Hot Rods The No Frame Model A Modified

Has NASA called and offered you a job yet? Jeez dude you are good.


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I received back the fuel tank strap from the waterjet and installed it, pretty happy with it.

Then pushed it outside to get a feel for the hood dimensions

Made up some guardrails for the paper patterns

Patterns made up with a cutout for the ignition. Still deciding on a cutout or a blister.


So far I'm pretty happy with the direction of the car.

 

I haven't seen a cut down steering wheel in a long time.
I have enjoyed following your build. Can you find a 90% drive for the distributor so you don't have a hole in the hood. Frank

 

Great vision and execution @rottenleonard...really enjoying the view from the virtual front seat...

 

Great work...wonderful.

 

I saw that first picture before the paper pattern and thought "he's gonna cut a big hole in the hood for the disto". And then it was there in the mock up. With some thought and balance, it could be a really different/interesting/whattheheck detail.

Digging the outside shot... the body is just squared off and parallel at the base and the tire/wheel package is off the path but fits the car. So much forethought here. At first look I felt like it needs a turtle deck, but the exposed mechanicals really work from the back. It's going to be a car that you have to study and study and study some more as a casual viewer, if you're looking to find all the layers of detail.

 

I vote blister, great work my friend !

 

Thank you that's a big compliment! The little details that take awhile to notice are my favorite part of a hand built car.

Thank Marty! Might make the blister a second piece and attach it with quarter turns so I can mess with the ignition when needed. Time will tell.

I just seen your fender extensions on the Grumman box, they really look right!

 

Have you considered the idea of making the blister out of clear acrylic?

 

I second that.

 

I just love the idea and look of this car. Constant eye candy as you look at the pics.

 

Instead of disturbing the line of the hood, you could add an accessory drive , at the timing gear cover and shelf for a Mag or even the distributor if you don't want to use a mag..

 

Better get y'all cought up. Been thrashing trying to get the car running for Speedweek.

I took the paper template and taped it down on my plasma bed. With a pointer installed i could pull coordinates from around the edge and distributor hole. After recording these I was able to draw a dxf file and cut it from 20 gauge material






After that it was just a matter of bending it over various round objects in the shop until I got proper shape. I did use the English wheel and stretcher shrinker to bell the rearward edge some to make it flow better. I then screwed it to both the cowl and the grill shell. This really stiffened up the grill shell and keeps the radiator from flopping around.

 

I had a previously built set of headlight mounts that i finally had to admit that I hated. So it was back to the drawing board. Finally set on mounting them off the side of the radiator shell. Also spun up an aluminum support rod to tie the mounts together.

 

The great build but I’m really digging that front end

 

How long until Bonneville?

 

Been working on the little things,
Throttle and choke cables

 

Next up the steering column needed shortened 3 inches. Also there was a scary amount of slop in the box. Armed with a Model A manual i tore it apart. Looks like the wear is minimal but someone had been in monkeying with the adjustments, good news.... so proceeded with shortening the column and steering shaft. Changed it over to grease instead if oil, reassembled and adjusted. I'm quite happy with the result.

 

Onto the brakes, while I have lots of big ideas for the brake reservoir, truth is I'm out of time so I'll have to come back to it. So I knocked together a bracket for the plastic remote reservoirs and mounted the high on the firewall.

 

While there is a time crunch i couldn't help but try to address the too stiff, too low ride hight problem. I had used a Posey (sp?) Model a lowering spring that I had on hand. So i took it apart, removed a couple of leafs and then un-reversed the reverse eye main leaf....ya I know.... the harbor freight ring roller does this very well.

Damn I need to clean up...

 

Go man go! I'm looking forward to seeing it on the salt!

 

That makes 2 of us, been a lot of corners I've had to cut so I'll be redoing a few things. I had planned on taking a few days to tig weld the chassis together but instead I went ahead and burned it in with the mig in a couple hours, little sad about that but happy to think ill be driving it soon.

 

Thanks, Leonard. Here's 200 more ideas for me to think about...
True bracketmaster!

 

Looks like time to pick up another barrel of cheese balls too.

 

I change the head out for one of H&H is Ricardo heads. The motor looks pretty good no wear through any crosshatch anywhere. The valve guide seem tight. Looks like a fairly fresh 80 over rebuild.
Swapped in new leakless water pump. And got the radiator hoses sorted.

 

Next up was finishing up the brake lines.
And not that I had time but I couldn't resist putting the dash panel up on the mill and engine turning it.
My old man was hanging around the shop the other day and decided to pitch in with some lathe work.

 

Love it especially the La Grange reference. Here it is today

 

So this fine Chinese ebay radiator has a rearward pressure cap, but you would have to remove the hood to check the coolant as the stock location was there to hold up the radiator cap as an ornament......? here is an idea




Next up battery mount

And finish welding the exaust. Eventually i would like to send it out for chrome. This will have to do for now.

 

I would have done the same thing with the radiator

 

So cool! Looking forward to the next update.