Thread: Project $ 3 K Is Underway

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Oh, Don!!!! You never get to old to make an error of judgement. I still do sometimes. Sometimes being able to say "I done it myself" takes a man down roads that are best left untravelled.----You are not alone!!!!

Yep, look how nice and compact the Lokars and Gennies are.


Don

Experience..................being able to recognize more quickly a mistake you've made before!

Today I decided to get away from the shifter thing for awhile and work on the brake pedal and master cylinder mount. Building one of these is no big deal, but obviously you want everything to be strong and function properly.

I started by cutting the shape of the brake pedal out of some 3/8 inch thick steel plate I have. I used the bandsaw to cut it into sort of a hockey club shape. Once that was done I started the heating and bending process to get it to the shape I needed. The pedal has to go to the left a little of the frame rail, so I bent it that direction a couple of inches.

Once the bending was done I trimmed the ends a little to make it more attractive, and drilled the hole in one end for the pedal pad I will probably order from Speedway, and I put another hole in the bottom for the master cylinder rod. A final, 5/8 diameter hole was drilled toward the bottom, and this will be the pivot point that mounts to the frame.

Here are some pictures of the first steps in making the pedal.

The next thing I did was build a mount to afix the master cylinder to the frame. You can use just a flat plate to do this, and gusset it, but since this car sits so low I want some protection for the master cylinder in case the car bottoms out or hits something in the road. I used a piece of large angle iron, and after cutting it I drilled the proper pattern into the front edge to accept the Ford Mustang master cylinder I bought last week. I also made up a 3rd wall out of 1/4 inch flat stock, so when the whole thing is welded to the frame it should not only be strong, but act as a skidplate to protect the master cylinder. I'd hate to wipe out the master cylinder on a speed bump or pothole.


The last pictures show the pedal and master cylinder mount, and their relationship to one another. I still have some work to do on them, but this should give you some idea of what I am shooting for. That flat plate you see on the side of the master cylinder will be welded completely to the frame and to the angle iron mount, so it should never move.

Thanks for looking,


Don

looks good

Heck, it is starting to look like a car.

Thanks Pat and Squire. Yeah, it is kinda starting to come along. The jobs I am doing now are in that plateau where they aren't as dramatic as putting a front end under the car, but they are getting done. I also am finding I need to do some things that are 5 steps ahead of where I am, so they will fit when it is time to install them. This dash support is a major step, and now I can hang the steering for the last time.

By the way, my Son stayed at the shop a lot longer than me last night (like 4 AM) working on his '29. Today when I got to the shop I saw he had all of the body panels made up and had them in place with Cleco (sp) fasteners. He is almost ready to start welding the back panels into place. Here are some shots from today of where his car stands.


Don

Don, just a thought on your car.....you could maybe make more seat room in the cab by lowering your driveshaft loop 3 or 4 inches. Whatever clearance there is from the joint to the side of the loop, make it that same dimension from the joint to the top of the loop. Also you should know that the loop needs to be 360 degrees around the shaft to be legal in NHRA.

Tech: It can't go any lower because it is going to also form my driveshaft tunnel, and if I go any lower the driveshaft will possibly hit when the car bottoms out. It actually looks higher in the pictures than it is, and doesn't intrude on the seating because it is only 6 inches wide. There is a bottom to the hoop, I made two 3/8 x 2 inch straps across the bottom. These bolt in so I can get the shaft out if needed.

I probably won't be allowed on the strip for a lot of other reasons like blanket, roll cage, etc., so street use will be all this thing sees.

What makes that tunnel so high is that the frame is much lower than traditional T's. Being this low creates some real challenges, and will probably cause me to be very careful entering and leaving driveways. I figure the car will settle down another inch or two yet when everything is installed.


Don

don your son truck looks great . i wish i still had the drive to stay up that late to work on cars .i did once

Thanks Pat. Yeah, wish I did too. He likes it because after about 9 PM it starts to cool off and you feel like working. A few nights I went over to the shop about midnight after I got up from a nap. It was really nice not to be sweating all over my work for a change. At least Fall is coming, so it should start cooling off pretty soon.


My Son is a musician, so he is used to being up late. To him, 2am is when work ends.


Don

yes .i like to work late to. i use to like to paint at 4:00 when no one is around .i am trying to get back to find my drive i had. i am good for 4 hours on my feet and thats it

Don, I have been enjoying this string today, a great source of info. I am contemplating my first rod (my dad has built a few (with some help from me), but am nervous about the DMV. What are your plans for registering this T? I am in CT and if I undertook a project such as this, it would be registered as a 2006 composite vehicle, which means emmissions testing, ride height, bumpers, fenders, lighting requirements etc. This kind of kills my idea of building one from scratch. I am assuming your local DMV doesn't require such things...

Keep up the good work, looks awesome.

Gusaroo: Thanks for the nice words. I was lucky enough to buy a T bucket project a few years ago that had a good title. Ended up scrapping the body and frame as they were trashed, but kept all the good stuff. I intend on using this title, which reads 1923 T.

Some States are tough to title cars in. Florida, luckily, is kind of like the old West. We all carry guns here, and as long as you don't shoot anybody in the back, you are ok. Our laws regarding cars are kinda on the "loose" side. The reason I moved from Pa. was to get away from those overly restrictive regulations.

You should see some of the cars that are driving around down here. At some cruises it looks like the local dragstrip just let out. Slicks, blowers, open headers, etc. Gotta love it. I was coming home from a cruise one night in my '27 and had the headers uncorked. Cop pulls up next to me and I figure I am dogmeat. He says to me "nice rod, my Sister has a '34 coupe." and drives on his way. I hope they still have the same sense of humor, because the T is going to have either zoomies or open megaphones.

Don