Projects Building My First Roadster in San Francisco

It's been nice out here, so I've been driving as often as I can. Nothing quite like sunset and a roadster.

 

You're too cool! Looking forward to hanging out again soon.

Thank you for following along. It's been a heck of a journey, and we have some big things on the horizon.

That's one way to look at it!

 

Special late lunch update! I just got a text from Ben that the quickchange has landed in Texas. He's going to tear down the banjo and keep me posted on the build. To say I'm super excited is a huge understatement.

 

Full replies tomorrow. Here’s an outtake from tonight’s trip to Ocean Beach.

 

I've been talking to my friends at Johnson's (formerly Walker) and they say '32 flathead V8 radiators will be going into production this year. My plan is to use the current one for mockup as I save up for the big dawg.

Back when I made the cross-country trek with TRJ in 2019, I was surprised to find Walker Radiator within a hundred yards of the world-famous SUN studio in downtown Memphis. Walker's neon sign is incredible.

Great advice on the top. Nick tuned them up, but I will triple check everything!

 

Other than getting a whole lot of parts big and small, I don't have too much to report on the car. I just got my tire tubes and kingpins from Speedway, and I also received a set of Beanie caps from @IronTrap Matt.

Right now, my plan is to work with di Falco on Saturday. I'm excited to head up north and make some big progress and, more importantly, have some fun.

Speaking of progress, I'm now on week six of welding. Tomorrow's Jalopy Journal column covers my intro to gas welding. I'll put a link to it once it goes live tomorrow morning. Spoiler alert: it features my car.

 

Keep going Kid......

 

As promised, here's the link to my welding article: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=50591

Lots of updates from di Falco's in Petaluma, but those will have to wait until tomorrow.
I need to get some rest before the Ocean Beach car show in the morning. If you're in the area, please swing by and say hi! I'll be there from 8-10 or so.

 

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about this. Let's jump right back in. First, we have a shot of my two new hubcaps. I think they picked up a few more dents while hauling them up north, but I think they'll be a perfect fit for the next version of this car.

Then, on Saturday morning, I made the drive north for my favorite time of the week. Up in Petaluma, the sun was out. When I saw that channeled yellow Model A, I knew we were in for a good day.

Right now, we're waiting on a a loaner 1940 Ford rear so that we can mock up the wheelbase. In the meantime, we deiced it was the perfect opportunity to fill a bunch of holes in the frame. Although the frame is incredibly clean, it has seen quite a few miles and modifications in the past 90 years.

Out in the driveway, I used a hammer and dolly to straighten the bottom of the frame. A few good hits helped clean things up. Once I was finished with that, David suggested I use what I've been learning in class and weld the holes up. Even though we haven't reached that point in the semester, I didn't hesitate. He showed me how to read the metal gauge chart, establish a ground, turn on the gas and get welding.

We used an aluminum backing to keep the back side of the weld relatively flat. They'll still get cleaned up before we get too much further.

As I welded away, we had a handful of visitors—including @Jeff34 and his Model A roadster! He recently swapped on the '35 Ford wires and Blockley tires and his car is looking excellent. He said his wife wants it as her daily. What could be better than that? Always great catching up!

Other visitors included our good friend Sonny and his Servi-Car...

And one of his friends on this immaculate 1947 Knucklehead.

 

Although it may not look like much, I feel like we had a very productive day. I filled close to a dozen holes, and David helped me weld in parts of the K-member where the rivets had been removed. Most importantly, I got to work on my MIG welding and spend time with old friends. Oh, and I also dropped off a literal truckload worth of parts. That was huge!

This Saturday, I'll be doing a whole lot of grinding. We'll also be notching the frame for front axle clearance and possibly assembling the front end. Little by little, we're getting there!

 

The following morning, I rolled out early to the Ocean Beach car show. This monthly meetup draws hot rods, customs and classics from around the region to the Great Highway. Whenever I'm in town, I make an effort to go. How could I not?

It's been particularly cold here as of late, but that didn't seem to stop anyone. This month's show was the biggest I had ever been to. I had the best time cruising there in my car and catching up with friends, some of which I hadn't seen in over a year. It's a big boost when people appreciate your project, that's for sure.
Event organizer Tony caught me cruising in.

It's always refreshing hanging out with Erik Jutras, who some of you may know for his incredible coverage of The Race of Gentlemen. He snapped this shot of me and my machine at the beach. We're planning a more in-depth photo shoot in the not-so-distant future. As you can see, I'm lucky I found a place to park.

Folks asked, “Were you racing on the beach earlier?!” I’ll take that as a compliment!

Once again, I was guilty of doing too much relaxing and not taking enough photos. I did like this '58.

As well as this Ford Customline.
The fan favorite, however, was @SAVAGE's Cad-powered 1934 Ford.

 

As much fun as the show may have been, the drive back may have been the highlight. Me, Aaron and his girlfriend Dorothy cruised back to my place along Fulton and through the Richmond. This was the first time I've driven alongside another hot rod in San Francisco. It was pretty surreal to hear another flathead rumbling behind me at a stop sign.
Mirror needs cleaned.

Back on Loyola Terrace, we had an impromptu car show. I'm thinking we should get about four more, throw in a couple choppers and then really have ourselves a party.

Never did I think that I would see two traditional early Ford hot rods on the cul de sac. Coupe, roadster, flatheads—it doesn't get much better than that!

 

Odds n' Ends

- The other day, Ben let me know that my banjo has been disassembled and he's ordering hardware. He says he'll have it finished up in the next month or so. I love hearing updates on the quickchange project!
- Tonight is Week 6 of welding class. I think we're going to have an introduction to stick welding. Or possibly MIG? Either way, I'm sure it will be a ton of fun.

 

Right?! Aaron has things figured out. Every one of his cars is spot-on.

I hear you there!

Glad to have you back, @97! I was talking to my roommates and I'm considering putting together a little event for my birthday in May. That could be a whole lot of fun.

From what I can see in old pictures, Playland was once quite the spot. Inside the Balboa Theatre, they have a tribute to the park, complete with a handful of artifacts. I can only imagine the sounds of the drags out on the Great Highway.

I always appreciate hearing your memories of San Francisco during its Golden Age.

 

Nothing major to report, but my friend Ryan Richardson sent over this shot that he took at the beach with his 1949 Rolleiflex. More updates happening soon!