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Projects The Free-T

Discussion in 'Traditional Hot Rods' started by IronTrap, Apr 17, 2018.

  1. IronTrap
    Joined: Jul 13, 2011
    Posts: 510

    IronTrap
    Member

    Winter time makes for long hours in the shop. This past weekend we threw the body back on so we could tackle some other stuff and take a break from sheet metal work. I decided to change my mind on the exhaust as I thought the car needed something more unique than the typical driveshaft headers and I had my buddy Ben come over to help me. He builds stainless exhausts and headers for super cars / Exotics during his 9-5. He brought a box of scrap mandrel bends and we started mocking up the new headers. I'm taking inspiration from the photo below. Should be pretty neat!
    newheaders_4.jpg
    newheaders_2.jpg
    newheaders_3.jpg
    newheaders_1.jpg


    Ben also made me some stainless radiator tubes as well. They're swaged so I can just run simple short straight hose connectors. Clean and simple!

    radiator_tubes.jpg

    I also worked on making radiator braces from some original Model A brake rods. I was able to bend and snake them around everything and keep them mostly out of sight. Stuff is going to be tight on this car!

    radiator_rods1.jpg
     
  2. VA HAMB
    Joined: Jun 14, 2006
    Posts: 1,377

    VA HAMB
    Member

    Cool Project!
     
  3. gonzo
    Joined: Dec 24, 2003
    Posts: 1,876

    gonzo
    Member

    That's a great car your building there. Very cool.
     
  4. IronTrap
    Joined: Jul 13, 2011
    Posts: 510

    IronTrap
    Member

    Got the back panel and rear side corners welded in. Need to fix and correct a few more things on the body but the tub is almost ready for body work. Hopefully January we'll be spreading filler and spraying primer! Ben also came by and we worked on laying out the pipes a little more. Should have them all figured out in another session of work. Getting there!

    newheadersmockupdaytwo.jpg
     
  5. bct
    Joined: Apr 4, 2005
    Posts: 3,154

    bct
    Member

    hey matt . love your youtube channel . quality entertainment. even my kids watch it with me. keep it up and have a great holiday season.
     
    LAROKE likes this.
  6. Koz
    Joined: May 5, 2008
    Posts: 2,699

    Koz
    Member

    Lookin' good Matt! Can't wait to see this one on the street.
     
  7. Atwater Mike
    Joined: May 31, 2002
    Posts: 11,625

    Atwater Mike
    Member

    Don't let anybody 'knock' that '46 frame! The famous Ray Anderegg 'Coupester' (AMBR 1955) was built on a '41 Merc frame! (Ray gave me the frame after the car was 'renovated' in 1978)
    An idiot from down the street said "Junk that thing! Build the frame out of 2" X 3" rectang!" I laughed. When I shared the story with Don Orasco, (Pebble Beach winner for restored hot rods many times) he said, "Hug that frame! Cherish it...build a clone, or 'Tribute car'! ...And don't grind away the 1950s welds!"
    Great work on this little T, anxious to see the finish around the rear of body.
    (was a 'job' on the rear panel of my '27 touring!)
     
  8. chev34ute
    Joined: Nov 13, 2011
    Posts: 1,240

    chev34ute
    Member

    I have been watching this build with enthusiasm on YouTube. I always enjoy your tutorials and I have a pile of 20s iron under the house that I want to turn into something to sell off, so this is the perfect motorvation to do that.
     
    kidcampbell71 likes this.
  9. IronTrap
    Joined: Jul 13, 2011
    Posts: 510

    IronTrap
    Member

    Thanks guys, it's a pretty cool thing to take parts from so many different/unusual beginnings and turn them into something that flows and looks "right". I don't want to think about all of the hours in it, but it is going to be unique (in a good way I hope!). I snuck a couple hours on the car xmas eve and I decided to cut off the pitted and sharp metal above the body line around the top of the tub. It was quite thin and crappy and I was tired of justifying why I should keep it. I'm not going to run original wood tack strip so I think I will redesign the top bracing bar around the top of the body and attach the top of the body right to the bar. This can all be blended together and we can attach/roll the material for the seat right over it.

    I also sat in the car to get an idea how stuff is looking and feeling. I've been really thinking about going back and adjusting the steering column down a few degrees and dropping the seat height a tiny bit to sit down in the car more. Need to ponder it some more. I took pics and posted to IG but figured I'd drop them here for those that don't do the social media thing as much.

    seatingposition3.jpg seatingposition2.jpg
     
  10. 1-SHOT
    Joined: Sep 23, 2014
    Posts: 2,693

    1-SHOT
    Member
    from Denton

    You look like you are hunched up like a cut worm, I think you need to find a more relaxed seating position if you are going to drive it very far.
    I love the car, T like yours are one of my favorites , I think you have done a excellent build . I have been following your build. Frank
     
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  11. wheeldog57
    Joined: Dec 6, 2013
    Posts: 3,181

    wheeldog57
    Member

    Car looks great, keep it up.
    Those spider caps are killer- quite hard to find those
     
  12. IronTrap
    Joined: Jul 13, 2011
    Posts: 510

    IronTrap
    Member

    I was probably exaggerating the lean because I was on a wood block and had no back support haha. I have been thinking dropping the steering wheel and extending it a little will allow me to sit lower in the car and a little more comfortably. this was all hard to fully figure out when the body was 10 pieces clamped together. Now is the time to change it if I'm going to. I need to sit in it a little more to make a final decision, but I think I agree. It sucks to go back and change stuff but sometimes that's part of the journey.
     
    chryslerfan55, OFT, 1-SHOT and 2 others like this.
  13. 1-SHOT
    Joined: Sep 23, 2014
    Posts: 2,693

    1-SHOT
    Member
    from Denton

    Try building a seat then move the steering wheel down and back to suit you.
    I built a car in a small garage and when I finely rolled it outside and looked at it, I did not like it and had to redu a lot to make it look good. At first I tried to convince my self it was OK so I took a side picture and showed it to a good friend and he was silent, I told him I wanted his honest opinion, he said it was way out of proportion and I said that's what I thought and then made the necessary corrections.
    Love what you have done so far keep up the good work. Frank
     
    chryslerfan55, OFT and kidcampbell71 like this.
  14. Tim
    Joined: Mar 2, 2001
    Posts: 17,088

    Tim
    Member
    from KCMO

    Man I need to catch up on this thread! I’ve been watching on ig and occasionally on you tube but seems there more details here.

    Absolutely love it, just watched the video on how the gas tank is located. Not sure which platform I asked you about that on. Nice solution to a tight spot!

    I think you need to sit lower. Drop your ass, raise your knees, put your shoulders back.

    I think @SamIyam sat down in his roach rod? Might be a place to look at ideas.
     
    chryslerfan55, OFT and kidcampbell71 like this.
  15. Tim
    Joined: Mar 2, 2001
    Posts: 17,088

    Tim
    Member
    from KCMO

    chryslerfan55 and kidcampbell71 like this.
  16. TexasSpeed
    Joined: Nov 2, 2009
    Posts: 4,631

    TexasSpeed
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Texas

    I've been following this build on Instagram and I absolutely love this one. The proportions are spot on for how an early T hot rod should look like. Anderson's T roadster is another modern "early T" build that comes to mind that maintains the proper proportions.

    I don't post on here much, but you can rest assured I'll be watching on Instagram!
     
    brad2v, Tim and kidcampbell71 like this.
  17. TexasSpeed
    Joined: Nov 2, 2009
    Posts: 4,631

    TexasSpeed
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Texas

    Here's a terrible video so we can see.. :D

     
  18. IronTrap
    Joined: Jul 13, 2011
    Posts: 510

    IronTrap
    Member

    Been working away. Built a Tubing structure to sit lower and also better body mounts. All in all it should work out well. I think it will let you sit down in the seat like an old sports car and keep you from sliding around when doing donuts and getting loose! I'm gonna build some pans for under the seats to give me some storage but the seating position is WAY better! Also can see a sneak peak of the windshield setup I'm working on. Narrowed the top half of an original windshield frame and gonna build stanchions that flow into the cowl.

    seat_frame_1.jpg
    seat_frame_2.jpg
    new seating position-1.jpg

    We also got the design for the side pipes all figured out and tack welded together. I think it looks pretty wild.. but in a good way! I took some inspiration from some of the dry lakes and early little-books show cars that had wild pipes on them. Much better than the cookie cutter torque tube headers I first built for the car.

    exhaustmockup_final1.jpg
    exhaustmockup_final2.jpg
    exhaustmockup_final4.jpg
    exhaustmockup_final3.jpg
     

    Attached Files:

  19. bct
    Joined: Apr 4, 2005
    Posts: 3,154

    bct
    Member

    Just keeps getting better.
     
    chryslerfan55 and slv63 like this.
  20. IronTrap
    Joined: Jul 13, 2011
    Posts: 510

    IronTrap
    Member

    I narrowed the original lower windshield frame 3". this put the windshield at the width of the dash inside the car. I think visually this gives the car a more streamlined appearance and I figured I could make the stanchions take up the extra width of the corners of the cowl. The view from the rear of the car will make the windshield fit the cowl/dash a lot nicer than factory.

    Heating, cutting, welding, and Widdling some new stanchions out of the original lowers. I'm at the stage where it could really start to be awesome or I might throw them in the trash and start from scratch... But this gives you the gist. Still a ways to go so don't think they'll just be left like this haha. stanchions-5.jpg stanchions-4.jpg stanchions-3.jpg stanchions-2.jpg stanchions-1.jpg
     
  21. IronTrap
    Joined: Jul 13, 2011
    Posts: 510

    IronTrap
    Member

    Aside from filling pits in the old metal and drilling for mounting holes the Stanchions are basically done. Man what a tedious project that was! Video this week on my Youtube channel about the process. Lots of work with the heat wrench. Pretty happy with how they fit the body and how they flow. I need to make a piece of body line to patch into the car under the stanchions now that I've modified and restyled the original setup.
    stanchions-10.jpg stanchions-9.jpg stanchions-8.jpg stanchions-7.jpg stanchions-6.jpg
     
  22. 1-SHOT
    Joined: Sep 23, 2014
    Posts: 2,693

    1-SHOT
    Member
    from Denton

    Your seating position looks a lot more comfortable to you. I love your build.
    You night lower the column a little so it doesn't make it like you are stretching to reach it. Frank
     
    Last edited: Jan 21, 2019
  23. 1-SHOT
    Joined: Sep 23, 2014
    Posts: 2,693

    1-SHOT
    Member
    from Denton

    IMG_8923.JPG I just realized you are holding the wheel and it's not attached to the shaft. If you drop the column it will rotate back and give you the position you are after
     
  24. Nads
    Joined: Mar 5, 2001
    Posts: 11,862

    Nads
    Member
    from Hypocrisy

    This car is outstanding.
     
    brad2v and kidcampbell71 like this.
  25. Binger
    Joined: Apr 28, 2008
    Posts: 1,734

    Binger
    Member
    from wyoming

    I just found this thread! I have seen quite a few of your Youtube videos and enjoy them. thanks for posting!
     
  26. Billy_Bottle_Caps
    Joined: Oct 16, 2007
    Posts: 276

    Billy_Bottle_Caps
    Member

    Those stanchions look factory! Really glad you used the top piece of the windshield frame, it just looks fantastic!

    BBC
     
    keywestjack and kidcampbell71 like this.
  27. IronTrap
    Joined: Jul 13, 2011
    Posts: 510

    IronTrap
    Member

    Lots of boring work this weekend buttoning up little patches and pieces inside of the tub and I also started stitch welding the tubing seat structure to tub. Added threaded inserts to the body for the turtle deck and some other odds and ends. Trying to check off lots of things on the to-do list so I can hit my Mid-March deadline to paint the body.

    My buddy Ben also stopped by and we did a final test fit of the side pipes as he's been welding them up at home. Other than a strap added to keep the top and bottom pipe parallel at the back the drivers side is basically done. I thought it was cool to see it with the windshield mounted as well and see how it's all starting to flow.

    header_windshield.jpg

    I decided this weekend that I'm going to make new lower front corners of the turtle deck to fill that gap at the frame/body/turtle deck union. I had some simple filler panels in there but I don't think I like the look. I think making a panel that welds into the turtle deck to make it flow and fit the body would be a cleaner solution. Hoping to start making those this week. Sucks cutting into such a clean turtle deck, but worth it to make it all flow together better!
     
  28. Matt .... dude .... T.R.O.G. without even really trying to. An Eastwood sponsorship for your hotel stay and E'wood banner hanging ... and I'll go to watch you roostertail in the sand ... and sip on spiked root beer with the spectators. This T fits it, sir.

    This IS also one of my favorite threads. Trash to treasure, in spades. Absolutely love what you're doing here. Tune in on every update. Thanks so much for sharing here.
     
  29. Stogy
    Joined: Feb 10, 2007
    Posts: 26,345

    Stogy
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Nice wall speakers...:D
     
    chryslerfan55 and scott27 like this.
  30. IronTrap
    Joined: Jul 13, 2011
    Posts: 510

    IronTrap
    Member

    Haha that's a pretty good idea! I don't need any sponsors, I just do this stuff low-budget and for the fun of it. I'm just glad people think it's pretty neat as well! Thanks for following along!

    Oh those old things? Haha, not a bad idea to put some speakers behind the grills lol.
     

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