Thread: Project $ 3 K Is Underway

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You forgot the word YET!!



What!! Do you know something I don't know????????


He mentioned in that thread that he has made some changes and gotten it to the point where it is almost ready to run, so I guess this is an update on the posts you are mentioning, Bob. It would have been neat to see those early on pictures you were looking for.

I have been kicking around a tonneau cover like he is making so I can close up the car when parked, and I like the split way he did his. He does nice work.


Don

Yeah my 3 speed tranny out of the 66 is a pretty tiny unit so I think it would possibly work. I am small as heck though guys, and doubt I will get any bigger for a lot more years. I am about 5'5" and 110 pounds haha. Skinny as a twig but my feet are big and I have to have wide shoes as well. At work I have to sometimes drive a few old Vette stingrays and such and I have to take off my right shoe or else my foot gets stuck under the brake and wont fit between the pedals. Haha. I have too many projects right now (3 of them) so something like this wont happen for at least 2 years. I am going to get to work on the 48 in about 2 or 3 months and see what happens with that, I might end up selling it and if so then 27 roadster here I come!!! Ok sorry to take over your post Don.

Ok sorry to take over your post Don.


You didn't. All the questions and stuff you brought to the post really helps it. I'm very happy that you guys are participating in this thing and planning you next builds too.

I can't wait until there are a lot more of these posts on here, like the thread Brian is doing on the windshield, and Pat is doing on header fabrication. You couln't find this kind of info anywhere if it weren't for these forums.


Keep it coming.


Don

I really didn't feel like getting knee deep in any serious work on the T today, I just wanted this weekend to chill out a little. I did want to do something, so I decided to finish off the headlight bar and get it mounted to the frame.

As I mentioned earlier, I like to use early Ford headlight bars and modify them to hold the headlights, rather than buy some of the accessory aluminum ones most people use. There are two reasons for me liking them. 1) They look old timey, and 2) The headlights don't shake going down the road like on some of the aluminum brackets. MY buddy had a T bucket with the aluminum mounts, and when he would follow me when we were out cruising his headlights were constantly shaking when he hit a bump. Not all of them do this, but enough that I don't like them.

As for the old timey aspect, back in the early '50's hot rodding was sort of in it's infancy, and there weren't many places to buy hot rod parts, so we made most of the stuff we used. I'm not sure who the first guy was to use a stock Ford headlight bar on a fenderless roadster, but it was a pretty smart idea.

Here is a picture of a stock model A headlight bar, uncut. The reason I like to use the '32 bar is that the shape is rounded on top, rather than straight across like the model A. Visually, the straight bar seems to sag when you look at it, whereas the '32, with it's rounded top, seems to flow better with the lines of the car. By the time I took this picture I had already cut up the '32 bar, so I am only posting this Model A bar for reference.

To make it work on a fenderless car, you simply cut off the ends of the bar, right outside the little pockets where the headlight bucket bolts on. They look like this when cut off.

To get this part to fit the flat frame topside where it gets mounted, you have to grind off the two bumps on the bottom, then heat the base with a torch and hammer it flat. If you don't so this, it is humped up in the middle when you mount it, and there will be a gap under the center.

Sometimes you can get away with leaving the middle portion of the bar as is, and the width will be fine (That is the way it is on my '27) but on this car, the bar was 5 inches too wide, and would have hit my steering arm, so I cut 5 inches out of the middle and welded it back together. Then I ground the weld smooth, and will finish it off with a little hi build primer to make it smooth.

Finally, I welded the cut off ends back on the center bar, but faced the ends to be in line with my frame ends. I cut a groove in the ends of the end pieces to make a tight joint before welding, and ground it all down when I was done.

I drilled and tapped four 3/8 holes into the top of the frame, and used some grade 8 bolts to fasten the bar to the frame. I know grade 8 is overkill, but I have a bunch of them, and I do like the strength factor, even if grade 5 would have been ok.

Here are some pictures of the finished product.

My computer just froze up on me.........hasn't done that for awhile.


Before I left tonight I got my steering box in place and ran a string between the pitman arm and the steering arm on the backing plate to see if anything was in the way. Nothing was, so now I can order my drag link from Speedway tonight on line. The one I need is 39.5 inches long, and they will custom make one to any length.

When that comes I should be able to turn the wheel and have the wheels turn too. Always a big step when you can steer a rolling car around the shop. Maybe I'm getting close after all.

Thanks for looking.

Don

Oh, just for the heck of it, I tried several different headlights on the bar to see what they would look like. I used a Guide light, a ''36 Ford light, and a Model A light. Turns out the only one that fits the look of this car are the big '27 Chevy's I have been using, so I guess that is what it will be.

Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

I wish I had the energy to keep going like that Mike. How are you feeling BTW?


Don

o i can't do it now, but i used to be a nut about it. didn't want anybody talking to me while i was working. built that #22 modified race car in less then 30 days,mostly at nite and weekends. starting with a camero snout. didn't sleep much.
i feel and can breath a little now, but i know its just a matter of time before i get like that again, so its hard to get involved with anything. i need an attitude adj. mostly.

My Son is exactly that way. If I say something to him while we are working in the shop it's like I broke his train of thought. He was there last night til 4 this AM, I think he likes that time alone without me bugging him and trying to carry on a conversation.


Me, I talk to myself and cuss the car out a lot.

Don

Say Don
I spent a few hours this AM with two of my grandkids picking pumpkins the youngests #1 B day. But after that in a warm shop I installed the windlace in the 53 so now I can get the headliner in. I just didn't want you to think you were the only one working on there car today. Seems you can't buy that stuff any more if you want it you make it or do without.

Looks like you'll be doing the headliner pretty soon then, huh? That's one job I really hate, don't have the patience to get all the wrinkles out. Guess that is why I build roadsters, no headliner.

Don

They aren't to bad I've never done a wagon before. I have all the bows in the liner so tomorrow when I get out there I think I'll start and see what happens. Right after I make a pot of coffee. With out that stuff I can't function in the morning.

Mike: I'm sorry, I missed the second part of your post. Bummer about your health. You said you go through this periodically, and that must be tough, knowing it may reoccur. Keep the faith MIke, maybe it won't happen again or at least not for a long long time.

I wish you well bud.

Don