I’ve had this idea in my head for a long while and I had a couple false starts with different body’s and chassis, but I decided to start completely from scratch building exactly how I wanted too from the start, picking up inspiration from the Tony Nancy nailhead roadster, the Triple Nickel roadster plus a handful of other late 50s style race roadsters I The big piece I wanted was a big tube chassis on this car, So I started up with 2 length of 3” diameter seamless CDS tubing for the main rails, got them set up between my axles on the table. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I then set the body on to get the engine set back set up just right it’s around 15” back from stock’ish so well within the 25% Nhra ruling of the 50’s. and then I got on with working out the prop loop and seat section of the chassis Then with a wheel in the back wheel well to see how the car was looking Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Next step was the front goalpost and steering set up, this idea has been going around in my head for a few years and I’ve got a stack of steering boxes under the bench so it was good to get these out the way and onto the car. Using a 37-48 ford passenger car box & turned down pitman arm, plus a model A pitman arm and sector shaft. Twinned with some home machining turned out a pretty good homemade sprint car steering set up, the pitman extension will get drilled and pinned onto the ford sector come final assembly so it will definitely not be going anywhere. And also let’s the box come apart for repair if needed in the future. Jigging bar to set up the location of the bearing With the steering box set up worked out next was the front shock and grill mounting goalpost, the back of the shock bracket will also mount the fuel pump and regulator. Then made a shifter up, running the Muncie and centre steering made for some fun trying to kick this up the side of the seat, it seems to work good. But we’ll see when we’re taking it down the strip and trying to bang shift it! Got the hoodsides made up, will also make a Aluminium hood top and this will all be bolted together and removed as one piece with the grille. Also got the real tyres I’m running nicked up at the rough height. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
A man that loves Drag Hot Rods is watching you .... great inspiration choices as well. This is going to be so cool. Where did you get your 'glass body?
Now with the wheels purchased too I got them mounted up and in place. Next was to work out the headers, pretty glad with how these look so need to finish up the other side to match. That now brings us up to today, with another job for my chassis table I needed to get the car pulled off so I got that done, a few more bits got done. I’ll try and work on the car as and when I can and keep everyone updated, it will hopefully be out on track some time this year. Just glad it’s all finally coming together how I’ve always imagined it. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Really like that your using period components and chassis layout, also some great construction shots, almost hate to see it finished and covered up. Is your first track debut going to be at Santa Pod?
Yes that’s our only real track left over here now, and luckily it’s half an hour drive from my place!
Thanks everyone, done a little more on it around other work. Top half of the chassis all roughed up and roll bar set. Radiator to mount & a couple other things to work out and then the chassis should be pretty much done bar finish welding, then onto the body. The stainless hoop will be removable by pins & clips through the solid bosses on the chassis Tubing and then a bolted plate on the down tube to the top of the diff housing. Then making the body totally removable leaving the chassis intact, the goal is to have a totally driving chassis with the body as a just a skin on top.
Oh man, this is gonna be a great build! I really love the old drag Roadsters. Can't wait to see the final product! Thanks for sharing your progress. I'll be watching!
Have a question; exactly how do you intend to secure the extension shaft you built to the output shaft of the steering box? Every other time I've seen this done the splined portion of the pitman arm that you cut off and machined round was welded to a tube and a nut used to secure the tapered splined portion of the fabricated extension shaft to the tapered splined output shaft of the steering box. With a solid extension shaft, like you built, I see no possible way of properly securing the extension shaft to the steering box output shaft.
like I said in the write up on the steering I will be drilling the sector and extension and putting a pin through to tie them together for extra safety, but there is a built in dead stop up against the support bearing, so there is no physical way it can come apart unless the whole assembly is taken off the car
"Pinning" your extension shaft to the steering box output shaft would be acceptable if you were working with a regular splined connection (like a rear axle shaft in a pinion gear) but you're working with a tapered spline connection which requires a "force fit" to be safe, as in big nut drawing the pitman arm on the steering box output shaft. The way you are doing it will eventually fail.
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