Projects Building My First Roadster in San Francisco

Paul is a wealth of information. His videos have helped a great deal along the way!

 

I'd like to start off here tonight by apologizing for not updating this thread as often as I was in the past. Between starting the new job, traveling for work and having the car in a drivable state, there isn't a whole lot of wrenching going on right now. That being said, I do have some fun things to share.

Sidebar: The Ramblin' Reliability Run

Do you know the best thing to do with a running hot rod? Drive it! After two weeks in the Midwest, I was itching to get back behind the wheel and enjoy the car. I heard through the grapevine that Excelsior Coffee was having their two-year anniversary block party, and that there would be a mini car/bike show in addition to food vendors and artists. After finishing my Saturday morning chores, I walked through the apartment gathering my gear for the trip. Sunglasses? Check. Water? Check. Film camera? Check. Bucket hat? Double check. As I prepared to walk out the door, my roommate Michael asked what I was up to. "I'm going to a block party in the Excelsior," I said. "Want to come with?"

He thought about it for all of 15 seconds. "I'm in!" he replied. With that, we strolled down the stairs and hopped into the roadster.

It's important to note that I live in the Inner Richmond, which is right by Golden Gate Park. The Excelsior is to the southeast—down below Twin Peaks and Diamond Heights. What that means is that you kindof have two choices on how to get there: take the freeway (and sit in traffic) or navigate some of the city's most serious hills. We decided to go for the latter (!).

At this point, I'm getting increasingly comfortable driving the car. My shifting has improved, as has my spacial awareness. Driving by yourself is fun, but having a friend along for the ride makes it so much better. We had a blast waving at pedestrians, singing our favorite Ween tracks (no radio, remember!) and using old-fashioned turn signals (so, hand signals). The little roadster took the hills with ease, although some of the descents made me really wish I had my new brakes back from the shop that's arcing the shoes.

Yours truly behind the wheel. (I plan to move the seat back a few inches before the big SLO trip.) Man, look at that city view! This was at the base of our old street, Corbett Avenue. The UPS driver next to us was stoked to see the car idling there at the light. With our topless A and his open truck door, it made it easy to carry on a conversation.

Just for fun, we drove past our old house; I love doing stuff like that. I wonder what I would have done if I saw a 'banger-powered Model A roadster cruising by in the summer of 2016? I know for a fact that I would have ran after it.
In those days, I was putting together "Project Paperweight," a Honda CL350 built to take on the streets of San Francisco. That build taught me a lot of things, some of which I'm applying to the Model A.

We thoroughly enjoyed the block party, and the roadster got plenty of love. As luck would have it, I met a fellow SF hot rodder who—believe it or not—is building a '31 A-V8 in his garage in Noe Valley. Right before we left, he asked if he could go for a ride around the block. Of course! I had a great time showing him the high points of the build. Once I'm back from the next round of travel, I plan to head over to his place and check out his progress. Oh, and he's also building a Knucklehead chopper!

If you're reading this thread, you know how important hot rod history is to me. In the past couple weeks, I've been zeroing in on San Francisco car clubs of yesteryear. Who were they? What cars did they drive? And—because setting is such a key piece to any story—where did they hang out? Well, through the power of the H.A.M.B., I managed to find a list of all the SF hot rod clubhouses circa 1955. I then created an interactive Google Map, which I plan to use for a future feature article.

Anyways, Excelsior Coffee put us right in the neighborhood of my favorite SF club: the Ramblers. It wasn't long before we were at 338 Brazil Street, and I backed the car into the driveway. I was hoping there would be some sort of sign: maybe a name scrawled in the concrete or a collection of oil stains in the driveway from flatheads past. Even though there weren't any of the above, I couldn't help but feel that my roadster isn't the first early Ford hot rod in that driveway. And, if we play our cards right, it most certainly won't be the last.

 

Free frame? I'd love one of those haha.

You caught my signature! It's true. I figure there's no time like the present to start thinking about the future. I figure it'll take me between one and two years to get version 2.0 on the road, so you know I'll be having lots of banger fun in the meantime. I tried talking my brother, @Andrew Ukrop, into putting a '28/'29 roadster body on it and driving it around Michigan. West Coast A-V8, Midwest gow-job—how fun would that be?!

Hahah that's amazing! I need to find myself one of those 1932 Model A frames. Thanks for sharing that memory with us.

Not a bad deal—not a bad deal at all!

 

What's better than going to one car show? Two car shows. On Sunday morning, I made my return trip to San Francisco Ocean Beach for the July SFOB show. In true summer fashion, it was cold and foggy. I loved every second of it.



One of the funnier moments happened at the intersection of Fulton and Stanyan when I pulled up behind one of Waymo's experimental self-driving Jaguars. Amazing how much of a difference 90 years can make. Nonetheless, I'd wager that I was having way more fun!

Pulling into the lot, I found a spot next to a very clean 1940 Ford. I liked to imagine that these could have parked next to each other in another life.

I especially liked how the my firewall matched their whitewalls, and how they both are running YOM plates. To be honest, I've been thinking about painting my car green. The color of that '40 really makes the copper wheels pop. Something to think about!

Let's take a walk around the show.

I liked this flathead-powered '40, which appeared to be an older build.

How about a mint 1932 Ford three window? Upgrades included a later flathead and juice brakes all the way around.

This '60s-style '32 was running a healthy 396. Extra points for piecrust slicks.
My dad always says this when he's behind the wheel, which is often.

Of all the cars at the show, I'd say Brien Jones' '41 Plymouth had my pick. The chop is spot-on, and I love how he retained so much of the original brightwork. While talking to Brien I learned that there's an early Hemi beneath the hood. It's the perfect powerplant for this one-of-a-kind kustom Mopar.

After a very fun morning hanging out with a whole lot of friends, I hopped in the A and headed towards home. (Yama's girlfriend, Lyndsie, snapped this great shot of me wearing my roadster hat and smiling at my car [?])

 

Seeing that I was in no particular hurry, I swung through one of my favorite stretches of Golden Gate Park.
Although a backdrop like this is commonplace in other parts of the country/world, it's a little harder to find in San Francisco. I'm a fan of the rustic setting!

 

Back at home base, I finally started painting the interior satin black. We’re a long ways away from upholstery, but this gives it more of a finished feel. I've just been applying coats as time allows. (This was before coat #1 had dried).
Also, in my travels, the crack on the passenger-side windshield post had gotten worse. After talking to Yama, we decided that there's no time like the present to fix it. I'm going to be up in Seattle/Puyallup this weekend for work, but he said he can take it on with his new TIG welder while I'm away. Such a great friend!
That's all for now!

 

Maybe I'll have to make my own bootleg copies and get you some.

Yes, the windshield frame was broken, but David di Falco brazed it back to health. There was a slight crack in this post that has been gradually getting worse. We're going to try TIG and then if that doesn't work, we'll braze or find another solution.

It's funny how I went out of my way to get an old chrome chopped windshield setup only to have to repair 2/3rds of it. I'm not complaining—it's one of my favorite elements of the car.

You guys had all the fun! A slammed, fat-fendered Ford is always a winner in my book. Maybe you've seen it, but I've always loved Joe Barnett's heavily raked '40 coupe. I'll try to send you a picture when I'm back home with my magazine collection.

 

Nothing to report at this point today, although I am in Puyallup taking some flathead notes...

 

"In true summer fashion, it was cold and foggy."

I'm curious what you consider cold.
I see car gathering pics of guys wearing coats (in July).
Guys here would probably be wearing shorts and a T-Shirt saying great day.

I'm holding my chuckle card to play with your answer.

 

I sure was. Over the weekend, I made the trip north to cover the Goodguys show with RideTech. It's beautiful up there. When the world's more open, I'll give you a shout when I'm in the area. I'm also going to be spending some time at @Hitchhiker's place!

Hahah okay, okay. Cold is subjective. I spent my first 18 years in southeastern Michigan, then the next four in Missouri, so I get a little bit of street cred for being, um, chill? That being said, San Francisco summers are our coldest months. The day usually starts in the 50s and warms to the mid-60s. Once afternoon hits, the fog rolls back in and we're back in the 50s. Don't get me wrong, the weather's never "bad" here. There are sometimes I do really wish we could have a warm night where I can drive the roadster in a T-shirt. I also had to buy shorts when I started my new job; I have had no use for them here in my six years in the city!

Also of note, we have an app to track our microclimates called Mr. Chilly. It's so absurd and so SF. I love it.

Hahaha although my dad's slogans deserve a thread of their own, he always says that one. We're big Mark Twain fans at the Ukrop house.

Oh jeez. That sounds intense. Speaking of Montana, I spotted this this weekend and instantly fell in love. If I ever have a family, this is what we're going to drive to hockey practice in.

Damn. That sounds like no fun. Maybe summer days in the 50s aren't so bad after all hahah

 

Your spies were correct! There were a whole lot of highlights, from spending time in Seattle with old friends to enjoying some local restaurants. I love it up there in the Pacific Northwest, especially in the summertime.

For me, one of the high watermarks took place Saturday afternoon. At the tail end of my workday, I was able to meet up with fellow moderator @Paul. It seems as if every project he builds is better than his last, which is saying something because all of his cars are spot-on. Luckily for me, he sped over in his daily driven T roadster, complete with Oldsmobile power. It was very neat to ask him questions about how the car came together, and to take notes on what pieces were used where.

Oh, and he even let me try it out for size. Thanks again, Paul!

The build was covered extensively on the H.A.M.B., but it's getting late here and I'll add the link tomorrow.

 

Back in Jalopyland, I managed to score the perfect side mirror off FB marketplace. Although I don't know what type of car it came from, I can tell you that it's definitely British. It's a great fit—no drilling required.
Tomorrow, I'll share a funny grocery store story and add a few more things. Until next time!