125% Model A Roadster

[jpmachado]

I'm starting this build thread even though I'm almost done with the car. I'll post pictures as I have time. My wife wants no more of hearing about the car; so I'm hoping to get some comments from those on here.

Here's a little background on the build. The car is totally scratch built from raw tubing, sheet, ect. The entire car is Model A dimensions multiplied by 1.25, hence the 125% in the thread title. This gives me a larger more comfortable car, but proportionally it doesn't look skewed.

Note: I don't claim to be anything other than a hobbiest. The car is a conglomeration of ideas I've seen elsewhere and used for myself. I don't claim to be an innovator so please don't post comments about how I stole this or that from someone else. I'm telling you up front, It's all stolen from someone else.



Thanks for looking (sorry about the spelling)

 

[jpmachado]

Here is the basic frame and kickup. 2 x 4 x .120 wall rectangular tubing with 2 x 3 x .120 wall for the kickups.

 

[TiredIronGRB]

Can't wait to see some pictures of the body!

 

[jpmachado]

Here is the torsion bar front end. The torsion arms will run out 90 degrees to the front end and use shackles to reach up and hook into shackle mounts that will be upside down in the axle. The front suspension is underslung. The bars go into the two outer tubes.

 

[international rat]

Lookin good can't wait to see more!

 

[Thunder1]

Welcome to the site.

Thunder

 

[truckster]

nice looking fabrication. looks like you have a definite idea of where you are going. keep us posted, with pictures!

 

[jpmachado]

Here are some of the NASCAR style cage I had bent up. It also follows the 1.25 proportion rule. It's all 1.75" x .120 wall HREW tubing. Yes, I would have loved to use chromoly or DOM, but it's an imperfect world and I had to go with what I could both get and afford. The fit up on the cage is decent. Some oversized gaps that had to be filled, but nothing horrible. Cage is about 99% TIG welded with the other 1% being me finding welds I missed or the few oversized gaps I needed to fill so I used my MIG gun. I'm not racing the car so the cage only needs to hold up once. It's all going to be sandblasted and painted with Extreme Chaissis Black in about a month.

 

[jpmachado]

Can't wait to see some pictures of the body!

Me too. I haven't figured that part out yet. Started it twice, but couldn't keep up the standard of quality with the cage so I scraped it.
Thanks for the nice words.

 

[Gregster]

This is a Big Dog build ! I love it !!

 

[jpmachado]

Here is the beginning of the front suspension. Torsion bars will be used along with some Pete and Jakes aluma-shocks. The shark fin four bar mounts were cut on a water jet and are needed because the front tire is 30" tall, but the frame is only about 6.5" off the ground. The front axle is 2 model A axles spliced togeather to give me the 1.25 proportion once again. The shocks run from the front bottom corner of the frame up to the mounts on the bar running behind the axle.

 

[jpmachado]

Right after the front suspension I put in the 350/350 combo. It's a crate engine and tranny from TCI that I've run in other stuff. The mounts were made from some JEGS flat mounts and old 4 bar stuff I had. I like the second and third pictures because they show how low and lean the car will look. To give you an idea the front tires are 30" tall and the highest horizontal tube is 34" off the ground.

 

[Gregster]

very interesting , I want to see more .

 

[bikedude]

very nice work.you wont find anyone on this site who will say you stold that from somebody.thats why we have this site.to see others work and ideas.again nice work.il be watching this one[cl[

 

[Wilit Everrun]

This is a fantastic build. I have frame envy. I also nominate you for the
'Cleanest shop ever and I'm not kidding award' Keep the pictures coming I can't wait!

 

[jpmachado]

Here is the rear suspension. It's a homemade torqure arm, but here's the rub. I had a Dana 60 from a truck build that I didn't want to weld on so I had a waterjet piece cut to utilize hoops to capture the pinion. Then I made some radius rod mounts from 1" cold rolled stock that go onto the original axle saddles. One of the wide pictures shows the Panhard I put in.

The unit needs to be cut apart and aligned better, but this is basically how it will look even when it's done. Cutting it apart and fixing it will only take about an hour right before I sandblast everything next month. Bolts with swivel heads on them (like in a clamp) will come down and sandwich in the pinion so it can't move. There's a dog bone (made from a male and female rod end put togeather) up at the chassis by the tailshaft of the TH350.

I'm using coilovers that will run up to some outriggers that I'll post in later pictures with more cage stuff.

 

[jpmachado]

One more for above

 

[jpmachado]

This is a fantastic build. I have frame envy. I also nominate you for the
'Cleanest shop ever and I'm not kidding award' Keep the pictures coming I can't wait!

Thank you. It's my dad's shop and he keeps it very clean, despite me.

 

[jpmachado]

Here are some shots of the roll-over hoops and rear coil-over outriggers. The work on the front hoop is so there was clearance for the distributor. The rear coil over outriggers were from a roll bar I did not use (used the individual hoops instead).

 

[jpmachado]

These shots show the safety straps (1/4" x1/4" stock) that I put on the 4 bar mounts + the plate that ties in the post for the steering box to the frame. I'm using a saginaw 525 box with cross steer to keep it simple.