Roadster pickup build, take two.

I've been following Don's boat rebuild on Facebook. Big project.

bob w said:

I've been following Don's boat rebuild on Facebook. Big project.

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Yeah, it turned into a lot more than he ever expected. But, I have to say, he did it right, almost every mechanical part is brand new, and everything else is redone, so he should have it for years to come without any major issues. It literally looks brand new now.

I didn't get to the shop today, had to get an ultrasound on my right leg and foot, the one I recently had knee surgery on. My right foot swelled up for some unknown reason, and they worried about a blood clot, but the test turned out fine. Swelling is going down, so I should be back on the car tomorrow.

Old age isn't for sissies.

Today the foot was fine, went for a consult with my knee surgeon, basically he thinks it was just some fluid in there, and now it has gone. So, I went to the shop late this afternoon and worked until about 2:30 am because it is a lot cooler then. Actually got a ton done.

Dan came over when he got off work and he finished up the dash welding and grinding. We had a conversation because hes a perfectionist but I don't want this to be a show car, just a nice driver, so we are calling it good and now can move on to the doors and get them done.

I worked all day on wrapping up the wiring, and now all the wiring on the chassis is 100% done ! [cl I had to drill 15 holes on the underside and inside of the frame and tap them for 1/4 x 20 thread so I could mount wire clamps to hold the wires to the frame. I was still getting metal shavings out of my hair tonight when I came home and showered.

Tomorrow I will work on running the brake lines from the front and from the rear, and wrapping up a few other loose ends. I am down to about 60 days to Turkey Run, so we need to start knocking things out quickly.

Here are a few pictures from tonight's work.

You guys do super clean work

Old Iron said:

You guys do super clean work

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You can say that again! Wow that looks nice - it's a shame to cover that work up.

Thanks, guys...…...I appreciate it. Nothing special, but it should make troubleshooting any electrical issues easier in the future. I remember the first car I wired many years ago. I did the whole car with the same color wire, thought it looked trick. It was, until I had to trace some wires, and then all of them looked the same !

Live and learn, I guess.

donsrods said:

Thanks, guys...…...I appreciate it. Nothing special, but it should make troubleshooting any electrical issues easier in the future. I remember the first car I wired many years ago. I did the whole car with the same color wire, thought it looked trick. It was, until I had to trace some wires, and then all of them looked the same !

Live and learn, I guess.

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I bought a all black wire harness and will never do that again

Looks great.[cl[cl[P[P

kenny c said:

Looks great.[cl[cl[P[P

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^^^^^^ X's 2 ^^^^^
I know you are pushing. Just don't push too hard.....
[P [P [P
Torchie

Thanks, guys. I woke up yesterday and realized I forgot to wire up the alternator, and the temp and oil pressure senders, so I went to the shop last night and got those 3 wires put on and loomed. So, as far as the chassis and engine end, that should be it for the wiring. Just have to do the underdash stuff when the body is finally on.

I am back to work today, but tonight I think I will get the fuel log installed on the firewall. I have to punch a hole in the firewall for the fuel fittings to go through, but that is about it.

Dan and I are both off Friday and Saturday, and the goal is to wrap up the entire body so that I can begin sanding the body down to bare metal and then get it primed , maybe the next weekend.

Clock is ticking faster and faster.

donsrods said:

Clock is ticking faster and faster.

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Tell me about it but you're *really* making great progress! [cl

BoB

Tripper said:

Tell me about it but you're *really* making great progress! [cl

BoB

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Thanks, Bob. I keep nibbling away at "things to do", and I have a lot of time since I am on a light schedule at work due to my knee. That time is coming in handy right now.

Tonight I went to the shop and the weather was BEAUTIFUL !! About 70 degrees, and no sweating into my work for a change. I cleaned the shop because Dan and I have the next two days together and plan on getting as much done as possible. The plan is to have all the welding and stuff done on the body by the end of Saturday, and then I am going to begin paint prep work on Sunday and hopefully get some primer on next week.


I got a few small things done tonight, like getting the fuel block temporarily mounted. I drilled a hole through the firewall and put a grommet in there and ran the fuel fittings to the inside. Now the fuel line will run down the inside of the firewall. I am going to build a false firewall to hide all of the wiring and hoses.

I also punched two holes in the floor of the car and put grommets in those, the small hole is for the fuel line to pass through and the other is for the main wiring harness.

I am going to pick up a piece of Starboard tomorrow and make a plate to mount to the inside of the firewall to hold my fuse block and my relays.

Well, it's after 4 am, so time to shower and get some sleep so we can get on it tomorrow again. Here are some pictures from tonight.

Isn't it strange who when you work harder/faster the clock still seems to outrun ya.
You guys are going to make it just fine.
As always nice work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

you are going to run the fuel line in the passenger compartment? is that legal?

joedoh said:

you are going to run the fuel line in the passenger compartment? is that legal?

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Hahaha, what, you think ANYTHING on our hot rods is "legal"? If you want "legal and safe" go out and buy a Lexus. I think, with 7 gallons of fuel sitting inches behind me, a fuel line is the least of my worries.


My project today was to build a panel to hold the fuse box and the 4 relays that operate my hi beams, lo beams, electric fuel pump, and electric fan. I also incorporated the flasher for the turn signals.

I used some 1/2 inch Starboard and cut it to the shape of the passenger side firewall. Then I used some threaded inserts so that the 4 machine screws from the fuel block could hold that panel to the firewall.

I found a really cool fuse block at work, it is made by Blue Seas and is perfect for a hot rod setup. It uses modern ATO fuses, and is separated into 3 sections. One is for all the grounds, one is for fuses that are always hot, and the third is for Keyed Hot circuits. It is compact and I will use ATO fuses that light up when they blow. Makes it easier to trace a problem.

While I was at it, I drilled a 1 1/8 inch hole in the Starboard, and my flasher for the turn signals pushed in there tight and I can run the wires right to it.

I plan to paint the Starboard black but even as it is, you can not see that panel up underneath the dash. The reason for the diagonal cut on the right corner of the Starboard is so I can run the fuel hose sideways there and clamp it to the tunnel.

Very clean install. [cl[cl[P[P

Great layout and a cool fuse block.

donsrods said:

Hahaha, what, you think ANYTHING on our hot rods is "legal"? If you want "legal and safe" go out and buy a Lexus. I think, with 7 gallons of fuel sitting inches behind me, a fuel line is the least of my worries.

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no need for the "L" word


I work aircraft engineering and they are big on "fireproof spaces", something I happen to agree with. I had a couple 70s BMWs with the fuel lines in the cabin, never liked it much.


looking good!

Thanks, guys. You know, Joe, we all have to die of SOMETHING !

Tonight was another late night, Dan worked on getting the door hinges aligned and welded straight. He also began to frame the insides of the doors so we can attach the inside upholstery panels.

While he was doing that, I worked on the underdash panel to hold the ignition switch, light switch, fuel pump switch, and electric fan switch. I made up a panel out of 3/16 plate ( just what I had laying around that was the right size), and I laid out the pattern for the switches to mount, and got those holes drilled.

To balance it out, I put in a push button switch for a horn, that way there are two switches on either side of the ignition switch. At that point, Dan needed to get involved as we wanted to put a shroud around the plate so you could not see the switches or wiring from the sides. We shaped some 16 gauge steel around the face plate, and he got that all welded on and ground smooth.

It really came out better than I imagined, and he came up with another good idea. I have been looking for a place to put the flying eyeball Bob W. sent me a few years ago. (Thank you, Bob ! ) I knew it was going to go on this car someplace, but I just couldn't find the right spot. Dan said, "Why don't you put it on the switch plate?"

We got it mounted, and he was right, this is the perfect spot to put it. I am going to paint the dash Wimbledon White as well as the switch panel, and the flying eyeball should really look great with that background.

Now I can begin running wires to all of the switches and get a little more done on all of that stuff. Here are some pictures from tonight.

nice gauges