1930s Era Champ Car - new project

I will be making a grill myself. It will have vertical bars. I may use aluminum or stainless, and hold it in place with small nutserts.

I already have a stone guard made:

 

Poll results: 100% suggest use a PosiTraction (Ford EquaLock). It looks like I'll put one in.

 

Either a Posi or a spool and make it even more fun.

 

I'm nearly finished with the foot brake components of the braking system. Tonight some hot rod hoodlum buddies will be over so I can sit in the car and establish optimum ergonometric placement of my braking foot through the entire stroke of the master cylinder. Then the final length of the connecting links may be established and everything welded up.

Then I will have to install the hand brake system - I'm thinking to the rear wheels, like an emergency brake without the ratcheting lock. I think the best way is to weld a sleeve in the box frame with an inside link and cables going to the rear shoes.

Return spring helpers and bump stops will be added later too.

What am I forgetting, aside from the plumbing?

 

I know...
...provision for a brake light switch for the street.

Its always sumpthin'.
- Roseanne Roseanna Danna

 

The hump on the backside of the brake pedal pivot would make for a good cam lobe operated brake light switch.
Happy coincidence?

 

Is a Starter Button/Brake Pedal Safety Interconnect required for the street, like when I start my off-topic daily driver?

 

Not for me it isn't. I'm perfectly happy with a neutral safety switch.

 

While we are talking brakes. Have you thought about brake light, license plate bracket/brake light assy. Perhaps something like this?

 

Interesting pic HJ. I'll want two brake / turn lights for safety. Dunno about plate placement. I see the car pictured also has louvered frame valences like mine. I may hide the lights under there.
It also looks like he's turned the headlights around backwards. I want my headlights removable - maybe snap into sockets on the frame.

 

Through a confluence of unfortunate events I trashed the tailshaft housing and driveshaft on my '46 pickup truck. But I will try to salvage a foot of this old driveshaft and add a new yoke for the C4 to use on the champ car.



I also made some mounting brackets for the master cylinder and a bushed connector link for the pedal.

 

Brake mechanisms looking good! You're giving me ideas for the Whatever projects brake and clutch pedals. Imitation is the best form of flattery!

 

Go for it Dave. I'll post a pic of the assembly tack welded in the chassis tomorrow.

 

Here is the completed brake assembly - minus stoplight switch - welded into the chassis. Now that I have gas and brake I will turn my attention to the 3-speed shifter. The existing shift lever will be cut off and a new lever that fits tightly to the contour of the transmission case will be fabbed along with a rudimentary shortie shifter.

 

Nice! I can picture 2 pedals like that on the whatever. I don't need to make a heavy-duty bracket like yours, due to the extra lower frame tubes. Between you and Marty Strode and a couple of other threads, I have copied so many great ideas for the Whatever project that I'm going to have to list everyone as co-builders.

 

Promise me as ride when it is complete Dave.

I don't think I'm even worthy to be mentioned in the same breath as Marty, but thanks all the same.

 

You got it and yes you do...

 

I made a shift lever for the C4 trans. The hole spacing is roughly the same as the original lever I will be cutting off - plus or minus. This dummy trans is frozen up so I can't cycle the lever but I can get started on the shifter mechanism. I think it will bolt to the machining lugs on the case.

 

There are four machining locator lugs on the top of the C4 trans just begging to be used to mount a shifter. I'll fab a plate to hold a shifter.


The rear two lugs are not at the same height.


TECH TIP: I use these "pyramid blocks" to establish a horizontal and sure enough, the right side was .080" lower than the left. I'll compensate when I build the plate. These pyramid blocks came in handy when I was building interior tin for racers and rodders. These homemade pyramid blocks are especially useful for determining tunnel heights and conical tunnel taper.


Note that the plate sits level after making one tab .080" longer than the other.


The front two lugs get tapped for mounting tabs.


A friend donated this elegant little shifter handle. I'll shorten it to suit.


I may hide some additional switches and gauges on this panel under the dash. They are needed for street operation, but I want the dash panel to be relatively austere - Tach, Oil pressure and Temp gauges and a kill switch - that's it.

 

After a several month back order delay this fuel filler cap came today. I have mixed emotions about it. While it is well made for the most part it is smaller than I expected. I did not want to have a huge cap stuck on the side of the tail so I opted for this smaller one with a 1.5" filler tube. I'll make a weld-in well to make the top flush with the body. The weld beads on the top of the filler pipe looked like they might not easily seal against the gasket so I knocked down the top of the weld beads to smooth them out. I may also weld a lip around the base of the tube to prevent the filler tube from pulling out.

 

This is the base of the shifter. I will make the trunnion support for the shift lever / handle after the transmission lever is fitted on to the real transmission. That way I can see how long the linkage rod has to be. Switches and possibly idiot lights will be fitted in front of the shifter handle. The lever with the maroon knob will actuate the PARK / REVERSE spring loaded lockout plunger. Since the shift mechanism is short, direct, and substantially strong the shifter handle will have no detents, relying on the internal detents in the transmission. The slotted machine screws will be upgraded to 1/4-28 NF socket head cap screws on the real deal. Smallish screw holes help me precisely locate the tapped holes when there is little room for error.

 

Back on the gas cap. I started on the depression to be embedded in the body side. I decided to make it eliptical. I decided to sink the cap for a few reasons:
- the cap will look more streamlined
- the eliptical shape will allow for ,more "swing clearance" of the latch while keeping the overall size smaller
- the depression can have a drain tube to catch spills and prevent fuel from dribbling on to the paint job
- this smaller sized cap will allow for a larger number to be painted on the body side
- a flat surface will seal at the flange

 

The 1.5" filler tube hose will connect to the tank almost directly below it. A small tank vent tube will coil up under the head rest so it will be higher than the fill cap. I may also install a roll over check valve so all that gas sloshing around just behind my back stays in the tank. And since I'll be using an electric fuel pump (the hand pump on the side is just for show; fake, like most everything else on the car. I want the car to look traditional without all the traditional drawbacks and safety issues. But I digress...) I may think about adding an impact cut-off switch to that too.

 

The offset nosepiece flange was a bit tricky for me. I wanted to make it in one piece but it was just a little too long to be bent in my 4-foot brake. So I made a short extension piece to fit on the end of one of the legs. I put a little over-bend into it to compensate for the expected warpage that will tend to pull the piece back straight when it gets welded to the nose.

 

I clamped the nosepiece down on the rad hoop and tack welded the flange on to the nosepiece.
Then I skip welded it permanently. It will need a little metal finishing, not much, very little warpage.

 

Beautiful job on all. Love the oval fuel filler recess. Another idea to plaigerize...

 

I welded up the gas cap recess. For the finish welding I clamped some discs in the opening so I could weld it faster without warpage. I still need to add an overflow tube.

 

I did a little more welding on the cowl hood support and the gas tank cap drain tube.

 

To affix the nose to the rad hoop I made up six tabs for the hidden Dzus fasteners. I will probably make another attachment point at the front lower edge of the nose to keep it firmly put. Somebody probably stamps these but I decided to cut and bend to suit. Logghe Stamping where are you when I need you?

 

Next tabs got welded to the rad hoop and the nosepiece got fitted up to measure for the Dzus holes.