Multi time trades seem to be my thing....I traded my Studebaker for a glass 32 roadster body and chassis 2 years ago. I mocked up and did all the fab and made a real ernest effort to build a bitchin car. At the end of the day I was having a hard time getting behind a glass car no matter how cool I made it!??! The car made it to about the time to plumb and wire before I decided to trade the project for some dough. I figured it would get me pretty close to buying a brookville body. A deal was struck for a new home and I sold a bunch more stuff and as I was getting ready to order a new body and a Henry body became available.....SHIT YES!!!!! I had to do it. The small block and all the semi street rod stuff that I had acquired had to go and a complete traditional build had to happen. Just as the parts gathering was coming to an end and the time to build was near the whole world shut down, my business included!!! So what does a hot rodder with no job do??? That’s right, build a car!!! I’ll try and post pictures in a linear way. FLiP I’ll start with a couple shots of the glass car. @eights_aces_flip on instagram eightsandacestattoo on Facebook
Right before the plastic fantastic left. Lance from speed and chrome has the car now. @eights_aces_flip on instagram eightsandacestattoo on Facebook
I saw pictures of the roadster body clamped together sitting together as a channeled car. I had to have it!!! I thought I wanted to build a channeled car but I’m a big dude and I thought I’d look like a monkey fucking a football in a channeled car?? The wife and I drove and met Paul at magic mountain to load up my new obsession. Just for a time line.... I picked up the body October 8th 2019..... @eights_aces_flip on instagram eightsandacestattoo on Facebook
I decide to put the body back up on top of the chassis. I ordered sub rails and started finding and trading for as much original 32 stuff as possible. The doors were Aussie doors and I wanted all steel doors. I sold the original doors and bought brookville doors. @eights_aces_flip on instagram eightsandacestattoo on Facebook
I found a original chassis from Cavalier George that needed some work buts condition fitted the rest of the car. As often happens things snowball/fall into place and this was no exception. After the chassis landed in my driveway I found a flathead locally that made up my mind, completely traditional build!! In my pile I had acquired a double dip axle set up for a unsplit 32 wishbone from the Late Don Orossco. This axle was another thing that helped to steer the direction of the build. @eights_aces_flip on instagram eightsandacestattoo on Facebook
So the chassis mock up started when I played hooky on my birthday December 19th 2019. I kind of hauled ass for a little bit. I tried to make everything original in the chassis down to the nuts and bolts. Typically not to big a deal when you start with a complete car but since I was doin it Johnny Cash style(one piece at a time) it was a bit mor difficult, but in my opinion totally worth it. @eights_aces_flip on instagram eightsandacestattoo on Facebook
I’m a shitty picture taker so I’ll dig up more pics and make more posts tomorrow....... FLiP @eights_aces_flip on instagram eightsandacestattoo on Facebook
I’m not sure? I honestly don’t know the differences with the body? The doors had a wood inner structure and there were also some weird/unfamiliar things with the latch area on the body side. It seemed almost model A closed car-ish? I had to modify the jams to take the 32-6 open style catch. FLiP @eights_aces_flip on instagram eightsandacestattoo on Facebook
So my goal all along was fairly ambitious. I really wanted to have the car together for the RPM National. The Nats are September/October usually so I figured if I really busted my ass I could get it done....I had no idea that 2020 was going to bring us the Covid and my business was going to be closed for 6 months. In early February I started to put the body together. @eights_aces_flip on instagram eightsandacestattoo on Facebook
Holding everything together with clamps and using ratchet straps to pull things here and there was a shit show but when ya only got two arms you gota make shit happen There were a lot of temporary screws and tack welds until I got an acceptable outcome. @eights_aces_flip on instagram eightsandacestattoo on Facebook
The world shut down and I had to do something with my life. I picked up some time at Claytons Hot Rods to give me some normalcy and dedicated myself to getting this thing built. Since time was of the essence and I really liked the look and patina of the body and chassis I was hoping that this would be a one and done kind of build. Fabricate, rebuild, assemble and done!!! Unlike other cars that do a lot of build, take apart, put back together, take apart, paint, put together......you know the drill. Since the chassis was assembled that way I figured once the body went on it technically should be able to stay on the chassis. @eights_aces_flip on instagram eightsandacestattoo on Facebook
May 31st right about the time I was wondering if I’d ever be able to open my business again I got me a roller for the first time with the body in one piece and bolted to the chassis. Now the big dilemma...to 32 tank? Or not to 32 tank??? @eights_aces_flip on instagram eightsandacestattoo on Facebook
Now that is seen the car outside with the not dropped axle and the stock gas tank the car looked like a kid with a full diaper. I knew the plastic motor didn’t weigh enough so the front would settle a bit but I was still getting a poopy butt vibe. I always lean heavily towards a race car look with my cars. I like the early lakes look with a contemporary lakes stance typically but this time it’s all about having a car I could actually drive over a speed bump or not knock my teeth out going over bumps in the road. I was Ok with the height but I needed to add a little bit of attitude and why not show off the quickchange a bit!! @eights_aces_flip on instagram eightsandacestattoo on Facebook
So turns out all my planning was good and all but with the Covid-19 in full swing and the RPM confirming the dates for the end of September this was going to be a nail bitter.....why not take the body off the chassis the end of July?? I was not liking the placement of the rear crossmember and decided to strip the car down and take the chassis to work with me at Clays and throw it in the chassis Jig. It was a step or two backwards but I’m happy I did!! The crossmember was actually off a little so now that things were corrected I could get back after it. @eights_aces_flip on instagram eightsandacestattoo on Facebook
August became a blur. I got the body back on the chassis and full steam ahead!!! I found a fella that was willing to custom make me a bomber style bench seat which would fit the early lakes feel I was after. After mounting the seat and getting the dash and steering column set it was starting to feel like a car. I installed the gas tank and finished plumbing the car roughly up to the plastic motor. At this point I still didn’t have a complete motor.... @eights_aces_flip on instagram eightsandacestattoo on Facebook
So the end of August is here and I’m trolling Craigslist as any good hot rodder does and low and behold a old dude bought the farm and his stuff was being passed on to a new home, and there it was..... a complete zero mile 59ab that nothing was known about but could be had for a song!!!! From the pics I could see it had never been ran and that it had adjustables and a Merc crank so I jumped at it! So at this point the car is rolling, steering, brakes blead and the fuel lines are run to the firewall and the wiring is started.....I’ve got this! The motor had 8ba front drive on it which is a No for me so I needed to find a machine shop to do a cam swap and I also wanted to make sure the motor was in good shape and could also take a bigger cam. So thankfully Rick was able to take my motor and get it where I needed and have it done for the Nationals. @eights_aces_flip on instagram eightsandacestattoo on Facebook
So now we’re mid September and I have the motor in and two weeks until the Nationals, No problem I get the car buttoned up and I hear Ricks voice in my head....”hey these pumps don’t sound too good” spins pump and they sound kind of ‘sandy’ for lack of a better word...but me “naaaaa they’ll be fine. I wana run double groove pulleys” Shoulda listened!!! I got the motor started with a week and a half to go and the fuck’n water pump(s) leaked!!! No big deal. Catch my breath order some new pumps and start tearing the car apart. When the pumps show I’ll have a week.....maybe not? Thankfully the state let me open my business back up so no more life of leasure for me, now I’m working 7 days a week 10-12hr days, cooool! But wait I got a car to finish. @eights_aces_flip on instagram eightsandacestattoo on Facebook
With the help of Clay and Casey to help me get the carbs sorted out I drove that SOB for the first time on September 21st with a few days to tune the motor and tune the appearance for the RPM’s. @eights_aces_flip on instagram eightsandacestattoo on Facebook
So on September 25th with only 3miles on the odometer I loaded up the car an headed to Ranch Santa Margarita. With Clay and Lars in their truck with the ‘Bronze Flame’ in tow and the wife and I in ours we hit the road! I couldn’t have had a better time!!! The car ran good and strong and the only issue I had was a dead battery from the brake lights being on the whole tow down. Easy fix. I’d like to thank everyone I traded parts with, that gave me parts, sold me parts or bought parts from me so I could afford to do this in a really weird time. Thank you thank you Thank you. Now to put some miles on this car and enjoy a little relaxing behind the wheel. @eights_aces_flip on instagram eightsandacestattoo on Facebook
After the Nationals I drove the car a bit and it was needing more air thru the radiator and I decided I needed to ‘finish’ the car by finally putting a hood on it and the grill insert. There are still a few things that need to be done but I need something to tinker on during the winter. What do you guys think???? @eights_aces_flip on instagram eightsandacestattoo on Facebook
Oooh and the flames are left over house paint from our bedroom!! House paint and a brush worked perfect, perfectly’rustic’ FLiP @eights_aces_flip on instagram eightsandacestattoo on Facebook
Can we upload short video clips?? Thank you, FLiP @eights_aces_flip on instagram eightsandacestattoo on Facebook
That's fantastic, I was out of work 10th 07 2020 till this last Sunday 25th 10 2020 and at 61 years young, was anybody going to need an old fart. All I thought about was how am I going to be able to get the parts to finish my engine 322 1954 buick. Its tuff but i will get there in the end. Motion pics would be spot on. Sent from my KOB-L09 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app