Hot Rods The "Whatever" project

It's too bad I retired from my lab position last summer. In our stock room there was bins of latches just like you have there Marty. We scavenged stuff off of everything to get the job done. I'm going to have to contact my colleagues there and see if I can come to the lab and scavenge for latches.

Marty, have you ever needed to offset a tank on a radiator? I'm contemplating having the bottom tank have an offset to clear the steering box. Ron Davis radiator appears to be able to do it. That's going to be the first really spendy thing up to date.

 

Dave
Glad to hear you are considering his radiators, I was hesitant to suggest them only because they are more money than your garden variety versions from other vendors.
I have one in my 66 Suburban and it's a quality piece and as impressed as I am with their radiators the one thing I would ask them is if it's possible to not have their name stamped in the top.

 

Dave, most of the cars I have built are drag link, side steer, and haven't encountered that problem.

 

Yes I saw that from your pictures. I must be crazy to reinvent the steering wheel as it were. Oh well it's history now...

So today I got a little bit done. Made a template for the nose to make a support hoop for the back of it. Using a section of formed angle I kerk cut it to be able to bend it to shape. You know Styrofoam board is rigid enough to form something like that on?

I got it to shape and braced it to hold its shape. Now the next cool morning I'll do a bit of welding and grinding to finish it.

Welded together the rear suspension supports so now I can put the turtle deck back on and drill the holes thru the turtle deck for them. I'm keeping a lot of things just tacked for now because you never know...

And also made a mock up for the radiator. It needs to have an offset in the lower tank to fit around the steering box. It will be spendy, but what can you say???

No pictures today because I'm just tum pluckered out...

 

I can live with that as long as they can make it fit around the steering box. How big is the engine? I see aluminum heads, more details please, or a link to the build. Thanks

 

Tinkering in the garage today. I think that I have a solution to the nose/hood/radiator arrangement. Made a support thing, not completely finished yet, and a start on the mount for it to fit the nose on the chassis. This is the start. Yes the sheet stock needs to be mostly cut away, but it might be a solution to getting airflow to the radiator. I'm thinking that I can mount an electric fan to the front of the sheet, and cut and form a shroud to direct air from the nose thru the radiator.

Also because the radiator if made like I'm imagining will extend below the front cross member, and I want some form of belly pan, I was thinking that it could be useful for more airflow to the radiator.
Here's the mock up for the radiator. The notch to clear the steering box is bigger than necessary so it will be filled in before I deal with a radiator shop. I intend to send them the mock up once it's finalized.

Angles looked good and it's centered so I'm good with it...

Any ideas, comments, recommendations, I'm open to suggestions.

 

Taken from 65Pacecar's posting on "what did you see today"

 

https://www.jegs.com/i/Limeworks/67...9pfq4nwxw3bWhyJhHUmvCOafe8Lh9F4hoCMrIQAvD_BwE

 

So DD, what's your opinion on the radiator? Does it look doable for Ron Davis radiator?

 

In the words of Dave Spivey "I like it! " (look up that name and mtd commercial).

The white car's exhaust recess is really cool!

I like the straps and springs. I saw somewhere a unique latch assembly that worked with a strap. It looked really good, but now I can't find it again.

 

Dave
I haven't studied their offerings for a number of years but I do know they have added some services, you will need to call them with your overall measurement and inlet/outlet needs, most likely it will be a custom order but they may have a stocked radiator that will fit within your grille shell.

 

Okay so some great suggestions for hood restraints. I may get thrown out of the club so to speak, so I will put this out for comments. I would like to have side panels as well as the hood. And on a couple of the cars we raced over the years we used Dzus fasteners to hold it all together. I'm thinking that the nose will be riveted to the support structure using large head rivets.

And as there is a steel structure under the nose it will be strong enough to attach the Dzus springs to it, both for the hood and the side panels. That's the front. I'm going to fabricate a support hoop for under the cowl and will attach the body to it. I'm still cogitating on the firewall and have to make a decision sooner or later. Will it be a steel firewall with the fiberglass cut away leaving a lip to attach the firewall to? Maybe aluminum plate to also act as the rear engine support?

The body lip would be a good place to attach the Dzus springs for the rear of the hood and side panels. I can figure out what to do to get the support hoop the firewall and the body all attached to each other. The question is, am I way over thinking it?

See this is why engineers get a bad reputation. And have to be reminded that better is the enemy of good enough!

 

Paging Moose! Paging Moose! Need your digital help if you have the time and inclination.

If you look at the latest side views of the whatever project with the body and nose, could you make an image like the 27 you did early on? Nose, hood and side panels? I would really appreciate the help to visualize where I'm going next. Thanks

 

Just my opinion and that ain't worth much even to me, but leather straps to hold the hood on a hot rod always look to me like a last minute after thought. As in, "We have to be at the track in an hour if we're going to make time trials, what are we going to use to hold the hood on? Hey, I know, you guys give me your belts." Dzus fasteners would be so much cleaner and more positive.

Haha, as long as I'm stating my opinions, here's another. It has been my experience that when someone says, "That's good enough.", it usually isn't.
Okay, I'm done, I'll shut up and stand back in the shadows again to watch.

 

@themoose we need some help.

 

Do you have a color in mind that you would like to see?

 

I hate to admit it but been there, done that and it weren't pretty!

 

Hey Moose, thanks. I like all colors, that's why my racecars were painted white. But I must say your previous rendering in black was so fine, you have me thinking that I should put the effort into the whatever project to be able to paint it black.

I'll do the next one in white as it's going to be a sprint car recreation. And as we all know it's easier to see a white car on a dirt track in the dark.

Thanks

 

Drilled the holes thru the turtle deck for the rear suspension upper shock mounts today. Being bodywork averse, I was reluctant to get it done because if I screwed up I'd have to fix it.
Here's the right side. Today was the first time it rolled outside sitting on all 4 wheels without blocks holding something up. Tomorrow's project is get old mangy back in the frame to establish clearances...

 

Oh some other pictures while it was outside today.

 

Dave, I know the feeling.
When I drilled into my roadster body to connect my nerf bars to the steel inner structure, I had to think "do I really want to do this.
Your track roadster is coming along nicely.

 

Thanks DD. So it's not just me. I'm also really dreading cutting the firewall out to clear the engine and bellhousing. But that's in the near future. At least that will be hidden by the hood and side panels...

 

I'm thinking with all of your pretty tubing structure and that quick change back there you should just stop the belly pan at the back of the bucket.

 

Given my limited talents and experience in making something like that I may end up leaving it exposed. It actually would be more like the dirt cars from the era I raced. Time will tell if I can do it. Either way it should be okay.

 

Sorry this took so long but I had some other stuff going on. Here's something that might give you an idea of how it might look..Black would look sharp.

 

Looks good, with the exception of the 26-27 turtle.

 

Thanks for the image. Marty I would never have noticed the turtle deck, it's that good at showing what it will look like with the full nose hood and side panels. And yes Moose I think I fully agree its got to be black.

And if I haven't said it, WOW! In the words of Dave Spivey "I like it! "

 

Moose, I showed this to SWMBO, and she likes it! So black it is. Now I have to live up to your rendering. Thanks again for the images.

 

That black looks great! We're going to have to spend more time getting the body super smooth, though... how's the gelcoat from Speedway?

Let me know if / when you're getting ready to insulate the body - I need some for the O/T Barracuda, and might as well get some for the O/T Beetle too. Maybe we can get a big package wholesale deal. I'll even help ya install it in yours.

 

Sounds like a plan! We've got time to work on the logistics. I have to get a lot more done before worrying about the final finish.

BTW this is only the second vehicle for me with a fiberglass body, and the o/t Vette actually doesn't count as it never needed bodywork during my 16 years with it. But I can say that the Speedway body looks good to me. It is smooth and doesn't appear to have any wavyness. The 2 parts fit up to each other with no apparent gaps.

So today was an off day. They happen now and again so I am getting used to pacing myself. Tomorrow's another day, I'll get a bit done god willing and the creek don't rise, as a former colleague of mine used to say...

And if the little creek in my back yard rises enough to interfere with the whatever project, well let's just say that it's time to build an ark