Another build thread? Yep, my track-style T

[Itoldyouso]

Jeez Jim, I thought maybe you gave up rodding and took up fishing or something! Glad to see you posting again.

Your kids car looks sweet. Bet he is really getting stoked about it making that Orlando event. Funny how the kids grow up to know so much but every once in a while we Dads come in handy, huh? Every so often Dan will be wrestling with some problem on his build and I will offer some solution. He gets this strange look on his face like " Oh no, now I have to actually admit the old man had a good idea!" Problem is, I usually have to lay down and take a nap after one of these revelations. I'm only good for about one idea per week.

How about some more pictures of your Son's Tudor??

Don

[J. Robinson]

Mike - After a really good cleaning and re-assembly, my son sprayed on a light coat of Dupli-Color #T367 Light Almond Pearl so they would all look the same. It's just a spray can he picked up at Advance Auto Parts; the color looked very close to the color of a new carb.

Rickomatic - Put those feelings of inadequacy right out of your mind. We all had to learn whatever we know and so will you. Besides, we're all here to help so you can access what we know without having to make the same mistakes along the way.

Bill - It's not quite as tight as it looks in the picture. I can get my finger between the distributor and the back of the carb adapter. With the distributor back under the top of the cowl like that, though, the cap can only be removed if the rear carb is removed first.

[J. Robinson]

Don - Many times I have considered giving up hotrods / race cars and trying something less frustrating... like maybe stamp collecting or gardening!

Yeah, every once in a while ol' dad has the answer to a problem or two. The latest stumbling block was the electrical system. Jim Jr is an Electrical Engineering Technician who repairs and calibrates test equipment, but he's never wired a car before, so... I have spent the last two weekends and a couple of evenings standing on my head under the dash of his sedan running wires. Tonight I'm going to hook up the wiper and the dash lights and I should be finished. It will be nice to get back to some good old steel fabrication.

Here are a couple of pics as requested. The first shows the other side of the engine. This was shot before the linkage was installed. The second pic is a 3/4 view, but it's not too good. These are a few weeks old; I'll try to get some better ones soon.

PS. It's a 4-door

[Itoldyouso]

That's right, I forgot it was a fordor. Looks cool, and I really like the green for a change. Just the other night I was looking at my red wheels and thinking I am finally burned out on doing almost every car with them.

Has he been driving the car yet at all?


Don

[Hotrod46]

Thanks for the info. They look nice. The whole car looks good too.

The last price I got was $300 for 3 carbs. And that was with me cleaning them and no other work.

The paint idea sounds really good to me!!!

[TurboTwo]

That's right, I forgot it was a fordor.

fordor but only 2 are operational by the looks of it both cars are coming along nice!

[J. Robinson]

Thanks. The green was a last-minute decision when he was getting the engine ready to go in. He has named the car "Crankenstein" - hence the green & black theme. He has driven it around the block a few times; that's all. I drove it from here to his house (about 3 miles). He still doesn't have it registered & licensed yet.

That's correct, the rear doors are welded shut. He originally wanted them to be functional, but didn't like the car with the ass-end sitting high enough to open the doors. After he put it down where he wanted, the bottom hinges interfered with the tires, so he removed them and welded the doors shut. They are welded in about 5 places each, so they could easily be made functional again if he ever changes his mind...

[J. Robinson]

Well, with my son's sedan pretty well finished except for a few details he can handle on his own, I am able to start working on the roadster again. The next step I have decided to undertake is mounting the fuel cell. I bought an aluminum RCI fuel cell on Ebay. It measures 16 1/2" square by 9" deep and holds ten gallons. It is a racing fuel cell complete with rollover valve, baffles, foam, and a fuel gauge sending unit.

I began by setting the cell on my motorcycle lift and jacking it up into position. I tried a couple of different heights and looked at the car from behind and from the side. I knew it would be partially visible from the rear; that wasn't the problem. I wanted to keep it high enough that it would be partly protected by the rear axle housing, but low enough that I would have a little room in the trunk for some basic road gear (small tool bag, tire plug kit, miniature 12-volt compressor, & rain suits).

Once the position was finalized, I lifted the cell out, but left the motorcycle lift in place to use as a guide. Next, I cold-bent two pieces of 3/16 x 2 flat stock to serve as the bottom supports. Notice in the pics, the front one had to be formed around the deeper front sump area of the cell. Using the old "cut & try" method, I finally got the supports to fit where I wanted them. I used a level across the frame and another, shorter one in the supports to get everything flat. I, of course, used the trusty measuring tape to get everything square, tacked-welded the ends, then used a combination square to get them flat in relation to each other. When I was satisfied, I welded the supports solid. The last pic shows the fuel cell sitting in place. Next, I need to strap it down...

[Itoldyouso]

Looks like it belongs in there Jim. With 10 gallons and the four banger you should get pretty good range out of it.

Is your Boy going to make Orlando?

Don

[Hotrod46]

Glad to see you're back on the roadster. It's looking good.

Wish I could have used a fuel cell in mine. Only one's that will fit are tiny. Had to wind up building a tank.

Mike

[J. Robinson]

Keeping the cell where it belongs is not a difficult problem. All it needs is a couple of straps across the top. Properly shaped and located, they will keep the cell from moving. I made the straps from 1/8 x 1 flat stock. I began by making four brackets form 1" angle. They are 2" long and have a hole near one end with a 5/16-18 nut welded on the underside. I made them in two opposing pairs (two rights, two lefts).

With the cell sitting in place against the rear crossmember, I used a straight-edge (a piece of the 1/8 flat stock) to locate where I wanted the straps to go. The front one had to be located so it's against the filler assembly to keep the cell from moving forward. I squared up the straight-edge with the measuring tape and then used a combination square to transfer the location to the lower frame rail (see pic).

With the fuel cell removed, I used my welders magnets to hold the brackets in place. I had to do a little freehand grinding to get them to fit correctly. Once located and leveled satisfactorily, I welded them in place. Finally, I put the fuel cell back in place and used the old "cut & try" method again to shape and drill the straps. When I assemble the car for the final time, I will put rubber strips on the bottom supports and the top straps.

[J. Robinson]

Don - Yep, unless something goes wrong with it between now & then he'll make it. He has a bunch of friends in the host club, so this has been a long-term goal. There are a bunch of "rats" and unfinished cars in that group, so his will fit right in.

Mike - Thanks. I'm glad to be back at it... I built a tank for a chopped Panhead Harley I had once. What a pain! I kept pressure-testing it in a wash tub and re-welding pinholes. I was using an acetylene torch. I think I chased leaks for a day and a half. I finally got it done, put it on the bike, and the SOB leaked the first time I put gas in it! I decided I'd never do that again until I got a TIG machine. I still don't have a TIG...

[hotroddaddy]

The same thing happened to the tank i made also, and i have a tig machine! I even filled it with water to check it that way, no leaks with water, but as soon as i filled it ,it leaked.

[Stovebolt]

Jim,

what an inspiration you are to grass roots hot rodding

Got me off my but, and into the shop

[Itoldyouso]

I watch them cut up and reweld gas tanks on shows like American Chopper all the time and wonder how they do them with no leaks. Never been my experience. Maybe if you do it all the time. I've even had ones I repaired and they still needed sloshing compound to seal them up.

Looking good Jim, and glad to hear your Boy is probably going to make Orlando.

Don