Another build thread? Yep, my track-style T

[J. Robinson]

Have you ever acquired a hotrod or custom and wished it could talk so it could tell you its past history? Well, I can't teach a car to talk, but maybe this is the next best thing. Whenever I build a car I keep a diary of my progress including a listing of all the parts and the total cost. After I put the car on the road, I write info about trips, rod runs, modifications made, whatever I think might be significant. (I don't write about every little trip to the store or work, etc.) If/when I sell the car, the diary goes with it. That way the new owner has a list of components in case something needs to be replaced. Also, he/she has a complete history of the car to that point. If the successive owners keep up the diary and pass it along with the car, the history stays complete.

The diary that I have kept on my coupe says I started construction in July of 2003, put it on the road in March 2005, and put the last trim piece in the interior in October of 2006. Total cost so far: $7,439.12. There are probably a few nuts & bolts that I have lost the receipts for, but the total is real close.

So, how's the roadster doing? I bought the body in November 2006, but I didn't actually start construction until late March after I bought the turtle deck and sprint nose. The tally so far:

Dave Koorey '23 T body w/ extended cowl... $630.00
" " turtle deck... 200.00
Sprint car nose... 110.00
Misc. flat steel... 27.30
Tubing... 140.01
1985 Ford Ranger steering box... 40.00
Misc. nuts & bolts... 36.09
Rod ends... 82.82
Springs... 40.98
Aluminum radiator... 113.98
Maverick 8" rear end... 100.00
Econoline front axle... 0.00
___________________________________________________
Total $1,521.18

So far, so good...

[Itoldyouso]

Have you decided on an engine yet?


Don

[brickman]

I too keep a diary of everything on my cars. I may be asking an old question, is there a website for Dave Koorey bodys?

[Dave Severson]

I had a computer wiz buddy of mine set me up a spread sheet to keep track of build costs and labor hours on my own cars. As long as I remember to put the information in the computer it is deadly accurate and sometimes downright scary!!!!! The money really adds up in a hurry....

[Angelking]

I too keep a diary of everything on my cars. I may be asking an old question, is there a website for Dave Koorey bodys?

www.dkooreystreetrods.com


AK

[Itoldyouso]

Ok Angelking, you are out of the lurking stage now, come out and say hello.

Don

[J. Robinson]

Don - Looks like I will be using the 2.5L four-banger & 5-speed from a Chevy S-10. I'm getting it in exchange for some labor on another car.

Brickman - Try www.dkrods.com or you can do a search for Dave Koorey Street Rods.

Dave - I never keep track of my time when I'm working on a project for myself. A good friend of mine said once,"Labor is cheap when you're workin' for yourself." I'm afraid if I kept track of my time I would worry about how much money I'm not making. I just write it off to mental health; it's theraputic and keeps me out of trouble.

[Itoldyouso]

Those S10 fours are great little engines. Should be peppy in a light rod too.


Don

[NVRRDUNN]

Hey Jim...nvrrdunn out in Oregon here....my, my, my. you never cease to amaze me as to how you make things seem so simple and they seem to work and work well. I'm kinda trial and error-ing it right now on building the ac stuff for my coupe. (I just put up some new pix I took today on my site here) By the way, what is the application on the front springs and the adjusters? I think you said aftermarket for a honda civic...could you be a little more specific? Thanks. I, too, have kept a photo record of the build of my cars as well as the cash outlays for just the reasons you stated. Its nice to pass on the build and the diary and the stories of how you enjoyed, hated, and loved your car(s) to another person, because that becomes just as much a part of that car as the bolts that hold it all together. The 2 cars I am keeping (my convertible and this coupe) will probably go to one of my kids someday and they already know a lot about them, but because of them being some distance away, they never get to experience, like I do, the day to day enjoyment stuff when it happens...and THAT is when a lot of the appreciation happens too...and they arent around to share that on a daily basis, at least in my family, because they are all grown and only 2 of them live near me. The other 3 live 120 miles away. Anyway, I am watching this post with much interest. Cant wait to hear an audio clip of that Li'l chevy half an eight.

[J. Robinson]

Nvrrdunn - I bought the springs on Ebay from a dealer called Trendy Auto. There are several dealers on there that sell parts for "ricers". They had kits for several different applications. Although they seemed to look alike, I bought the ones for the Civic because I thought the lighter car might have softer springs. Only time will tell on the spring rate of these, but they seem pretty stiff; I may have to change them later, but I can't tell for sure until I get all the weight in the car (engine, trans, etc.).

[J. Robinson]

OK, the front end is as done as it can get for now. I still have to finish the front crossmember between the spring perches, but I can't do that yet...

The next logical step is to get the rear end mounted so this thing will become a "roller". As I do with front ends, I like to begin by fabricating and mounting the radius rods. On my coupe I made a set of "truck arms" similar to a NASCAR stock car, but I didn't think they fit the theme of this car. I want these to more closely resemble the front ones. The big differences are that the rear radius rods are beefier and they will be rubber mounted at the rear axle (I will explain why later).

I started by making the short front pieces that the rod ends screw into. On the front radius rods I used 1/2" rod ends, but back here I'm using 3/4" just in case I someday want to stuff a V-8 in this thing and go to the drag strip... I made these pieces in the same tried & true method I used up front, just using heftier parts. I welded modified 3/4" coupling nuts into some cross-drilled 1" O.D tubing (3/4' black iron pipe). I fabricated the brackets for the rear end using a combination of cuts with the chop saw and a 3" hole saw in a drill press. Then I clamped the four plates together and drilled the 1/2" holes. After I drilled the holes, I bolted them all together and ground them to final shape all at once so they would be identical.

[J. Robinson]

Continuing with the rear radius rods, I needed to cap the opposite ends of the short pieces. On the front radius rods I welded a 3/8"-16 nut inside the end of the tube so I can attach an acorn nut later for a little detail. These tubes are much larger so I capped them with a washer that has a 3/8"-16 nut welded to the inside.

With the short pieces done I move on to bending and cutting the long 1" tubing pieces. I started with 4 pieces 40" long. Using the hydraulic pipe bender, I put a bend (approx. 45 degrees) in one end of each piece. I didn't show this when I did the front rods, but to get 4 pieces bent the same amount with one of these tools, you need a way to measure and match the piston movement on the jack. The first piece is guesswork and then I use a small piece of poster board with a pencil mark to match the movement on the other pieces.

Next I cut the pieces to length so they match and then put the secondary bend in the top bars. The last picture shows how the pieces lay out so far. Just a couple more small pieces and we'll be ready to weld them together.

[bluestang67]

Its been a few days you probably have it allmost done huh . Being a teacher and builder your time is strapped im sure .

Alll in all great work your doing and good learning experience for us .

[Itoldyouso]

Bobby must have been reading my mind. I was just wondering if you have had more time to work on the T.

Don

[J. Robinson]

Sorry I've been "incommunicato" for several days. I had to take a break to catch up on some honey-do's over the weekend and this week I'm tied up at school a lot with extra-curricular activity. I am the sponsor/mentor of an Electrathon team. We have a race Saturday and after that I'll be back to building the roadster.

If anyone is curious or interested in what Electrathon is, take a look at www.electrathonfl.homestead.com (local activities) and www.electrathonamerica.org (national organization). I have attached a pic below of two of my team's cars (we have 3 that run and a 4th under construction).

Electrathon is some of the cheapest racing I have ever done, it's great fun, and it's just different enough to be a nice distraction from same ol hum-drum day-to-day routine.