Hot Rods Thunderbirdesq Builds a Roadster!

Well, I just passed the first mockup stage so I guess I'll start a lil build thread to document my progress. I've been itching to build a roadster for a while now, so I sold my other projects, sold a bunch of parts, sold a few vintage gibson guitars I had been hoarding, sold my only driving hot rod eek: WTF?!) and started gathering the pieces to build my ultimate roadster. It will be built using only parts that were available in 1953 (with a few minor, invisible exceptions). It's already been a blast and I've barely started!

I bought the bulk of the project out of ON, body/frame/axles/tires/brakes, from the hamb classifieds and made the arduous journey back across the canadian/US border with a pile of a 31 deluxe roadster, an original 32 frame, a drilled, dropped and chromed 32 front axle, and a polished culver city 201, and a couple boxes of parts on the trailer. Crossing the border wasn't nearly as much of a hassle as I was expecting, whew! As soon as I got it home, I plopped the body on the frame and threw it together to see what I had.


The first thing I did was hack that hideous firewall out and start fitting a stock one I picked up from my buddy at the Model Acres Farm in PA.






I kept a fresh 8ba that I built for a previous project to put in this car. Just say Why-And!

It will run a early ford 3 spd with the aforementioned QC out back. It currently has an open drive kit from the Hot Rod Works installed, but I'll be changing out the lower shaft with a new closed drive one when I switch over to 36 rear cones/radius rods/T rear spring.


I figured I'd start by getting the engine/trans installed and that would help me place the body/radiator/etc...

Someone at one point had torched the Kmember center out and installed a aux trans crossmember behind. First things first...



Make a pattern...



Cut it out...


Check the fit...




Burn it in, nice and hot!


There were some flathead engine mounts in the frame, but they were in the wrong spot, placed at the wrong width, and had the wrong size hole in them for my pumps. Sooo...

 

One thing leads to another and...







Also somewhere in the middle of this process, I got distracted and tacked in my cowl patches. Someone had previously patched the cowl, but the installation wasn't quite as nice as I wanted and I also wanted to curve the bead to match the frame reveal, soo...



And somewhere along the line I popped the poorly welded boxing plates out. I literally smacked them with a hammer a few times and then pried them out with a big screwdriver. This frame is VERY solid, I don't think I'm gonna re-box it as I shouldn't have to worry about twisting it up with my little flatty...

 

I've always like the look of the 41 ford dash... There's a pic in "the birth of Hot Rodding" book of a 31 roadster with a 41 dash in it and it has just stuck with me since I saw it. I picked up a really nice 41 dash at Hershey this year. I sliced and diced it every which way to make it fit.



Even with 3.5" out of it where the ashtray once was, it's still way too wide...


Also, once I got it sitting where I wanted and where the gauges would clear the cowl edge, there was a gap at the top. I sliced out some sheet metal strips and put a gentle curve in them with my most sophisticated sheet metal tool: a rubber mallet up against a floormat...




I wasn't sure what to do with the edges, I wanted a clean look, but also I didn't want it too look "too Smooth" like modern looking. I decided to keep it simple and fab a pair of rounded ends...




All in place...

 

That's about where I'm at now, I hope to be driving this thing EARLY in the spring, so stay tuned, future plans include:

-Black lacquer paint job with an aged leather interior

-A few more pieces of tasteful chrome (headlight bar/shock mount, front backing plates)

-A buttload of aluminum polishing (heads, intake, timing cover, fuel block)

-F1 steering box with a 38 banjo wheel/mast/column drop

-Modified 32 pedals with a 39 master cyl

-Capped under-the-frame lake pipes made from a 36 driveshaft with full 1.5" straight pipes to the rear

-46 Ford tailights, 37 pickup headlights with 36 lenses and bezels

-Model T oval gas tank and steel battery box in the rumbleseat

-A pair of removable bolt-in rear legs to effectively turn my Kmember into an Xmember and prevent the dreaded roadster pinch

- Oh yeah... and driving it out to speed week 2010!!!


Andy

 

I not a big roadster guy but that is a nice looking roadster!

 

It's a thing of beauty! I really like the '41 dash- i think I've see the picture you're talking about... It's nice to see something besides a '32 or a '40 dash in a roadster. the ribbing on the firewall frames up your flatty beautifully too! I like it a lot- good job and keep it up!

 

Attention all Hambers : buy a T-shirt to get this thing done.

this is going to be cool

 

Looks great!!! Keep going... I like the curved body line at the bottom of the cowl... fits nice with the frame!!

 

i LOVE threads like this,,,,so interesting to see peoples ideas and watch as they build something,,,,,,that car is gonna be incredible,,,tons of subtle details.....

 

looks like a great build.

 

Looking really good. I watched that grille shell sell on eBay last week. You got a great deal on that one! Excellent post.

 

Nice progress! The dash looks slick.

 

hey thats not channeled to death i like it

 

Looks dead cool to me

 

Many thanks fellas, I'm not trying to break any new ground here or anything, but I wanna put my spin on a truly traditionally built roadster.

Haha, yes please! The good news is, I have all the major components to put it together, including a lot of the hardware. This is the first car I've ever built that I had the initial big pieces right from the start. Should go pretty smoothly, except for damn stupid work/life cutting into my hot rod time!

Yeah, no kidding I couldn't BELIEVE I actually won it for that ammount, the insert is nearly perfect!!

Haha, thanks again guys, updates coming soon...

 

Nice workmanship.........

 

looks great!
good job!

 

thunderbirdesq.........nice fuckin raodster buster!!!!!

 

love it.

 

My god man that is going to be absolutely ridiculous. I mean it's pure heaven so far and your just getting started. The birth of Hot Rodding book is like the be all end all for reference. I have seen so many cool ideas in that book I would need a fleet of cars to pack them all in. Great looking car and really nice work thus far!!!

 

Thanks man, I know... I *NEVER* get sick of looking at that book... Every so often my wife will ask me "Haven't you seen every car in that book by now?" yeah, baby, only about a thousand times...

 

Hey, how'd you sneak that reply in there?! Haha, thanks bro...

 

A Classic and Timeless Hot Rod, PERFECT!

Nick.

 

I've been entertaining the idea of a flathead in my '32 roadster for awhile now (always thought it would be a Chevy of some sort) and this might have just pushed me over the cliff. Keep the updates coming I won't be upset to be influenced by this one.

Frank

 

Thanks Nick!

Come over to the dark side, Frank. The water's fine... Hahaha!

 

Certainly looks great. Keep it up.

 

Son
You do nice work !

 

I like it...........that dash reminds me that I have to get back to finishing mine. 50 in a 29 takes A LOT more cutting DOH!

 

it's looking cool so far. I like it.