I'm one HAPPY CAMPER !!!!!!!!!!!

[donsrods]

Thanks for the nice words guys. Today the body got installed for (hopefully) the last time. Don and I lifted while Dan guided it on. We padded the heck out of everything with towels, cardboard, and masking tape, and luckily got no scratches. I was VERY nervous.

Now I can wire it, finish the brakes and steering, and maybe get the first test ride next weekend. Still a lot to do, but all small stuff sort of.

Here are some pictures of it tonight.

Don

 

[BruceR&C]

That's some real nice work there, Don. Can almost hear it sing from here.

 

[Gastrick]

The car looks outstanding Don. What did the cat have to say about it?

 

[22dodge]

Looking Good.....Very Good !!!!!

That looks great, Don. Outstanding work, can hardly wait for a picture of the smile on your face during the initial drive.. '22

 

[donsrods]

Thanks guys. The cats??????? I think they are pretty impressed. They actually looked up for a second from their naps. But maybe they just wanted fed, hard to tell. We put three chairs out so we would have a place to sit.......guess who takes up two of them??

Don

 

[Bonehead]

Don, I think you have soaked up some "rat rod" cause that car of yours has the look. Probably one of the cleanest looking rats around. It is probably the stance more than anything else. Great job.

 

[FlatBroke]

Don,
That thing is lookin too cool.
Right stance, right paint, shoot !!! It is right all the way around.....

 

[donsrods]

Thank you. Yep Bonehead, it came from rat rod roots. As I mentioned before, I really liked the T in the picture below, and wanted one that resembled it. I told my Sons that I have to find some cutie in a bikini to duplicate the picture with my car.

Don

 

[donsrods]

Ahhhh, forgot picture.

 

[Tripper]

Very Sweet!

Don,
I love the new pictures. The black body is perfect with the frame color! Can't wait to swee the interior come together! You should be *very* proud... great job!

BoB

 

[donsrods]

Thanks Tripper. Hey, we got Don's T bucket running today!! Check this out............

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cITbECTLJh4


Then Don bent down to look under his T and his forehead contacted the hot header.........no real damage, but Dan thought it was a hoot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwA5rI5kUGk

Don

 

[Tripper]

Battle scars!

Thanks Tripper. Hey, we got Don's T bucket running today!! Check this out............

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cITbECTLJh4


Then Don bent down to look under his T and his forehead contacted the hot header.........no real damage, but Dan thought it was a hoot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwA5rI5kUGk

Don

I think you said once you bought Band-aids & Neosporin by the case... good thing! Congrats, not many people have a battle scar like that one!!! ; - >

BoB

 

[FlatBroke]

Don,
I guess it is true what all the kids at Alabama River Speedway say "It's all fun and games till someone gets a battle scar, Then it's hillarious"....

Hope Don is allright...

Also hope Dan regained his composure...


Bucket looks and sounds good.

 

[35Mastr]

Don,The motor sounds real good,I bet there were all smiles when that engine fired up.You guys are almost there.It wont be long now till its a driver.

 

[donsrods]

Yeah, he's fine, just a little burn. Unfortunately, he inherited my hairline, so not much there to protect his forehead. The reason Dan was cracking up was that just a few minutes before this he singed his hair on the other header, and Don thought that was funny. Paybacks.

We were surprised that the engine fired right up. The video sound doesn't do it justice, my ears are still ringing. It really is too radical for the street, since he built it as a full-on drag engine, but it sure idles nice. The machine shop said there was nothing else left to do to it, even the heads have had every trick in the book done to them, it is a full roller cam, roller rocker motor. Should move the little T really well.

After the video we jacked up the rear wheels and ran it through the gears, everything moved well and smoothly. By the time the body comes back from the paintshop we should be ready to plop it on and head for the upholstery shop.

Daytona is looking better all the time.

Don

 

[440shorty]

looking good

Sounds great, looks even better. Did you use a video camera to film that? I tried to film with my cell phone, but the sound was terrible.

Can't wait to see it with the body on there. Were you tempted to figure out how to take it for a spin without the body?

440shorty

 

[BruceR&C]

That sounds good. I know Don had to be smiling ear-to-ear when it fired up 1st time. Looks like Daytona is makeable !

 

[donsrods]

Thanks guys. 440shorty, we used a Sony digital camera that has the capability of doing videos. I didn't even know they existed, but Dan bought me one for my birthday, and he liked it so much he bought himself one too. It doesn't do a bad job for just a camera. I always thought you had to have a movie type camera to do these things.........I still live in the era of 8 mm movie cameras.

We sure were tempted to take it for a spin. Last night we jacked up the rear wheels and let the tranny go through the gears. If we had brakes and steering we would have propped a boat seat or something on the frame for a little trial drive.

Yep, Bruce, he is still smiling. Tonight we capped up the headers and let it exhaust through the turndowns, which quieted it down a little, but the darned thing honestly sounds like a dragster sitting on the line. That X303 cam is a monster, the whole car sits there and shakes. Sitting at redlights is going to be a real adventure for him, soccer Moms won't know what to make of it.

Don

 

[donsrods]

Finally got to do some work on my own T Thursday and Friday. Installed the gauges and ignition switch in the dash and installed a switch panel and other components under the drivers seat. Still have more to do today, but pretty soon I should be able to turn the key and have it crank and things begin to work.

Don

 

[eyesore]

Looks good!

Don,
As always, that looks really good. You're really getting incredibly close! I hear Daytona calling you!

ISore