Projects Shade tree Model A speedster kind of thing

That just adds character, fits the build in my humble opinion.

 

The Wheel really looks fantastic @rwrj and your less is more approach continues to highlight the simplicity and innocence of the way life was in many an innovative home back in the day...that brings a warm smile to my face...Big Thumbs Up and thanks for sharing your fun...

 

Just one more COOL part to all the other COOL parts on your car!

 

Getting Better and Better!
Adds more Character to this time period correct & FAST Speedster -
Would be Perfect for T.R.O.G. Sep 30 - Oct 4 2020?
Steering Wheel - Perfect Fix!...Just stay below 85..ish!

 

that is a proper job..

 

Don't be afraid of those aluminum welding rods. They are mostly zinc from what the Rockmount (specialty welding alloy fillers company) guy told me long ago. Just low temperature soldering for aluminum. Get a few and practice on some scrap. Big thing is clean, clean, clean the aluminum. I have some that were given to me, but never used them. I TIG everything instead.

 

Hey I did the same thing for my project but didn’t like the way it looked when I was done. Shoot you could have had mine for real cheap.

 

Unfortunately, TIG isn't an option for me, just Oxy/Acetelyne. I'll probably try them out someday, but it'll be on something I haven't already put a lot of time and effort into. Haha.

 

Your Repair Fits the Scheme of Vintage type fixes.. Love this Thread lots of cool stuff going on here....

 

Thank you for the compliments. I finished the wheel. I'll start with the only picture I have of how it was when I got it:



Doesn't show real well, but that rim was not only busted, but the fibers had separated so that it was significantly fatter there, plus the arm was bent, and the rim was too clunky and fat, anyway.

So, here it is after final sanding, coated with epoxy just to seal it. I didn't go overboard with the sanding, it's still a little square. It was getting pretty thin feeling. If I had it to do over again, I'd cut the original pieces a little larger. (@Stogy had a point about that).



Now with a couple of coats of black Rustoleum brushed on:



It's flat paint, just still a little wet in that picture. I wrapped the wheel with bank twine, which is a braided nylon that's been tarred with some petroleum product for weather resistance. Used in making nets and crab traps and such. Really tough stuff. That's one continuous length of it, and was a tedious process, to say the least.











It'll do. The twine brought the rim back up to a real comfortable thickness. Looks better in the pictures than in real life, but, then again, so does the whole car. Haha.

I also worked on making my radiator cap seal better. I think it's a kind of cheap aftermarket deal. All I did was drill out the rivet holding the little part with the latching bumps on it to the main external part, then separated and cleaned all the parts, put it back together with a brass bolt I flattened the top of a bit, sat it upside down and level, poured in epoxy, then floated an O-ring on top of the epoxy. Worked better than I had any right to expect.







Some of you with eagle eyes might notice the little smear of JB Weld I put around that acorn nut. I don't want it rattling loose and dropping into the radiator, and the bolt was too short to allow for a lock washer. The epoxy inside seals all of the cap parts, and the O-ring gives me a good seal to the radiator neck. I'm going to let it dry a bit more before I test the system. It's just a temporary measure to let me see if this overflow tank idea is going to be practical. This epoxy is kind of sensitive to heat, so I expect the thing to fail eventually. I'll keep my eyes open for a factory made cap that seals tight. Good thing about messing with cars in the age of Corona virus, it encourages you to wash your hands a bunch. You guys take care of yourselves.

 

Lot of great details on this car. Cool build.

 

That's the Wheel Deal @rwrj...its a work of art to me...the trip to The Yesteryear continues to evolve...I immensely enjoy your passion of the primitive and respecting past Excellence.

Thanks for sharing the nitty gritty details...perfection with calculated decisions in variations of are a great benchmark to ensure Happy Outcomes. Field and bench testing will help determine viability...I'm very Happy to see you hitting the Wind with increasing vigor each time you do...It's a joy to see...

 

Ace Its great to see the progress and all the little details, these are the things that make a Special special

 

rwrj, i wondr where ya got them wood work'n skills.........still love'n it.

 

robbwhite.com

 

I finished up with the steering wheel project last night and this morning. The hole in this wheel is larger than the old one, and the spokes have a curvature that moves the hub forward, where the other one was flat. I had to shorten and re-taper my bronze adapter and make a bronze washer because the nut was now barely larger than the hole in the new wheel, and I wasn't comfortable with it. I also re-drilled the hole on the column end of the adapter in hopes that I could get the spokes lined up. I'm using a set screw instead of the old woodruff key, didn't have enough meat in the big end of the tapered hole to cut a groove for the key. I have that screw safety wired through the slot. It's a little dodgy, but the old wheel was the same way, and I never had an issue with it. The way I have it with the rod threaded into the steering shaft on one end and the nut pinching it from the other, those tapers get pulled tight. I had a hell of a time getting the bronze adapter off of the shaft. I know it's hard to picture how this whole mess works. I drew a quick picture:



I also wasn't happy with the back side of the hub. It had a flange that obviously fit over some part of it's original column, but it was dented, and I didn't need it. Off to the shade tree milling machine (edge sander and eyeball)






Anyway, here are a few pictures of the finished (?) product:

 

Wow! Happy Easter

 

well,you def DID NOT lay an egg--easter reference....meaning it's great!

 

It just keeps getting better and better. Very nice job on the steering wheel!

 

@rwrj You are an inspiration.

 

Is this a family business?

 

Read the entire thread over the past few days, I remember seeing this when you were first building the body, and lost track of the thread.
Really a great build with very inventive solutions, "whats at hand" is often lost these days.

 

It is, but these days mostly just my mother selling plans for the one boat he made plans for. My father died over a decade ago and, to be honest, I still have a hard time working on boats. Just don't feel like I measure up. Might be why I'm spending more time with cars. He'd have really liked this project. We started on one when I was a kid:




It's a picture of a picture. Model T frame and firewall, 1960 Volvo b16 engine and trans, VW front axle. (I know, VW, but in fairness, the picture was taken about 1977 or so, long before the internet or the HAMB). Never fininished it, though. I guess I got sidetracked or discouraged. It needed a body, rear end, brakes sorted, electrical.... Anyway, I guess my jackleg shade tree roots run pretty deep. Stay safe, everybody.

 

This pic among many you snap is Priceless...Owl Approved...

He is a Good Spirit...a bit crusty but Good...
​

 

Hahahaaa. Zoom in on the mirror if you want to see crusty.

 

@hillbilly4008,
I didn't reply to this earlier, because, to be completely honest, I had never considered whether or not Georgia requires windshields. When I first started trying to get this thing on the road, I did a quick Google search and found some site that said GA requires the car to have all of the safety equipment that came on it from the factory. Turns out a little internet info is a dangerous thing. After your question, I searched again and, wouldn't you know, there is a windshield law. So, guess what I need?

I may have mentioned that my junk-pile includes an aborted MG TD restoration, so this morning I dug out the windshield from it. Those cars have a cute little deal that folds forward, but it's much too wide.



The glass is in a metal frame, but that frame is bolted to side-ears on the folding mechanism, so I unbolted them:





The mock-up took quite a bit of fiddling. You may have noticed that the sides of the stock windshield lean inward, and the folding geometry is affected by this. I need them to lean outward, because my body is so narrow that, if they leaned in, the windshield would be ridiculously narrow. Had to do a little heating and bending. I cut a plywood glass substitute so I could clamp it on the car to check the look and folding action. Still needs fine-tuning, but I'm close.







I like this idea, because it doesn't turn my little aluminum cowl into a decoration. If I run with the windshield folded, that cowl still serves a purpose. I'll make some wooden pieces to fill in the spaces between the windshield and the body and just use plexiglass for a screen until I can afford a custom made glass one (if I ever decide I need one).

I am a little worried that I'm getting close to doing too much to this thing, but I also want to be road legal. Anyway, everybody stay safe and take care.

 

In my state require windshield to be safety glass.

 

@rwrj, I thought you had already passed inspection...it may have bearing on what its registered as...Speedster?

I think if Windshields were an option it may be yes or no with Goggles perhaps being a windshield. What about fenders? I have never been hassled...ever for these eccentricities of modern auto...I did my safety at a Licensed Garage and never looked back...but I suppose if you provoke the Law they may open up the Archival Law Bible but I see your Speedster/Jalopy as a near motorcycle and they don't have Windshields either...

All Stogy's rambling aside you have a way with keeping the soul to date and @ClarkH is doing windshield service as well and it's looking just fine as well.

 

@AmishMike,
Yeah. I can probably find something flat at the junkyard and cut it myself, especially if I keep all of the edges straight. Sounds like more research. Haha

 

@Stogy,
No inspection in my county. I just insured it and bought a tag. Haven't been hassled, but also haven't been seen yet by any law enforcement, so I just don't know how that's going to go. I'd rather follow at least the letter of the law than suffer the indignity of having to appeal to someone to make an exception for me. The law plainly requires a windshield and wipers, so that's what I feel I need to do. There is a requirement in GA for inspection of "assembled vehicles", but the requirements really seem aimed at kit cars, and mine is in a grey area there, since all of the chassis and running gear is stock Model A.