Another build thread? Yep, my track-style T

[J. Robinson]

Earl - Yep, teachers go back to work on the 5th, kids on the 6th. And yes, I am at the point where visible progress is not obvious, but a million little things need to be done...

Don - Thanks. Yes, the thrash has begun. I didn't get much done this week; we've been going places with some friends. Monday we went to Garlits Museum and that place always gives me a little inspiration. I checked with the Sleep Inn next door and they are booked solid for Mar 21st weekend. I need to find someplace else or it'll be another one-day trip. Where are you staying?

OK. It's not monumental progress, but at least it's a step in the right direction... With the help of my son, I stood the body up on its firewall so I could prepare it for reinstallation onto the frame.

With the body in a vertical position, I was able to bond the turtle deck to the body. I accomplished that by removing the six bolts I had holding it in place. After scuffing the bonding area of the body and the lip on the turtle deck with 40-grit, I reinstalled the deck with the bolts left loose. I mixed up a batch of body filler with only a small amount of hardener (so it would harden slowly), squished it between the body & turtle deck with a spreader, and then my son and I tightened the bolts. The last thing was to scrape of the excess filler where it had oozed out. In about 30 minutes the body filler had kicked and the two pieces are now permanently bonded together.

With that done, I used my D/A sander with 80-grit paper to scuff-sand the entire bottom of the body. Then I masked off the appropriate areas and spray-canned it with rubberized undercoating. I like rubberized undercoating for doing the underside of floors because it has a slight texture with a semi-flat lustre. It covers scratches and blemishes and the shiny paint of the frame looks good against it. It also provides some sound deadening qualities. Anyway, the first pic below shows the bottom of the body after sanding and about half of the undercoating applied. The second pic is after the undercoating was applied and masking removed.

After allowing the undercoating to dry for about 30 minutes, my son and I tilted the body back down onto the floor, hooked up the chains and hoisted it up. With him and me holding the body in the appropriate position, my wife rolled the chassis underneath and we set it in place. So far, so good...

[stovens]

It's coming along great! Nice family team work. I've had my truck bed on and off about 30 times, my wife is beyond thrilled to help lift it back on each time!
Keep on posting.

[BradC]

Jim, The color on the frame looks great can't wait to see the finale car.
BradC

[J. Robinson]

Well, things have progressed slowly this week. We're back at school and the beginning of a new term is always hectic, so I haven't made the progress on the roadster that I would have liked. Anyway, these aren't exactly step-by-step shots, but there are a couple of things visible here.

First, the engine-turned aluminum firewall is back in place. Before I installed it, I put two countersunk 10-24 bolts through the firewall and the plywood reinforcement/battery mount inside. The purpose of the bolts is to make sure the plywood can't come loose even if the body filler adhesive lets go. I then installed the aluminum to the fiberglass body using 3-M spray adhesive. I used the adhesive to ensure that the aluminum stays flat & tight and won't ever rattle or squeak. The aluminum angle firewall lip was then installed with steel-shank pop-rivets. (I used all of them now instead of only 4 like back on page 27)

The radiator is now in place with its fan attached. There is about 1/2 inch clearance between the tip of the water pump shaft and the back of the fan motor. I installed the nose and hood sides temporarily so I could make sure that the radiator support is adjusted properly.

Before I installed the exhaust manifold, I removed the heat-riser shroud and the sensor, welded a plug in the hole, and gave it a liberal coating of Krylon high-heat silver paint. My first experience with this paint was on my son's sedan. When we first fired his engine and the carburetor was malfunctioning, the headers got hot enough to glow bright orange. When they cooled off, the paint was undamaged!

Finally, I built a new seat bottom frame in the shop at school. Using the old temporary OSB piece as a pattern, I built a perimeter style frame from a combination of hard maple and yellow pine. This one will get web-strapping woven across the openings before the installation of foam and upholstery.

[Gastrick]

Is that all you did?. Looks like great progress to me. That firewall looks suuuweeeet. It compliments the car well.

[hotroddaddy]

Looking great!! And i must compliment you on that fancy wood work you have going on there! Ive worked with plenty of so called framers through the years that could not pull those angles off, good job! But then again didnt you say you taught woodshop for awhile?

[stovens]

From a wood worker/hobbiest that is very nice work. I've taken my share of furniture apart, and those are some stout nicely framed seats you've got going there. Looks like you dowelled the center piece in and used tongue and groove joints?

[J. Robinson]

Thank you all.

Yes, guilty as charged! I did teach woodworking for a while. Now I teach Construction, so I still have access to the machines. No, Steve, I didn't use any tongue & groove joints; the multiple angle miters just about taxed my abilities to the limit. What looks like dowels in the pictures are actually the counterbore holes for the 2 1/2 inch drywall screws. All joints are glued and screwed.

[stovens]

Thank you all.

Yes, guilty as charged! I did teach woodworking for a while. Now I teach Construction, so I still have access to the machines. No, Steve, I didn't use any tongue & groove joints; the multiple angle miters just about taxed my abilities to the limit. What looks like dowels in the pictures are actually the counterbore holes for the 2 1/2 inch drywall screws. All joints are glued and screwed.

J.R.
When I started woodworking the New Yankee workshop was just getting popular on PBS. Norm was using a biscuit joiner to do most of his projects back then. So I went the biscuit joiner route for most stuff too, instead of tongue and groove. I had to break a joint I'd made in a simple pine dinner table. It was so strong I had to cut it off! Groove or no grove there are going to be a few tongues hanging out when you are done!

[OFT]

Nice looking Jim, your moving along nicely. Keep it up. Does appear it will be one sweet looking ride when your done.

Is that huge thing on the back of radiator the electric motor for running the car at low speeds? Is this really a gas/electric "green" car? lol

Earl

[J. Robinson]

Progress has been slow this past week. I have done the initial sanding on the body and have a good portion of it in primer. I discovered a rash of pinholes in the back of the turtle deck, but no other unpleasant surprises.

I have been collecting brake parts so I can undertake that part of the "plumbing", but I haven't been able to assemble much. I need to mount the master cylinder so I can proceed with the brake lines. Before I mount the master cyl, however, I need to clearcoat the firewall and the weather has not been conducive to painting.

One good thing... I ordered two new brake drums to replace the mismatched pair on the old Econoline axle. When I got them home and opened the boxes I discovered that they are finned. A quick coat of dull silver heat resistant paint almost makes them look like finned aluminum.

The odds of me driving this car to Billetproof grow slimmer by the day. If I haven't "motorvated" this thing around town by the first week of March, it probably isn't going to happen... and there's still an awful lot to do.

[OFT]

Jim, progress is progress with each step getting you closer. I like the drums and paint. Bet that was a whole lot cheaper than the "real" deal. I like how your build is coming along. Keep at it and one day soon you'll be going for that first ride.

Earl

[Gastrick]

Keep on plugging away Jim. I want to see it.

[Mr Blue]

Looking great man. Keep up the good work! You can make it!

[J. Robinson]

Progress is still slower than I would like. Life keeps getting in the way... Anyway, as I said before, I am at that point in the build where the things I am doing don't really show up much. I have finished rebuilding the front brakes, so moved on to the rear. I pulled the rear drums and discovered that they are pitted beyond using, so ordered new ones. While I'm waiting on those, I thought I would run the brake lines.., but I need to mount the master cylinder... and I can't do that until I clearcoat the firewall... So, this evening I masked off the surrounding area and shot 3 coats of X-treme clear over the engine turned aluminum. Hard to tell in the pic, but the gloss coating really makes the engine turning sparkle.