Project $ 3 K Is Underway

I'm also going to modify the Hurst shifter to tuck it tighter and further back on the tailshaft to get it out of my lap. My '27 has one, and the handle is shaped to move the shifter over to the passenger side about 2 inches. I plan to cut and weld this one the same way so the shifter is more in the center of the car.

It's looks like there is going to be room for the steering box and all that stuff. Now that I am almost ready to support the weight of the engine on the mounts, I can finally see how the car is going to settle.


Don

Earlier in the week, brickman asked how I was doing on the $ 3 K budget, so I got together my receipts for new stuff, and the amounts I paid for Ebay and other parts and came up with a total. Here is pretty much where I am so far:

Initial purchase of body/frame on Ebay..........................$ 530.00
(frame ended up getting cut up and turned into a table, it was unusable :( )

New 2 x 3 , 3/16 wall tubing (20 feet)..........................$ 125.00

20 feet of 1 & 3/4 inch DOM tubing for crossmembers.......$ 85.00

Total Performance front spring perch.............................$ 30.00

" " " tubular front crossmember......................................$ 25.00

Model A rear crossmember (Ebay) .................................$ 50.00

Speedway early Ford biscuit engine mounts.....................$ 20.00

Model A rear spring (Ebay)............................................$ 50.00

Speedway rear spring perches, rear spring mounts, and
new front spring .........................................................$ 145.00

Front wishbones (Ebay)................................................$ 100.00

Superbell front axle (Ebay new)......................................$ 190.00

Chevy Blazer rear axle (junk yard)...................................$ 125.00

Early Ford pickup front shock mounts...............................$ 50.00

2 used chrome front shocks (Ebay)..................................$ 20.00

Chevy 3 speed trans (Ebay)...........................................$ 29.99
Shipping on the above :( :( ...........................................$ 90.00
(But it included a brand new Hurst shifter :D :D )

Chevy bell housing (Ebay)..............................................$ 32.00
(including UPS)

Chevy tranny mount (Advance Auto)...............................$ 5.00

Total Performance smooth perch pins for front axle..............$ 60.00

So, my total so far is........Drum roll please........................$ 1762.00


Now, on top of that, I am going to use the brand new rear slicks and custom made solid wheels I had built for my '39. The wheels and tires cost me
about $ 750.00, so this puts my total so far at $ 2512.00.

What that means is the car is going to go over the $ 3 K figure, HOWEVER, I still consider it to be sucessful so far, because I have deviated from the original plan to go El Cheapo on everything and just turn out an extremely basic rod with all used parts, cheap tires, etc. The direction the car is taking now is that it will be painted, upholstered, have some flash on it, and (hopefully) come in not too far from the original figure. I'm thinking in the neighborhood of $ 5000.00. But it will be riding on brand new tires, have rebuilt brakes and all new suspension, be painted instead of primered, have a simple upholstered interior, and have some chrome goodies on the rebuilt engine.

Could I have finished it for $ 3K? I think I could have, if I didn't have this November deadline to meet, and if I finished it with fewer costly items. But since this car is going to become my primary cruiser until the '39 is done, I want it to be something I am sort of proud to drive.

In any event, I plan to keep building it and posting updates, and will keep track of the money spent. Hey, even if it comes in at $ 5K , you can't get much for that kind of money these days.

By the way, how are the other guys like hambiskit, Sir Speedy, and the others coming on your low buck projects? Haven't heard much from you lately, how about some updates?


Don

My 29 rpu has had to get sidelined. Basement flooded twice during the May -June monsoon we had here,and since then all hell has broken loose, Water heater,pressure tank,furnace,sump pump. I only wish this could be brought in for 3k. Hank

Last night and tonight I went to the shop after work and actually got quite a bit done. The evenings have been cooler, so it's a lot more pleasant to be there.

Last night I tack welded the engine mounts to the frame and finally got the weight of the engine and transmission sitting on the frame, rather than on a bunch of stacked boards. Then I tack welded the front perch on and mounted the spring and axle to it. When I lowered the weight of everything onto the axle and shimmed it to the actual height the kingpins will ride at, the frame settled down to 6 inches of ground clearance. I want the front to sit about 5 inches off the ground, so I figure the final items I bolt on the front will settle it down that additional one inch. My kingpin inclination is right at 5 degrees, and since early Fords are ok between 4 to 7 degrees, this should end up being ok too.

The engine ended up at a 3 degree angle, which is pretty much ideal. It looks like things are starting to fall into place pretty good. Here are some pictures of the front end with the weight of the engine sitting on it, and with the axles blocked to the exact height they will need to be at with 5:60 x 15 cokers on the front. (I measured my '27 for reference)


Don

Tonight my project was to cut the old spring perches off of the Blazer rear axle, and grind in in preparation for the new spring perches. I am going to use a stock Model A rear spring, and it had 8 leaves originally, but I removed 3 of them to make the ride a lot softer and to drop the car down a little. The perches I am going to use came from Speedway and mount the spring about 6 inches aft of the the axle, and drop it down low in the back. I kind of mocked up everything in the rear, and it looks like the ride height will be fine. If it is too low I will add some shim plates to the top of the spring to raise the car up a little. Have to see where it settles when all the weight is on it.

Some more pix.

Don

Very cool Itoldyouso, I love it. It will be going leaps and bounds now. Great progress so far.
I would agree with you that if a person avoided the bling and stayed simple with alot of good used parts, $3000.00 could be very realistic IMHO. Your car is looking great, and worth every penny too!

Hi Don, finally got a chance to catch up on some of my reading tonight, the car is coming along great.

I too think you could have done it at your $3K target and still have had a VERY presentable, safe, and neat car.

Looking over your pictures one thing that really hit home to me is that you need to be congratulated for building a very high quality car on a "rat rod" budget (if that offends anybody my apologies for being blunt). A LOT of the work and time has very obviously been spent paying attention to details and taking the extra TIME required to make the components look "finished".

The major point is all this time consuming, dirty, aggravating, even boring work only really takes the time and willingness to do, not actually a lot of dollars (heck even though nice big tools make it go easier and quicker to do the vast majority could have been done by anyone with the desire and much simpler hand tools).

As far as my budget 64 Ford, it's still back burner until late winter early spring, but it's a good chance to keep an eye out for a radiator, distributor and a couple of other little pieces I'll need to finish it.

Thanks brickman.....I'm starting to get excited now that it is starting to look more like a car. I figure if I can continue tack welding parts on I can keep making progress, and then have my Kid do the final welding some night.

I'm also starting to feel more comfortable with grinders and welders now that I am doing it on a regular basis. I had been away from this stuff for so long I was really rusty.

Don

Thanks to you too, Mike. I know what you mean about all the little bits and pieces you need for your car. Boy, these things are made up of a lot of parts, aren't they?

Good luck with yours.


Don

Don,looks real nice.Wish I could be working on mine,but someday I'll have these plans and materials list done so I can get a building permit,then all I have left is the building part.[trying to add a bathroom upstairs,a 10 x36 deck with a roof over it]Keep up the good work,Hank

Not a problem Don, you are a great inspiration for myself and I am sure others that don't do this on an everyday basis.

The car is looking good and is really coming along nicely. Still hoping to see it and you at the Turkey Run!:toocool:



Bob

Thanks again guys for the nice words and encouragement. And yes Bob, I want to meet you in Daytona in November. I hope a lot of the folks from here are there. It would be nice to shake each of your hands and be able to put faces with the typed words.

Now I think I'll head to the local scrap yard to see what kind of steel plates they have today. Sometimes they have nothing good and other times I can find some nice steel plate sections to make brackets and stuff out of. The price is usually pennies on the dollar too. Then I am going to head to the shop and try to get the rear axle hung.

Talk to you later.


Don

Went to the scrap yard, and they had absolutely nothing worth buying. There must be a high price being paid for steel right now, because everything there was crushed and bundled . The one piece I managed to find was a 3/8 inch thick piece of large angle iron, and I will be able to cut several of the brackets I need out of it. At least it was cheap, $ 6.83 for a 25 lb piece.

My goal today was to get started on the rear axle assembly, and I actually got further than I thought. By the end of the day the rear perches were permanently welded on and the spring main leaf hung off of it. I am using Speedways rear spring perch kits that are designed for Fords from 1932 to something or other. They mount the spring behind the axle about 6 inches, and drop the spring down pretty low, compared to mounting it on top, like a Model A does.

The brackets were designed for a 3 inch diameter axle housing, but the S10 type I am using is only 2 and 5/8 inches, so I had to pie cut the perches to reshape the part that welds onto the axle housing. After I did this I rewelded the cut sections and ground them smooth. I then tack welded the perches to the axle, and just about then my Kid showed up and I conned him into welding them on for good. We made a jig to hold the rear axle and perches in alignment to minimize warpage, and he kept moving from side to side to keep the heat down. They turned out real strong, and when I put the Model A main leaf back on it everything lined up great.

Tomorrow I am going to hang the rear radius rods and then the rear will be up on wheels pretty much. I also ordered the front axle kingpins from Speedway, and they should be here early next week. Then I can hang the spindles and set this thing up on wheels for the first time.

Here are some pix of the rear perches before welding, after welding, and then after they were welded to the rear axle.


Don

Today I started to wrap up the rear suspension. The only things left are to mount the radius rods and shocks. Last night we found out we had a little problem. The front rod end on the radius rods wound up dead smack in the middle of the tube crossmember for the transmission. We had wanted to pass a 3/4 OD DOM tube through both sides of the frame side rail and weld it in place, but that was not going to happen with the crossmember sitting right there.

My Son and I sat down and thought about various ways to solve the problem, and after a few minutes he said "We're thinking exactly backwards on this. Why don't we just drill a hole dead center on the crossmember and put a grade 8 bolt (5/8 inch diameter) out through the hole. We can weld it on the inside and put a plate around it on the outside to spread the load."

It was the perfect solution, because now the radius rod mounts to the strongest part of the frame (right where the transmission mount is) and by reinforcing it with a piece of 3/8 thick flat stock it will be very strong. Luckily, we hadn't welded the transmission crossmember in yet. We are waiting to see if we need to rotate it up or down to get the engine angle at 3 degrees once the car is sitting on wheels.

So today I drilled a 5/8 hole in the side frame rail and removed the crossmember and slid the bolt from the inside out. I then made up a 2 inch x 6 inch flat piece of steel, 3/8 thick. I punched a 7/8 inch hole in the center so that we can run a bead all around the bolt. The plate will be fully welded around its circumferance, making the radius rod mount thick in that area.

The radius rods I am using are aftermarket ones I bought on Ebay about a year ago. They are PSI, I think, and chromed. That is my dilemma, they are so nicely chromed that I really don't want to sandblast them so I can paint them the same as the front set, and yet I don't want to chrome the front ones. I'll have to figure this one out. As for cost of the radius rods, I don't know what to claim for that. I waited up until 2:30 when these closed on Ebay one night, and won them and a whole bunch of other stuff the guy had for $ 200.00. I sold of the Vega steering box for $ 130.00, and used the Spal fan on my Jeep, and gave the chrome shocks to my Son for his '29, so I guess I have $ 70.00 in them.

I had to quit for today because I need to pick up some 3/8 steel plate to mount the rear of the radius rods to the axle. The piece I bought yesterday at the scrap yard just isn't going to work.

Here are a couple of pictures of the rear mounts I did today.

Thanks for looking.


Don

Finally got the bucket up on wheels tonight. Well, sort of, kind of up on wheels. I decided to pirate the front brake/ wheel assemblies of of my '27, since it hasn't moved in 6 years, and will probably not get redone for another 6. Plus, I installed brand new Cokers on the front just before the last trip I took it on, to Daytona, and there is no sense having these just sitting there, rotting away.

I pulled the kingpins and installed everything, the spindles, backing plates, Buick drums and wheels and tires. I turned them around from side to side, because I need the steering arms out in front to clear the wishbones and spring perch. I will dismantle them and move the parts back to the proper side when I paint the suspension parts.

Doing this moved the timetable, and my budget ahead a lot, and finally gives me a look at what the car should look like. The frame still will settle down another inch in the front, probably, but at least I can start checking final clearances.

Friday AM I am going to hit the metal supply house and buy some 3/8 plate to do the rear radius rod mounts, so hopefully the rear suspension will be all done by Sunday evening. Then I can order my front drag link and start building the mount for the steering box.

This thing might make it to Daytona yet!!:D :D :D :D :D


Here are the latest pictures.(Oh, I'll figure some way to factor in the freeby front brakes and tires to keep it honest)

Don

Don
I don't know much about these cars but since you put the wheels on it the engine seems high. Is that the look you were going for?? If you were to lower it (the engine) would you get more leg room?? No offence, Just asking as I have never built one of these and was thinking about doing one after my 53. Have you picked out the seats yet?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cffisher

Don
I don't know much about these cars but since you put the wheels on it the engine seems high. Is that the look you were going for?? If you were to lower it (the engine) would you get more leg room?? No offence, Just asking as I have never built one of these and was thinking about doing one after my 53. Have you picked out the seats yet?

---

No offense taken. Yeah, it is a little high, and that is partially by design, and partially to get some oil pan clearance. The frame will end up being only about 5 inches off the ground, so the engine had to go high so the pan would not be hitting every speed bump I cross. And, I started to really like the (Oh-oh, here it comes, that dreaded R word :D :D ) lakes modifieds that some rat rodders are building. If you look at the picture below, that is what I was shooting for, except I just can't bring myself to brush paint it with Rustoleum red and splatter mud all over it.

As for seats, I am going to have the backrest built to conform to the curve of the rear part of the body, and have two small pads made up for either side of the driveshaft, to sit on. I want this thing in the weeds, and don't want to sit too high in the saddle myself.

I plan to run either 4 individual exhaust zoomie type pipes per side, or a megaphone/ limefire type with baffles in each one, so that should visually lower the engine somewhat. I admit it will not be your average T bucket, but I have one of those to build, I wanted this one to be a little cartoonish, like the picture below. (the babe is optional:LOL: :LOL: :LOL: )

Thanks for asking.

Don

Is she the reason for the pad on the passenger side:eek:

An old man can only hope.:cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool:

Don

This is sort of what I want for the interior. Not exactly, but kind of.

Don

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cffisher

Is she the reason for the pad on the passenger side:eek:

---

She IS the pad! But then, Pops is a headlight guy anyway!:LOL:

:LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:


Don

Cars like that are not for drivein movies

As I recall

i see he/ she carries nice designer luggage, matching too:LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: **) :LOL: :LOL:

HeHeHe!! Right-on! Lucky to get any padding at all!

Maybe I'll buy one of those blow up dolls to ride shotgun. I hear they don't complain a whole lot.:D :D :D :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:


Don


Side note: When I lived in California I remember people using these blow up dolls to pose as passengers so they could use the carpool lanes and get to work quicker. The cops were arresting people all the time for that little trick.

I needed a couple of small pieces of 3/8 inch thick plate, big enough to make 2 brackets to mount the rear of my wishbone to the rear axle, so Thursday I went to the local steel supply shop and looked for some "drops" as they call them. These are pieces they have left over from a job they have done, and they put them in a holding area when you can pick through. Unfortunately, there were no small pieces there, but I did find a large piece, measuring 28 x 56 inches. It was way more than I needed (and it weighed a ton) so I had them cut it in half for me. Total cost was $ 80.00, but it will last me for quite awhile, and I won't have to dig through the "drop" stack the next time I need some of this size.

Trouble was, it still weighs like 80-100 lbs, so I had to cut it into a more managable size to shape it on the bandsaw. What I did was mark off a piece 7 inches wide, and I clamped a piece of angle iron across it to use as a straight edge. I put a couple of pieces of shim stock under the angle iron so it was not touching the plate. Then I slipped a large nut over the tip of my cutting torch so that I could slide the torch along the angle iron and get a reasonably straight cut. Sort of a poor mans flame cutter.

It actually worked pretty well, and now I had a smaller piece that I could handle. I thought this idea might come in handy for any of you that need to cut a straight cut with your torch. I also remembered that you have to put a flat piece of steel on the concrete under the plate because the torch keeps exploding the concrete.:eek: :eek:

Oh, I also put a couple of long pieces of 2 x 2 box tubing under the plate to elevate it away from laying directly on the floor.

The pictures below will show the angle iron clamped to the sheet, and the nut slipped over the tip of the torch. The nut keeps the torch tip exactly the same distance from the plate you are cutting. All you have to do is slide the torch along as it cuts through the plate.

Once I had the plate cut into a size I could handle, I made up a cardboard template of the shape I needed the mount to be. Well, actually I made up about 6 templates, because I could not get it right the first 5 times. Good thing cardboard boxes are free. Once I had the shape and size worked out in cardboard, I transferred it to the 3/8 thick plate, and cut out that shape on the bandsaw. I'm glad I don't use 3/8 a whole lot, this stuff is hard to work with.

I finally got two plates cut and ground, and they are going to work fine. I was a little worried because I can't mount the wishbone up against the rear axle housing because the frame is so low. I needed to drop the rear down about 5 inches to get the wishbone to sit level. I hate seeing rear radius rods that are pointing downward in the front. It ended up ok, though, and I made up 2 gussets to go on the side of the plate to give it some lateral support.

We also rethought something we had previously done. We were going to use a 5/8" grade 8 bolt sticking out from the inside of the frame to mount the front of the wishbone. But we looked at it tonight, and were afraid it might not be strong enough, so we have decided to use a bung instead, welded into a 3/8 plate that is also welded to the frame. The bung has 5/8 fine threads (female) so we can simply screw a bolt into the bung and safety wire it for additional insurance. We are going to do the same on the front wishbone mounts.

The first couple of pictures show the rear wishbone mount being made, and the last picture shows the bungs we are going to fully weld to the frame and 3/8 plate.

The plan is for the car to be up on wheels by Sunday PM.

Thanks for looking.


Don

looking good, you're working so hard i had to turn my oxygen intake reg. up from 2 to 3 just reading about it. :eek: :CRY: :LOL:

Thanks. I may have to borrow that oxygen from you. I'm one beat puppy right now. I keep telling myself this is fun, this is fun, this is.................

Don

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

Thanks. I may have to borrow that oxygen from you. I'm one beat puppy right now. I keep telling myself this is fun, this is fun, this is.................

Don

---

let me know, i probably could find some extra.

What is it they say about "the best laid plans of mice and men" ? I thought by tonight the final welding would be done on all the frame brackets, and it would be sitting up on wheels, unsupported. Well, I blew the car apart, back down to a bare frame and did all the grinding so we could finish welding it all, an we got started on the first plate and bung, and the mig tank ran out of gas. Dan just had it filled last Friday, so they evidently gave us an empty bottle. He noticed as soon as he put the new bottle on that the gauge was registering zero, but he thought we had another bad regulator. No such luck.

Not only did it screw up my day, it messed up his too, as he was planning to hit it real hard on his '29 and try to get some key stuff welded. Now he won't get another chance until next week. Anyway, here are some shots of the way we are going to do the wishbone mounts. The last picture is of the only one we got welded before the gas ran out. He was wondering why the bead didn't lay down as nice as he wanted, now we know........migs don't work real well without gas.


Don

This week we got the mig bottle filled, and filled an extra one to store so we don't run into the same situation again. These things always happen after the store is closed for the night or on a weekend.

Saturday my Kid diverted some of his time that he was going to spend working on his '29 to do the final welding on my frame. I felt bad, because he only gets so much time over at the shop anymore and I hate to take it from him, but he was better at arguing than me, and won.:3dSMILE: :3dSMILE: :3dSMILE: He finished up all of the bungs to mount the wishbones, the front perch, the motor mounts, and the 3 tube crossmembers. That pretty much does the serious stuff, now we just have steering, shock brackets, and 10,000 other little details to attend to.

After he was done welding, I started to put it back up on wheels, but first I drilled 14 holes in the front axle for a little " drag strip" appeal. I put 7 in each side of the axle, each one 7/8" diameter. I used a hole saw on the drill press, and made up a jig to draw a straight line down the center of the axle. Had to do it 3 times, as the first two were pretty crooked. Finally got it to where it was straight, and I drilled the pilot holes, then used the hole saw to finish them off. I think it adds some nice detail to an otherwise plain axle.

Today (Sunday) I spent putting it back up on wheels, and tack welded the rear wishbone brackets to the axle housing. I will cut out some gussets out of 3/8 plate to reinforce them, and to possibly mount my rear shocks from. With the wishbones all mounted I was able to remove all of the boards that had been holding up the car, to see where it settled. With the weight of the engine and frame on it, the rear settled too low and was also too spongy, so I reinstalled 3 more leaves in the Model A spring. It stiffened it up fine, but it still sat too low, so I made up 4 spacers, 3/8 inch thick and bolted these to the top of the spring. This extra inch and a half seems to have done the trick, and the car has about a one inch rake, and will settle some more when I put on the body, radiator, etc. I guess I did want it low, so it looks like thats what I got.

When all this was done I was finally able to roll the car forward and back about 3 feet each way, so I suppose that constitutes being "up on wheels." I was shooting to have that happen by August 15, so it looks like I am on target timewise. Might make Thanksgiving at Daytona yet. By the way, the car should steer and roll pretty easy. It took no effort to move it or turn the front wheels. I will order the tie rod this week from Speedway, and start to make the bracket to hold the Corvair steering box. (that's the one I have decided on, it seems to fit the best, and should mount properly with no interferance from anything)

Here are some pix from this weekend, thanks for looking.



Don

Don I really enjoy following your build. I especially like the drilled axel (must be a sign of a mispent youth).

Thanks Mike. I figure now that I've removed all that weight from those 14 holes, I might be able to do wheelies now.:LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:


Don

Yeah and it won't bottom out with the babe in it**) **)

Don, I just joined tonight and will keep an eye on you, so "get ur done".

Today I worked on the steering setup on the T. I decided to use the reversed Corvair box I was saving for my other T bucket, but to mount it in the traditional position in front of the firewall, rather than through the floor like most T buckets have them. It took me two sets of mounts to get the angle right, but I think I finally hit it. I plan to order the steering shaft, u joint, and drag link from Speedway this week, so pretty soon the car will not only roll around, but it will steer too.:D :D :D :D


I was a little disappointed this week to find out the stick transmission setup I wanted to use just is not going to work. I put a boat seat down in the cockpit and tried out the fit for the first time, and came to the realization there is just no room for 3 pedals and my feet. It would be a very awkward driving position, and maybe not too safe either, so I scrapped the idea and am going to install a turbo 350 like everybody else in the world. I guess there is a reason this is the way most people go. I am not sure if I will do the junkyard route, and look for one that seems to be good, or if I will just win another one on Ebay from Jackson Racing. I've bought two transmissions from them so far, and have been very pleased, so I may go that route.

Finally, I started mocking up the headlight assembly I want to use. I like using a Model A or '32 headlight bar on my rods, and modifying it to mount to the frame horns. This setup is much more stable than the usual aluminum mounts, and looks pretty traditional also. I am not sure if I will use the '27 Chevy headlights I am using in the pictures below, but I do kind of like the large size of them. I think they will fit the look I am seeking with the rest of the car. I will mount them slightly higher than in the picture, but at least this will kind of show what the finished product will look like.

I actually got a lot of work done on the car this week while the forum was down, but man did I miss it. Really glad it is back up and running.


Don

I like the "big" headlights.