Projects Building My First Roadster in San Francisco

Great advice. The plan is to stick with as much original Model A suspension as possible until the big V8 swap. I have my Ted's floaters in the garage, waiting to be installed along with all new springs and brake shoes that will be professionally contoured to the turned drums. More on that later.

The way I see it, brush paint will work with this build pretty nicely.

Thank you! I'm still full from the Turkey and all the fixings. This year we did a Friendsgiving, and I made the garlic mashed potatoes with a little bit of shredded pepper jack cheese, homemade pineapple pudding and the dinner rolls. I wish there were more leftovers!

Hell yeah! Yours is next!

I checked it out and it's exactly what I'm going for. I have a little bit of bodywork ahead of me, but I think it'll be a good learning experience.

Don't worry, I'm going to try to make it as nice as I possibly can. Just like with the motorcycles, I love when these things age naturally to get a cohesive look.

That rules. I bet he had some stories!

Yeah! I've done some brush painting on bikes as well with nice results. I figure with the same time and effort, it'll work for the roadster just fine.

Hahah that's one way to do it!

Thank you! Little by little, it's coming together!

 

Of course, thank you for following along. Even though I still have a long way to go, it's fun to see how this car started versus how it is today. If you do start another one, do a build thread!

Gary, thank you for the kind words. It's crazy how nice everyone has been regarding this project. In the past two months, there's only been one instance where an individual has had an issue with it being out in the driveway. I kept my cool and explained to her the significance and rarity of this old hot rod, and that I have permission from my landlord to work on it. This took her by surprise and she didn't quite know what to say. Whenever she comes by, I just wave, smile and keep on wrenching. I'd love to hang at El Mirage when the time comes!

 

I'm back home after a quick Thanksgiving trip up north. While I was gone, I managed to do a little bit of parts hunting. On Thursday, my roommate Michael and I went to go check out a very traditional touring, but it appeared as if many of the parts wood not be a good fit for my project.

The ad stated that it ran when parked, but the engine was used for another project. Note the bench seat and original buggy springs. Modified front wheels contribute to its "in-the-weeds" stance.

Nearby, we came across this early trailer. The story goes that it was used to haul a short-wheelbase digger to the local dirt drags. Although the team was short on horsepower, they really rows to the occasion and grew a large following during the summer months.

 

Yep, the plan is to make it all black. We'll see how I'm feeling, but it may even get a beltline pinstripe too.

 

The build continues. Today I received a huge piece of the puzzle and I couldn't be more excited. First, a little background.

As soon as I realized my two-inch chopped Deuce windshield posts wouldn't work, I went back to the drawing board. I put a want-ad in a Model A group on Facebook, and it wasn't long before Rick Hall in Pennsylvania messaged me saying he had some posts—and a windshield frame—that his dad chopped in the 1950s. It was old chrome and, other than a crack on one side, absolutely perfect for my build. His dad had it on his channeled, flathead-powered roadster for years, and Rick had since replaced it with a nice reproduction piece. Best of all, he still has the car. He was happy to answer all my questions and gave me a great deal on the whole setup. Today I was able to bolt it on. It gives the car an extra something special, and the fact that it came off an old hot rod is the cherry on top. Hot damn do I feel lucky.

On a similar note, I also got the top rests from Rick. I'm a huge Chris Craft fan, and these remind me of pieces off some of my favorite boats of the era.
Here's Rick's dad's extremely cool flathead-powered roadster. It's channeled 8-inches over a Deuce frame. I love it!

 

While we're talking hot rod componentry, I'm super pumped to run one of the new Stromberg 81's on this project. I've heard lots of good things about them. I'll also be rebuilding the Ford 94, so it'll be interesting to see which one will work better with my combination. This carb seems huge compared to anything I've ever put on a motorcycle, and it's currently sitting on my desk because it's so damn cool to look at. The only place that it'll look better? On the car. Soon!

 

At one point I was looking into an old Sun tach, but I'm not sure if it would work with my system. All shifting is done by sound and feel at this point haha

Nice, thank you for the detailed explanation. I'll send you a PM prior to me running it to figure out what exactly I should do. Can't wait to get this on the engine, along with the tube header and new/old intake manifold.

Thanks! Once I get the crack brazed, I'll have some glass cut. Then we'll be cookin'!

 

Things have been busy around here with the Holidays fast approaching, but I was able to clean up the threads for the lower windshield stanchions the other night. The era-correct tap and die set makes yet another appearance in the build thread.

 

Yesterday afternoon, my friends and I were working on a top secret project that I'll share more about later. Amidst the chaos, I was able to roll the roadster out for some pictures—and a quick drive around the block. It ran great. I still need to work on my downshifting, but I'm definitely feeling more comfortable behind the wheel. The new windshield changes the look of the car big time.

 

Great advice @97, sounds like riding a chopper to me! The windshield was brazed together in the past, hence me wanting to braze it again. My friend David is a master bicycle fabricator, so he and I are going to work together to get this back on track. It is chromed steel, by the way, and the crack does not go all around.