Projects Giant speedster project

Here is a boat tail speedster Diamond T my dads friends in Seattle built a decade ago.

http://66.154.44.164/forum/showthread.php?t=263656

Despite the popcorn gallery's opinions, its fun as hell to drive and while everyone's taste vary the guys at Close Enough Engineering have alot of talent and a great sense of humor. As for the quality of their other builds, anyone seen their Alfa, low 12s in the quarter with the sidecar and its a blast to drive as well.

 

I've seen a few pictures of that car. It's real cool. I wondered what it was built from.
Jerry

 

Wow- doesn't look it from the last chassis pic you posted! You could always notch the frame a bit.

 

Don't worry about trying to lower it. Let if be as tall as it wants to be. It'll be more impressive and outrageous that way.

But remember to include some sort of steps on the side to climb up into the thing.

 

I agree, High and Mighty it should look.
Lowering it into the weeds would spoil the effect.

 

Here are some of the details. 2 years ago it was looking a little worn, but like all creative minds they've moved onto the next project and this one became a summer loaner.

http://jalopnik.com/378124/what-would-a-diamond-t-roadster-have-looked-like

My dad met the guys when he owned an art gallery in the late 60's and one of them has always had a studio/hangout/garage to work on projects like this ever since.

 

I'm excited about this thread... can't wait for updates. Good luck!

 

That video was pretty neat. I love the mechanical aspect of the engine design. Can't wait to see more!

 

Wasn't suggesting "into the weeds"... just about impossible anyway - just thinking about the look of race cars of the era. Most have the hubs around the same height as the frame rail.

 

Wow. That is going to be really cool. This is a period speedster/special built around 1930. I have a restoration thread here if you want to look for ideas:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=82304&highlight=schumacher+special

 

I started putting the pistons and cylinders back in. The rods had giant bearings held in by little brass screws. The crank journals were all the same diameter and I saved the exact shims that came from each rod. After a piston went in I hung a cylinder on the engine hoist, oiled it up and eased it down over the piston. I had to make up a huge ring compressor. I was surprised how smooth it all went. This engine is real precise. The rod bearing shims were very thick not paper thin like other engines I've worked on.
Jerry
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I like the two colors on the block and cylinders.

 

This one has my vote, it looks like th proportions are about right. Get after it! I cant wait to see it finished.

 

I wonder what these guys would have to say about you new HOT ROD firetruck??

 

Cool build! Have you thought about putting a blower on it a'la early Bentleys? With 4:1 compression you might get away with running a GMC huffer off the crank.

 

I talked to some guys on the Seagrave Owners site. They were cool with it since the truck was a total write off.
Jerry
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Man, I'd love to find some big vintage blower. The low compression ratio would be perfect for it.
Jerry

 

I'd have to put it in front like a Bentley. Maybe there's some late model supercharger that would work.
Jerry

 

jay leno's with tank motor, and a 1915 hispano suiza

 

Jerry, Great machine you have there!...Good luck with it, I'm hooked!

 

Ezdusit Rodney has a great unique diversified collection of vehicles. I think the polished Packard boat tail Was the one I helped Rodney & Steve build the initial body for at Lazze's in 2006.

 

I'm waiting for some oilers to arrive for the lifters. I saw some galling going in on when I took them out. So I started to work on the pedals. Someone robbed the release bearing fork so I made one up. I don't know if anyone's ever used speedymetals.com But if you need a small bit of any type of metal these are your guys. I ordered some brass round stock from them and with some shaft and bar stock turned it into a release fork and shaft. The trans has no synchros on these early vehicles so these guys used a brake to slow down the input shaft so the gears will mesh. It looks like a little clutch and has friction material on it. It works fantastic when it's adjusted right. Without it you'll grind every gear. I got everything mounted and with all my might I couldn't push the clutch. Those guys were brutes! I going to take the clutch apart and remove some of the 14 springs. This rig ain't pulling a 2 ton ladder rig anymore so I think it'll be fine.
Jerry
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The big GM style roots blowers run on two stroke diesels, and normally provide around 4psi boost on the original engine (for exhaust scavenging), when run at very close to crankshaft speed.
Now a two stroke fires every revolution, but a four stroke only every second revolution. So your 1,000 CID four stroke might work with a blower from around an original 500 CID two stroke diesel.
A pretty rough sizing guide, but maybe somewhere to start.

Something like an 8/71 GM blower off a 568 CID two stoke might be about right size for lowish boost pressure. A 12/71 GM blower (852 CID) would give more boost, maybe around 6 to 7psi as a rough guess.
With modern gasoline, and the very low original compression ratio, the engine should not have any problem coping with that.
A supercharger makes far more sense than trying to increase the rpm to increase power.
Here is a picture of the famous blower Bently:


Another way would be to run some differential gears off the front of the crank, and sit a smaller displacement blower vertical in front of the engine.
Sveral blown vintage engines did exactly that. If you chose your diff carefully, a fairly wide range of alternative gear ratios would be available for adjusting the final blower speed.
Here is a picture of a vertical mounted roots blower on a V16 Auto Union race car.
There were many other engines of that era that used a similar vertical mounted roots blower.


Something like a 3:1 to 4:1 step up ratio of speed through a right angle drive would open up a far wider choice of available blower sizes for you.
And a vertical mounted roots blower would also add to the uniqueness and vintage appearance.

 

Inside the Clutch.

I opened the clutch. It's a massive thing built into the flywheel. It had about 14 springs. I took out 6. After reassembling the clutch was much lighter. Still heavy by modern standards but at least pushable. I also threw in a shot of the inside of the transmission. Despite a little surface rust it's in great shape.

Jerry
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Really neat, yonahrr. I've got a similar idea but not on such a massive scale...an AA frame and a Buick 320 straight eight. Considering using an actual wooden boat for the body...upside-down...we'll see. Quick question for you...with the clutch so darned hard (impossible) to disengage, I have to ask, did you get the clutch-fork and related linkage ratios correct? I imagine you did...just a thought. Good idea removing some clutch-springs. Good luck with the rest of your project! BTW, I like this one...

 

Maybe a V radiator like this one will float your boat.

 

I like that car, especially the radiator and wheel covers but the body suggests 1910-1914. I want to keep within the 1923 time frame. How about the original Chitty.
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Here's one I saw at Hershey. Very nice, but I bet it took big $.

 

Lifters

The Rhino is pretty cool. I haven't seen it in person but it looks awesome. 1000cid is 17 liters but the sign says 15 liters so I guess they sleeved it down, probably to take those aluminum pistons. I cleaned up all the lifters. You guys thought roller tappets were something new. Here they are in 1923. The lifters lacked somewhat in the lube department, though. Splash just wasn't enough. Some of them showed a little galling. I drilled an oil hole and I'm going to put in an oil cup somewhere to feed them oil.
Jerry
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When I lived in Colorado in the early '70's...there was a antique car restoration shop in Loveland, that was coverting these old fire trucks into speedsters.

Maybe someone in the area knows about the shop...still in business?