Projects BRIAN MADE ME DO IT: 34 Roadster Build

Ever thought about moving your favorite song to C3? Lol

 

C3 only holds the single version, BB's favorite is the album version of Freebird 9.04 minutes of pure misery.
I myself would rather hear Ozzy Osbourne spew his jibberish for an hour straight.

 

Another great build to follow on the HAMB. One little question, what are the rear tyres?

 

That's got to make the cornflakes taste terrible, I swallow mine whole before I eat my cereal!

 

Those are 16" towel city 8" Cheater slicks. I'm not positive yet but after the car is done I may get the 9" tires from them and sell these. The 9"s are an inch taller and fit the radius better. I bought the 8's when I thought I was running those things...oh , that cover the tires so water doesn't spray all over... can't remember what they are called.

 

I got off a little early (no one was looking so I snuck out the backdoor) and I headed home to get a little work done. Progress pics attached for your viewing enjoyment.
The tank is done being polished so I thought I would stick it in and start working on the stern. The tank sits on some rubber blocks I made for two reasons, to set it closer to the body and show off a bit more of the QC. The rubber spacers/isolating blocks aint much to look at One idea I had was to sew them up in leather but for now I wrapped them in woven frame insulator as an experiment.

Hell, beats black rubber.
Next, add the tank.

You can see the work on the tank and how it hugs the frame now. I had to trim the frame horns a bit to make it look correct.

Now, add the spreader and nerf bars all of which took a lot of fabrication.

Those finned aluminum, frame covers took some major work as they are 32 fore items. I had to weld up the original holes, re=drill them for the frame, then weld up the frame holes and re-drill them so the damn things would sit parallel on the frame horns.

Sorry the pictures are so dark, it gets late early here
Here you can see the gap I created by moving things around. There was more gap here before we painted!

Here is one from behind, no "full diaper" and this is a 16 gallon 32 ford tank. The plastic car cover is to protect the motor while the oil pan is off from the polishing going on in the garage today.

That's enough for tonight. More brake line fab tomorrow since my residual valves showed up today. Jury remains out on the gas cap for now.
BanditBilly 10/10 on the side.

 

Dam you do some mighty fine work.

 

Bandit Billy what a great idea for gas tank insulators! I might have to steal that sometime in the future...

 

I made my radiator mount pads out of the same block of rubber and I will wrap them like that as well. The radiator mounts show a little under the front inner fenders since I trimmed them a bit to add a little grace to their design up front.

"Plan your work, work your plan". This is why it has taken me 6 years to build this car. I am a bit obsessive when it comes to detail. It's hard to tell, I know.
Today I am starting to engine turn the stainless steel backing plate for my rear license plate, you can see the back a bit and I thought it would make a nice detail.
My wife is happy because she can actually see the carpet under the pool table for the first time in years (my indoor storage area). All that remains is the convertible top. I need to buy some snaps to add to the bottom where it comes down against the car, I like the look of Chris's 34's snaps back there. Mine will be fake but have the same vintage look.

 

Stunning!!

 

Okay, getting back to the e brake bracket, I had it flow jet cut out of 1/4 stainless and put the bend back in it with considerable difficulty. You'll be happy to know I didn't chrome it. I don't have to chrome everything, give me some credit.

I did however polish the bejeeveese out it.
I call this one a shiny selfie. I polished the edge all the way around but I didn't bother with the end that gets sandwiched on the tranny mount.

Now I could mount it permanently, add the cables and adjust the e brake. One more item crossed off the list.

I ran the cables down the ladder bars and crossed near the trans yoke where they will not interfere or hit the driveline.

And I picked up my tail pipes from Russ Meeks and stuck them on tonight as well. Now I have an exhaust system.

Not much room back there going over the panhard, around the shock, along the tank and out the back but it fits. While having an exhaust system that breaks down into pieces may make it easy to coat, they are a pain to reinstall, way too many variables.

I didn't chrome the tail pipes, I left them matching the rest of the system. I do have a couple of really cool aluminum tail pipe inserts somewhere if I can find them. I had them a couple of years and polished them, should look cool in those pipes.

Mom has her 94th birthday party tomorrow so I wont get a lot done. I would like to finish the brake lines, we will see.

 

By the time you are done it will be time to enter it in Americas Most Beautiful Roadster

 

Can't, it has door glass. The guys from detroit that made the car have been following along. They offered to sell me a extra set of doors without glass I could weld up and bolt on. Ha.

 

I didn't have a lot of time to play in the garage today but I did find those exhaust tips I mentioned earlier. They are aluminum tips that I found on line, a motorcycle site was selling them. They slide in the pipe and are secured by a set screw (I stuck the screw at 12:00 to keep them out of site). And of course I ran them across the buffer.

I knew the diameter of my pipes years ago when I made the connecting rod hangers so I bought these to fit. Not a huge change but a finished look that, like most of the car's alterations, will go unnoticed by most.
Before...

They slide in pretty tight, I did have to air file the ceramic that was built up in the end.
After...

Unique in a way, I haven't seen it done to a car. Makes the pipes look "done".
I also installed my new vent screen that I built. Actually I adapted it. I had bought a 34 vent screen and then realized that my vent door was round in the back like a 33 ford. So I cut it, welded it, painted it, installed a rod to bolt it to and...

This was another task I needed to complete prior to mounting the body as it is much easier to fit this without sitting on top of my motor! Weather strip on the vent, cowl webbing installed, I need to drill one hole in the fire wall tomorrow for my choke cable and I think I am done upfront.

 

It stopped raining today (at least for a bit) so I rolled the body out of the garage so I could clean the mess the polisher made to my shop floor while he was wet sanding and buffing. It wasn't sunny, one of you requested a sunny day pictures of the maroon color but at lest it is outside for the first time.

Parts getter 2 got in the picture there, sorry.

 

Looks darker than I thought it would, The sun probably won't turn it red,

Sent from my SM-G900V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

I won't know for another couple of months, LOL. You know whence I speak fellow NW'er. We don't have groundhogs in these parts but I did find a mole in one of the traps yesterday. I don't know if he saw his shadow but I'm pretty sure it means 12 more weeks of rain.

 

The flu sucks! I haven't got much done other than clean my garage floor after the wet sand and polish. I did build, polish and install the rear brake line so I am complete from M?C to rear wheel cylinders.

Here is the tricky little line that comes out of the bottom of the M/C and into a 10lb residual valve. You can also see the internal brake light switch on the M/C. Did you know they make chrome residual valves. Very not bad.

The line runs through a hole I drilled through the rear spring brace prior to paint

I had to drop the muffler section to drill and mount the line clamps. All back together. Now I need to do the front line and finish the clutch line. Baby steps.

 

very not bad indeed.

 

That exist tip/ insert is a clever idea. Suits your build very well

 

What master cylinder are you using?

Something I learned the hard way and this cost me plenty, but I'll pass it on to you for free.
Those switches are notorious for fucking up, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do right, I get it it. Do yourself a great big fat favor and put it up high and with threads down in a place that's easy to get to. Sooooo THAT when it does fails, you can just change that switch out easily without loosing a drop of brake fluid or having to bleed the system again.
Up on top of the differential is pretty high and pretty easy but you should suit yourself.

You're a maniac that thing is gorgeous

 

Hey Bubba
You better take care of yourself if you truly have THAT FLU.
It's killed otherwise healthy people of all ages around the country.
I'm normally not one to be overly anal about such things but this one has gotten my attention!

 

I knew something was wrong a few days ago, wasn't breathing right, weird dry cough. Last night all hell broke lose and I didn't sleep much. Stayed home from work so I wouldn't het my staff sick, they hate it when I do that. If I'm not a lot better tomorrow then I think a doctor office visit is in order.

It is this CPP unit

It has a good reputation and is tidy. Internal proportioning valve (that is it on the side there with the Alan head and hex nut). 1" bore, for discs and drum combo. And the brake light switch, you can see it here, it threaded into the bottom of the M/C

It is a lightweight, chrome plated aluminum M/C with a ton of features. I hope the switch works. I am planning on adding a 90lb switch to the clutch line, (as well as another 10lb residual valve) to require clutch pedal depression to start the car. I know the switch will allow cranking at 90lbs and that is not nearly the pressure needed to disengage the clutch but at least you have to have your foot on the pedal and not start it by reaching in through the window. You know what I mean?

 

I hope it's not what those crows had this week, they were dropping like rocks!

 

Man that’s shiney! like trying to look in a funhouse mirror!

 

And twice as fun!

Day two of being stranded at home with the flu. I turned on the heater and built the front brake line from the M/C to the front tee that I installed earlier.
Since the M/C is mounted backward under the floor, the back outlet is the front line. I exited the line below the rear line I made yesterday and installed the 2lb chrome residual pressure valve. You can see both are mounted as close to the M/C as possible. The front line is also well above the frame tubing to protect it. In keeping with my MO, I polished the line, nuts, brackets and screw heads.

The line, rather than running to the frame rail, follows the tubing to the frame near the wishbone mount, where it heads forward.

A slight jog and the line tucks up underneath the front frame rail

And attached to the tee block that feeds the front brakes

With the line tucked out of the way I can still unbolt the mounts and drop the motor out the bottom of the frame without obstruction.
I love bending and flaring lines! It takes a bit of time but it is fun.

Tomorrow, I will turn my attention to the clutch line and build it. I just have to find an auto part store that has an adapter to take a 4AN female (the flex line leaving the clutch) and adapt it to a flare fitting. Sounds simple enough.

 

I have a pair here at 3D central.
With or without tabs?

 

Doh!

 

Those adapt 3/16 flare fitting to 3 AN. I'd still have to adapt that to 4 AN.

I have been thinking about this statement since last night. If the brake light pressure switch fails on my brake lights the brake lights don't work but I get home. If the switch I planned to add to the clutch line fails, my car wont start leaving me stranded. I think I'm going to nix the pressure switch idea on the clutch line. Bad idea.