Projects Building My First Roadster in San Francisco

What a day. Update happening soon!

 

All very true. I plan to drive Version 2.0 of the roadster to your house!

For sure. I'll post pictures of that portion of the project as they unfold. Possibly later this week if all goes to plan.

He couldn't have been more correct. Everything ends up taking way longer than expected, but a project like this just can't be rushed. In a similar vein, my dad likes to tell my brother and I, "These expensive hobbies will cost a lot of money." So true.

Yes we are! And it's only getting better.

I try to go every time I'm home. Nobody makes burgers like that around here. Trust me, I've been looking for years.

 

Seems like things haven't stopped moving since then. How about 2 p.m. Sunday? Hahaha

Thank you! I appreciate it. I'll dive into the backstory in a minute here.

I've seen that before. Whatever could keep your machine on the road!

Hahahahah hot rod hooligans. That's too good.

It really really was. He is so knowledgable about the city of Detroit. I love just driving around with him and hearing his stories of a different time.

 

It's a rainy fall Sunday here in San Francisco, and I have a whole lot of material to add. The Terrace is quiet, and I have Hot Rod Gang playing on the TV in the background. So, let's pick up where I left off.

Sidebar 820: Let there be light

Even though I'm using a whole lot of tried and true parts on this project, I'm doing everything in my power to make this roadster mine. So when it was time to build the headlight bar, I knew I wanted to do something different, yet traditional.

Ever since I started reading hot rod magazines as a kid, I've been drawn to the '50s-style cars with high headlights. As you guys previously noted, this was done for legal reasons. By the time the mid-'60s rolled around, most rodders brought the lights down to earth on fenderless cars.

I'm going for the 1954 timeframe for mine, so high riding headlights it is. I don't see many people doing this anymore, but I love it.


Starting with two 1928 Model A headlight bars, I drew out a very simple plan on the floor with chalk.

I then used a cutoff wheel to cut the good ends off one of the bars.

Removed the cups and sliced the center portion in half. These components will become the headlight stalks.

Blasted and beveled. I cut the ends off the second bar and sandblasted it too.

Clamped in place for tack welding. Putting my new welding hood to work.

Mocked up to determine height. Seeing headlights on there for the first time made me so happy. (Still does!)

Another view.

David's car looks on. This has been one of the most fun sub-projects thus far.

 

On Friday afternoon, I went to an estate sale in the Sunset that was an absolute bust. Nothing of note and prices were high.

Undeterred, I swung by Yama's place and we grabbed a late lunch. At that point, the sun was out and we were having a blast ripping up and down the Avenues.

When I got home, I got a message from @badshifter that he and his wife spotted us out on the streets. What are the chances of that?! I got a good laugh out of the thread he started here. The information is accurate, although I'm not sure I agree with the title! Hahaha

A fall postcard from Golden Gate Park.

 

Yesterday, I made my way back up to Petaluma to make more progress on the car. I was planning to install the new front spring (we realized the current one is too narrow), but it won't be here until the middle of the week. Nonetheless, we were able to tackle a lot of smaller tasks.

The first was mounting the headlight bar.

Measure about eight times, then drill. Just like on my previous car, I used four carriage bolts. I'll also cut rubber pads to help reduce vibration. I plan to run a front and rear plate when the time comes. Don't worry, it won't be zip-tied.

When I showed David my carriage bolts, he asked, "You're going to get rid of the lettering, right?" We did this on my Triumph way back when, and I hadn't even thought of it for this car. "Of course!" I replied.

Per his recommendation, I chucked them in my cordless drill and ran them on the bottom side of the belt sander.

So much better. These are the details that are going to make this car really special.

Roadster run to lunch.

Look who we spotted on our way across town. It's @Jeff34 cruising the streets of Petaluma!

Oh, you know, just your average day at the shop. It's crazy that the Knucklehead was the most modern machine there.

One of my goals was to get the Walker radiator bolted into position. As luck would have it, it's set up for a filled shell, which I have. When I went to slide the grille shell over the radiator, it hit the faux filler neck.

"Looks like we'll have to cut it off and grind it to fit," I said. "Wait a second," David replied. "This is brazed on. We can sweat it off." With that, he picked up the torch and a pair of vise grips and proceeded to liquify the lead/tin mix. A few moments later, he pulled it off like it was nothing. I was astonished.

Cutting anything on the radiator tank made me nervous. David's solution made it so simple. I'm really lucky to have a friend like him helping me every step of the way.
For the final activity of the day, David coached me through disassembling a double-detent shifter top. I would have taken photos, but the whole thing went so quickly. Highlights included grinding rivets and using a series of punches (mostly brass) to drive out components. The parts are currently soaking in Chem-Dip in my garage. We will be fully rebuilding my "rebuilt" transmission before the year's over, which will be an excellent learning experience. More on that later.

That does it for this installment. Oh, one more thing. Last night, I ordered a whole lot of parts, including a PerTronix ignition, spark plug wire, clips and header hardware. I have a bunch of hot rod homework to do, so I need to get back to work!

 

As you work on that, I'll work on the roadster! And thank you. When bolted down, they're a lot sturdier than anticipated. I'll also be cutting out little rubber pads to help cut down on vibration, too.

Thanks Tim! Every time I look at the photos, it makes me smile. A friend of mine said that the car has a very calming look to it. I'd say she's right!

Hahah these things have been everywhere. I bought them on Woodward Avenue in Detroit in the winter of 2017 and they've been good to me ever since. Got them resoled recently and they're good as new.

I'm trying! Never a dull moment. I'd love to come swing by your place in North Beach and we could rip through the Broadway tunnel on the way to the Great Highway. Maybe even uncork the headers. When I drive across the country, I'll most definitely stop by your house for you to check out the car in person.

Right?! I never would have thought of that. Makes it so quick and easy.

Thank you! You're exactly right. I've already gotten some people telling me that I'm doing it wrong. That's okay. It's my car, and I'm using all my years of research to make it as era-correct (and functional) as possible.

Thanks! You hit the nail on the head. Just like everyone else on this forum, I've seen a lot of hot rods throughout my life. I'm finding that the ones that break the mold are the ones that stick with me. Hopefully this will be one of those cars.

 

Sidebar 503: Fall is Here

When I started this project, I was convinced that it wasn't going to be well received on the H.A.M.B. I had been writing my weekly column on The Jalopy Journal for the better part of seven years, and I knew how ruthless it could get—especially for rookies/beginners/Grenade Inspectors (remember that one?) like me. Nonetheless, I made that first post and we were off to the races. That was two years ago, almost to the day.

The day after I started the thread, @Tim joined the conversation. If you're reading this, you know he's a longtime H.A.M.B.er who has helped so many of us out on our projects. Recently, I received a message from him on Instagram regarding a special piece of art he was working on. When I saw the picture, I couldn't believe my eyes.
You see, Tim's an artist in every sense of the word. From tattooing and painting to building early Ford hot rods, he does it all. To my surprise, he painted a picture of my roadster on one of the best days of my life. It wasn't long before it was in the mail and hanging on the wall in a place of pride in my sunroom.

When Yama and I were driving around Portland after the Harvest Drags, I saw the trees and the house and I knew I had to stop. I'm so glad I did. This version of the car isn't going to be around forever, but it will live on in Tim's art. Thank you, Tim. And thank you everyone who's has come along for the ride thus far.

***​

If you haven't seen it yet, check out this portion of our Oregon trip below.

 

Yep! I finally got them resoled over Christmas and then Red Wing shipped back to San Francisco for no additional charge. Top notch stuff.

The H.A.M.B. is first class. I loved that the whole thing was a surprise. Oh, we have a whole lot of updates in the works!

Hahah yesss, much appreciated. It's funny, I've actually looked through that same window and I didn't remember that it was from AG. I'll have to go back for sure.

I appreciate the HRM reference. That's the era! I'd love to replicate some of those shots. You'll find a few similarities to those machines in my posts that'll happen in a few weeks...

Yes! Just saw them the other day. Movie history finding its way into everyday life.

 

Even though it's the middle of the week, today was a big day for Version 2.0. Why is that? Because we got parts.

While we were setting up the front shock mounts, David and I realized that the car leans hard to the driver's side. Upon closer inspection, we discovered that the front spring was too narrow, making everything lopsided. While I was back in Michigan, I gave Posies a call. Before the phone could even ring, a sales associate was on the other end. I mentioned that I needed a 31.5-inch, reverse-eye Super Slide spring, but they were out of stock everywhere.

"Is your build going to be traditional?" he asked. "Of course," I replied, listing off the parts I'm using. He recommended their rolled and tapered spring, which has the modern delrin sliders but an early look. He then took down my information and got the order going. Today, it arrived.

I have a good feeling about this one. It should be easier to install, considering that we had to really stretch the current one to fit. As you read this, the white paint is drying. Can't wait to get it on the car.