Projects NOT THE TYPICAL '30 ROADSTER BUILD

Only if you help clean my garage the way you did yours. Nice job!

 

as for the 33 chebby hood, ask a chebby guy, got a 3rd tier spare from one...

 

Started working on the fuel line.
First time ever working with aluminum tubing....Easy to work with but almost feels too flimsy and more wore work than Stainless to get it right.

Tight fit at the fuel tank , especially with the upholstery panels on.

 

Took a brake from the fuel line since I am still missing my inline fuel filter and holding bracket.

Picked up my top irons and after some elbow grease they came out nice.
I am still not sold in the yellow I picked for them....I might change it to greener hue yellow. I am hoping to contrast the tan canvas top.
I will be using a german canvas tan top and would like a nice contrast to them.



How about a before and after

BEFORE


AFTER

 

Had a chance to pick up my rear window frame and shifter from getting chromed and powder coating.....looks really nice!
Still no word from Rottlieb on the hood :-(
Plan to continue working on the fuel line this weekend...

 

Got the fuel line almost done...
Had to build a bracket to hold the inline fuel filter. This filter is a 40 micron one with a 1-1/8:" diameter....most brackets I found out there were made for 1-1/2"-2" filters.



After a lot of bends and 2 attempt later....she is done...for now, at least.
3/8" Fuel line from the fuel tank to the inline filter

I kept all the plumbing in the same location for easy access and maintenance.
After the fuel filter, I will drop to 5/16" to connect to the flathead fuel pump. I first have to locate a few more items before running that last line.

 

Hood is finally here! Looks really nice.



No more flap on the side.
Time to start fitting it in...It will need some trimming, not a plug and ply as I expected.
It will need about an 1" off the length.

 

Busy at work but took some time off and started tracing my cuts
I am removing 1/2" off both ends to keep louvers centered.

 

Hated the idea of cutting on a brand new hood....but not too many choices to choose from
Needs some more trimming and a bit of welding....One step closer.

 

Hood is fitted for the most part and locking mechanism figured out.
I still need to add a piece of tube on each corner of the firewall and radiator shell for the rod to lock into.


Simple 2 washer, spring and knob mechanism.


Does the job. Holds it nice and tight

It sure has come a long way....

Before


After

Next on the list is to finish the last of the fuel line, continue with some of the body work and figure out my electrical.

 

Looking good there! I like your hood latch idea.

 

I want to see the canvas on the top already. Lol

 

love the before pix you tossed in !

 

Thank you. It works great standing still. Not sure how good it is going to hold up at high speed but it should be fine.

 

Stay tune. The goal is to stitch my own top but need to find a pattern first. Looking for any take off or anything I can get a template.

 

It is nice to see where I started with all of this.
The day that it was delivered to my house, all of those parts were scattered through out the front yard.
I wish I would have taken a picture....it looked like a bomb had gone off underneath the car and it was blown to pieces.

 

Not a lot of progress to show...A lot of planning going on...
I've been busy at work and with little time to spend in the roadster; however, I've been working behind the scenes trying to figure out the electrical....
I am electrically CLUELESS and that has been a long learning curve but thanks to Crazy Steve, Rich B, and other HAMB members I am moving on the right direction.
I am using the '32 Column drop and a push on/off button for starting.

The plan is to build the harness from scratch using cloth braided lacquered wiring, 12v, negative ground. I will be using the same color coding for the wires as a stock '30 Model A.
A pretty bare bones system, Head lights, stop lights, license plate light, 1 fog light, turn signals, horn and gauges....That's it! No radio, no hazards no electrical fans or A/C

First on the list was the battery location. The trunk was already too busy and the idea of fuel and electricity next to each other wasn't appealing to me. I decided to mount it under the seat. along with the fuse panel. Easy access and maintenance. Circuits were half way in both direction so it felt right.
I figured an Odyssey PC680 battery would do the job, that is until I measured it, and realized it was 1" too tall when laying flat.
I was advised to sealed the battery, due outgas of corrosive fumes, and keep it sealed from the fuse panel as well.

With both of those things in mind, I fabricated my own box...


Sealed on top. Rubber seal around the flange will keep it environmentally sealed.


Opened on the bottom for ventilation


I will have good room for the PC680 to sit in


Yet, everything will be sealed inside. Fuse panel will sit off to the side
Seat springs have room to move and the sealed top will keep it safe.


No interference with the driveshaft. I have about 1/2" to 3"4 clearance to it.

Off to powder coating it goes. I was told powder coating works well resisting battery corrosion.

I ordered my 1st round of wiring form Tom's Engine Barn....They have some of the lowest prices I found
Waiting on electrical components and fuel panel...

Electrical, To be continued...

 

Wiring from scratch can be a challenge for certain for anyone let alone for a first time virgin
Given your tenacity with this build you probably have already thought out the marking process of all those wires but just in case most all electrical houses have products similar to Thomas Bettes (sp)
that provide sticky number id tags that are small and may be attached to the wires for ID purposes that tie out to your wiring diagram. Very helpful especially later on when chasing down any issues.

 

Thank you. Those sticky ID tags are a good idea.
Wiring is challenging for sure. I've been dreaming or wires, amps, and voltage drop for a few days now

 

adheasive #s are the norm for electricians... local shop had them cheap...
you get 3 or 4 of each #... 1 to 50 or 100 or ?
black on white about 3/16" square …
extra #s are nice...
you can label the wire end, the panel and the map on the panel cover...

 

Today, I had some time off and was able to finish the last of the fuel line.
Last minute change, I decided to run the last line in 3/8" instead of 5/16. All fuel line is now 3/8" and used a 6an to 1/2-20 I.F. and connected to the original '48 Ford fuel hose line, which will connect to the fuel pump.
It is a tight fit but got it done and I think it will work better.



Revised both fuel and brake diagrams to show my final lay out.
For now both are done until I can run it and see if they work....

Fuel Line



Brake Lines

 

I haven't updated the cost/time of this build in a few months and I have received a few requests to do it, so here it goes.

As of today,

I have spend $21,950.70 in parts. That's with all the buying and selling of parts.
I have spend 545 labor hrs in total, since I stated in late 2017. Using the $50/hr average I been using the beginning... that is $27,250 in labor
Materials such as MDF, primer, body filler...$660.18

All in.....$49,860.88
If I don't count in the labor part, which I don't. $22,610.88

Thus far in 2020, I have been able to dedicate 239 hrs....more hours than what I did in 2019 or 2018. Mostly, I was able to spend more time due to COVID and working from home.

The amount of money spent is starting to sound like a lot of money but I am still very happy I am doing it and completely committed to finish it...even if it breaks the bank!

For those of you following the ledger...

 

Donor fuse block arrived. Not bad for $29 with free shipping.
I don't have the experience with electrical to judge it but I am impressed with the quality of the harness as is.

Spent sometime running power through the wires and understanding the layout of it
A small flat head screwdriver made removing the contact points super easy



...and here it is...the foundation to the harness I will be building....most of those fuses are rated too high so they won't make the final cut.
I still need another relay, some terminals, more wire, and the fun begins....

 

Gas pedal and battery box are back from chrome and powder coating....looking good!



Today is one hot here in LA, so rather than working on the roadster I opted for starting to restore my Stat 700 turn signal switch.


It is pretty complete but it has definitely seen better days. I will be fully rewiring it but that will be a later time.

Took it all apart...sand blasted it and started working on the front plaque.



Before


After

 

I wish I was that organized.
You have nice hand writing!
Mine looks like a Toddler on Starbucks!
I can’t even read my own hand writing!

So far I just put it in my notes on my iPhone, but a book would be nice!

 

not my best skill... but if you make a harness and don't plan on using it this season, tape all wire ends with masking tape labels inside ziplocks…
made a harness years ago, for a buddy's '32 truck, when he got around to it the squirrels had eaten all the labels for the glue on the back side...
couple days with a tester and he was ok....
I like to use a '70s seatbelt buzzer with a couple alligator clips as my tester...
[don't lend it out, its the most non-returned tool I have ever lent out]

 

Thank you.
Those iPhone notes come in handy. I use them to take notes on how things go together.
Like the rear deck....I need to bolt the driver side first or else if I bolt on the passenger side first the drive side will a put a fight and it take forever to go in. I am sure after I paint the car it will come on handy.

 

That's a good point!
I plan to run most of the harness to make any holes I need for grommets and grounding bolts but then I will remove and will put in storage until the car is almost ready for final assembly.

 

Continue to wait for electrical parts...in the meantime, I am preparing the turn signal switch.

Out with the old....


I cut away the light bulb contacts to make room for the LED lights
I will be using 6mm surface mount LEDs from Oznium.


Left the bulb housing intact to make modifying it easier


Epoxy glued finish washers to the top of the bulb housings to give the LEDs a surface to mount.
They fit perfect over the bulb housing and diameter is also perfect to fit the original cardboard covers over them once completed.

 

In with the new...

Finished wiring


LEDs mounted


Cardboard covers fitting as they should.