thing is, we were in no hurry to move out of the shop. It was actually one of the best times we have had, cooking out on the grille every night and drinking a lot of beer (especially when Don came by ) We both felt sort of sad moving out the other day and into the new apartment, although it is really nice to have internet again. I think Dan and I have some great memories of the time we spent there.........I know I do.

During that time we also got lots of work done on my 27 and his RPU. He is literally ready for primer on the body and bed. He got all the little chores done that he had been putting off and it looks great. We want to epoxy prime it ourselves to make sure every area is coated well before it goes to the body shop for final paint. He is still on the fence for color, as am I on mine.

As for my 27, I got all the little things done to get the motor running and we fired it up for the first time last week. It ran great for about 5 minutes, lots of oil pressure, ran cool, etc. Then Dan saw the oil pressure go to zero. We shut it down right away and found a galley plug had blown out, so I put in screw in plugs, prelubed the engine with a drill again, and fired it up. Oil pressure was back up to 60psi, and all seemed well. Then I installed the exhaust system and once it was no longer running on open headers I could hear a knocking from deep in the engine. I guess the loss of oil pressure did do something, so I have to pull the motor out, tear it down, and figure out what is what. For now I don't even want to look at the d*** thing for a while, so I'll get back on it when I feel differently.

I also got my body back from the fiberglass shop last week. I had them remove 20 years of sins from the body, and modify my firewall to clear the new, bigger engine. He did a fantastic job, and sprayed a whole gallon (3 coats) of Evercoat Slick Sand over it all. Now I can block sand it and get it as good as I can.

Here are some pictures of the body the day I got it back.

Here are some pictures of the rest of the frame and stuff. Sorry for the lengthy story about our last couple of months, but I wanted to share that we had some problems in our lives but stuck together as a family and overcame them. Someone up there was looking out for us because it evidently was supposed to happen the way it did. Thanks for looking and reading.

Don

Kool story,glad things are sorted for you guys,kool engine too,even got the dissy in the front,where it belongs...Good to see,no McDonalds Combo for that roadster...

Welcome back, a page back I intruded myself to you Don, I waffled on about how much I enjoyed your build thread. Man, you and sons,(and cats) are like family to me,and I have missed all the humor that this thread has generated. Now ,do you have a thread on your rebuild of the roadster or do we just pickup from here??

Glad to hear you guys had some quality time together. I'm sure Dan will remember these times for the rest of his life too. Sounds like the passion of his build came back. Can't wait to see the RPU on the road or the resurrected 27! Hope the engine thing turns out to be minor. I like the idea of painting it red!
There is something to admire when you can simplify your life, even for a short while, making do with adversity, and coming out ahead and happy. Glad your back.

Don,
Like I said before, you are a very blessed man !
Ken

Thanks Lamin8r,Whiplash23T, Steve, and Ken for your friendship and nice words. They mean a lot.

Whiplash, yeah, I do have a couple of threads going already on the resurrection of my 27, I forgot about those, thanks for reminding me. Here they are:

http://clubhotrod.com/forums/showthread.php?t=42640

http://clubhotrod.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43939

Those pretty much chronicle the entire rebuild. Again guys, thanks for letting me share the little bump in the road of life we just had, and I hope anyone else going through similar things right now knows that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. There are so many people around the world out of jobs right now, losing homes and everything else, that it just sickens me. My problems were very minor compared to so many others, and they are in my prayers. I sure hope we have turned the corner financially for the sake of so many good people.

Don

Don,if we,your cyber family,cant share the bumps that life throws at us,theres something wrong...We,in particular,might be down here in the deeep south,but we enjoy your posts,threads,and the ability to flick a bit of camel dung at each other,,like watching you and Uncle Bob sparring,good value... My wife also enjoys your animal stories,as we have our own furry family..Anyway,enough from me,gotta go to work..As a parting shot,I feel more at home HERE,than I do on our local board..Possibly because all you folks up there dont seem to have a bias of some sort..cant explain what I mean,but it all seems friendlier...but I think you all know where I am coming from..FAMILY

Strange as it might seem sometimes, I really like Bob. I like people who have been around and are smart, and Bob fits that to a T. He has a great, although dry, sense of humor, that you have to dig below the surface to "get" sometimes, but to me he is funny as h***. He was also one of the first people to post, worrying about if I were pushing up daisies, and that shows his compassion for others. His advise is always well thought out and concise.

I hope he doesn't read this because his head is big enough as is. Like you Lamin8r, this is one of my favorites first stops when I turn the computer on......a lot of super people on here.

Don

Don,
You have been missed. Great story and I for one am happy that you are back on the internet.

Rick

Thanks Rick, it's good to be back. Last night I slept at the shop again because we hadn't moved Chewy and Lucky over yet and I was feeling sorry for them. I'm a little stiff today because both of them laid on top of me so I couldn't move all night. So today I packed up all their toys and stuff and brought them to the new place.

They aren't quite sure what to make of it. They've been in one room for the past two months and they've spent the entire day exploring all the new spaces they have. They still aren't too sure about the lanai, they've never had one before and the birds and stuff are a little scary yet. They keep peering out the blinds, but when I open the door for them they run and hide. I bet being on the lanai will end up being their favorite spot though.

Don

I still say you should get internet access at your shop...........LOL
Bradc

[QUOTE=Itoldyouso;339947]Thanks guys. From a practical standpoint I have to say the two carb setup isn't as smooth as the single Edelbrock I had on it for the past year. But they really aren't too bad either. I think I am getting more used to the power curve. They also have a sucking sound, probably because I have the scoops aimed right at my head, but I do like the view from the drivers seat. I think they and the pinstriping changed the complexion of the car a little, and I am glad I did them both.

Don, are you still running the 2 X 2 setup? I have similar setup, although not properly set up. Question: Is this setup 1 primary carb and 1 secondary carb with a progressive linkage? If not what. And after over a year, if you still have the same setup how do you like it. I just made do with 2 primary carbs and made a progressive linkage, but getting it to idle without loading up is a trick. There is a local guy here that deals with the 2g 3 X 2 setups and I need to get a secondary base for the rear carb, I think.
Oh BTW very cool for a (3k(x 3)) + Y = Cool Project.