Projects Building My First Roadster in San Francisco

They'll soon be stuck to this ol' roadster!

Hahah I was dressed for the season. The photo was taken a little too early in the morning before my all day drive around So Cal and then up to San Francisco. And thank you! I've seen so many of these on cars, on walls, in books, etc., and I still can't believe this one is mine.

Right?! I'm so lucky to have gotten it. Thanks again for the deal on the pedal. Hope the hot dog was good!

 

Life's been busy lately, but I've been itching to update the thread.

Let's start off with a paint update. Remember when I said I painted the axle? Here's the finished product. When paired with the black and white backing plates and similarly painted suspension components, it's going to have an early-'50s look.

I've heard white paint called poor man's chrome. Regardless, I've always loved it. Next up, kingpins, perch pin work and assembly.

The following day, I loaded up my '40 banjo to bring to the Grand National Roadster Show.
At the show, I met up with Ben of Rancho Deluxe. He'll be tearing it all apart and setting it up with the Rodsville QC. After talking with the folks at Rodsville today, it looks like Ben will be getting the centersection in the next week or so. I'm going to hound him for pictures! The axle bells will be painted white to match the front axle.

I had a feeling that Ben may be taking the axle home in the bed of his 1932 Ford pickup, but he sold it at the show. That's okay, because the banjo rode to the Lonestar State in style with the one and only Steve Werthemier (@El Jefe). I've known Steve for almost as long as I've been on the H.A.M.B., and it was great to catch up with him in Pomona. With any luck, we'll be crossing paths again soon.

 

The show itself was incredible. It felt so good to be back in the mix, especially with a camera or three around my neck. If you're looking for the full GNRS coverage (with an 80-picture gallery), check out my article on The Jalopy Journal here.

That being said, here are a few cars that I want to highlight.
First, we have the Root brothers' roadster. Everyone involved in this build was under 30, and I'm lucky to call them all friends. They drove this car from Detroit to Colorado for the Hot Rod Hill Climb when it was in baremetal, and then they blew it all apart and finished it for GNRS. Total class acts. My friend Nathan Stewart did the upholstery, and the car won best interior. This Model A was an inspiration for sure.


NieKamp. This car needs no introduction, nor can I say anything about it that hasn't been said a thousand times before. Interestingly enough, when I walked up to it, there wasn't a crowd. As a matter of fact, I was the only one around. Even though I had studied it in person in Building Four a couple years ago, I felt as if I was seeing it with new eyes.

As much as I enjoyed studying the details of the Essex frame and the expertly-formed track nose, I was drawn to the black and white snapshot on the sign board. It was taken during the car's restoration back in the early 1970s. This was right before Jake, Bud Bryan and Ron Weeks drove their flathead-powered, quickchange-equipped roadsters from Los Angeles to Memphis for the Second Street Rod Nationals and made history. All three of those cars still exist, and I'm glad I got to see the ringleader there in Pomona.


Tom Branch's 1932 Ford roadster. I remember seeing this car in baremetal in Peter Vincent's book Hot Rod back when I was in elementary school. As good as it was then, it's even better now. I got to know Tom while writing the Eddie Dye saga for Rodder's Journal #77 and #78, and I enjoyed catching up with him at the show.

The Panella Anglia. Longtime Jalopy Journal and Rodder's Journal readers know that I've always been obsessed with drag cars. That's why when Bill Ganahl of South City Rod & Custom asked if I would like to make the sign boards for their restoration of Bob Panella's Anglia, I immediately jumped on the opportunity. This was a fun mix of journalism, design and hot rod history. As you can see, Bill, Donny and the whole crew did an amazing job on the little English Ford. Power comes from a blown smallblock backed by a Muncie four-speed.

 

These two provided plenty of inspiration from an era standpoint. I especially liked the detailing on Jason Roth's RPU.

 

Sidebar #32: The Grille Shell

By this point, there are some of you who know the whole story of this car since day one. What you might not know, however, is that the story almost started in a completely different way.

Back in the spring of 2020, I stumbled upon a 1928 Model A roadster on the H.A.M.B. From what I could see, it was perfect. Patina'd, 'banger-powered, and outfitted with custom black and white upholstery, the car had lived a hell of a life. It once belonged to a Little League baseball coach in Louisiana who used to use it to haul the kids to games. How neat is that?
When I opened the ad, I instantly fell in love. It was the first time I had ever looked at an old car and said, "I could see myself owning that."
It set the wheels in motion. Seeing that it was located in Illinois, I asked @Nick32vic if he or his dad could possibly go check it out for me. So, early one morning, his dad did. After a close inspection, he concluded that it may not be the best fit for me, and it would be logistically difficult to get back to San Francisco. I passed—and I was heartbroken.

Well, fast-forward to that summer. I had bought my 1930 A (the subject of this build thread) and I was mindlessly scrolling through Instagram. By complete chance, I stumbled upon a photo of the black and white A. "No way?!" I said to myself. "The new owner is in Southern California! And he's turning it into a hot rod!"

That's exactly what Len Higa did. I was able to fill him in on what I knew about the build, and he and I have been friends ever since. When he heard I was on the hunt for an original 1932 Ford grille shell, he rummaged through his parts stash and offered me the one he was going to use on his car.

We met at the Fariplex gate on Saturday evening. The show was winding down, and the sun had already set. Len and I caught up for awhile, and then we parted ways.

As I walked out into the empty lot, I raised the grille above my head like Rocky Balboa and cheered. I couldn't believe it. "This," I said to myself, "is really hot rodding! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!"

 

Beyond the show, the rest of the trip was a whole lot of fun too. I finally got to visit Idle Hour in Hollywood. I've been a programmatic architecture fan for as long as I can remember, and Bobby Green and the 1933 Group knocked this one out of the park.

Oh, and the tribute to the Bulldog Cafe in the backyard put a big smile on my face. "Hey there, pup!"

That's all for tonight.

Don't be sad, doggo! Next time, we'll talk double-detent shifters, survivor Deuce roadsters, 1932 Ford radiators, flat tires and other things big and small.

 

Thank you! I've been doing my homework. I think it'll be a little something different that tips its cap to the past.

Thanks, Tim! Your garage is looking great!

Doing my darndest! More updates happening soon.

Hahaha I know it'll be the same for me. But this isn't going to be an AMBR car, that's for sure.

So good!

Hahaha it's quite the optical illusion!

 

It's Saturday morning, and that means it's time for another update.

Before leaving Southern California, I met up with East Coast Mike at the Kennedy Brothers' hot rod shop. Mike runs the popular Partswapper page on Instagram, and he has helped get the word out that I am building my car. When he heard I was looking for a '32 V8 radiator, he mentioned that he had a core to donate to the cause. On top of that, I also got a '32 wishbone cup from the Kennedys.

The Kennedy Bomb Factory is a place I've known about for years, but I didn't have the chance to explore it until that trip. As soon as I got there, I was blown away by this survivor '32 that they had sold to a Minnesota rodder a few days prior.
I also took plenty of notes on the Nitti Roadster's chassis that they were cleaning up.

It doesn't get much better than that!

It's good to have these shots for note-taking purposes. After I said my goodbyes, I hit the road for San Francisco.

 

Soon after returning, I was able to take a step back and take an inventory of my latest acquisitions. Right about in the center, you'll notice a double-detent shifter. As you can imagine, there's a story behind it too.

Way back in the beginning of this thread, I got in touch with @So Cal Brian B. He's building a Model A roadster that looks all the world like the green one I test drove in Santa Cruz in June of 2020. Anyways, he and I have stayed in touch, and he reached out before the show informing me that he has the right shifter top for my '39 trans. I had a great time meeting him in person, and we found out we have a mutual appreciation for not only Model A's, but also vintage British bikes. Thanks again, Brian!

Although I don't have any writing in the new Hop Up, I did pick up a copy at their booth. It's a well done magazine, and I'm looking forward to reading it cover-to-cover when things slow down a little bit. I will have at least one article in the upcoming 2022 annual, but more on that later.

Remember when I was hunting for top irons about a year ago? Well, when I was back in St. Louis wrenching on @Nick32vic's BSA chopper, I noticed these in a shed at his parents' house. "What are these for?" I asked. After a little bit of research, we concluded that they're 1930/'31 Model A roadster top irons.

It makes sense, really, because Nick and his dad used to own Jim Cooper's "Cockroach," which is by far one of my favorite Model A hot rods of all time. Nick said that Cooper never had a top for the car, but the irons came with it. They appear to be chopped the same amount as the windshield, so the story checks out. I'm super excited to get them set up for my roadster!

 

Sometimes you just need a reminder that not everything can always go as planned. When I got back from LA, I decided to take the car out to run some errands. It ran perfectly and felt great to be behind the wheel. When I walked out of the hardware store, however, I noticed something shiny in my rear tire. Dammit.
I knew it wouldn't hold long. I didn't panic. Instead, I carefully drove the car back home. By the time it was in the garage, the tire had significantly deflated. I put a jackstand under the left rear and called Andy's tire. The following day, I drove down to South City and they patched it up while I waited. I thanked them and was back on the road soon thereafter. Thank goodness for old-time tire shops!

 

I agree! And not really on the irons. It does have two bows with chrome components as well as wood. It's going to take a little massaging to get it all to work, but I think we can make it happen.