Projects "Fly'nBrian" '34 Roadsterproject.

One can never have enough cars to lay tools on...

 

Can you tell that I liked that one a bit? Model 40's have always been the Grand Dame.I'm so happy to see that Hot Rod survived!!!!!!!! Congrats Brian on the re-build.
CK

 

Kevin, if there was "I like it a lot" button I would have hit it. The like was as good as I could do. Bitchin

 

All I can do is . and say Thanx, as we look at many cars for inspiration, FlynBrian's new acquisition was one that I remember inspiring me, albeit when I did the build after the guy I worked for changed directions for the build that we started several years before.

I had a purple colored car in my mind. I always saw it with all kinds of different wheels, so there are several sets based on what era would be appropriate. When built, It looked like the lower pic, so I recently was able to buy those Stones again, and I really like that look.

The Kelseys are timeless, and Steelies on wide white ribbed Denmans up front and Lesters in the rear and finally Steelies w/Blackwall Stones look like El Mirage-Muroc and all sets are 16". They say that the shoes make the dress on a beautiful lady, I think that it carries on over to these ladies. Much appreciated.

 

Great looking car Kevin! I too have a couple sets of wheels for mine (I haven't bought tires yet). A set of rim laced Dayton knock off's, which look just like Jag XKE wheels, which I think will be good with my planned late '50's look, a set of 15" steelies, and two 16" early Fords. I'm planning on the Dayton's, painted, for now, but, it'll be nice to have options! I have Buick drums up front with Ford 5 on 5 1/2", and Chev 5 on 4 3/4" rear, so I'll need some adaptors...

 

Me too, I may have to rethink my ladder bars.

 

Always great to have options. Thanx for the compliment . I can't wait to see it back on the road. PM me images, I'd love to see the progress.
CK

 

I still like the tank out back as it adds to the look and keeps the trunk space open with no gas smell coming in the cockpit. Here is my old one.




If you use the Winters you won't need a notch. This is the Halibrand Champ.

 

I'm starting to feel the tank where it belongs! . Re: rear radius rods; a casual aquaintance was giving me some grief at the cruise in last night, specifically my welding. I let it go, saying, "I'm not a very good welder, but I'm a helluva good grinder." It kind of bothered me, I'm actually kind of proud of my buzz- box welding, I decided he doesn't know me well enough to make fun of my welds. I don't make fun of his paint- work...

 

Or a CYCLONE QC , No Notch Required. .

 

After a LONG hiatus, got the rear radius rods (split '36 front bones welded up). Is this enough triangulation? I can pull the forward ends in to just clear the driveshaft, so there's a couple more inches they can move at the front. They'll hang below the yet to be made center plate.

 

That should work.
What are you using for springs? The reason I ask is that if you are running coils even a truck arm rear (which is basically what you are running) uses a panhard bar, so if you are trying to get away from that you are probably still going to need one even if you run that @ drive shaft width.

By the way I like the setup, looks good and should be plenty stout.

 

'40 Ford Mono-leaf. I think I'll have to swap the spacer block to the top of the spring, looks like it'll be much too low with it on the bottom. I flattened the '40 rear crossmember, so together, it's too much of a good thing. I wondered if I'll need a Panhard bar.

 

With a cross leaf it is a toss up. You shouldn't need one but some guys run them anyway.

Angling the radius rods/ladder bars is a good idea with the cross leaf you should be really stable.

 

Yup, It was mine, Conforths car was a roadster, anyway I have hundreds of pictures of this car in different states of build before digital cameras. id have to dig them up and scan them. It was a cool car, I sold the car with the chassis minus the motor, before the magazine feature. Steve

 

Thanks for jumping in Steve. I'd be tickled with any photos you could come up with, it'd be great to see some. The body still has the "Flying Flathead" lettering on the rear panel, somebody sprayed the flat black around it. I think that'll be changed to "FlynBrian", since it now has a 283 nestled between the frame rails. Traditional enough for a 'glass car on repop frame rails. ;-) Do you know the origin of the body?

 

This a thread to follow. On the rear horns, leave it looks better in my book.

 

Brian, I'm glad to see the car still exist, I have talked to a few of the owners of the car over the years, Ive never had the impression the car would ever see the road again. So ill be happy if you get it on the road again. I bought the body from a guy in ct. stored in a trailer box. Not sure whos body it was, but that was 1978 or 79 so there wasnt much out there at that time, it wouldnt be hard to figure who made the body. I can tell you it was just a skin, no floor or door jams, nothing hinged or working, I had to pop the body door jams off the doors. and used the doors as a mold to do that, The body ended up being pretty heavy, heavier than my steel 32 cabriolet, Ill dig up some pictures for you, I have some at a indoor car show that are pretty cool. The car had lots of chrome underneath, and had a full chrome 6 straight pipe exhaust from the motor all the way out the back with the blown flatty. I will say the car was the best handling hot rod ive ever driven, I drove that car to the nationals from mass. to ohio with straight pipes and slicks. lots of stories about that car. Steve

 

Haha, damn right it's heavy! The joint firewall to cowl is about 5/8" thick, likewise the door jambs! The doors are just shells with the center open, I wondered who's body was built like that. You did the aluminum skinned floor pan too, then, right? Interesting touch. The guy I got it from ("Billy O" in CT) thought might be a very early Gibbons, but that didnt' seem right as it doesn't have the proper bracing behind the seat or top mounts (which I also have to figure out). It has 2" chopped w/s posts with an unchopped w/s frame, included were very nice chrome top irons, original style, with wood headers and an old but nicely patina'd Haartz top/side curtains which I want to use. Brown vinyl seat that I plan to use as well. The six pipe exhaust was still with it, I sold it to a guy here on the HAMB from AU who collects vintage speed parts, not planning on a flathead I didn't need a cool wall hanger. ;-) It's great to hear from you and learn about the car, thanks for sharing your memories of it!

 

Brian, I chopped the post 3" along with the windshield frame, so the post and top you have is new after I had the car, yes I did the aluminum under the floor, it was ugly under there. I'd rather see anything in there besides a sbc but I'll give you a break on that, I talked with Billy o, I kinda figured he wouldn't do much with it. We were headed to a show in Connecticut Once in the car, the guy I had with me hit the door handle by mistake and the wind caught the door, ripped it completely off the car, we stopped and picked it up and went to the show with one door on the car! My memory now is telling me it's a speedway body. I'm still working on pictures, you'll be surprised when you see them and more stories about the car
Steve

 

Well, that explains the damaged passenger door hinges! I thought maybe Billy got the body without them and just scrounged some swap meet stuff. ;-). From what he told me he got the car as just the body shell. He accumulated (or simply had in his stash) most of the stuff needed, at least enough make me want to buy it. I came close to buying a Dodge Red Ram Hemi (from a wrecker) from a buddy here, ran good but had a 4 spd with granny low, but I can't afford the rebuild and putting a decent transmission behind it, so the 283 fits my budget and my goal for the car. I got a scream'n deal on this fresh built 283, had an Offy dual quad intake and some old Cal Custom finned valve covers for it, so it will do just fine. I also passed on an Olds J2 I found that I was actually quite excited about, and a tired '46 Flathead that needed sleeved. Nostalgia has a too steep a price for my Hot Rod Fund. ;-). I have some photos from the guy here in MI that had it before Billy got it, assembled with a different flathead, I think he kept the chassis and put a coupe body on that, sold or swapped the body to Billy. The story was a little foggy, but that was the jist of it. Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing some photos of it when you built it. It's been a dream of mine to have a '34 since the late 70's, I figured if I'd bought all the stuff piece by piece included with it, I'd have spent about the same or a little more, and I wouldn't have a car with any sort of history. So, everybody wins.

 

Huh. Look what just fell into my lap.

 

Ow, that could be painful!...Oh wait...

 

So this one needing sleeves too?

 

Now that my latest vintage trailer project is done, I'm hitting the '34 again. Rear end in, a '55 Chevy, looks like a C notch is in order. The front is too high, the axle looks like 4" drop, I have Posies reversed eye spring but it's up in front. I'll set the body back next to load the chassis, and determine the brake pedal placement, have '40 pedal and bracket, but the fabricated X member in the chassis puts the assembly way off to the left, so that'll require some fussing. With the engine in the car and the weight on the axle, the spring barely deflects at all, but I'll get it all up and on wheels with the sheet metal on before I buy another spring.

 

Reunited! At least temporarily. I got the body back on the frame today so I can figure out where the Vega steering box should go, and the master cylinder/pedal bracket should be. The frame definitely needs a C notch at the rear, and it looks like the front end will be OK. The brake pedal bracket too will be OK. but I will need to heat and bend the pedal arm to the right about an inch and half as it falls right smack under the steering column now. No big deal.

 

View attachment 3365238 View attachment 3365238 View attachment 3365238 Mocked up the front sheet merely and radiator this morning. Holy cow, what a challenge. Being a collection of Mia- matched aftermarket parts, things "sort of" fit, but I'll be drilling some new holes and tweaking bits to get it perfect. I mounted one of the '37 (?) Chev headlights, and like them much better than the KingBee's the car originally had, so that was $40 well spent. Not sure about the shock bracket headlight mount combo, we'll see as the build progresses. Back at it!

 

I have enough parts piled up to make it look like a car. Pedal bracket positioned, steering box position too, so it's time to blow it apart and start building. I really like this photo.

 

It's good to see this back up Brian.
Looks like you've been neglecting your builds, maybe sidetracked with those vintage trailers?
I hope your in good health, this should make your Winter months fly buy.

 

Always enjoy your projects,glad to see you back on this one.