1930s Era Champ Car - new project

Before marrying the nose piece to the rad support hoop a few details need to be done.
The rivet holes for the Dzus springs need to be recessed.
The center hole needs a bevel.
The nose holes need to be located, drilled, and recessed so the Dzus buttons do not rub the underside of the hood.
I squirted a little rust preventative primer on the tabs before attaching the springs.

Everything fit up perfectly.





The hood will lay on top of these fasteners, covering them up. A piece of welting will cover the mounting flange. Holes will be punched in the welting to access the Dzus buttons with the hood removed.

 

As far as an attachment point at the front of the nose I just got an idea. Make a hidden fastener behind a removable starter crank hole. That way the Dzus button at the front of the car will also be hidden.

 

How do you make a removable hole? But, it's a great idea!

 

If you put a blind removable recessed cover over the crank hole, Hasn't the crank hole been removed, which is removing a visible fastener needed to remove the removable nosepiece?

 

More pieces of the shifter are done. I reinstalled the body cowl and shortened the shifter handle so it is clear of the steering wheel but still within reach.

 

Nice solution. It kind of looks like an in-out box control lever.

 

Thanks. I did not want a modern looking shifter designed to be used with a console so I tried to keep it simple - what it might have looked like back when.

 

The simple Park - Reverse gear lockout is next. The handle with the Bakelite knob is from a 1940 Logan lathe. Very period correct. I may substitute a chrome ball for the Bakelite knob to match the shifter. Also thinking about adding a lockout gate for the lever so it doesn't get snagged by an arm restraint or glove.

 

Park / Reverse lockout installed. Pushrod will be trimmed to length later.

 

Think Roadrunner and Wiley Coyote!

 

Bitchin’! Too cool.

 

I took the car off the trailer in preparation for putting this project to bed for the winter. Over the winter the only things planned are a rebuild of the carbs and an aluminum hood. I plan to make the hood pattern so that I can fold over the outer edge - three inches - into a double thickness, so that I can maintain enough stiffness even after scalloping the edge for exhaust header cutouts and the carbs, as well as having a stout surface on which to mount the leather hold down straps. Thanks for looking. Stay tuned.



The car sits real low. The footbox is less than five inches off the ground. I may add an additional leaf to the springs to bring things up a bit.

Notice the new Craftsman air compressor? I bought it used at an auction. I took the unit apart to inspect it to make sure the cylinders and rings were good. They looked like new! I paid only a fraction of the price of a new one. The only drawback to this unit is it an oil-less type. They are noisier than ones with an oil sump compressor. That's OK - my neighbors are not too nearby.

 

Car is looking good! I had one of those oilless Craftsman compressors, and hated it! Gave it to a friend who has an identical 20 year old one. Mine was 21 years old and barely used. That sound is sooooo irritating and loud! I now have 2 Harbor Fright 2 hp (whatever that really means) portable compressors (that are really as quiet as they claim! ) and a 7 gallon tote tank. I assembled a manifold and connected it all up, reset the cut in and cut out pressures so they run slightly different from each other, and now have a system that is quiet when both are running, and has enough capacity to run the tubing bender without pausing.

And now for the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey used to say. 3 or 4 years ago at the lab, we needed a quiet compressor that also was oil free for experimental use. We performed aerosol experiments researching utra fine particulates on the order of 10 to 1000 nanometers. And we couldn't have any stuff getting into the dilution air from the compressor.

We bought a compressor from California Air Tools, 4 hp, large capacity storage tank, 10 or 20 or something gallon capacity. 59 db sound level. So quiet you hardly notice it running. For $1800 at the time we thought it was a good deal.

We had it for a month give or take and had problems with it, related to the compressor unit. To their credit California Air Tools replaced the pump unit and covered shipping both ways. We were back up and running in under a week.

I took pictures of the compressor while we had it apart, and then got a sales flyer from HF. they had just come out with their quiet portable compressors. I bought one, brought it home, and took it into the shop to check it out and break it in as recommended. As I was inspecting it, it struck me that I had seen that compressor before.

I got out my old cell phone and found the pictures of the expensive one. To my surprise they looked the same. So further checking at the lab confirmed that the expensive pump unit was in fact made in China same as the HF units. So the sound level difference between the expensive one and the HF ones is the cabinet with anechoic foam. I have just under $400 in my new system, you can talk over it, and because I plumbed the parts together with quick connectors, I can move it easily.

I know, long winded as usual. It's the nerd in me!

 

Interesting story Dave. I may spray the inside of the compressor housing with sound deadener based on your experience to see if it helps.
One additional interesting tidbit. The sticker on the compressor boldly states "6HP 60 GALLON". When I dismantled the motor/compressor housing the tag on the motor said it was 240 volt 14 amp.
Hmmmm.
There is no way to get 6 HP out with only 14 amps in. Best case 14 amp at 100% efficiency (not possible) equals 4.5 HP. More likely it is actually 3 HP, not six, or less. Nevertheless, it will suit my needs. I did find a tag on the machine that showed it was in an electronics laboratory. It may have spent its previous life blowing dust off keyboards. Better than at a tire shop or on a construction site.
I also added a quick release tank drain valve plumbed out from under the tank.

 

When I get back on the chassis I will do the needed finish welding on the frame. That will include adding tabs for crash bars, brake lines, a hand brake, and a 2-piece drag link to minimize bump steer.

 

Bump steer just helps keep the drive interesting.

 

LOL I guess if I keep the left front in the air all the time that will cut my bump steer issues in half, kinda like my Logghe machine.

 

The hood will need clearance for the carbs. I may rivet a doubler to the backside so I don't get cracking. I can't decide if I like two air cleaners or a single one. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind I filed away the fact that an early Ford Escort has an oval air filter element. I'm sure there are others like it out there too. Short velocity stacks with screens over them would look good too. But I like the idea of filtered air - especially on a dirt track.

 

You might want to turn the SUs over. They work better right side up. (I know, you we're just seeing if anyone was paying attention.)

 

French town is going to run it in Australia so they will be ok

 

Sears was famous for that; claimed HP well over actual. First time I saw that was when I was looking at table saws. Their saw was advertised as 'develops 3 HP' when in reality it was a 1.5 HP motor. With the typical 85% efficiency that puts your motor at about 3.8 HP. I have no idea how they arrived at their HP ratings. Stuff like this is why I quit buying Sears/Craftsman products of any kind...

 

My push off / tow truck is back in operation after getting a new driveshaft, trans tailshaft housing, and a rebuild of the C6 transmission. I am looking forward to cruising in it next summer, as well as towing the champ car to some events. Will this be the year it runs and drives? I hope so. Stay tuned...

 

I guess I didn't realize the mounting holes on my intake were symmetric and the intake could be mounted upside down when I slapped it on there to measure the hood cutout.
Silly me

 

Any progress this year? We're hanging in here wanting more...

 

Hi Dave. Happy New Year.
I am not going to have any updates for a while. The project is on hold while I spend some time on another (warmer) planet. I think about the project every day and mull over some upcoming design aspects such as the hood design, routing of the plumbing, hand brake, windshield design, fuel filler tube, grille, crash bars, shock absorbers, paint scheme, upholstery and the like.
I look forward to solving these questions. Stay with me as I see the project through to completion.
Last summer's progress was significant. This came in the wake of my local drag strip closing, so I elected not to make a five hour round trip to the next closest strip; rather I spent my free time on the champ car with only a couple out of state races. The local strip is re-opening once again I'll be splitting my time between building and racing.
And let's not forget I have my Attic Anglia project waiting for some shop space and TLC.
The first order of business on the champ car will be finish welding the chassis. Lots of little bungs, tabs, sleeves, and brackets will still have to be added.
Its all good. Stay with me and we'll get 'er done.

 

I can't talk. I've got nothing to report either. I was hoping for encouragement from reading that you have done something on yours. We'll both have to wTch Marty Strode's threads for encouragement...

Marty???

 

Yes, Marty, cornfieldcustoms, Mike Lawless, JamieUC, Kevin Pharis, Cody Walls and others with spectacular builds going on keep me on the edge of my seat with anticipated updates.
Its nice to know we inspire each other and look over each other's collective shoulders for tips and to lend advice.

 

I agree, I've got soooooo many threads I've been watching. Collecting ideas for the Whatever project when I get back to the garage.

 

Well I ordered 2 new seats. That's my progress so far this year. How about you?

Any ideas for me to plaigerize?

 

Well Dave, I'm soaking up a little sun down south, so no progress as of late. I have been watching some videos of metal finishing put up over on the metal shaping thread

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/lets-see-some-sheet-metal-shaping.294590/

and it has inspired me to try to metal finish the body sections more smoothly so even less of a skim coat of filler will be needed.
I recently viewed a video of an open wheeled two-seater racing up a snowy twisted mountain road and I had planned to re-post it on this thread to serve as an inspiration to us all, but I forgot where I saw it and can't find it again. Anybody else see that one with the little roadster drifting around the hairpin curved snow covered roads? It may have been from the UK?