Another build thread? Yep, my track-style T

[Ken Thurm]

Jim,
That really turned out nice. Is that your work shop or your home for finished projects?
Ken

[Itoldyouso]

Well it's about time! I got all excited when I saw you reposted on your thread, thinking maybe some track t progress, but this is the next best thing.

Nice shop Jim. Now make it all dirty from work.

Don

[stovens]

Nice job Jim, and at an excellent price!

[RestoRod]

Oh yeah, total cost? About $6400.

Is that price including the slab? Up here, it would cost more than that just for the concrete. I priced concrete for a 26 x 36 ft. garage and it was almost $11,000. Of course, we have to worry about freezing which wouldn't be much of a concern to you.

Oh yeah, nice garage.

[J. Robinson]

Thank you all for the compliments. I'll be using this as my main shop. My wife has lived with me tracking metal shavings, bondo dust, and overspray into the house for over 35 years. Now the fumes and dust will hopefully stay outside. I'm going to drywall the inside and then I'll be ready to get back to work on the fun stuff... maybe next week??

RestoRod - Yes, that's everything so far including the steel overhead door and the automatic opener. The 20 x 28 slab (4 inch thick) cost $1400. That was the total price that the concrete mason charged; it included the fiber reinforced concrete and all his labor. You should call for another estimate. I'm sure it's more expensive in your climate, but almost 10 times seems exhorbitant..??

[oldrodder43]

WOW, great job Jim. Looks like it'll be a nice place to work, too. Congrats.

[J. Robinson]

OK, folks, it's way overdue, but I'm finally back to work on the roadster! I haven't hit an honest lick on it since a year ago last October when I finished the intake manifold. That piece of the project is still bolted to the engine and I have never sent it off to be "plumbed" because I forgot to put a vaccuum port on it for the PCV system. I am considering building a different manifold that uses more modern carbs than the 97's we were going to put on it...

Anyway, last July I decided I didn't like the seat back and bottom that I had built. About that time, Speedway Motors reduced the price on their Kirkey aluminum seats if you bought two at a time, so...

I trashed my home-built seat framework and bought a pair of the Kirkey seats. When they arrived, I set them in the roadster and noticed immediately that they didn't quite fit right (1st pic), but I was preoccupied with finishing my new garage... When I got started on it today, I determined that the problem was the seats are slightly wider than the space for them to sit in (2nd pic). I could either remove the wood reinforcement from inside the body (which would complicate the upholstery job later) or put a relief in the driveshaft tunnel. I elected to relieve the tunnel because there is plenty of space underneath it and, when the interior is finished, it won't show.

After marking where the tunnel and seats interfere, I used a hole saw and a miniature power hacksaw to remove the necessary material from the tunnel (3rd pic). I will 'glass in some recesses in these holes after I build mounts for the seats. The good news is they fit fine now (4th pic).

[Itoldyouso]

I'm really happy to see you back on the T, Jim. Funny how fast a year flies by, huh? Those seats look great in there. Turkey Run, maybe??

Don

[Mr Blue]

Glad to see your back too
Seats look right at home there after your modifications, looking forward to more posts on your progress, Don Jr.

[J. Robinson]

Thanks, guys. Turkey Run? I sure hope so; I should have had this thing on the road a year ago!

[stovens]

Jim the seats look great. I too am glad to see you back on this project. It's fun watching other peoples builds which inspires me to get back to work too! You must be getting close to being done with the mechanics of the build. Did you decide which way to go with the red and white paint?

[J. Robinson]

Thanks, Steve. Yes, the big stuff is done. I still need to run brake and fuel lines, make a dash panel and mount the gauges. Then it's down to bodywork, paint, upholstery, and wiring. Not sure on the color yet, but I'm still leaning toward the Wimbledon white with red scallops...

[dlotraf33]

Looks good. I need to go back and reread this thread. This is the one that got me hooked I read about 50 pages straight. You are certainly inspirational, the build, and the thread. Look forward to more progress....

[J. Robinson]

I'm leaving the seats for now and moving to the hood. It isn't terribly obvious in the pictures, but in person it was very plain that the hood sagged in the center (1st pic). The reason for that is it simply wasn't properly reinforced. I used a couple of strips of 1/8 x 3/4 flat stock (2nd pic) and a line of large-head rivets to attach the lightweight piano hinge down the center. The flat stock and hinge just aren't rigid enough and the rivets look like crap, so... I drilled out the rivets and removed all the hardware.

I cut two pieces of 1/2" square tubing and some heavy-duty piano hinge (3rd pic) to the appropriate length. Then I clamped one end of the tubing pieces to my workbench, put a stack of shims under them and pushed down on the other end (4th pic). After working both ends the same way, I ended up with the tubing pieces slightly bowed up in the center (5th pic).

[J. Robinson]

The next step was simply to weld the tubing pieces to the hood halves. Using a pile of Vise Grips, I clamped the tubing pieces to the hood halves flush with the edge. Then I spot-welded through the old rivet holes (1st pic). I ground the welds flat and put on a coat of spray-can primer to inhibit rust (2nd pic). I ran out of time before I got the hinge attached, so next time...