Torchie
Well-known member
[cl 
[P [P [P
Torchie
[P [P [P
Torchie
Roadster pickup build, take two.
- Thread starter donsrods
- Start date
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BillM
Well-known member
Those guages will look great in there - I too like that old timey look.
Old Iron
Well-known member
How are you mount the tank to the frame?
donsrods
Well-known member
They built the tank with two tabs on each end that I can drill holes through. I plan on drilling and tapping holes into the front round crossmember in the bed area, and for the rear one, I will have to build an angled bracket to bolt to the rear crossmember, then bolt the tank down to that.
I planned on putting some sort of bracing under the tank, so it wouldn't sag with gas in it, but the guy who built it made it out of 3/16 aluminum, and that baby ain't gonna sag at all. The tank in my 27 is thinner aluminum, and I had to put supports under it to keep it from sagging in the middle.
The fabricator that made this tank for me really did a great job, it is exactly what I wanted. You can see one of the tabs in the picture below.
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smallfoot
He's rockin' the "Nuttin Special"!
Good lookin tank! It won't go anywhere...
Old Iron
Well-known member
That's what I figured.
He made you a nice lookin tank and it being 3/16 is a bonus [cl
He made you a nice lookin tank and it being 3/16 is a bonus [cl
donsrods
Well-known member
I bet all of you are like me, when the big brown truck shows up with parts, it is like Christmas all over again ! Today was Christmas for me.
Got my outside door handles, and the radiator support rods and mounts. Also got the second front brake hose that they forgot on my earlier shipment.
Oh, BTW, here is something I just found that might help someone else out. If you are using early Ford hydraulic brakes, sometimes the stock Ford brake rubber brake lines are a little too short to reach from the backing plate to the frame (especially if you are running a suicide front end)
Speedway carries one that has the correct 7/16 x 20 thread on the wheel cylinder end, and a threaded collar on the frame end so you can secure it to the frame. It takes a standard 1/4 inch brake line fitting on the frame end, but you can put a reducer in there to go to 3/16, which is what I am doing.
The speedway part number is 917-4900, and it is about 2 inches longer than the stock Ford brake hose. Just thought this might help someone else out.
Here are my little Christmas presents to me that I got today.
Got my outside door handles, and the radiator support rods and mounts. Also got the second front brake hose that they forgot on my earlier shipment.
Oh, BTW, here is something I just found that might help someone else out. If you are using early Ford hydraulic brakes, sometimes the stock Ford brake rubber brake lines are a little too short to reach from the backing plate to the frame (especially if you are running a suicide front end)
Speedway carries one that has the correct 7/16 x 20 thread on the wheel cylinder end, and a threaded collar on the frame end so you can secure it to the frame. It takes a standard 1/4 inch brake line fitting on the frame end, but you can put a reducer in there to go to 3/16, which is what I am doing.
The speedway part number is 917-4900, and it is about 2 inches longer than the stock Ford brake hose. Just thought this might help someone else out.
Here are my little Christmas presents to me that I got today.
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donsrods
Well-known member
Really got a lot done today, Dan and I put in about 12 hours, and got the steering about 95% done. I needed something to sit on to approximate the height of the final seat, so I took the wheeled base off of my office desk chair and added some 2 x 4's underneath to shim it up to the right height.
Then, we installed the steering box and attached steering wheel shaft. I had cut the top off of that shaft a while back because I knew it was going to be too long. Once we had the box bolted in place, we inserted a threaded rod down into the hollow wheel shaft and put a washer and nut on it to keep it from falling all the way down. Then, we bolted the steering wheel to the top of the threaded rod, and I sat in the seat and we kept adjusting the bottom nut until we got a shaft length that felt about right.
We then transferred that dimension to the cut off top portion of the shaft and Dan cut it to the right length and tig welded it on. He first cut up a grade 8 bolt and slipped it inside so the weld would penetrate that bolt, then he ground it smooth and slipped a tight fitting sleeve over the welded area and welded that sleeve for added strength.
Then, we cut the column to the right length and reinstalled it all. Now, tomorrow, we will make the column drop to bolt to the underside of the dash, and the steering will be totally done.
This is a major step, because now I can move on to things like brakes, etc. Here are some pictures from today.
Then, we installed the steering box and attached steering wheel shaft. I had cut the top off of that shaft a while back because I knew it was going to be too long. Once we had the box bolted in place, we inserted a threaded rod down into the hollow wheel shaft and put a washer and nut on it to keep it from falling all the way down. Then, we bolted the steering wheel to the top of the threaded rod, and I sat in the seat and we kept adjusting the bottom nut until we got a shaft length that felt about right.
We then transferred that dimension to the cut off top portion of the shaft and Dan cut it to the right length and tig welded it on. He first cut up a grade 8 bolt and slipped it inside so the weld would penetrate that bolt, then he ground it smooth and slipped a tight fitting sleeve over the welded area and welded that sleeve for added strength.
Then, we cut the column to the right length and reinstalled it all. Now, tomorrow, we will make the column drop to bolt to the underside of the dash, and the steering will be totally done.
This is a major step, because now I can move on to things like brakes, etc. Here are some pictures from today.
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bob w
Still crazy after all these years!
Looks like a pro build, Don. As you well know, there's nothing like driving in a roadster when the weather and traffic conditions are right. So, make sure you are at the Turkey Run. Don't forget about motel security either. You don't want your roadster to be the give away car this year.
donsrods
Well-known member
That always has worried us, Bob. We stay at the same place every year, and they have underground parking, but their security is a little lax. They are supposed to close and lock the entry gates at midnight, but we have had to go and tell them they were still open after that, and they didn't seem concerned.
When Dan and I took his rpu to it's very first show, we actually slept in his pickup with the roadster on a trailer behind us.
This has been one rainy year. Dan and I were just talking while working last night, and we haven't been able to take our two roadsters out to dinner or anything for maybe 6 months or more. It rains almost every day, and you never know when it is coming, even the weathermen get it wrong a lot.
Today we are going to finish up the steering column mount and start working on the brake pedal assembly. It is already mounted under the dash , but a little too far to the right, and the pedal needs shifted more outboard to be comfortable. The dimensions of the car changed from when this body was set up for Dan's Oldsmobile engine and then my Oldsmobile engine to now, with the small block Chevy, so some adjustments are needed.
But I see the finish line !
When Dan and I took his rpu to it's very first show, we actually slept in his pickup with the roadster on a trailer behind us.
This has been one rainy year. Dan and I were just talking while working last night, and we haven't been able to take our two roadsters out to dinner or anything for maybe 6 months or more. It rains almost every day, and you never know when it is coming, even the weathermen get it wrong a lot.
Today we are going to finish up the steering column mount and start working on the brake pedal assembly. It is already mounted under the dash , but a little too far to the right, and the pedal needs shifted more outboard to be comfortable. The dimensions of the car changed from when this body was set up for Dan's Oldsmobile engine and then my Oldsmobile engine to now, with the small block Chevy, so some adjustments are needed.
But I see the finish line !
donsrods
Well-known member
Torchie
Well-known member
Never a lot of foot room in these.
[P [P [P
Torchie
[P [P [P
Torchie
Dr Crankenstein
Rocket Surgeon
earthman
Fascinated by rolling objects!
I have to say seeing the rusty patina on the body in these pix warms my heart.
The excellent craftsmanship always seen in your work does as well of course. So good to see this one finally moving ahead Don.
The excellent craftsmanship always seen in your work does as well of course. So good to see this one finally moving ahead Don.
forbigpicture
Please stand by.......
Love this little truck Don and your vision....lookin' good !!!
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05snopro440
Well-known member
I have to say seeing the rusty patina on the body in these pix warms my heart.
The excellent craftsmanship always seen in your work does as well of course. So good to see this one finally moving ahead Don.
I'm the opposite, I can't wait to see the body in finished paint on this build! Knowing it will be very well done, of course.
Maybe that means I'm evolving?
Great work, Don!
donsrods
Well-known member
Saturday, Dan and I put in another long day but got a lot more done. I now have steering and I got my shifter in and adjusted.
Dan had a great idea for the column drop........not original , it has been done many times by other people before, but it does work well. He cut up a 302 Ford connecting rod and used the big end to go around the column. The bore was bigger in diameter, so he shimmed it up with some steel tubing and welded that into place. Now, he just has to make the top portion to mount it to the dash.
As for my shifter, the car was set up originally for the Olds engine, so the shifter was mounted in the wrong spot on this new Chevy setup, so I had to move it back about 6 inches and fab up a couple of new mounts and make a new shift rod ( longer) to make it work. But now it shifts into all the gears and is one more step out of the way.
I also removed the Kugel Components brake pedal set up, in preparation for cutting it up and moving it over some. That should be the end of the progress for a little while, I go in on Thursday for the knee work, and don't know how long I will be laid up.
Oh, BTW, this steering wheel and shift knob are special to me. They both came off of my 23 , I kept them when I sold it, and the knob was a gift from my son, so it wasn't leaving. I knew I would some day put it on another car.
Dan had a great idea for the column drop........not original , it has been done many times by other people before, but it does work well. He cut up a 302 Ford connecting rod and used the big end to go around the column. The bore was bigger in diameter, so he shimmed it up with some steel tubing and welded that into place. Now, he just has to make the top portion to mount it to the dash.
As for my shifter, the car was set up originally for the Olds engine, so the shifter was mounted in the wrong spot on this new Chevy setup, so I had to move it back about 6 inches and fab up a couple of new mounts and make a new shift rod ( longer) to make it work. But now it shifts into all the gears and is one more step out of the way.
I also removed the Kugel Components brake pedal set up, in preparation for cutting it up and moving it over some. That should be the end of the progress for a little while, I go in on Thursday for the knee work, and don't know how long I will be laid up.
Oh, BTW, this steering wheel and shift knob are special to me. They both came off of my 23 , I kept them when I sold it, and the knob was a gift from my son, so it wasn't leaving. I knew I would some day put it on another car.
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Torchie
Well-known member
Good progress.[cl
Very cool about the steering wheel and the shift knob. It's sort of a continuation....
Heal well.
Torchie
Very cool about the steering wheel and the shift knob. It's sort of a continuation....
Heal well.
Torchie
BillM
Well-known member
Truck is looking great Don, and it'll give you lots to think about and incentive to get moving after the surgery - good luck with that, let us know how you make out!
donsrods
Well-known member
Thanks guys for the nice words and wishes. They go in through about a 1 inch incision with a scope and cutter, and clean up some damage in there, so recovery shouldn't be too bad or long.
We only have 105 days until we go to Turkey Run, so I have to keep moving. But, even if I have to use Mexican blankets for an interior, I can finish up things like the interior later on. I need to leave a little room at the end for unexpected glitches that always show up, but some of the important things are out of the way, like my title work and those kinds of things that can always be a problem and time consuming.
We only have 105 days until we go to Turkey Run, so I have to keep moving. But, even if I have to use Mexican blankets for an interior, I can finish up things like the interior later on. I need to leave a little room at the end for unexpected glitches that always show up, but some of the important things are out of the way, like my title work and those kinds of things that can always be a problem and time consuming.
