This is a great thread! And to think that I can't wait for it to get done! You probably can't even sleep at night Jess!!!
sounds like you and teh family are having a blast....some really quality work there, guys. keep it up.
What a super super thread Jess! It's like a manual on how to build a hot rod. Hats off to you and your family.
Hey all. Another productive weekend has been crossed off the calendar. It ended the best way possible... with the sounds of an engine roar blasting out of the shop door to the peaceful evening country side. If I hadn't been shivering already, it would have given me the chills. A huge thanks to Malcom for coming down from the big city to hang out, lend a couple free hands and fill us in on some greatly missed Austin moments. And check out what he brought along. Simply beautiful.
haha... C'mon, now show us the coupe progress! Had a great time helping you guys out yesterday - always a good learning experience. Malcolm
Bill came down from Norfolk and brought his Toe-In Tool to toe-in the front end. The front tires of a car should have an 1/8" of toe-in (where the front of the two front tires sort of slightly point towards each other, or rather, point towards the centerline of the car.) This helps the car drive straight. One at a time, he put a jack under each front wheel and raised it up. Then he set a can of spray paint down in front of the tire and spun the tire while spraying it. This left a fresh silver mark on the tire. Quickly, he set a tool down which extended a thick needle out to touch the tire. As he spun the tire again, the needle left a mark in the wet paint. This ensures that if the wheel isn't straight, you are still getting an accurate line. Bill put down the toe-in tool, a resizeable straight bar with measurement tips on each end. He resized the bar until he got the measurement tips to line up with the scratched line on the tires. Then he placed the tool behind the tires. Using the same length of bar, he looked at where the tips hit the mark on the tires from behind, if they hit at all. Ours was an inch off. So he and my dad loosened the jam nuts and adjusted the tie rod. They kept moving the tool to the front of the tires and then back to the rear of the front tires, and adjusting the tie rod to give an 1/8" toe-in.
My dad buffed the exhaust pipes and Malcolm installed them back into place. The clamps holding the pipes together at one of the joints, have to be tightened from above, while inside the car. This is the end result. Only missing the driveshaft now, which had just gotten a fresh coat of primer after being shortened.
So now your tires have silver paint in the tread? Won't you be able to see that for a while? Skunk tires!
Now the exciting milestone... Malcolm poured transmission fluid into the transmission: My Dad poured water into the radiator. Uh, a good idea if you're not completely sure that the radiator doesn't leak, or that the water pump isn't leaking out of it's gasket... or say, Jess didn't check to make sure that the big gaping threaded hole in the block didn't have a threaded plug in it.... Needless to say, water cleans right up. Anti-freeze does not. So, water in the radiator? Check. Transmission fluid? Check. Oil? Check. Gas? Check. Battery on? Check. Giddy girl in the driver's seat? Check and check. Turn the key and... vroom, vroom baby. Wicked awesome. Malcolm continued to add transmission fluid and I sat in the driver's seat, gleaming that I no longer had to make the engine noises myself.
Im in awe over this thread....it is one of my favs on the hamb. Thanks for the detailed pics on setting up the front end....this has really got me thinking about a couple of things.....
And while we were all there, plus Jerry happened to swing by, we decided to get out the hood to see what had to be done there. My dad had set the radiator in place using measurements from an original 1933 grille he borrowed. Moving the radiator now, makes the hood fit better or worse. Adding in the fiberglass 1933 grille changes things more. Both will have to be modified, probably mostly the grille and not the metal hood. We'll see shortly. So the hood and grille just tie the whole car together. Um, ignore the wire wheels. Bill noticed the two front wheels weren't entirely straight. So he took those home to straighten them out. These are just the correct bolt pattern and we couldn't easily deal with jacks while on the lift. Thanks all for reading and for your encouragement.
Woo Hoo! Congrats to all involved. Absolutely my favorite thread of the past year. Have fun driving it (but start building something else and post another great thread!). vic
WOW. I have totally missed this thread. Im just in awe and jealous. Looks like a great project , great family and youre going to have some great times in that car.
Lookin good Jess! You guys sure have been pourin in the hours, and they're clearly paying off- big time!
Jess, This is the best build thread I have read in a long time. Thanks for the detailed descriptioins and the quality photos. This will go a long way in helping others. Tom
this is really shaping up into the most exciting part of the project. Are you gonna run it in primer to shake it sown or git er painted an polished first? Either way, your gettin close.
The plan is to run primer for about a year to pinpoint any problems. When we started it was going to be a satin black with maybe some cool grey scallops. Now I'm not completely sure. That primer grey has really grown on me.
Thanks for the update Jess. I bet it was exciting when it fired up. It is always one of those moments you hold your breath, cross your fingers and hope for the best! Thanks for posting those pics of your toe-in alignment. I had never actually seen that done before, neat! Keep up the good work. You'll be driving it before you know it!
Wow! Great post. I enjoy following along. Sooooooo, ummmmmmm when is a good time for me to drop of my 34 so your crew can do that nice of work on it and quit piddling with that silly looking thing! (Dont I wish!)
Wow! This is an awe-inspiring thread! I love every minute that I get to spend with my parents doing stuff like this. You and your dad must be so proud of each other. Congratulations on a great build, and one of the best threads I have read in a long time.