Projects Building for The Race of Gentlemen...someday

Dumb question....does the seat riser go on top of what's pictured or underneath? If under, how does the adjustment lever work? My milk crate isn't cutting it anymore. Or do I even need one? Once I put springs and upholstery on, would that be enough? I'm 5'10" on a good day if that matters. Thoughts? Feel free to discuss.

I don't even have one yet but trying to plan ahead for when that day comes.

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Well, it's been a hot minute once again since I've put anything up here. I can't even remember any progress over the past month, month and a half...but there has been some. Small things.

Still wondering about the location of the seat riser or if it's even needed, if anybody has some insight on that. The little racecar has started right up every time I've asked her to. I normally just zip up and down the road to warm it up and move it to do other work. I've been building frost enclosures for our red lime tree and satsuma tangerine tree.

I'm REALLY itching to pull the trigger on some smoothie wheels up on epay but man, they're pricey. I've got stock model As, 6 of em...a 16" bent spoke Kelsey Hayes...and 2 eighteen inchers, that came with the parts car. At first I wanted to use a combination of what I had but rules for the race are pushing me in a different direction. I mean if I won the lotto, I'd be so good.

I have yet to install a zepher dual downdraft intake with rebuilt twin 97 carbs (oh yeah, there's the progress...I rebuilt 3 of em), a new exhaust manifold, some new fuel lines of course....and I'm in the market for that high compression head...still leaning toward a Snyder 6.0:1.

I also need windshield glass...my eyes start watering like crazy when I do my test runs up and down the road. She actually ran a bit hot today for some reason...never noticed that before, but had steam coming out of the overflow line. Fixed a minor water leak earlier but tightening the packing nut though, but I don't get why that would have anything to do with it. Hmm.

I also still have to rebuild my '39 trans, get an adaptor, and toss that baby in. Plenty of work left to do....on top of a busy work schedule. I'll be headed out to teach a Cold Water / Ice Diving Course shortly after the new year, so the more I get done now, the better.

I read somewhere that entry for the race is in January...if that's the case, I'm screwed because I have ZERO contact with the outside world while teaching this course. No internet, no phone....off the grid. Just like Bora Bora! While I dig that, I hope I'm on the grid to enter the little racecar when it actually happens. But, fingers are crossed.

In the meantime, thanks again to all. I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving, and hopefully I'll get some shit done that's worthy enough of an update before the new year!!

Oh yeah, forgot to mention...received my alliance member firewall tag and mounted it! Looks awesome. Saw a bumper sticker on a hyperbaric chamber that made me chuckle. And the dog got pretty sick recently...Walter is a Therapy dog, if I haven't mentioned it before. He has visited wounded warriors, VA clinics, and terminally ill children most often...and does a great job at it. When he got sick, we were pretty worried (he's getting up there in age), but after two vet appointments and a $900 bill, turns out, he was just full of shit....literally. he was so backed up that he was FULL....a few meds, an enema, and some pepcid to settle his stomach and he's back to normal. He enjoys sitting on his 'magic carpet' in the garage while I'm tinkering, so it's good to have him back and feeling better. I've gotta get him a little leather helmet and a pair of aviator goggles so he can ride in the car with me at TROG (not while racing).

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Nothing worse than when a family member gets sick and can't tell ya what's wrong. Mine went through a stint like that last summer and ended up on a special diet to get turned around.
With the TROG sign up happening while your gone you might just have your Wife get you signed up so it's done when you get back on dry land.

 

Mocked up the intake and new exhaust today. Grabbed and bent up some copper tubing, but have steel lines on order along with some brass fittings. I have a feeling somebody will tell me that I need to run a fuel pump and regulator, but man I don't want to unless somebody can draw up a wiring diagram for me. I'm terrible at electrical.

The forward carb is the only one that will be in operation, the back carb is blanked off. I'd like to make a mock line going to it for aesthetic purposes, but we'll see how that goes.

I willingly accept any and all ideas. Let me know what you think. Any pictures out there of similar setups?

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I have no idea why you would need an electric pump or regulator with a Gravity feed system and both carbs below the bottom of the tank. I'd just make sure the shut off valve is in good shape and turn it off when parked.

 

Eh, I've read horror stories about people having a very difficult time with gravity fed strombergs on bangers. Only one or two success stories. But were fuel pumps around in pre-war hot rods??? You think the dual intake with the back carb blanked off is too much? I'm having a bit of buyers remorse thinking I should have gone with a single downdraft. I've also read that .043 jets and a 70 power valve is the best combo, so I have those on order also. Once I get the fuel system buttoned up again I can do some playing around to see what works.

 

Oh yeah, and I already rebuilt the fuel shutoff. It's pretty tight but holds great.

 

If your in doubt about the Gravity feed volume determine what kind of G.P.H. you need at full throttle. Next fill the tank and disconnect the line at the Carb. Put a rubber hose on it and drop it into an empty fuel can. Next open the fuel shut off valve and let it run for 60 seconds. Measure that volume and times it by 60. If it's same as or more than the needed G.P.H. it's gotta work.

 

I like the setup, I have no personal experience with it, but am curious why you bought a dual carb manifold if your not going to use the second carb? You could have just bought a single downdraft carb intake...plus its better distribution than what your attempting to do.

I would not use a fuel pump either, I wish I could use gravity feed on my T engine with the overhead conversion planned. If your terrible with wiring, find someone who isn't. I personally like doing wiring, But I also have a set rate I charge to do it because it is tedious generally and I'm usually trying to hide what I'm wiring in a car so it can't be seen.

 

I'm strictly going after vintage speed equipment and this popped up before I read into it deeply...impulse buy...then read some cases of bad luck. My hope is that I don't have similar experiences. I'd much rather use both carbs but I'm fearful that it will send too much fuel. Honestly, I really don't know. I'm going to try with one and then both. Whichever works better is what I'll go with. This is a work in progress. It's obviously got a ways to go. Patience. If it doesn't work, I'll sell it and search for a single downdraft. Million ways to skin this cat.

"Find someone who isn't".....really? Dude, easier said than done. Thanks for the advice. I've contacted multiple clubs, I hired a guy off craigslist (for a different project), I've read a million things online, and I call my buddy Justin at least once a month with a question.....I just don't have the confidence when it comes to wiring. Great, I get it, it's easy for you. Congrats. Not for me, hence, why I do research and ask for help.

On top of that, and I'm unsure why I'm even defending myself to you, I'm not a car builder. This isn't my day job. I seek advice on here and most people gladly offer tips and tricks that I'm super grateful for. I've stated multiple times before that this is a hobby and I'm in the very beginning stages....even though I'd like to enter the race this coming October. I work underwater. Full time. Electricity and water don't mix.

 

Ummmm....ok I completely understand the fuel running into the fuel can for 60 seconds and multiplying by 60 to get the flow rate....but how do I find GPH at full throttle without measuring how much I burn with the carb setup and without driving it for a set amount of time to find how much fuel I went through?

 

Now that's a grate question. Wish I had a strait forward answer with a formula to give ya. There might actually be one out there involving C.I. of motor and R.P.M. range with a few variables in it but I'm not aware of it. I'm very fortunate to have an ace machinist on my A list with a Dyno. A little run time and some mid range Cam run in time as well as how much fuel was burned can give you a ball park and that's about it.

 

Ok, did a few things here. First off, happy holidays everybody. Now on to the meat and potatoes...

I've installed and did a rough tune of the dual 97 setup...no blank, both supplying fuel. Had to bend some new steel lines, had a couple leaks, fixed...I think. By rough tune, I set the mixture screws to a full turn out...each. My linkage was a little rough upon initial install but I've got it working pretty smooth now and I feel like I got lucky when it didn't hit the fuel lines. I also just got the frog scoops in and randomly had some set screws leftover from a hand-shifted, foot clutched sportster, so they're on to stay and the look, in my opinion, is incredible.

I fired it up and it runs awesome...needs final tuning. At first I had the mixture screws 1.5 turns out each but read on the banger thread that a 3/4 turn was more beneficial/realistic. With that 1.5 turns, it ran, idled, but smelled super rich. After the 1 turn out, it smelled less rich...more normal. I've read how to tune them by disconnecting the linkage and turning each screw in until rough idle then out again until it smooths out. I was about to start that process...but noticed it was running pretty hot. My little thermo-quail told me. Now, I know, it's not moving and it can/will get hot without airflow through the radiator. But it just seemed quick to me. I could pull it in the garage forward and run the barn fan to give more air flow perhaps.

I ran it around the block prior to this after noticing it was getting hot in 50ish degree weather (again with the dual setup), and it cooled down pretty quick...which was great....but is that normal? I'm probably not giving enough info....any thoughts, ideas? Or am I just getting too protective and worried over nothing?

It is Florida. It's in the 70s today. But man when it gets hot here, it gets HOT. 90+ with 90+% humidity...should I just not drive it when it's that hot?

I also got some smoothie wheels in and have been contemplating tire size and tread...I need traction in sand...I like the big to little look and I was thinking if I go real small up front, it will give me more fuel pressure...my lack of experience may show there. Is that true, or am I dreaming? Lower drop = more gravity feed = more head pressure? I'm still trying to get away with not running a fuel pump.

I still have to rebuild my 39 trans. and get seat springs and covers, install floors...among other things. The list goes on but the major stuff is sitting pretty.

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Mine was running hot like that. Radiator was all blocked up. I diagnosed it by running my hand over the front of the rad after it was good and warmed up. The plugged parts were noticeably colder than the parts water was running through. Good luck. Glad it's running, though. That's a big deal and a good feeling.

 

It's really hard to give Good tune up info from the keyboard. It's more a sound and feel for a guy like me. That said timing and lean can both cause some unwanted heat. Also your mixture screws only add or subtract Air not Gas and only for very low R.P.M's One guys right is the next guys kind of close. There is only a recomended inital start setting from there it's how it responds and past that it's jets for upper R.P.M's. If you want to know how close you are in fuel mixture pull the plugs and read them. To fat and they will be very dark to lean and they will look almost new, you don't want that.

 

How did you unplug??? Descaler? Flush?

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I do have to check timing....that's been on my to-do list.

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Tried all of that, eventually I just cut the top off of each side of the upper tank, rodded it out, and soldered it back. Looks ugly, but it worked.

 

Generally speaking the timing is set before you ever try adjusting a carb. Moving your timing around or in your case getting it set will change Manifold Vacuum and reflect in what reaction your Carb no matter the setting has on how it runs. Often once things seem fine you'll bump timing to see if the motor likes a little more or less and hand in hand reset idle settings as well as air adjustment. Often then back to the Jets to get things real sweet.

 

Check. Looks like it just went to the top of my to-do list!!

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Ladies and gentlemen....mostly gentlemen....we have lift-off.

Not really. BUT....a major milestone has just occurred with transmissions in mind. First of all, a HUGE shout out goes to HAMBER brsturges for hooking me up with a 39-style trans and guiding me to the light by answering countless questions and being an honest HAMB member. He also pointed me to Mac VP for additional guidance and I couldn't be more grateful that the man, the myth, the legend answered even more questions with some serious quickness after I sent him a single picture. Thank you both thus far, you're more appreciated than you know. God, I love this community.

So yesterday, I tackled a big hurdle for my little race car. I bought the aforementioned transmission, it was shipped in record time, and I let it sit for months before I acquired the time and energy to put it together (since buying, I made air supervisor, which took a TON of time, I focused on the engine, and even fixed a toilet for $7....among other things like 2 holidays, 1 wedding in New Hampshire, building frost enclosures for a red lime tree and a tangerine tree, and working full time planning an annual ice-diving course in Canada for 30+ individuals of the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, and SeaBees). Things have been busy to say the least. Anyway, I received said transmission disassembled.

Side note: as I'm typing this, sitting on my riding lawn mower in the garage, my wife called my phone frantically saying that a turkey-sized bug has infiltrated our home and is in the attached laundry room...I opened the door and the bug kindly vacated back into the garage and out the open door. Crisis averted. Welcome to Florida in late December.

Ok...so yesterday I made the attempt at putting the trans back together hoping I had all the pieces...thanks again to brsturges, all was there with the exception of seals and bushings. I have them on order. Anyway, I had bought Mac Van Pelts book to aid in this process as I have NEVER opened a tranny up, let alone build one from the parts torn out of a complete unit. At first, things weren't going so well...I'm a diver, not a transmission builder. If I could have done this underwater, it might have been easier. But, on dry land I sat. The book was great and had TONS of info I never would have known. However, the pictures didn't match up to what I was seeing in front of me. My trans had different components than the one in the book....many similarities, just not exact, you know? So I did my best.

The end result was a complete unit, fully put together, intact, and no extra pieces!! I was sweating that last part. Now I wasn't fully confident in my abilities but I contacted the above amazing individuals and again, the final assembly got a thumbs up. I feel like I just climbed Everest. I mean, what's next? Rocket Scientry? A run for President? The sky is the limit I guess. (Totally kidding....insert sarcasm here). Pictures to follow.

 

Good to go...literally.

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More big news. Tires came in today. Jesus, I wish I had a tire machine. Soapy water and a screwdriver barely got me by. But man, this little race car is looking good. Walter wasn't too happy about the sore back, tools flying across the garage and the cuss words emitted from the garage.

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I guess he's over it now though. He doesn't know it, but he's the greatest shop supervisor, foreman, garage dog, and neighborhood watch. I did use his magic carpet when I was mounting the tires, but he was OK with it.

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Does this mean you’re going to give him a raise?


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I learned a trick many years back about hand mounting Tires. An old piece of carpeting on the floor with Rim sitting on it. This keeps the Rim from sliding away. A black plastic Trash bag and a bottle of liquid dish soap. squirt a liberal amount of soap right out of the bottle on top side of bag and spread it around. With soap side up laying on the Rim lay the tire on it in place. Now grab the bag in the center and gently lift up so to have some slack and not tear the bag while Tire slides over the rim. Now just drop a spot of bead over the rim and push around the tire as it slides on. Repeat for second side of bead and your ready for air. Much easier than Screwdrivers and Tire Irons.

 

This is great advice. Here’s a thread regarding the procedure with video!

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...s-at-home-with-a-garbage-bag-diy-tech.940923/

 

What.The.Actual.Hell. I mean I used a LOT of soap, but that looked WAY too easy. Damnit. I wish there people around me who did this stuff. I suppose I could've done a search on here for a how-to, but determination kicked in.....only took me about 3 and a half hours...and I got a GREAT workout in!!!

But thanks guys, I'll have to use this next time.

 

Well maybe an extra cookie after dinner is in order, but no more!!! He's getting up there in age and a little plump around the midsection....but then again aren't we all.

 

Yep, just like the video but I don't put the soap in water, strait out of the bottle on the bag and a little wipe on the bead. Presto! Also no chance of pinching the tube.