Fairly common horn ring, you can get a nice center button from almost anywhere, think the one in this pic came from Bob Drake, or Joblot. I am running one in my 28 sedan as well, I really like them. Les
Did you find you had to cut the wheel down at all or was the stock size fine? I know a mate had to cut his '38 wheel down because it was too big in his 29 roadster, although i've never seen anyone cut the later ones.
Hey Nick, Good to see the update - & I see you got an answer on the steering wheel - the deluxe version has the extra trims on the spokes - yours is a standard one - you just need the button & the ring that holds the button in place - you might find that stuff at Cleveland show/swap on Sunday..... Spence.
Hey Spence! I have a few more pics i will upload tonight or tomorrow. I will have to have a gander around here and probably will do a separate thread because i tried mocking up the steering column where the hole is in the A frame, and lol, it sticks out about a foot past the dash. It'd either need a cut down column and a custom made shaft or moved like a foot forwards of the A column pitman arm hole. Thats just from a 10 minute look around though there might be an easier way. As for the horn ring / button.. i might find one at Cleveland swap, or i might find one in your shed sooner or later
On early cars the wheel is a fair way from the dash. When it's all set up with a body, floor, seat etc. you may be glad you don't start shortening things now.
I have a few bits but not too much spare stuff now days and I'm gather for a roadster myself, I'm in Victoria Point so give me a shout if you need much more stuff. I still need a roadster rear section for my project but then again I might build another roadster pickup like one I used to have only no fenders etc. I like your chassis work and you engine etc. Cheers, john
Tony, I have only mocked it up. I did cut a milk crate down to be the height i'd be sitting in the "car" if you can call it that at the moment.. but i really need the doors on so i know relatively where i'll be sitting as well. I still need to fit the banger and see where everything fits around it. Does anyone know if people use a 41 - 48 column as a cross steer or a side steer? I had a search on here and seemed a lot use it as a cross steer, whereas i want push pull steering. Also, if anyone has a picture of the actual mounting bracket used to mount a 41 - 48 box that would be greatly appreciated. John, If you'd like, PM me what you have spare and i'll reply with what i've got spare / what i might be interested in and we could go from there. Perhaps i may have a few things you might need. Nick.
Cheers Rod! Won't be working on it for a few days, i had to shift it to the side as our '66 HR Holden Prem had to come back into the carport for a few tiny things before it gets shipped up to Townsville.. so be at least a week before i'm workin on it again.
So after a verryyy long time i've gotten back into my Model A.. full speed ahead and all that.. and thought i'd gotten enough done to warrant updating my thread. It didn't help that Rod (Deu55) has been nagging me for a few weeks now So without any further ado, heres the pics of whats been happening. First up i brought my Model A and the jig into my works new shed, heaps of room to work on it and access to a ridiculous amount of machines and tools which make fabbing stuff really easy. I then got to it and made a plate to join the two bits of the crossmember together. By this stage i'd found this really cool fog light on ebay for only $26 bucks, so i used an original Model A headlight bar (a crappy bent up one) to make this.. Annddd i bought this.. and did this with it. Then i went back to work the next day and did this that afternoon.. Which then became this.. Then i clamped it into the rails to see where i wanted it. So i wasn't really happy with the crossmember as a whole, and i found that it didn't really leave a lot of room once the gearbox was in.. so i cut it in half and trimmed the original Model A middle crossmember and installed that. I also got the whole top side of the chassis boxing plates fully TIG welded.
This is what i got done this afternoon. I've started finishing the rear of the crossmember. I made the top plate and got it mostly welded in, just have to finish the lower plates on Monday and it'll be about done and ready to flip it up the other way. I also finish welded the top side of the back plate, and also welded most of the way around the holes i'd drilled.
Oh and i've also scored a long list of parts from mates, and mostly ebay for real cheap. 2 x Original '32 tail lights - $20 each Pair of Guide lights - $10 (no kidding..) '32 to '34 Hand Brake Lever - $37 The above oil pressure gauge - $10 Vintage Amps gauge - $10 '40 Pedals and bracket - $50 Set of early Ford wheels - $160 Set of 3 Spoon accelerator pedals - $20 Original Brass Model A Gas Gauge inner and outer nuts (They are a goldy colour, so no chrome.. i think it'll look cool!) -$4 '42 - '48 Steering Column and box -$Free I'm building this to be a '48 Socal style Roadster built by someone young. Black, Black wheels and black wall bias plys, cream interior and roof, chopped a few inches, aluminium louvered full hood and boot lid (i think this is more of a could of, not necessarily was a period correct thing).
Good to see your updated work ,looking a lot better. How do you get all your parts so cheap? Will stop nagging now, at lest your getting lots of work done...Rod. Sent from my iPhone using TJJ
Thanks Rod! Haha i'm not sure how i get my parts cheap i guess its either because i'm either a tightass or i just have a way of finding em cheap. Who knows I'll be updating again when i get some more done on Monday arvo or Tuesday.
Nice to see it coming along Nick.......I like the build plan, black on black is always a great look......& it sounds like you got quite a collection of parts coming together too! ps/ that front spring cleaned up real nice....just need some shackles & u bolts then i can put my front end together
That sounds awesome about the spring Spence, i knew it'd clean up good. I got that spring off Dick, the guy with the '29 roadster that was green and is now black. We've talked about that car before you know the one. I'm hoping to have the chassis done by the end of the year all finished up and ready for a body. I'll have to come grab one of those front springs off ya too, i was watching "Rides" the other night the one with the Burbank Choppers and they actually used a '48 i think front spring on the back of the yellow "Bad News" '27 Coupe and it helped in lowering it, so it should work sweet on my Roadster. I also won a oval speedo for a Model A, a mint one.. for $25 this morning. Pretty happy with that.
yeah I've heard a few times people using those front springs on the rear...... apparently they make for a nicer ride also
Interesting i haven't heard that. I don't want to put a Z into my chassis so reversed eyes and using a flatter spring like the ones you have will lower the rear a good amount. I don't want it sitting too high haha.
Bit of an update.. Got my crossmember all finished up this arvo, also got my boxing plates fully welded. That means my chassis is coming out of the jig tomorow How exciting! I also recieved in the mail today a MINT Model A hood side, which i'm going to use as a template to make my aluminium sides eventually. $20 from a guy on the Ozrodders forum. Hes also gotten me a bunch of parts i've badly needed. Great dude. So onto the happy snaps. When i made the middle plate and oxy cut the hole i used a cutting disc, but i placed it on.. shifted it and drew it again, leaving me with an out of round arch instead of a straight circle. This caused me all kinds of dramas, and resulted in me having to cut a piece of pipe, cut it through the seam, heat it with the oxy and flatten out the sides and then shorten them and cut it in half and bash on it for 3 hours until i had the bastard right. Next time i'll just cut a damn circle 115mm wide so i can use 115mm OD pipe and not have to fuck around with all this shit. I got over it pretty fast i can tell you, glad its finally done. Heres my hood side. While it might just be a hood side to some of you, its so badass to me for so many reasons. Its mint, it has the most awesome patina on it and its just plain cool. I will probably use it as a wall hanger eventually because its just that fucking cool. So anyway, tomorrow it comes outta the jig and i can bolt my cowl to it, and start making pedal and steering box mounts and fix up my aluminium windscreen posts and mount them, and make a windscreen frame and repair my cowl. Awesome. Hot Rods are so fucking badass.
That looks very strong. I know what you mean about your crossmember. I have a knack of being too clever for myself and making a 2 hr job take all day.
I just hope they are guides. Well, it doesn't really matter cause they are pretty cool anyway. Heres a picture of them. The ebay ad said they were guides..
Nick looking great , more cool parts and cheap don't know how ya do it... Sent from my iPhone using TJJ
So anyway heres todays update.. Chassis came outta the jig this morning, and i was happy to find it had not twisted warped or anything. It was the same diagonal measurement as it was when it went in. Beauty! The start of mock up for pedals and steering mounts.. I still don't have the foggiest how i'm going to mount the pedals and make it look good. I had a look at a mates roadster this arvo, with the same pedals and found that what he did won't work on mine. He used RHS and cut a notch to fit a model a ball cup as he has '48 wishbones welded to a model a middle bit, and so he has mounted off that. Because i don't need another crossmember under the gearbox like he did, i have a big ass void that i need to work out where to mount off. I suppose i'm gonna have to get creative.
To be honest when I looked at your frame in that first wide shot it actually looks like it could do with some diagonal front legs between the centre cross member and the rails. There's your opportunity to mount your pedals and provide a bit more stiffness in the front half of the frame. You're going to have to put something in there. It may as well help structurally. Pete
I'm considering using one of my original middle crossmember legs that i cut off, to mount the pedals. I really don't think this thing needs anymore stiffening, especially with when the motor and box are all bolted in. Its stiff enough as it is i reckon. Wouldn't the gearbox bolting straight across and directly to the rails strengthen it anyway?
Yes. I reckon you are right. But those pedals aren't going to just hang there, so why not build something in that serves double duty, that's all.
Oh okay yes i follow you mate. I was just thinking i didn't want to do that on both sides. If i can make one of my leg offcuts work i will otherwise i'll have to come up with something else that will work. Hm..
The Jalopy Journal
