Project $ 3 K Is Underway

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Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

Bob did that?? Well bless his little heart. :3dSMILE: :3dSMILE: Guess I owe him a thank you..................THANKS BOB. :cool:

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Actually, recommending you for ANYTHING takes a BIG heart.......................and probably some big appendages!!!:LOL:

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Originally Posted by J. Robinson

Ya know, those little dolls of the kid crying were cute the first couple of times I saw one. After seeing hundreds of them, however, I am so sick of those stupid things I have threatened to get one and put it UNDER one of my front wheels whenever I park my coupe!:eek: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: I like the dog peeing on the tire, though. I'd not seen that one before.:D

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Under the tire is a much better place for them!!!! Now an idea just made for a crafty guy like you. There's a fellow around here with a Model A coupe who's set up his decklid on a linear motor opener that he can control remotely. If someone takes a moment to stop and look at the back end of the car, he hits the remote, the decklid opens (of course captivating the viewer), and a stuffed monkey with arms attached to the bottom of the lid "pops" up and pees on the viewer! Good fun, what?:LOL:

Now THAT would be COOL!!!!!! :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: Especially if he was peeing on one of those dolls.

Hiring you as my Head Hunter was one of the best moves I made Bob. You said you get results, but I never imagined. :) All kidding aside Bob, thanks . I appreciate the vote of confidence.

Don

Don when i am a show seeing a car sitting in show is nice . Like you said though when i hear one running or moving it captivates me untill its out of site . Listening to the engine rumble along and the car in motion i can mentally see the build he did to get it there . By the way great pics wish Chicago was a little warmer so the shows where still here.

Don trust me either get a job or another project:D . A lot of my friends that retired and didn't stay active in some way are no longer with us:CRY: . Since I retired I have built and sold many cars:whacked: . I just use the proceeds from the sale of one to do the other. I know you can't feed the cats wrenches but you'd be surprised at what all you don't need.:eek: Besides its cold up here and I don't want to be the only guy working in the shop.**)

This is my latest project It should be done by spring then drive untill I find somthing else

Don, im getting ready to put disc brakes on my total performanc t. looking back i see you guys used gm calipers and rotors on youre sons t. what are they? can i buy them after market ? did you have to make caliper brackets?

Magnum Axle makes a kit that uses GM calipers and Volare dics and mounts them to an early Ford spindle.

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Originally Posted by S19243H

Don, im getting ready to put disc brakes on my total performanc t. looking back i see you guys used gm calipers and rotors on youre sons t. what are they? can i buy them after market ? did you have to make caliper brackets?

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Don't use the GM setup, we are going to pull his off and put Wilwood brakes on it. We were advised by Total Performance NOT to use these, but we had them and they were all chromed and all so we went against their advice. They were right. They stop like gangbusters, but he is getting a terrible "death shake" sometimes when he hits a bump at certain speeds. I spoke to Mickey from TP at Daytona and as soon as we told him the problem he said "BINGO!!" Too much rotating mass and weight up there. He has seen it time and time again because each brake setup is like 65 lbs. and too much for a light roadster.

These are off of a '69 GTO and are probably fine for a heavy car, but his light weight/ small tire combo is causing his problem. We have changed toe in, etc, and it is still doing it. It makes him afraid to drive it because you never know when it will crop up. The Wilwoods are very light and smaller, so they should help a lot.

Charlie, nice looking Plymouth. You swap cars like I change socks.:LOL: I was surprised you got rid of your wagon, but I know some people don't get real attached to cars and change often. They become like a member of the family to me.

Don

OK, i will take youre advise ,thanks

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Originally Posted by S19243H

OK, i will take youre advise ,thanks

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Just didn't want to see you maybe have a similar problem. I have never done disc brakes on a rod, only drums, so I never had this problem. I bought this disc brake set up off of Ebay a while ago. They were newly chromed and the ad said they had them on a T bucket originally and decided to go with Wilwoods instead. Now we know why...........they probably learned what we just found out. We are going to pull these and store them for a heavier car that we might build some day. Don said he didn't even want to sell them back on Ebay to prevent some other guy from having the same problem, and I agree.

Shame too because they stop the T great.

Don

I herd that they cause a vibration over 50 mph, just wanted to be sure you answered my question.

Charlie Fisher--I hear what you say about people not doing well on retirement. I've known a bunch of people, in apparent good health, looking forward to retirement, then shortly after doing it, poof----GONE. Funny thing! My Dad was same way. Had no hobbies, no close friends, all he had was his job. Not too long after retirement he was gone! I have started S.S. but I'm so darned poor that I've got to still work (some) and I've got my 17 year old Grandson and a yard full of gems awaiting polishing!!! Together, he and I, hopefully will keep Grandpa a-kicking. Perley

No, this is a little different Denny. There is no vibrations at all under normal conditions so the tires are in balance. The "death shake" happens when one wheel starts to shake and the movement transfers to the other wheel. It can become so violent that you have to stop the car. Don's shook so hard one time it knocked his horn button off of the wheel! :eek: Several things can cause it and correct it, like more or less caster, and the same with toe in.

I briefly got it with my '27 after I had driven it for a while. The only way to get it to stop was to hit the brakes hard and it would come out of it. You never knew when it was going to happen or why. I finally cured it by going 1/8 inch toe out. I read an article on it and they suggested that.

We are going to look at two things with Don's car.........the brakes are going to get changed, and we are going to tighten up the play in his Flaming River steering box. Mine has very little play but his has much more. I think the play may be not allowing the box to damp out the shake when it happens. I spoke to Flaming River at Daytona and they told me what the correct adjustment should be.

Don is out on a date tonight in his T, so I hope he just takes it easy until we find out what will cure it. Like I said, it only happens every so often and without any apparent/consistent cause. I have a date tonight too. Dan and I are taking my T and going to Ft Myers Beach for a bite to eat. :LOL: :LOL:

S1924, that is the same thing TP told us about the 50 mph thing. We should have listened I guess.

Don

Last time I was out on a date and got into a death wobble, I ended up having to get married---:LOL: :LOL: :LOL:

Perley: I used to hear these stories of people hitting the lottery and they would keep their jobs...........I thought they were nuts. But after not working since last February, I understand completely. Even though I have been busy with the car thing and other stuff like moving, that isn't really like work. I find that structure works better for me, like someone expecting me to be someplace at a certain time, and regular hours. Now I feel sort of displaced.

I've thought of doing something on my own too, but I play a better 2nd banana than to be my own boss. I just fit better into that role.

Don

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Originally Posted by brianrupnow

Last time I was out on a date and got into a death wobble, I ended up having to get married---:LOL: :LOL: :LOL:

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:LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: Now, THAT'S FUNNY!! :LOL: :LOL:

Don

Don, I remember seeing a picture of your Son Dan's 4 door earlier in the build posts, but darn if I can find it again. I wanted to show my Grandson the evolution to the RPU. And what is his screen name on H.A.M.B.? Thanks. perley

He is Dodgerodder on there.

Here are some pictures for you, pre op and post op. Here it is as a fordor.


Don

Then during surgery..........:3dSMILE:

And after some skin was put back on.

Don

(my computer froze up in the middle, sorry, had to reboot :mad: )

Finally, here is how it ended up. It no longer is in this form though as he decided he wanted it different. It will be more traditional with Pete and Jakes front suspension, quarter eliptics and four bar on the rear, etc. The bed has been replaced with a Brookville and the rearend is narrower than it was. I am banned from taking pictures though until it is further along.:confused: :3dSMILE: :3dSMILE:

Hope these help you out.

Don

Good luck on getting the new job, Don. What does Ken do? (Besides build beautiful hotrods) I hope it works out.:)

Meantime, I am looking forward to the day when I can retire; I hate my job and can't wait to get out..:mad: I will probably work somewhere part time to get play money for my hobbies and help with insurance, but I have been on someone else's clock all my life and I am sick of it. If I could afford not to work, I have enough hobbies that I'll never get bored...:rolleyes:

Thank you Thank you, Don. Great pics. He is one great craftsman. Truly! As are you and Don the younger. I've really enjoyed the builds and posts, as I've said before along with many others. Hope you get back on the Dodge soon, I love pickup rods. Perley

[QUOTE=J. Robinson]Good luck on getting the new job, Don. What does Ken do?


Well, I guess Ken wouldn't mind me saying as he has mentioned it before on here, but he is a very modest guy and wouldn't say much about it, I'm sure. His company is Kendon Industries who make without a doubt the premier folding motorcycle trailer in the world. They also make motorcycle lift racks that are also very high quality. Dealers have raved about the quality of his products, and if you look at the construction of his '32's, that should explain why.

That is as much as I know about the scope of the business. He had a very nice writeup in Streetrodder Magazine last August's issue. It was only a little article, like FOUR PAGES LONG !!! :D :D I don't think Chip Foose gets that kind of coverage. Well deserved though.

Perley, you are welcome. You know me, I love to post pictures. lol



Don

Ah! I have seen the trailers.:3dSMILE: In addition to playing with hotrods, I also ride motorcycles. My wife and I attend Biketoberfest every year and usually make a visit during Bikeweek, so I have seen all kinds of bike trailers. I just never knew... If that was mentioned in the Street Rodder article, I either overlooked that detail or have since forgot it. Anyway, if this works out, maybe I'll see you in Daytona during Bikeweek..?:cool:

I think I remember that the line is sold all over the world, so you probably have seen them. Nice part too is that they store out of the way when not in use as they stand on end. I have a little utility trailer and it is always taking up space somewhere, but it comes in so handy I have kept it around for probably 20 years or so.

Thanks for the wishes Jim. What will be will be. :D :D

Oh, Dan and I went out for about a couple hour drive last night in the T, the weather was great for it, just light jacket cool. I let him drive on the way home, and he is giving me less and less resistance when I toss him the keys. lol. He is on vacation again in about two weeks and is going to start seriously hitting on his '29, so I might have some updates. From what he is planning, it should be pretty nice.

Don

I'd like to see some spy photos of Dan's car. I've been following his build for years. He'd have a cow though.

Don, I've got an idea for you if you get bored. Maybe you could just travel around and help finish all of everybody elses projects. I've got about four that you can start with. That's about a months worth of work for you. :LOL: :LOL:

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Originally Posted by Gastrick

I'd like to see some spy photos of Dan's car. I've been following his build for years. He'd have a cow though.

Don, I've got an idea for you if you get bored. Maybe you could just travel around and help finish all of everybody elses projects. I've got about four that you can start with. That's about a months worth of work for you. :LOL: :LOL:

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Yep, he still hasn't completely forgiven me for letting the cat out of the bag the last time. :rolleyes: :LOL: Guess I should have asked first. :o I do like the direction he is going with it now though, but I also liked it before.

As for the travel around thing, I don't know. It's pretty nice to actually not be working on a car for a change. But it's even better not to be spending money on one..............that is something Don and I were just saying the other night. It felt so good to walk the entire swap meet at Daytona and not buy anything for the first time in 20 years.

BTW, Dan was just saying last night what a deal you got on the tripower setup for your Deuce. He said they even threw in those cool finned aircleaners. Good score.

Don

I envy you Bill, these are sharp.

Don

Don---Every time the subject of retirement comes up, the friends that are my age all say "Sure, Brian---You could retire and build hotrods". They don't get it!!! 1--Building hotrods is a thing you do "besides" work. 2--If you are retired as in NOT EARNING MONEY then you can't afford to build hotrods. 3--After a 1 or 2 year slog at building hotrods every spare minute of your time---Ya don't want to be building hotrods!!! I find that a concentrated thrash that lasts 2 or 3 years then demands about a 5 year period of NOT building anything, untill my system is ready for it. A mini project each winter keeps my interest up, but Damned if I want to do it full time when I retire!!!

You've nailed it exactly Brian, building a car is tough, dirty work. Sure, we do it for "fun" but I think most of that fun is the anticipation of actually getting do drive it. Burning yourself, cutting yourself, ingesting paint fumes and grinding dust may be fun when you are 20, but as you get older the attraction diminishes a little, at least for me.

The semi- concentrated build I did on my T, and the 88 day thrash we did on Don's T wore me out, and frankly I need some downtime now to recharge. I do want to get back on the Dodge truck, but that won't happen until probably the first of the year (unless I just start piddling around on it) and it is going to have no timetable for completion. If it is done for Billetproof in March, fine, if not, I'll drive my T.

My '27 took me 6 years to build. Some of that was saving up paychecks to go on to the next phase, some was trying to locate oldtimey/hard-to-find parts (this was pre-Ebay), but most of it was me sometimes just not having the energy to go out into the garage for days, weeks, or even months at a time. When it starts being not fun you have to walk away from it for a while until the desire returns.

Our plan is to get the shop cleaned up from the mess we have made over the last year or so, help Dan whatever way we can on his car, and take a financial and physical deep breath.

Don

Sounds good to me. Its hard to get motivated in the cold and rain that we've had the last few days. So I'm taking a little holiday myself, until next week. The finances to do car stuff is high, and it gets easier, with time between tasks and time for the scrapes to heal.:) :whacked:

....So with a pause as he shut off the shop light he held the shop door and said with delite..."To everyone a great christmas and happy rodding to all!"

Hey Don
How's the post server/Christmas blues? Any more peeks at Dan's car. Photos always appreciated. Plus I loved tracking the updates on this thread. Good peeps, with good banter and dialog! How is your car doing? Enjoying driving it? Hope so, keep on posting, Steve.:D :cool:

Surprisingly, I haven't really been driving it as much as I thought I would. It looks like I am going to accept a job at a local marina pretty soon, so that has been sort of my main thing right now. It will be nice working again, this retirement stuff is for the birds. I am going to go to a show this Saturday though and will have some pictures to post after that. I am parking with a friend of mine who is taking 10 of his cars. :eek: One in particular is super cool. It's a '27 roadster pickup he built in about 1958 and it is unchanged since then. 283, two fours, powerglide, white painted suspension, etc. I love that car and he never uses it anymore, so it will be great to see it out in the sunshine again.

As for Dan's '29, he is making slooooooooooooooooow progress on it. Dan agonizes over every d*** bracket and weld, and for the past week he has been sitting in a chair studying the mounts for the rear quarter eliptic springs. We had them figured out 5 times so far, but he keeps coming up with better ways to do them. The mounts won't even show, but he wants them to be pretty. :rolleyes: He must have gotten this perfectionist thing from his Mother, it sure wasn't me. :LOL: The Hoover dam was built quicker than his hot rod.

So, if he ever gets anything else welded on there I'll post some pictures.

Don

I understand sloooooooooow! I haven't posted any new stuff for 3 reasons. Direction, weather, and finances! My lack of direction over the last month was mainly because I was being strung along for a rebuilt long block at $500.00. I finally got an email yesterday saying he sold the block. I responded with where was I not clear that I wanted to buy it, but know some info first! I'm sure I'll be glad in the long run I didn't go there. But in the meantime, I've held up on a number of ways to go foward, due to if I got the engine, that would be the priority. So now I think tackling the wire harness first, might be the way to go, once I get those pesky brake lines in. Since it's dry this week, I'll roll the truck out of the garage and finish the brakes if it kills me! :LOL:
The "one thing at a time" mantra, seems to help! I realize it will be an on going project, so setting up goals for different things to work on will be a must, and sticking to them. My first goal is to get it drivable, so I can figure out what needs to be done to keep it that way, so for now brakes and wiring are a good start!
I look foward to Dan's progress. You had mentioned earlier in this post that shipping costs alone on Project 3K were a killer! Now I understand! What do you know about Summit's universal wiring harnesses? Is it worth the extra cash to use a Painless harness instead?

Believe me Steve, I have stock in UPS and Fed Ex, and don't even get any dividend statements to prove it. :D What would be really interesting is if a person kept track of EVERY penny they spent on a build, like the $ 10 we spend for some sandpaper, or bolts, etc. We count in the big stuff, but I bet we would be amazed how much the little things add in.

Don

Don,

I did a complete tally on every nut and bolt I bought for my A-bone sedan. It was completed in April, 1986. I may have missed a couple of hundred bucks, but I even recorded the late night trips to the corner gas station to pick up a filter or bulbs, etc. There were even entries for freight charges. The spreadsheet was broken down by subassembly. Each subassembly has all the costs for that sub. For instance, the engine cost consists of the purchase of the engine, machinework, accessories, etc. The Body consists of the original body, plus glass, running boards, sheet metal, bolts, etc.

Here's the summary:

Body 4,971.79
Engine 2,306.49
Frame 1,824.97
Running Gear 2,593.73
Suspension 1,855.49
Interior 1,456.51
Misc 622.25
Paint/body 1,524.26
Wiring 387.34
Total $17,542.83

I did virtually all the work myself except for the soft top, upholstery and final paint spray.

Seems cheap today, but, it I remember correctly, it was considerably more than a loaded Monte Carlo or similar car in 1985.

You can check page 2 of my gallery for what $17.5K got me back then. . .

That's really an eye opener Jack, and those were 1986 dollars. To put it into perspective, here are some statistics from 1986:


How Much things cost in 1986
Yearly Inflation Rate USA1.91%
Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 1895
Interest Rates Year End Federal Reserve 7.50%
Average Cost of new house $89,430.00
Average Income per year $22,400.00
Average Monthly Rent $385.00
Average Price for new car $9,255.00
1 gallon of gas 89 cents
Casio Portable Color Television $249.99
Tandy 600 Portable Computer $1599.00
Bacon per pound $1.75


I tried to find 2007 prices for comparison but couldn't find any, but I think we all know what those are. Your sedan would probably cost you $ 25,000 or more in parts now I would guess. BTW, nice looking sedan.

Don

Don,

Thanks.

Most of the money '84 and '85 dollars. The average inflation rate from 1985 through 2007 was 3.16%. Bringing that forward to 2008, increases the total cost to $34,880.65 equivalent (parts & labor). Not far off from what I estimate on the yellow coupe.