Projects "Fly'nBrian" '34 Roadsterproject.

Now, blast the bottom of the frame, then prime, prep, paint, and start putting things together.

 

Continued slow but steady progress on the roadster. I have an original dash that I kinda like as opposed to the one in it with too many holes. Which to use? I intended to do a stainless Auburn style panel for the hot rod-y one, and have a Police speedo...

 

I like LOTS of Stewart-Warners, so either dash with a ton of gauges works for me. And the Police Speedo is even better. Maybe it's easier to arrange neatly on the simple dash?

 

Not that it matter's or counts but I like the top dash small tach on the left and a large speedo on the right of the column. But hell what do I know! Joe

 

Todays project(s) went pretty well. First off, I blasted the '55 Chevy rear end. Of course, I ran out of sand, and had to make trip to the hardware store for more, my usual MO. As long as I was out buying stuff, I went to O'Reilleys and got a gallon of polyester resin, some mat, and started gluing in the recess for the 283's distributor. I haven't glassed it yet, but you can see the cardboard "form" (a chunk of a shipping tube) that I glued in with some Mar-Glas. A couple layers of mat inside and out, and it'll be done. While waiting for the Mar-Glas to kick, I took the passenger door off, and fixed the upper hinge. The door had come open underway when the original builder had it, and ripped it right off the car. The rapid exit broke the upper hinge, which still had a big chunk missing from the top. I built it up with weld, jigged it up in the drill press and drilled a new hole. The door had the corner scuffed of too, so I swiped a little of the 'glass on it and will square the corner back up.
The Chevy rear turns out to have a ratio of 3.75:1, which should make the 283 pretty happy, although I'd kinda like a
700R4 instead of the 350 TH that came on the 283. That may be a good investment for me, so that may be s something to look for.

 

It's all the little things that suck up our time Brian keep pluggin! Joe

 

You're making good progress Brian - hand in there. I think that gear ratio was called a 3.70 by GM. I had a '62 Corvette for many years... it came with a 3.70 and left with one. It's amazing what we put up with in terms of cruising rpm's back in the old days.

 

I was sorta guesstimating that ratio, I indexed the drum and backing plate with a sharpie, and spun it once and counted how many times the pinion flange went around. I figured it'd be steeper geared that the Ford 8" from a Mustang I have under the bench, but figured the 283 would like the lower gear. It should be fun to drive, we'll just have to get used to thinking it should shift one more time.!

 

Makes for quick get aways at the traffic lights! Joe

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Got the package tray/top well/seat support for the '34 done today! Thanks to those who gave advice, I had no idea what was supposed to be there. I used glued up spruce from Menards, I'll pull it apart and paint everything. The top hinge mounts are dropped down 2", and the mounts I made for them are also the supports for the top well tray. I love it when things come together!

 

FB,
Great job all the way around!!!!!! Keep them pix coming. Perhaps you could post the feature of when that roadster was in the mag with the deuce as well???

 

Blurry photo, Dec. '83, if I recall.

 

Lookin good Brian that's some work! Joe

 

Thanks. The top edge of the body has a length of 1/2" conduit glassed in, that follows the curve of the body very well from door post to door post. There are two little tabs at the rear that the package tray, or the vertical part of it anyway, bolts to, you can see the two carriage bolts I used to bolt the wood panel to them. The sides have tabs about 8" long and 2" deep, light steel, that I welded the top mount tabs to. To these, I welded strips of light 1 1/2" angle iron, that the package shelf bottom bolts to. I'll make a tab at the front to bolt to the door jamb to stiffen that up a bit. It's very solid now. Tomorrow I'm going to fill and glass in all the holes in the dash to get ready for the new one.

 

Dash ideas. Red one is my own Diamond T truck. I'd put the big speedo in the center and two small ones on each side. The other one is a real Auburn speedster, I'd have to get new gauges to mimic that.

 

Dash panel mocked up. I slipped with the cut-off wheel on the last gauge hole and mad a booger in the stainless panel. Dammit.

 

I know that feeling Brian, why does it always seem to happen on the last hole? Maybe a little larger bezel piece will cover that slip up. Joe

 

There. I fixed it.

 

And I put gauges in the firewall. Hopefully the tach will work.

 

That's cool as hell Brian! Joe

 

That is going over the top Brian , Gonna be a SWEEEET ride when you get done with it.

 

I liked that option the best, looks great.

 

Thanks guys. My wife thinks the two little panels to the side are too much, but hey, it's my car, right? ;-)

 

Slung a little mud on the firewall today too.

 

And the firewall gauges.

 

Heck all I got accomplished today was dropping off some wheels to get sandblasted! What the heck Brian! Joe

 

great build..It's cool with either dash..

 

Wives don't do cars!! It looks pretty spiffy to me.

 

Here is mine which I know that your 34 had some form of inspiration for mine, I remember that article but forgot all about its color. My pix are just as blurry as I haven't really any in this I-Phone pix.
Thanx for posting the 83 pic, I started this about the mid 80's for a former employer that had Hot Rod Shop in Arcadia. It was headed in a High Tech direction, but I had to own it and try to make it as traditional as possible without taking out its P&J's chassis components.

 

I love your car, it looks like it's about the same shade of maroon-ish purple that this one was. I don't mind the color, but it reminds me too much of the the purple PT Cruiser we had (totally my wife's doing ;-)! This one will look pretty much like the top photo, minus the WW's. I'm getting anxious to start painting. As soon as the weather cooperates, it'll get color. There's about a days worth of body-work to do, and then several days of priming, sanding, painting polishing. I can hardly wait!