Projects Giant speedster project

That thing survived all these years perfect and intact so you can use it on your Speedster! Congratulations!!!

 

Needs a name plate in an old fashioned script cut from brass sheet and held on with brass wire through the rad fins - maybe something like Mephistopheles to honour Sir Ernest Elridge's 21 litre Fiat that took the World Land Speed record at 146mph back in 1924.

 

I'm on that name plate thing. I want to try my hand at an emblem too. Electro etch a copper oval with Seagrave Special. Sprinkle in glass powder. Bake at 1200 degrees for an hour. Now, all I have to do is figure out how to actually do it.
Jerry

 

The American Lafrance radiator was a great pick. Looks good between those massive frame rails. Can hardly wait for the next post.

 

Radiator

I spent all day working on the crossmember to support the new radiator--cutting 3/16 metal on the bandsaw, welding it and grinding it. The first two processes are all right but the grinding is hell! After doing all I could stand I bead basted the thing and sprayed it with metal prep. It'll need a little bondo to make give it that cast iron look. I want that radiator in position because that means I can start working on the hood. The hinges have just arrived courtesy of Redneck Trailer Supply. $10 each. I thought they were a bargain. Think of how good it will feel to sit in the seat and gaze out over that 5 foot hood.

Jerry
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Bondo

The rodders friend. I bondoed up the radiator support then coated it with my old friend Bull's Eye Shellac. After some red primer, I mounted it in the chassis. The radiator fit into it perfectly and the measurements from the cowl were perfect. Next, I'll drag out some metal and try to cut out the upper hood pieces.

Jerry
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The hanging radiator cracks me up. We do have to find creative solutions when working on our own. I'm becoming expert at them.

 

Jerry, do you use the shellac to seal the bondo?

 

You bet. The shellac seals the bondo and eliminates that line between the bondo and the steel. I love that stuff.

 

Hood

After thinking about how I was going to fashion the hood for a few days I realized it'd be better if I just jumped in and cobbled something together. The problem is the hood has two different curves, one for the radiator and one for the cowl. For a normal sized car I'd use my roll but it's only 42 inches long and therefore useless on a 66 inch hood. My buddy Don says I should take it to a shop he knows and have it bent on the press brake. It's a thought but I fear the brake will leave creases in the metal. Being a jump in with both feet kind of guy I thought I'd try curving the metal on my Chinese English Wheel. If you buy one of these from Harbor Freight be prepared to beef the thing up. Out of the box they are too flexible. You can see the pretty mods mine required. I've never used the wheel much so after a few minutes of see saw action I learned that while an inexperienced operator like me can certainly curve a piece of metal you run the risk of leaving lines in it and the curve may come out uneven. But since I used a piece of scrap I wasn't too disappointed. I also learned that the hinge line on the side of the hood is aesthetically very important. In most cars the hood fold is aligned with the car's beltline. But I made my practice hood to align with the cowl's original hinge point. An hour's contemplation told me the hinge line was a little too high. After fiddling with strings, sticks and a tape measure I picked a hinge point somewhat lower. Now I have to find someone with a big enough roll to do my 66 inch hood.

Jerry
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I just learned something.

 

Great progress Jerry! Hoping to run up for a visit at some point, but... we're in the midst of "Football/T-Ball/Cub Scouts" right now.

Can't wait to see what comes next!

 

You mean plain old, old-fashioned shellac? Amazing.

 

Bull's Eye--made from bugs and FDA safe. You can eat the stuff!

Jerry
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... I used to eat the "potato paste" glue in Kindergarten (didn't we all?)...

 

Nope.

 

no I didn't

 

Well aren't you two just special now... gold stars for both of you

 

Me either. But I want a ride in it for sure!

 

Just read the complete thread and had to subscribe.....Very Very cool

 

Wheres the update? im dieing to see more of this project

 

Tonight!
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Hood

Okay, so sometimes I'm slow to figure things out. I tried to make a hood using 16 gauge metal and the stuff was just too thick for me to work with. After some thought I realized that if I made a framework for the hood I could used 20 or 22 gauge metal it would just about fall in place. Plus I could rivet it in and that would look cool. After some careful measurement I made a pattern each end of the hood then fired up the bandsaw and cut them out. On top of the curves I added some flat stock that I bent in place on the vice and welded that into position. I welded each end piece onto the hinges that I had already added a stiffener to so they wouldn't sag from their enormous length.

Jerry
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Hood

I tacked everything in place and it all worked quite nicely. One thing I learned is that when you weld a hinge 65 inches long it's going to curve on you. The first one I welded up bowed and I had to carefully tweak it back into position with the press. On the second hinge I pulled it down about 3/8" with a vice before I welded it. It sprung back perfectly. You can see the tacked together hood brace in the picture. I may add a second cross piece in the middle of the hood. We'll see how the sheet metal lays.

Jerry
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Good lord! I can actually see this thing beginning to take shape. And to be honest about it, I'm a little bit frightened.

But it's a good kind of frightened!

 

wow i like the hood frame and hinges , you have a good eye for creating a roadster from scratch great build thread

 

Great thread. I just found it. I'm primarily a metalshaper but have always been intrigued with building a huge car. I need another project like I hole in the head though so I'll just watch you. We're pretty close so if I can help with any metalshaping stuff let me know.

My current project is an art deco roadster with an inline 6.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=291413&highlight=art+deco+roadster&page=4

Regards

Kerry

 

Thanks, Kerry. I checked out your thread. Awesome! Is that hand hammering then wheeling, or do you use a planishing hammer? You can see I chickened out and there are no compound curves on my car. Except the doors. I thought I could handle beating and rolling them. But one day I'd like to garner enough skill to build a Delage/Delahaye kind of body.

Jerry

 

I have a book that sets out ways that small car manufacturers like Morgan constructed their cars. One of the chapters deals with how they made flat panels give the appearance that they were compound curves. This was done by putting a curve in and then twisting the panel. Looks very effective and easily done by manufacturers of cycle cars who could not charge their customers for the time and skills of panel beaters.

 

blackjack,

What's the name of the book- sounds interesting!