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Projects 1930's style Race Car build

Discussion in 'Traditional Hot Rods' started by Jay A Driggars, Jun 14, 2022.

  1. 1-SHOT
    Joined: Sep 23, 2014
    Posts: 2,693

    1-SHOT
    Member
    from Denton

  2. Great Work!!! Congratulations!!!
     
    Stogy likes this.
  3. rwrj
    Joined: Jan 30, 2009
    Posts: 721

    rwrj
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from SW Ga

    I echo all of the compliments you have already gotten. I also like the Girling shocks. Wonderful job. Thank you for showing us.
     
    Stogy likes this.
  4. DrJekyllMrHyde
    Joined: Dec 23, 2016
    Posts: 55

    DrJekyllMrHyde
    Member

    Very impressing!
    Building a Hotrod is a lot of work, but building a car!!!
    The lines and the finish - first class.
    Congratulations with the finished car.
     
    Stogy likes this.
  5. 282doorUK
    Joined: Mar 6, 2015
    Posts: 416

    282doorUK

    What a great looking car you built, polished ally really shows up faults, I can't see any!
     
    Stogy likes this.
  6. SS327
    Joined: Sep 11, 2017
    Posts: 2,469

    SS327

    Another outstanding build. Love the shiny body and how flawless it is!
     
    Stogy likes this.
  7. Ziggster
    Joined: Aug 27, 2018
    Posts: 1,697

    Ziggster
    Member

    Beautiful workmanship. The fit and finish is just incredible. Thanks for posting. It is stories like this that keep me going. Just goes to show, that if you’re determined enough, you can achieve anything.
     
    Stogy likes this.
  8. NB
    Joined: Mar 7, 2012
    Posts: 64

    NB
    Member
    from Chicago


    The SBC is a sore thumb. Please please get a proper engine to this fine car!!! Keep the T5
     
    46international likes this.
  9. NB
    Joined: Mar 7, 2012
    Posts: 64

    NB
    Member
    from Chicago

    A question regarding the body. Did you plan it so you have NO welded joints in the body, but rivets/ screws, and partitioning lines, i.e. great planning, and design to work around the issues. Or do you have panels with welds that are perfectly metal finished, and polished?!

    Both ways are hugely impressive. Just wondering if you worked to avoid welds in panels (hard) or if you managed to get them so perfectly worked out (hard).

    What kind of fasteners did you use? Pop rivets..., real aeroplane solid rivets or did you use screws?
     
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2022
  10. continentaljohn
    Joined: Jul 24, 2002
    Posts: 5,506

    continentaljohn
    Member

    Fantastic build and love the craftsmanship
     
    Stogy likes this.
  11. That's crazy, I didn't know you were buying him a different engine! That's very generous of you!!!
     
    Jet96, Stogy, trevorsworth and 3 others like this.
  12. NB
    Joined: Mar 7, 2012
    Posts: 64

    NB
    Member
    from Chicago


    Well just saying it is a shame that such an awesome build, that is right in so many ways, with so much attention to detail, and craftmanship has a CSB. At least it is not an LS.

    One guy was prepared to give him a Packard straight eight but he didn't like the low hp.

    Someone with a Buick 248-264-320 might just give him one in exchange. I see people switching to.... CSB.
     
  13. Jay A Driggars
    Joined: Feb 18, 2018
    Posts: 62

    Jay A Driggars
    Member

    It will be difficult to choose and engine without knowing what he's willing to spend, or maybe I should request a blank check. I'll start looking now, when he decides what the budget is I'll be ready to pull the trigger, yeehaw!
     
    Stogy, elgringo71, Outback and 2 others like this.
  14. tubman
    Joined: May 16, 2007
    Posts: 6,915

    tubman
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Beautiful car!! I am constantly amazed at the talent, perseverance, and workmanship possessed by the members on this board.
     
    Stogy likes this.
  15. NB
    Joined: Mar 7, 2012
    Posts: 64

    NB
    Member
    from Chicago


    2250 bucks for a proper engine, this one even has the compound twin carb only available in 1941!
    You can get more for that SBC or trade it for this. About 120 Hp.
    https://www.ebay.com/itm/134159694384?hash=item1f3c8a7a30:g:Z6wAAOSwZ61ivPa-
     
    Stogy likes this.
  16. wonderful build! Great workmanship! That long hood is the best part of the whole car, love the view of it from the driver's seat. But, I have to say, that just begs for a straight eight motor of any make. Who cares about horsepower. At this point with no expense spared on the body and chassis work it just needs the coolest engine you can find.
    Please don't take this the wrong way, I love it. I could never be able to build something like that, I could barely get a raggy Model A together.
     
    Stogy and Budget36 like this.
  17. ratreo
    Joined: Jan 24, 2010
    Posts: 76

    ratreo
    Member

    094BFCD0-6985-4973-9761-77762F42BAFB.jpeg 0345C98F-4B91-423F-AE5A-5B508579FC0C.jpeg
    I saved images of the proposed replacement engine. EBAY images tend to expire so you cannot reopen the page in the future
     
    Stogy and Dave G in Gansevoort like this.
  18. NB
    Joined: Mar 7, 2012
    Posts: 64

    NB
    Member
    from Chicago


    I tipped about the same engine on Ebay ! It is a great candidate for this car!
     
    Stogy likes this.
  19. Jay A Driggars
    Joined: Feb 18, 2018
    Posts: 62

    Jay A Driggars
    Member

    That is definitely a great engine for my car.
    The seller is asking $2250.00 plus $1500.00 for shipping, plus $250.00 tax that's about $4000.00 for an engine that may or may not run or be rebuildable.
    If it ran as is that would be great, if it needs a rebuild, it could cost several thousand more.

    The so called benefits just don't add up for me. If I ever come across an engine locally that runs as is I would definitely go for it.
     
    Last edited: Jul 27, 2022
    Stogy likes this.
  20. Jay A Driggars
    Joined: Feb 18, 2018
    Posts: 62

    Jay A Driggars
    Member

    "One guy was prepared to give him a Packard straight eight but he didn't like the low hp."

    The engine was not FREE, it was a flathead Hudson not a Packard and it had not run for over 60 years and the condition was unknown. There are very few engine rebuild parts available, there are no aftermarket parts available. The engine and transmission weigh at least 150lbs more and it has 1/3 the horsepower.
     
    Stogy likes this.
  21. NB
    Joined: Mar 7, 2012
    Posts: 64

    NB
    Member
    from Chicago

    The 1500 is painful for the transport! Also the early ones have babbit bearings making a rebuild costly, and many do not want to mess with that.

    Keep looking :) The perfect engine WILL show up! I was lucky got a well rebuilt Buick 320 Cui straight eight for 4500 bucks including a titled RUSTY car.

    A running non smoking straight eight or maybe a flathead V12 would be great.
     
    Stogy likes this.
  22. NB
    Joined: Mar 7, 2012
    Posts: 64

    NB
    Member
    from Chicago

    A question regarding the body. Did you plan it so you have NO welded joints in the body, but rivets/ screws, and partitioning lines, i.e. great planning, and design to work around the issues. Or do you have panels with welds that are perfectly metal finished, and polished?!

    Both ways are hugely impressive. Just wondering if you worked to avoid welds in panels (hard) or if you managed to get them so perfectly worked out (hard).

    What kind of fasteners did you use? Pop rivets..., real aeroplane solid rivets or did you use screws?
     
    Stogy likes this.
  23. Jay A Driggars
    Joined: Feb 18, 2018
    Posts: 62

    Jay A Driggars
    Member

    I designed it with no welds in the body, but the lower 5" of the tail piece was welded with a spool gun, don't have Tig welding skills. The scale drawings were laid out with bulkheads in the same approximate position as the final product. The first buck was cardboard with thin wooden battens for the contours. I used the cardboard bulkheads as patterns for the plywood bulkheads, they gave me the final shape for the aluminum bulkheads.
    The body skin is attached with aircraft rivets, the cowl/firewall was attached with countersunk pop rivets. I did all of the aircraft rivets by myself, except for 10 rivets in the tail, it was not possible for one person to do. Installing aircraft rivets by yourself is not an easy thing to do. I spent several hours fitting the skins so that the seams lined up. There are 4 stainless button head screws where the body frame blocked access to the backside of the skin.
    The body design is simple as I do not have enough experience to create compound curves. If I was a skilled coachbuilder I would have built a car like one of the Miller's.
     
    Jet96 and Stogy like this.
  24. trevorsworth
    Joined: Aug 3, 2020
    Posts: 1,444

    trevorsworth
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I went poking through your post history out of curiosity to check out your ground-up full custom build and didn’t find it, could you share it?
     
    Stogy likes this.
  25. NB
    Joined: Mar 7, 2012
    Posts: 64

    NB
    Member
    from Chicago


    Thanks for your detailed answer. How thick is the part you welded with spool gun im that tail piece? Not having welds in panels all over but rather put the partition lines in adequate places was a smart move to avoid weld distortions that are very hard to iron out perfectly hence making a polished body very hard to perfect. I weld panels of 0.063" alu with gas (Oxy-Acetylene), low pressure regulators, and special flux, makes for very workable weld compared to the more brittle TIG welds but there is as in all welding distortion, it is not so hard when you can still use the English wheel on the weld, but if you cannot due to size hammer, and dolly work is possible but it is hard to make it perfect as for mirror finish.

    I am sure you will be able to do compound curves in the future if you would like too.
     
    Stogy likes this.
  26. Just ran across this, very nice build. I especially like the info on the registration process. I'm currently working on a generic '32 build and hopefully will have to address this at some point.
     
    Stogy likes this.
  27. jimmy six
    Joined: Mar 21, 2006
    Posts: 14,801

    jimmy six
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Beautiful work and great look.
    If you have problems with the McCleod TO bearing leaking change to a RAM or Howe. Most like to be used often and the 3 Mcleods really didn’t like to sit. I’m close to them for repair but extra labor was a pain.
     
    Stogy likes this.
  28. Jay A Driggars
    Joined: Feb 18, 2018
    Posts: 62

    Jay A Driggars
    Member

    Where do they tend to leak at?
    I haven't had any issues yet, been driving it for a couple years now, got about 4,000 miles on her now.
    My problem was with Wilwood clutch master cylinder lid leaking, they designed the casting with about 2 threads on about half the diameter of the cylinder neck, stupid design. I modified a weld-on neck and cap that stopped the leaks.
     
    Jet96 and Stogy like this.
  29. Stogy
    Joined: Feb 10, 2007
    Posts: 26,345

    Stogy
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Nice vintage inspired...with a surprise that hauls under the Hood...it's nice you're open to a more vintage wild thing under the hood...actually with such a period attention to detail I'm not at all surprised you consider it...
     
    Last edited: Aug 7, 2022
    mrquickwhip likes this.
  30. rwrj
    Joined: Jan 30, 2009
    Posts: 721

    rwrj
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from SW Ga

    It's such a cool car just as it sits. Judging by the work you've already done, any changes will just be icing on the cake.
     
    Stogy likes this.

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