Projects My "You didn't build that" 27 T Roadster build thread

I give another vote for the low headlights. Not draging the ground but low.



As far as seating position, I think it all depends on the car. I know in my TR6 I like the streached out leg set up. In the Model A I like the idea of sitting up.

 

I like them low!
This is shaping up nice!

 

Tim, I think we're cut from the same cloth! Although I prefer sitting as low as possible no matter what I'm driving. Not so much so that I'd modify my daily driver, but I do lower the electric seat to the bottom.

Thanks for the kind words Flowmeister, glad to have you along for the ride.

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I made another run up the hill to Bob's this afternoon. Over the past few days we have discussed an issue with the steering arm of the spindle not clearing the drop portion of the axle. Bob had heated and bent the steering arms a few times and the turning radius was dismal at best.

I had the spindles that were last used on this axle, as everything was under my A Tudor when I bought it. I took them up and we threw them on. Pathetic. About 20* of turning radius, and that's being generous.





Bob already had a backup plan: fabricate a bracket and steering arm that positions the linkage lower where we need it. Somehow I didn't get a picture.

Obviously the body is off, but not before he built a transmission tunnel out of fiberglass.





You can also see the strings from the kingpins to the center of the rear end. Bob was getting ready to set Ackerman, but we had pulled off the spindles. It will be redone when the new steering arms are fabbed.

Still have a few issues to sort out, but everything is coming together nicely!

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Cool stuff !! How many days do you have left ? JW

 

Yep LARS is sneakin up on ya !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

About 45 days to LARS, and if we go it won't be in this car. Bob was REALLY sick for two months and didn't make the progress he had hoped to.

Was hoping to do all the shop tours again on Thursday and Friday with the greybeard tour, but won't miss them next year! Hell, maybe next year I'll even have some grey in my beard!?

Not a problem, we have a summer full of other events to hit!

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With all them kids, it's a wonder ya ain't as Grey as I am !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Good thinking! that chevy would never make it.

 

I'm gettin' there brother! Too many to "pluck" anymore! Even found a grey hair on my chin, LOL.

Ha ha ha... Yeah, but if it dies I can pick up a rebuild kit at any 7-11 for $17.95!!!

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Dang Eric.... Glad I stumbled across your build. I had no idea it was you at first.

 

Jim, what's up buddy? Took me a while to figure out who you were!

Didn't know you picked up an A Tudor! I know a little about those...

Gimme a shout if I can lend you a hand.

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I didn't know I was going to end up at Bob's this evening, but I did. My twin daughters wanted to spend the night at a friend's house about 25 miles north, so I threw a few parts in the truck and stopped at Bob's on my way home. Great excuse, huh?

I didn't take any pics, but the generator is going to be mounted down low on the driver's side. Bob will fabricate a mount off of the existing engine mount and tie the adjuster into the water pump. I didn't want an alternator, and I wanted it down low and away from the carbs. This solves that problem nicely.



The steering arm dilemna we faced last week is history too. Bob built spacers for clearance, then a piece of 3/8" plate connects to a piece of flat stock. Of course everything is just tacked right now but you can see that clearance around the axle is no longer an issue.

The tie rod also tucks perfectly under the front spring, nice and tidy!

Driver's side:




Passenger's side:




Bob also made the brackets for the other two links of the 4 link. Note they're tapered to fit the rear axle at an angle. There will be a light triangulation to the four link, but I'll still run a panhard bar. The biggest reason for running a four link is that I'm hard on stuff. I don't beat my cars at all, but I do drive them hard and I don't trust the rear bones to survive my (or the wife's) right foot!



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Sorry folks, having issues uploading photos with my droid app. Will email to my pc and attach tomorrow.

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Loaded pics to fix links in post 196.


.

 

Correction made, stering arm was not 1/4" plate, it was 3/8".

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Looks good! We all like progress!

 

Thanks Tim! Progress is good indeed.

Bob emailed a few pics to me today. He put together a cool little mount for the generator. It's just clamped together for now, but its perfect.

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Looking good, Eric!!


Malcolm

 

Thanks Nick! Might see you at Bonneville... you're going again this year, right?

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Its getting close to where you will be starting to finish bits off and then driving !! Loving your build........very cool. JW

 

Yep JW, getting real close. Victoria is VERY excited but I have to confess I'm even more so! It's been a while since we've had a running hot rod as I sold my '31 Tudor more than three years ago. In the meantime we've driven my dads and some of our friends cars, but as nice as those are its just not the same. I will never again sell a running hot rod unless I have ANOTHER running hot rod!!!

On another note, I got the flatty back in my '50 Shoebox AGAIN last night. Had to pull it most of the way out because of an issue with the trans mount. Going to spend the afternoon getting it bolted down then start throwing parts on it. I really NEED to have it running in two weeks as there's a big show n' shine at Speedtech Performance that I kind of helped put together.

Speedtech makes high performance suspensions for muscle cars, and also does complete turn-key high end builds. Truly amazing stuff coming out of that shop and I want to have my shoebox there! Wish me luck y'all.

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More pics today from Bob the Builder. This shows the lower portion of the generator bracket that will be welded to the engine mount.

This guy builds cool shit! Just give him an idea and let him run with it!




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Unrelated to the T, but a major accomplishment none-the-less at my house. With the help of my good friend and Flathead expert Dave, the flatty is back in the shoebox (as I eluded to already).

Well this afternoon my 16 year old daughter spent 6 1/2 long hours with me bolting everything back together. She has always enjoyed going to shows (boys) and cruising (boys) and cruise nights (boys) but had never worked on the cars. She was a TRENENDOUS help and a quick learner!

Everything fought us this weekend, but together we:
1. Re-drilled the trans cross member because of poor reproduction parts.
2. Drilled the trans mount holes out because someone long before us stripped them.
3. Battled to hell and back with that same reproduction trans mount and impossible to locate top bolts (thank goodness she has little hands!)
4. Had to mount and remount the reproduction front engine mounts. Pulled them out twice (no easy feat on a Shoebox) to elongate the holes where they should have been in the first place. Again, thank goodness she has little hands!
5. Cut and rethread bolts too long for water pumps.
6. Mounted carburetors from Uncle Max.
7. Began installing chrome Red's Headers before realizing I didn't have enough exhaust sealant so we stopped for the night.
8. Reconnected steering linkage we dropped to install engine/trans as one unit.

This kid did good tonight and wanted to keep working. I told her I had to work tomorrow and she said, "So we can't work on the car in the morning?" Yep, got her hooked!

She's small but when I told her to crank down on a nut or bolt then checked it shortly thereafter they were plenty tight. I guess her going to the gym with me is paying off!

She was a GREAT help and hungry to learn. Maybe I shouldn't have bought her that Taurus SHO a few months ago.... naaaah!

....can't attach pics, check next post...

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Thats cool right there. JW

 

I am loving this build . But please buy your girl some work boots. She's wearing the Hot rod safety shoe. Tongs!!!!. ( as seen on many posts on the H.A.M.B.)

 

Thanks fellas! Mark, she came out barefoot which is a BIG no no in the garage. I told her to get shoes on and never noticed what she put on. Guess she saw ME wearing MY hot rod safety shoes and figured it was okay. Thanks for the reminder, I need to be a better example and enforcer!

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Looks good in there!



I like the looks of this too. I had/have a little trouble with the Powergen generator/alternator that I got for my Model A, looks great but it is actually a little bigger physically that a regular Ford generator so I have about 1/2" of movement between the block and the frame to adjust it. No worries, just found a belt that was just the right size and rolled it on the pullies.

 

Thanks on both accounts Tim-eh! Yeah, 1/2" of adjustment would have me concerned about finding a belt! Better get two just in case!

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