Projects Building My First Roadster in San Francisco

A lot of people forget that these cars are supposed to be fun!

Thank you, Tim! You totally get it. I love incorporating similar elements on all my projects. The further this one comes along, the more it reminds me of my Triumph (from a style standpoint.)

I'll see what I can do!

Thanks Trevor! I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. It's funny that there are pretty much no straight segments in either pipe, which would have been pretty difficult to do with standard muffler tubing.

No joke it actually is faster than before—especially off the line.

Thank you! Those are great pipes. I bet they look right at home on your bike.

Hahah it'll help it be a year-round machine in all weather conditions.

Hahahah my original plan was to angle them up way more, which could be hazardous.

 

I wish! It was a little before 8 a.m., but I'll give you a shout next time I'm there. It looked like a great spot!

Hahaha you got that right. Maybe that's just the backfire?

Thanks Tony! More updates coming soon.

 

Sidebar 100.00: On the Road Again

“Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.” —Jack Kerouac, On the Road

***​

I drive this car a lot, but I was still a little bit nervous to take it on its first trip to Petaluma. I spent my nights working on that exhaust system and checking nuts, bolts and fluids, as well as greasing zerks. By the time Saturday morning rolled around, I knew I was as ready as I was going to be. I planned a very specific route and went over it time and time again on Google Maps. When my alarm went off at 5:30 a.m., I hopped out of bed, threw on my clothes and walked down to the garage. Just after six, the car was warm and I rolled down the Terrace into the world.
The first leg of the journey brought me across the Golden Gate Bridge. There's no telling when this car last went across it, but I have a feeling it's been well over half a century. This was a first for me. Heavy fog and construction meant lower speeds, but my heart was still racing as I clipped along in 3rd gear.

My next stop was at the Silver Peso in Larkspur to make sure everything was in order, which it was. Like I mentioned earlier, I'll be back another time for a beverage. According to Marin Magazine, the building was originally constructed in 1905 and served as a blacksmith shop prior to becoming the Peso in the 1940s.

A little while later, I pulled into Fairfax and had to get a shot of the roadster in front of the Fairfax Theatre (built in 1950). I've taken this route on my motorcycles in the past, but it's especially fun to navigate those same winding roads in this car.

Backroad bliss.

 

Around eight o'clock, I made my familiar turn off of Petaluma Boulevard South towards David's shop. He had his roadster parked out front, all cleaned up and ready for the day's festivities. So, what were we up to? A few weeks prior, David mentioned that he was going to participate in a charity car show at the local high school. During one of our phone conversations, we hatched the plan to have both of our roadsters in the show. I've been waiting to see these two cars together for a long, long time, and I knew we were in for a big day.

1940s vs. 1950s style. I like them both!

After a quick trip to the post office, me, David and his longtime friend Jerry made our way over to the high school. When we were there, David wanted to try my car out for size. He said climbing behind the wheel is a completely different experience than in his roadster.

David and Jerry.
Folks at the show seemed to appreciate our cars, and we enjoyed answering questions about the ins and outs of these early style machines. Here are some more shots from the show and from Petaluma High School's impressive shop.

Very nice W-motor-powered '34.

I'd love to road trip in this little falcon wagon.

Rose the snake looking right at home with my '35 Ford wires!

 

I didn't take many good photos inside the shop, but I was a big fan of their tool room.

The show lasted most of the day. As much fun as it was to look at the cars and meet people, the highlight was walking around Petaluma and catching up with David. For those of you know the area, we grabbed lunch from Ray's Deli after the show. I had a Ray's Hot Chicken and it was delicious.

Before leaving town, I asked David if we could get a few more shots of the cars together. This one is my favorite. It shows how much hot rodding progressed from 1942-1952. It's not often you can get two of the same year early Fords next to each other for a side-by-side comparison.

Unique mixtures of show and go.

To wind it all down, I asked David if he wanted to ride in my car. "Of course!" he said. With that, he hopped in the passenger seat and I took him for a quick rip around the parking lot and down a few side streets. "Definitely feels like a hot rod!" he said.

That was huge for me. Actually, the whole day was.
After we said our goodbyes, I filled the tank and topped off the oil. I've always liked this mid-century car wash over by the shop.

Just like the ride there, the trip home went perfectly. I had to take it slow on the massive hill before the Golden Gate Bridge, but overall the car did exactly what I wanted it to. It wasn't until a few days later that I realized I didn't even have to adjust or fix anything over the course of the 100+ mile trip. I didn't use any tools. Instead, I just enjoyed the drive.

 

That's exactly!

Thanks Tim! It was a perfect Saturday, that's for sure.

Thanks Brian! It's getting me fired up to really hit the road in Version 2.0.

Thanks for coming along!

Thank you! I couldn't agree more. I'm already working on a plan to take things even further.

Right? They're perfect and have an amazing sound to them.

They're definitely of another era. The car stops pretty well, but I think the '40 Ford juice brakes are going to be a nice upgrade.

Hahaha but you can always come visit!

 

We're pretty much caught up on all the updates on Version 1.5 and 2.0 of the roadster. As you read this, I'm out on a two-week trip to the Midwest. I spent last week in Chicago to see two of my best friends get married. The venue? Frank Lloyd Wright's Emil Bach House, which was built in 1915.
I still can't believe it, but I got to stay in the house on Friday and Saturday nights. Talk about a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

I could definitely get used to working at this desk. Note the computer desktop background.
From there, I rented a car and weaved my way to Madison, Wisconsin, on backroads. I'm planning my route from my future cross-country trip in Version 2.0.

The Cheese Box—a roadside classic in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

It was hot out, and I went for a fresh slice of chilled key lime pie. Delicious!

Great to see neon glowing in the daytime.