Thread: Project $ 3 K Is Underway

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The name of this week's update should be "One step forward and three back." Anyone who has ever built or redone a car will understand only too well.

I started the weekend off with the intentions of starting to glass in the floor, so I went to Lowes and bought a sheet of 3/4 thick exterior grade plywood. All started off well, and I scribed straight lines every two inches so that I could measure the body shape and draw that onto the plywood. That phase went pretty well, and by Saturday night I had the two halves of the floor laying in place. I say two halves, because the tunnel down the center necessitated me doing it in two pieces.

Here are some pictures of that part of the build...............then I'll tell you about the three steps backward part.

I'd give both testicles for that engine, right now...no hesitation....have 'em in the mail in the am!! Very nice one LT, that is really a beautiful engine. How much HP right there you figure?

The pic's didn't come through IToldYouSo, I would like to see pics of the floor going in myself.

Doesn't look too bad, except that when I sat down on the floor for a trial fit, there was barely enough room for my butt. The driveshaft hoops were too wide and taking up valuable seat space.

When I got home I wrestled with all the options. Lose some weight, move the seat slightly higher, etc. Finally, I made my decision...........the tunnel hoops had to go, and narrower ones had to go in. Back about 30 pages, when I built those hoops, someone asked if they needed to be that big. I said I wanted them that size so they would become an armrest when carpeted. Well, there goes that little plan down the tubes.

So, today I broke out the plasma cutter and torched the entire hoop assembly off of the crossmembers, and ground down what remained. I think I can get by with a 4 and 1/2 inch wide tunnel rather than the 6 1/2 previous model, and that extra one inch per side will mean a lot. I also can now run a one piece floor, and glass it in solid, because I am going to redesign how the hoops come through the floor.

I hated to rip stuff out, but the end result should be much better, plus I am not keen on the dieting idea.

Here are some shots after cutting the hoops out and grinding back to where I started.


Don

Originally Posted by brickman

The pic's didn't come through IToldYouSo, I would like to see pics of the floor going in myself.

Did they come through now brick??

Don

Don do you realise there are now 1000 posts to the thread and over 25000 views. You have become pretty much required reading around here.

Anyway, I know the feeling about seeing something that seemed sooooo good until it was actually mocked in place. I think one of the things that comes with time and age is the ability to go back and re-do something to make it right rather than deciding to live with it.

Don---Are ya havin fun yet????? Been there, done that, got the scars to prove it---- By the way---without making me flip thru a gazillion pages, do you have any close up shots of how you are hanging that rearend, far as radius rods or hairpins go? I'm trying to figure that one out on the post I'm doing "how to build an early hotrod frame". I'm trying to help out a guy in North Carolina that wants to channel a model A sedan 4" and Z the rear of the frame. It gets pretty damn tight for hairpins or 4-links--you can only move that frame kickup so far ahead and then you run out of front seat room.---Brian

Me too. Got a few sparks down my ear while cutting today.

Mike:

25,000! Wow. Must have been all the talks we've had about cats and stuff like that. Or maybe people are just waiting for me to fall on my face on this build. Nah, you guys are all too nice for that.


It has been fun, though.


Don

Brian, sure I have some pictures for you. Are you going to run a traditional cross spring or coil overs? Reason I ask is on my '39 we had almost no room back there for a radius rods because the bed is so short and the cab is in the way. We solved it by having Suicide Doors fab up a three bar set up, and we used coilovers with it. The top bar is like a wishbone turned on it's side, and then there are two single locating bars running parallel with the bottom of the frame.

On my T I just am using a cross spring with two early ford type radius rods mounted to the frame in front. It is actually an aftermarket item that PSI used to sell back when.

Here are some shots if it will help.

By the way Brian.........another outstanding thread on the Tudor build. You always give 110 percent when you do these.........thanks.

Don

Brian, Dan is sending me some pictures over that better show the three bar setup. As soon as they come I'll post them.


Don

Brian: While I'm waiting for them to come, here is a couple of shots of the same suspension set up on Dan's '29. He actually came up with it, and I just stole the idea. I do a lot of that.

In the pictures, the reddish bars are the 3 link setup. Obviously, when he airs it up to ride height, the bars will be parallel with the ground.

Don

Okay Brian, I got the pictures Dan sent me. This setup is super simple and short, if you have little room to work with. Oh, and the beauty of this setup is that you need no panhard or watts linkage to control side to side movement. The top wishbone does that for you.


Don

Don you guys make it just look so easy .

Evidently you didn't see me when I was grinding away and cussing at that driveshaft hoop today. It's those times that I really think about taking up fishing again.

In all honesty, Dan and I both made the comment today that we just want to get these two cars running. It wouldn't be so bad working on one if we had a running rod to at least drive once in a while. His build is going on 3 years, so he is getting kind of burned out. I know that is not a long time, but he hasn't even heard it fire yet.

I used to say I liked building them more than driving them. Somewhere after I turned 60 that changed.

Don

Don going for the same goal i want to drive it . Thats why im sticking with some fuctional and not going for a show car. My mustang was the articulate work and thats why its still on stands . Close but no gas yet.

Hang in there and cusssssss some more

Don, you need to step back and take a look at that rear suspension. You're putting the connection of the top bar at the frame into a side bending load from the pivot point of the bushing back to the weld point of the intersection of the triangulation bar. I see what you were intending to do, but you still have a bending load introduced into the top bar as well as the bottom bars at the frame connection points.