RPU, bodywork underway.

[Old Iron]

You ride is very cool.
I've got a 30-31 Ford roadster that I want to build but, have to finish the wife's 68 C10 that's been in the wings for the past 4 years first

 

[donsrods]

It does look really cool with the lights on like you said. I'm in awe of how neat and tidy your wiring job is! Makes me want to go back and have another go at mine...

Thanks, Bill. I have to admit that the wiring on this one is a whole lot easier than on my 27. To do that one, the car is fiberglass and the dash is non removable, so I had to lay upside down, with my feet over the back of the car, doing wiring by feel. Most times I couldn't see the place I was putting a wire to. With this one, the dash comes out with 6 screws, and I can reach right in there and connect the wires really easily.

You ride is very cool.
I've got a 30-31 Ford roadster that I want to build but, have to finish the wife's 68 C10 that's been in the wings for the past 4 years first

Thank you, OI. Yep, sometimes these projects get put on the back burner for a while, that is why this one took 9 years to get to this point. In that time, I rebuilt my 27 and built my 04 Mustang, and this one sat collecting dust all that time. You will get to the 30-31 eventually.

Well, today was another easy, relaxing day as far as working on the car. I worked on getting more wiring done, and Dan dragged out the bed we had built for it years ago and started to mock it up. He temporarily put the one bed side on to see if it needed moved around, and we did mount it an inch higher than it was originally set up to be. We think it is in about the right spot now.

Then, later tonight, the upholstery guy stopped by and we discussed what I want done and he ended up taking the seats with him and says they will be done in 2 weeks. He is also making up two sets of carpets, one for each side, and the upholstery we picked out matches the off white on the rest of the car pretty well. We decided to do all of the upholstery in off white, as opposed to doing the black and white combo. I think it will set the interior off nicely.

Once he brings the seats back, and get them installed, it will give me a better idea of what I am going to do for door and side panels. I might have them rolled and pleated too, or maybe just covered in vinyl glued straight to the aluminum panels I will be making up soon.

Tomorrow, more work on the bed and bed framework, and I may start putting the fluids into the engine and transmission in preparation for finally trying to start it up for the first time.

Here are a couple of pictures from today.

 

[soltz]

Looking really nice!!! [cl
The bed looks just right [
***[P***

 

[kenny c]

Getting closer all the time.[cl[cl[P[P[P[P

 

[Torchie]

Love it.[cl
[cl [cl [cl
Torchie

 

[donsrods]

Thanks, guys. Yep, I think I see the finish line not to far away on this one. Today I worked on more wiring, and I got the gas pedal and Lokar cable setup installed. I was able to sit in the car and actually open up all three carbs with my foot !

While I was doing all of that, Dan worked on building the skeleton for the bed out of angle iron. He came up with a pretty good design, and almost has one side done. I am letting him do his thing on the bed because it will definitely turn out better than if I was involved.

I only have two more wires to run before I can fire the car up on the key. One is the wire from the ignition switch to the coil, and the other is the tach wire to the coil. I still have to put all the fluids in everything, but I have them all sitting there, so I just have to get off my tail and do it.

Nothing picture worthy today, but I should have some pictures of progress on the bed sometime this week.

 

[donsrods]

Dan and I were planning on not going to the shop tonight, but he got off work a little early and asked if I wanted to go over for a few hours to get a few things done.

So, I worked on more wiring, while Dan worked on the bed again. He got the first side pretty well along and we clamped it into place to see how it fits. Then, we clamped the Brookville tail gate that my sons bought me for Father's Day into place to see how it was going to look.

I liked the original tail gate we had built years ago, but I have to admit that the real Model A tail gate takes it to a whole nuther level of niceness. Makes the bed look more "original Ford" than something we built ourselves. We also dragged out the louvered tonneau cover to measure it and make sure we had cut it to the right size years before. It was spot on.

Here are a few pictures from tonight.

 

[donsrods]

I spent today wrapping up the wiring, at least most of it. All I have to do now is put plugs on the wire bundles I have grouped together so I can unplug the dash at any time and take it out with only 6 screws. I also got the final wiring run to the coil, so theoretically I should now be able to start the car with the key.

Tomorrow I have a dentist appointment, and not sure how I will feel after that, but if I am not in too much discomfort I will go to the shop and put all the fluids into the engine, transmission, and rear axle, and use the preluber to lubricate the engine since it has been sitting dry for about 5 or 6 years now.

I am also having a debate with my sons over my choice of master cylinders. I bought a Corvette dual chamber master cylinder, and then I also bought a early 60's Chevy single chamber master cylinder. I really like the small size of the single master cylinder, but my sons are arguing that it is much safer to use the dual chambered versions.

I know they are right, but my 27 has had a single master cylinder for over 30 years and I have driven that car all over the place. My logic is that we do not drive these cars as many miles as our daily drivers, so, as long as you maintain the single ones they work fine. But deep down I know they are correct.

I did install the single one tonight, and am going to give some thought as to whether I will change it our for the dual version. I also got the brake pedal hooked up to the master cylinder and adjusted it so the brake light switch now works properly.

Dan worked on the passenger side bed side tonight and got it done, so we clamped both sides on as well as the tail gate to see how it all looks. Now he has to make the front and rear structures to tie the sides together, and then we can start fitting the metal tonneau cover to the bed.

 

[donsrods]

A couple more pictures from tonight.

 

[joedoh]

looking good! keep plugging!

I would use the dual, brake bias is different front to rear and adding a proportioning valve is a roundabout way to get the same result as a dual cylinder. just my 1 cent (I cant offer a penny for your thoughts and charge 2 cents for mine, thats unamerican!)

 

[donsrods]

looking good! keep plugging!

I would use the dual, brake bias is different front to rear and adding a proportioning valve is a roundabout way to get the same result as a dual cylinder. just my 1 cent (I cant offer a penny for your thoughts and charge 2 cents for mine, thats unamerican!)

Thanks. I agree and am leaning more and more toward just yanking the single one out and putting the double one in it's place. But that single one sure fits nice up under there and leaves a lot of room.

 

[Tripper]

Thanks. I agree and am leaning more and more toward just yanking the single one out and putting the double one in it's place. But that single one sure fits nice up under there and leaves a lot of room.

Don, I had a front brake hose get crimped & leak out on my gasser & even though I had a 2 holer master... I still lost my brakes. I was pretty surprised! Just sayin'! Guess it's better to lose the rears than the fronts!

BoB

 

[donsrods]

Wow, that is unusual and scary, Bob. Generally the two systems are separate and if one goes the other will function ok.

But I have seen where the rear brakes on some of my cars are not up to the job of stopping you, even with a split system.

Many years ago, I lived on a street that was on a steep hill. I had a 57 Pontiac, and it had the stock single master cylinder. One morning I got in to go to work, pulled it out of Park, and the brake pedal went to the floor. Overnight the brake fluid had leaked out and I had no brakes. I barreled down the hill, out of control, and ran through a stop sign and turned the wheel hard to the right to go down a level street at the end.

People were blowing horns at me, as if I did it on purpose, and luckily the car came to a stop without hitting anyone or anything. So, I guess it is a good thing that they came out with dual master cylinders in the mid 60's.

 

[bob w]

One cent from me: Everything is new. It is all out in the open. A leak would be seen for sure by you and the sons. The risk of failure is low. Millions of cars had single master cylinders. Failure was caused by age and neglect. Not as safe as ABS/dual master cyinder/warning lights/etc. But neither is a tiny roadster body.

 

[donsrods]

One cent from me: Everything is new. It is all out in the open. A leak would be seen for sure by you and the sons. The risk of failure is low. Millions of cars had single master cylinders. Failure was caused by age and neglect. Not as safe as ABS/dual master cyinder/warning lights/etc. But neither is a tiny roadster body.

Haha, your logic and mine are pretty much the same. Of all the things that are dangerous about our creations, having a single vs dual are down the list. As I mentioned earlier, I am running a 66 Chevy brake/clutch single master cylinder on my 27 and it is over 30 years old with no problems.

Now, maybe one factor (albeit a controversial one) is that we run Dot 5 synthetic brake fluid in every car we have built, even in my 04 Mustang. Some people say it gives a mushy pedal, but it does not suck up moisture, stays clean as the day you put it in, and it will not harm your paint if it gets on it.

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

A dual master didn't save me.

I had a front brake hose fail, just as I pulled into the driveway... step on the pedal, POP, pump, pump, nothing... rear ended my mother's big Ford LTD.

I was bringing the car home from tech school, where I had recently completed the bodywork and painted it BLACK. I was some kind of PO'd, stuck the car in the garage and couldn't even look at it for a couple of months.

I took the attached photo when I pulled it out of the garage... hood buckled, bumper kicked, corner lights bashed out, grille bent, heavy layer of dust, etc.

.

 

[donsrods]

Ouch !!

 

[donsrods]

Well guys, today might be the day ! My two sons and I are going to meet at the shop tonight, finish up a few things, and then try to fire up the engine for the first time !

My son Don is better with motors than Dan and me, so I am going to let him take the lead and prelube it and then see what happens from there.

Film at 11 !

 

[bruno]

Waiting.............................................

 

[kenny c]

Well guys, today might be the day ! My two sons and I are going to meet at the shop tonight, finish up a few things, and then try to fire up the engine for the first time !

My son Don is better with motors than Dan and me, so I am going to let him take the lead and prelube it and then see what happens from there.

Film at 11 !

Is that film at 11:00 AM or PM? Want to be around for the news.[P[P