Projects The Little Green Roadster that got me here

After a little nudge from @Stogy and @AmishMike, I have decided to create a post on my 27 Chrysler Roadster. I have been a little hesitant to show my work because I am an amateur and have been very humbled by the quality that I see on The HAMB. It is a 27 Chrysler on a 27 frame with a 48 ford front axle, parallel leaves, ford juice brakes, 48 Ford rear end with a model T spring, 354 Hemi, and push-button cast iron torqueflite. The history of the car is that it was supposedly a dry lakes car in the 50’s that ran a flathead, (I would love to validate that). At some point it became a rat rod, then the next owner attempted to rebuild it into a hot rod.

I had never heard of the HAMB when I bought this car. I thought I was buying a complete hot rod and had no idea of the amount of work and learning that would be involved. After I got it home, I attempted to pull it out of the trailer and it wouldn’t go into reverse. So I pushed it in the garage and it puked Transmission fluid all over. That certainly set the tone on what would end up being a couple of years of hands-on education for me.


Since that day I have done the following:

• Rebuilt the Transmission including replacing the case because it had been cracked and welded.
• Replaced the rear spring removing 4 inches of spacers (The suspension was still sitting on the bottomed out shocks)
• Fabricated ladder bars out of ford radius rods along with a crossmember to mount them. (It only had 2 bottom links with heim joints bolted to a single tab with one bolt) The rear end would flop around uncontrollably.
• Replaced the motor mounts and front crossmember ( The engine was actually angled down towards the front of the car with the intake manifold backwards) The motor was mounted solid only using two of the ears on the block. Thank goodness it wasn’t broken.
• I went through the motor.
• Replaced both carburetors with a matched pair of Chrysler dual carbs I found. (One of the previous actually had a homemade Air-fuel screw out of a nail!)
• Built solid throttle linkage (It was a cable that only had ¼ throttle)
• Built front headlight and shock mounts
• Replaced the homemade fuel tank (it had the petcock on the bottom and a baffle that was broken inside so if you took a corner it could cover the hole) I also did the lines and a better fuel pump.
• Cut out and replaced the floors and trunk. Did a removable Trans Tunnel (They were scrap metal spot brazed together and covered with about a gallon of resin and a little fiberglass)
• Moved the seat down and back so I could actually drive the car
• Replaced the dashboard with a modified Chrysler dash and added early Chevy gauges
• Rewired the Car to keep it from bursting into flames
• Built the exhaust
• Made a custom Transmission dipstick to remove it from the inside of the car.
• Made some changes in the frame to get everything to fit
• Replaced the master cylinder and brake pedal / lines/ Drums (The previous MC was in backwards and the pedal was on the left side of the column. As a bonus, the rod only went into the MC about ¼ inch and could loosen up and fall out)
• New tires and wheels

I have leaned so much from this car and everyone on the HAMB. My only regret is that I paid too much for the car initially, but it’s cheaper than college.


Here are some pics of the progress so far in chronological order . The first 2 are from before I owned it.

I

 

Holy cow! Looks fantastic

 

cool...
no need to bow your head... work looks great...
i liked seeing the sharpie marks crossing out a bead....
i have done that so many times... i wear out the sharpies...

 

Nice.....real nice - you do great work !

 

Thats bitchen

 

Yep! and we love the HEMI....

 

Very cool Roadster. Looks great.

 

@BDUB77, thanks for doing a thorough build thread and sharing the history as best as you have found...You really nailed it...

Truly an interesting Hotrod...and how about those Hemis eh...behemoth powerhouses they are and so fitting a drivetrain choice...that thing must have plenty of get go...

I look forward to seeing it around here and hearing anything more on it's history as it appears...

 

Sweeeeeet....what is it like not to have a belly button?

 

Very Nice.

 

a ride to be proud of

 

Funny,
I didn't even know I was missing one until a saw one. Now that I have, I have mixed feelings.

 

You did a great job.

 

Shows what perseverance and determination will do. Well done...a ride to be proud of!

 

What does this Flag symbolize? A Knighted Hotrod...

 

What a cool looking roadster, You did good.

 

you have a sweet hot rod .... well done.

 

Well done! How very well done! Do you happen to know what the windshield frame is? I really like it.

 

What steering box did you use? I can't see it clearly.

 

I like it, nicely done.

 

I approve!

 

Looks great . You removed the ugly .

 

I love it.


Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.

 

The windshield frame is handmade from round tube and flat steel.

 

Really nice job. It's now a good looking hot rod. Congratulations. Ned

 

looks like a 40’s Ford cross steer box that’s tipped further back and then uses a joint to get the steering column pointing back up.

go back threw the photos it’s in the photo with the new front cross member

 

You did great! Nice, unusual roadster - probably be the only one where ever you go.

 

Extremely cool ride, wow! I have become very fond of things different, just cookie cutter does not do it any more for me. One might offer up, that my ride is cookie cutter, but it is different enough that its picture can not be here on the HAMB. And yours has a HEMI also.

 

Very nice! You have done a great job on it! The car has nice lines and proportions, and I like the color combination of the exterior and interior.